My Funeral

Chapter 1: The Funeral

"Amitabha, Amitabha..." The four-character Buddhist chant reverberated through the spacious and brightly lit hall, solemn and tranquil.

In the center of the hall stood an unsealed coffin. At the end of the coffin is a portrait of an elderly woman. In front of the portrait is a table filled with offerings, including flowers, candles, and incense burners.

All the arrangements faced the main entrance, allowing visitors to offer incense and pay their respects, indicating that it was a final farewell-a funeral.

Outside the hall, temporary tents had been set up with numerous tables and chairs, and a substantial amount of food and drink was prepared for the guests.

On the third day after the deceased's passing, under the blazing sun, many guests still visited. Each table was almost full, making the solitary woman at one table particularly conspicuous.

There were two opened bottles of water on the table, and signs that someone had recently occupied the chair next to Qiu Xue, indicating she had been accompanied earlier. Qiu Xue was dressed in black trousers and a white short-sleeved shirt, with a small blue cloth pinned to one sleeve, commonly known as "Dai Xiao," symbolizing her kinship with the deceased.

The people around were engaged in animated conversations, but Qiu Xue was oblivious to the world outside. She focused solely on folding silver paper, as if cut off from the world, with a mind as calm as still water.

"Young people these days don't seem to know what they're thinking. They don't get married or have children. Aren't they afraid of growing old with no one to care for them?"

"Exactly. And then there are men staying at home as househusbands while women work outside. The world has really turned upside down. What a mess it's become."

"My daughter-in-law is just like that. Even after having a child, she doesn't pay any attention to it and is only focused on her career. She leaves the child entirely to the nanny. Hiring a nanny is so expensive. Taking care of the child herself would strengthen the mother-child bond. I really don't understand what she's thinking. It's not like my son can't afford them."

Even though Qiu Xue remained indifferent to worldly matters, she could not ignore the comments she overheard. She took a deep breath and sighed deeply, as if suppressing something, then adjusted her state and continued folding the silver paper.

A middle-aged man, dressed in white mourning clothes, stopped in front of Qiu Xue's table. He shouted towards the crowd behind her, "Some people come over and help move some things!"

Qiu Xue stopped folding the silver paper, tidied up the paper on the table, and then stood up, ready to volunteer. However, before she could say anything, the man, seeing that no one responded, shouted louder, "Men, come over and help out!"

"Uncle, I can help with moving things." Qiu Xue offered without hesitation.

The man looked at the slender woman in front of him, softened his stern expression, and smiled kindly. "It's okay, these things are better handled by the men."

Qiu Xue didn't give up. Smiling and in a lighthearted tone, she replied, "Don't be fooled by my appearance. I'm quite strong!"

The man initially intended to refuse again but was eventually swayed by Qiu Xue's persistence and had to concede, "Alright, alright."

After confirming the number of people, the man led the group away. Qiu Xue followed behind her uncle, and among the group, she was the only woman. However, Qiu Xue did not feel any awkwardness or discomfort, nor did she think about standing out. To her, it was simply a task that didn't require dividing people into groups or receiving special treatment.