Chapter 12 Chapter 1
"This world is full of incredible things."
This is my uncle's catchphrase.Sometimes he only used 100 yen to play the pinball machine and actually won a lot of money; in horse racing, he bet on the real champion horse but lost all his money.Regardless of good or bad things, whenever such unexpected things happen, my uncle can't help muttering that sentence.
That's right, Zhang Liang thought.
This world is indeed full of unpredictable things.The uncle who was alive and kicking three days ago was now lying in a coffin.Isn't this weird what is it?
Zhang Liang stood in front of the luxurious altar built of white wood.My uncle hasn't taken many photos in recent years, so the one hanging on the wall is a photo of him when he was twenty-five years old.However, there was still a faint smile on that face, not the slightest difference from now.
When my uncle was young, he had an unscrupulous face.
Someone saw this photo and said that my uncle looks like Toshiro Mifune when he was young, but Zhang Liang thinks he is more like the black-faced warrior in "The Wilderness".If you really want to say it, it's more like a younger version of Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka who came to power not long ago.
Open the small window above the coffin lid, and you can see my uncle's face, still with a casual smile on it.He only looked as if he was asleep, and if it weren't for the cotton stuffed in both nostrils and the motionless throat, no one would believe he was dead.
People really will die!
Although Zhang Liang knew it in his heart, he never expected that it would be his uncle who died.The fate of people is really unpredictable.
My uncle is my father's younger brother. He is already in his thirties, but he refuses to work honestly. He always idles around in broad daylight.
However, in the place where Zhang Liang lives, such adults are not uncommon.There are many people who go to the small dote-yaki shop to drink at noon, and people who spend their lives in the pinball machine room from morning to night.
Zhang Liang likes his uncle the most.Compared with the father who is always nagging, the time with my uncle is much happier.It's not because my uncle occasionally takes him to coffee shops or game arcades.Probably the so-called congeniality, for Zhang Liang, the uncle is like his big friend.
"Xiao Zhang, how is it? Is your uncle good-looking?"
A woman's voice suddenly came from next to his ear, scaring Zhang Liang so much that his heart almost stopped beating.At some point, Katsuko dressed in black stood behind him.
Katsuko is a woman who lives with her uncle.Double eyelids, small eyes, and a big mouth, no matter how you look at it, it looks like the monster named "Garamon".Especially if the hair is permed fluffy and fluffy, it looks even more alike.
"Uncle is handsome!"
"I'm not asking that."
Hearing Zhang Liang's words, Shengzi showed a smile, but in less than half a second, big tears suddenly started to fall, and then she cried in a high voice, like a dog being kicked away.Shengzi has been in this state since his uncle died.
"Really, I just don't understand him. No matter how dead you die, you can't die so exaggeratedly!"
Uncle's death is indeed unusual.At that time, he drank too much wine and walked up the overpass drunk, but fell down the stairs.
It was the fall that killed him.
According to the lady who sold the shaved ice who witnessed the passage, when the uncle reached the top of the stairs, he suddenly lost his balance and his whole body fell backwards. In order to stabilize his figure, he waved his arms and turned several times like a windmill , but finally turned over suddenly and fell heavily on the asphalt road. Blood gushed out from the ruptured skull like a fountain, and the aunt's legs were so frightened that her legs went limp.
After hearing what his father said, Zhang Liang felt that his mind suddenly went blank.In his short life of only nine years, it was really the first time he had heard of such a dramatic event.If it wasn't my uncle who died, he probably couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"It's really annoying. What should I do in the future?" With tears and snot streaming down Shengzi's face, he forcefully squeezed out the words from the depths of his throat.
Zhang Liang hurriedly turned his head to look for his mother.Once Shengzi cried, he couldn't handle it.
The mother in a black kimono is busy with the funeral that is about to start.Zhang Liang stared at her back for a while, probably sensing radio waves, she suddenly turned her head to look this way.The woman with keen perception immediately understood the situation and walked over quickly.
"Shengzi, the monk will be here in a while, so hurry up and reapply your makeup. Your lipstick is all gone."
Mother supported Shengzi's shoulders, and gently dragged her away from her uncle's coffin.
Although her voice was very gentle, Zhang Liang knew very well that his mother didn't really want to treat her like this.My mother didn't like Shengzi who worked in a small canteen for migrant workers.
"That woman doesn't help at all, she keeps crying and getting in the way."
After the wake last night, she complained in a disdainful tone.But now she can hide her true thoughts seamlessly, and make such a gentle voice, it's incredible if you say it's incredible.
"Zhang Liang, go to the second floor and ask Hongmei to change her clothes. It will start in another 30 minutes."
After listening to his mother's order, Zhang Liang left the room where the funeral was held.
The funeral home is a three-story building, luxurious and beautiful, it looks more like a small hotel from a distance.The air-conditioning in the building was turned on, and it was so cold that people couldn't help shivering as soon as they entered the gate.The red carpet stretched from the hall to the corridor, and there was no sound at all when people walked on it.
"It's luxurious! There is an agreement with the city here. We work for the government, and the funeral can be cheap." When I came here yesterday, my mother told Zhang Liang ostentatiously.
Probably my uncle is the kind of person who has never been associated with such a beautiful building all his life, so Zhang Liang felt that it was great to be able to hold his funeral here at last.
"Xiaozhang, Xiaozhang."
Just as he was walking towards the lounge on the second floor (where everyone spent the night last night), someone suddenly stopped him.Zhang Liang stopped and looked around, only to see a woman in a white top standing at the bottom of the stairs like a ghost.
It's Kaori.As if she was afraid of being seen, she quietly waved to Zhang Liang.
Kaori is my uncle's other lover, who works in a small bar opposite the station.She is close to Katsuko in age, but hundreds of times smarter and more beautiful than Katsuko, a bit like singer Chiaki Naomi.Although her face was always covered with thick makeup, Zhang Liang didn't feel any awkwardness at all, probably he himself had the same blood as the men in this place.
"How is that person?" Kaori lowered her voice and asked.
"……died."
"What are you talking about, of course. I mean, does he have a good face?"
"Ah, you said that, um! Everyone said it looks good."
"Really? That's good..."
Under the eaves-like long false eyelashes, Kaori's eyes were as wet as melting ice.
"Xaori, you go too! The monk will come in a while, in the Penglai hall over there."
Hearing what Zhang Liang said, Kaori lowered her head sadly and shook.
"Although I really want to say goodbye to him, that man has a wife. It's not convenient for me to show up."
They were not officially registered, and Shengzi was not actually my uncle's wife.But after all, the two have lived together for more than ten years, so it's about the same.
Speaking of which, my uncle has said the same thing before.
The small bar where Kaori works also runs a cafe during the day, and my uncle took Zhang Liang there several times before.The first time he saw Xiangori, Zhang Liang immediately understood that his uncle had a special relationship with her.On the way home, my uncle specifically told him: "Zhang Liang, you must never tell anyone about Xiangori. If this matter gets to Shengzi's ears, it may rain blood. This is our man. The promise between you!"
Zhang Liang felt that the smiling uncle looked very handsome.Sure enough, this is the bloodline of the local men.
"By the way, I have something to ask you. This...can you put this in that person's coffin for me? Don't let anyone see it."
Saying that, Kaori took out a small white paper bag from her handbag, about the size of chewing gum, and the outside was tightly tied with a rubber band.
"what is this?"
"You don't need to know about this. Don't everyone put flowers in the coffin in the end? You just take advantage of that time and put them in quietly."
Zhang Liang took the small paper bag, the paper bag was very light, he squeezed it with his hands, but felt nothing.Probably something very small and soft.
"I've finished this matter for me, and I'll treat you to a hot cake later."
This is a request that cannot be refused.Zhang Liang stuffed the small paper bag into his pocket and nodded vigorously.
"But... is it really okay? I won't have a chance to see my uncle again in the future."
"Who made me a lover who can't see the light?"
Kaori blinked her long false eyelashes, and said something like a lyrics.
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