Chapter 2: Journey to the Funereal - 2
Thankfully, the bus had arrived and they both boarded. As expected, the bus was empty with roughly, 6 people. 3 guys, including him. And 3 women, including Min Su.
He sat in the middle of the column. In their whole journey, he noticed a guy opposite to his column, kept staring at him. He wanted to go to him but was already afraid.
Min Su seemed familiar with all of the people on the bus. The ride was going comfortable with light chattering sounds.
A few minutes passed, Yuan started to feel nauseous. He wanted to throw up immediately. He asked the driver to stop the bus or there would be a huge ocean of waste.
“Where do you think am I supposed to stop in the middle? You should have brought nauseous suppressants.” His attitude was going to be screwed up by Yuan’s anger.
He bent down for a while for he could try to hold up the vomit a little longer. A few minutes passed around and he was at his limit.
His stomach growled, begging for him to open his mouth and give out the urge to throw up, however, it would be reckless and shameless to do so.
But every human has their limit. He asked the driver how much time is left to arrive.
He replied in a hidden sneer: “Seems to take 30 minutes and an hour more.”
Yuan twitched his eyebrow and was shocked. Where was he going? To another nation?
A woman spoke from behind, “No, I believe it will take roughly 2 more hours,”
“Uh… whatever, just sit up and wait. You guys are pretty young, right? Pity me for being so old, still driving this hellhound.” The driver was a protesting old man. He seemed to be in his 40s.
Yuan was at his final count of limit— He couldn’t hold it anymore. Suddenly, he felt a strange hand reaching from behind; he could not see.
Invisible to his sight, the hand patted his back softly so that his stomach could be at ease. Yuan did feel much better as his back was being rubbed softly, but the more he got anxious to see who the person was.
After a while when he calmed down, he decided to face back. There was a young man— his black long bangs falling down, covering his eyes and half-upper face. His full-body, pale white skin and his tall fingers. That soothed his back.
Yuan was confused.
“Um, thank you.” Even though he was flustered, he still had the urge to thank him.
There came no reply from the other side. Yuan frowned in depression. “Forget it,” he said.
He took a glimpse at the back seaters; the female whom he had met before, Min Su, was wearing a hat that was big enough to cover her whole face. He wanted at least someone to chat with him so he could overcome his grumpy stomach and nauseous state.
A few hours passed, Yuan was still impatient. He wanted to jump off the bus, go home and sleep on the large bed with the air conditioner on at full speed. “Haa… my home, sweet home.” He sighed in dismay. He decided to empty up his mind and think about nothing. Just nothing.
The man was silent for hours. Strangely, he smiled and stretched out his hand, and touched Yuan’s face by the earlobe. Slowly, his hand went down to his chin and then slowly… to his neck. —Yuan felt unconscious the whole time, but the moment the guy’s hand touched his neck, he got alerted.
—He consciously pulled back. “Wh-what are you doing?!”
The man’s smile faded away. He turned his face downwards. Yuan was confused as well as horrified.
Uh, in what hell am I in…? want to go home…
The more he continued the travel on the bus, the more his anxiousness fed up.
Leaning on the back of the front seats, being nauseated and exhausted by the depression and the climate, Min Su observed him, and so started a conversation.
“Young man, Lin. Can we talk?” she asked politely.
“Eh? Oh okay…” he agreed to move on to talk to her but seemed so that the guy was in the way— He was sitting right in between them.
This guy… even if I ask him to move, there’s no possibility of my win.
“Um, excuse me, can you please stop blocking the way? I would like to talk to the other side’s lady.”
As he finished, the guy turned his dark, ice paled face towards him, fearing the young boy out.
— —Crap!
“No, no! it’s nothing! You can relax… relax… haha.” he smiled awkwardly. Having the current, he gave Min Su a stare that he cannot talk to her in this situation. She then smiled him off. He smiled in return too.
—Lin Yuan is straight. Confirmed.
Yuan was exhausted once again. At that moment, boredom faded away. Min Su spoke,
“Lin Yuan, what made you attend the funereal?”
She asked something obnoxious— Don’t you know since you’re a family member too?
“My dad and uncle were not on good terms, so... I have to go instead of him.”
“I see. Very well then, may the spirits bless him.”
‘Spirits bless him’. Spirits she said, not god. What did that suppose to mean? Yuan was entirely contemplated, however, she wouldn’t let him. The story needs to continue.
*****
Boredom was almost finished. Yuan was more than you can say afraid. Min Su continued anyway,
“I heard he died from cancer. Blood cancer.”
“Huh? But I believe aunt told that he had overcome a heart cancer.”
“Anyway is scary. We should only hope the best.”
“Yes…” his head sunk in gloom.
“I was also informed he will be re-buried tomorrow. Tomorrow is, the ‘death’s ceremony’”
The temperature dropped— extreme terror floated inside Yuan. “Is that so…” he was quite afraid but upon seeing that the lady was quite calm, he managed to remain his smile.
“30 minutes till we arrive. Be prepared you all!” the driver, suddenly, yelled from afar.
Yuan got alerted— he smiled from cheer and poured some tears of joy. Relief was all over his body, but he wanted to keep up the talk.
“But why on that day?” he asked. His tone carried more confidence and optimism.
“Because… perhaps, the spirits are impatient.” Min Su replied in a gloomy tone.
Now Yuan was completely baffled— He didn’t know what to do, say, or how to react to this conversation.
After a whole journey of 3 and a half hours, everyone was so happy to have arrived. The driver announced their departure and told them to pick up their luggage, safely. Everyone did so, and so did Yuan.
The doors opened— Yuan, in a fast and furious speed hurried out the bus even leaving his luggage behind, ran towards the open fields in the dark. He vomited— threw out everything he had for breakfast. Min Su and the other 4 were glaring at him in the feeling of gross and aversion. Min Su came to him and comforted him, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah… ah! Now I’m feeling good! Good as new!” Yuan stretched his arms in the open, yet gloomy air.
Min Su smiled and was glad. After all, she was her close relative.
The driver came out and breath the clean, purified air— It felt good. Yuan observed the air, weather, and everything was too dark outside. Full pitch black, and the dark aura seemed to occupy almost every place. Even the clouds were greyish-black. Yuan felt a bit uncomfortable in the climate— He felt nauseous again.
The driver suddenly realized to count the passengers. “1..2..3..6.” He nodded and smiled.
“3 females plus 3 males, all departed to the Shenrin Village Mountains, safe and sound.” Said the driver. Yuan was just beside him. He also counted to ensure it. “Me, Min Su, 2 other guys, and women... wait, what?” he quickly realized, and remembered the missing person who sat beside him and helped him to calm down his nausea. But where is he now? He thought. Yuan was flustered. He asked the driver worriedly,
“Sir, how many persons have you counted?”
“Hm? Ah, 6, plus I would be 7.”
Yuan frowned in shock.
“Wait, how can it be 7? I believe there were a total of 8 passengers who departed here.”
“Haha, what? How come? Me, you, 3 ladies, and 2 other guys, all plus are 7.”
“No, no, you may have miscounted. I’ve never been failed in math. There are 8, no should be.”
The driver saw him protesting too much. His eyebrows raised in reason: “Young man, why do you say so?”
“…” yuan was confused horridly.
“Besides me. Did you remember the guy who sat beside me?”
“Ha? Who’s that?” the driver was irritated.
“The white-skinned, pale-looking guy with long black hairs… he sat with me.” Yuan's expression curved.
The driver gave off a slightly wicked smile and said, “Young man, are you sure that was a person?”
“…” He was speechless. His eyes opened widely as he was flustered with no idea of what the driver meant.
Min Su came from behind, she patted on Yuan’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“Eh? You remember the person sitting beside me, right?” Said Yuan. He thought, maybe she would agree with him. But...
“Huh? Was there someone? I’m sure I saw no one.” Her smile was relieving.
“But… but, there was one! I, I am sure… he sat right beside me and, and relived my nausea too.” His angst turned on.
“You might be hallucinating; I didn’t see anyone.” She smiled.
“Yeah, yeah, neither me. I’m the driver, I know the full count of passengers.”
“You guys…” he felt ashamed, feared, and desperately confused— how could he be wrong? When the person actually relieved him.
Anyway, they all headed towards the big, beautiful dark Shou Ga shrine. It had a pretty beautiful, but darkness concealed every part of it. It was said to be made from pure black marble stones.
Yuan gazed at it mesmerizingly— I still can’t believe I was going to be married at such a place, he thought.
The driver called him from behind, “Oi! Young boy, you are going to rest there,” he pointed his finger towards the inside corner rooms of the Shou Ga shrine.
Yuan shockingly said, “What?! Inside of the shrine?”
The driver gave a frowning stance in an annoyance glare. “You decided to come, ah?”
“…”
Everyone each stayed in one of the rooms in the hallway of the Shou Ga shrine. It was quite big; a whole family could live in it. But as according to what Yuan thought, there were only a small number of household people. He counted— there were roughly 10 servants, who also seemed very gloomy. And for the main household people, the grandmother, grandfather, and the dead’s wife. Other all were the passengers who participated. Yuan felt a bit relieved. But slowly, his relief was fading away. For he kept thinking of the guy who accompanied him on the bus.
“Are you also a part of this funeral?” Yuan asked the driver.
“I’m not,” he was busy writing on a memo pad.
Yuan gave an annoyed sigh.
When everyone sat in the floored dining room, Yuan noticed every person was only eyed on their food; none of them were daring to chat. Is this how funeral dinners are? He thought.
After their dinner ended, everyone greeted the grandparents. Yes, they were Yuan’s grandparents. At that moment, he realized that this was the Lin family’s Shou Ga shrine, the Lin’s Shenrin village. No wonder he recognized some of the members.
When he was heading to the room he was appointed to, an old woman with an old man stopped him.
“Young lad, are you our Lin Yuan?” she said.
Yuan felt strange but more scared. “Y-Yes, I am.”
“Oh, how is son, your father?”
“Dad is fine…”
“That is good. You know that your uncle died, right?”
“…” But he originally wanted to say, “yeah, that old, tyrant geezer died, thankfully”.
“We are so happy to have you here, Er Yuan,” the old man said.
“I haven’t met you two before, are you also members?” this was really strange. He realized, she couldn't be his grandma. Remember? His grandma died, years ago! Who was she then?
“We are your grandparents, lad. How careless of you, to not recognize.”
Yuan was in faze— “What? How come? I remember my grandma died, dad also said so, how is this possible? Maybe she is the great-grandmother? But that would be so…”
As he was contemplating hard to understand the situation, his aunt came to him.
“Yuan er, right?’ She had, obviously, a teary, face full of sorrows.
“Yes, aunt Nao.” Her name was Lin Nao. The eldest aunt, the wife of the eldest son of the Lin family.
“Sob, sob, I can’t believe he died from a normal heart stroke. He was so loving… sob, sob, sniff, sniff!”
Yuan gave a twitched expression: “Aunty, a heart stroke is NOT a small or normal strike. He was already at his age limit. We should just wish heavens to take care of him.” He managed a bitter smile.
Aunt Nao nodded with tears dripping and the old woman patting her, trying to relieve her from pain and sadness. Yuan also felt guilty for not giving his uncle the proper love of a nephew, after all, he was his uncle’s favorite and only nephew. That was why he had the wish to marry his daughter with Yuan. However, Yuan was already opposed to this decision, so were his parents, which made him have a bad impression of his uncle. The younger brother Lin Sao was not liked by his older brother, Lin Tong Wu. So they were family enemies. Even, no one dared to mess with them or tried to make them get along.
-References:
[1]- A death ceremony or festival is like an event, where dead spirits/ghosts revive and come to visit the human realm.
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