Midnight Bookstore - Chapter 81

Chapter 81: A Family

On the second floor, Zhou Ze saw Miss Liu’s family. The strange thing was that he did not see any men, only three women.

One of them had white hair and was already in his twilight years; one was graceful and had reached middle age; the other was about the same age as Miss Liu.

When Zhou Ze walked in, he realized that the priest was there as well. He was talking to the elderly woman as if he was trying to enlighten her.

The old lady listened, and the priest continued. Everyone seemed to be doing their job. It would be a lie to say how sad the room was.

Of course, you could not blame the living for being indifferent to the dead, because the problem that the living had to face was how to continue living.

“Hello, are you Miss Liu Yanhua?”

Zhou Ze walked up to the middle-aged woman and asked.

“Hello, I am.”

Madam Liu took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes.

Zhou Ze felt that she was wiping her eyes rather than her tears because he really could not tell that she was crying.

The woman’s collarbone was very clear, and she was quite thin. Her forehead was protruding, giving her an uncomfortable feeling.

Actually, this was a type of koff look.

Culture was a medium, a unit of measurement. In every era, any political, economic, or even feng shui mastery was affected by culture.

For example, in the ancient times, there was a saying that “Koff” was a classic example of treating women as accessories to a male society. This was a very unfair and wrong conclusion.

Zhou Ze did not believe this at first, even if he was a ghost.

But think about it.

One sect, three generations.

She did not see a single man.

It would be difficult for you not to believe it.

Zhou Ze explained his intentions. Previously, Xu Qinglang had already communicated with her and reached a preliminary agreement, but it had not progressed to a specific price.

“Mr. Zhou, since you are here to attend my daughter’s funeral, I would like to thank you on behalf of my daughter. As for the store, since Mr. Zhou has taken a fancy to it, I would like to ask Mr. Zhou to come up with a sum for the rent. As long as it is not too outrageous, I will not reject it.”

So easy to talk to?

Zhou Ze was stunned for a moment. He was a doctor in his past life and had never done any business before, so he was still a little unfamiliar with the price when he first talked to her. However, this Madam Liu seemed very generous.

Zhou Ze nodded and said a few more words of condolence before he turned around and left. All he needed to do now was discuss a price with Xu Qinglang to send it over.

He went down the stairs and came to the corner. Zhou Ze walked to the metal door again and pushed it open. The door was locked.

Zhou Ze reached out and knocked.

No one answered.

Helpless,

It was also very complicated.

As a ghostly servant,

One door and one wall could stop you. This was too embarrassing.

Unfortunately, Zhou Ze could not be like the little loli.

Biu…

It came out.

Biu…

He went in again.

Zhou Ze really could not open this door.

When he returned to the hall, most of the guests had left. The hall was being cleaned up, and the coffin was carried away. As for Miss Liu, she should be sent to the crematorium soon.

When a person dies, it is like a lamp being extinguished. In the end, it is still a bumpkin.

At every funeral, he would always give off such negative emotions.

Zhou Ze stopped a cleaning lady and asked, “Excuse me, do you know Chen Zesheng?”

“Ah, he was the previous boss here,” the worker answered in surprise. “He’s already dead. The funeral was yesterday.”

“Oh.” Zhou Ze nodded and asked, “Can I ask who your boss is now?”

“It’s the boss’s brother from before. He just went to the basement,” the female worker answered. Then, she was worried that Zhou Ze would not understand, so she explained, “There, at the staircase. It’s the place where the dead are kept.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zhou Ze walked to the metal door again.

He had to go in.

Then, he took the joker who had died for some reason and was still alive and kicking to deliver the business card to the ghost soldier.

But this door…

How should he proceed?

She knocked hard on the door.

There was still no response from inside the room.

The female worker had said that their current boss had just gone in. Something was obviously not right. Of course, Zhou Ze did not care if anything happened to the current boss inside. He was not that kind.

Just as Zhou Ze was about to find a tool to try and pry open the door…

Zhou Ze realized that the door was opened.

A young man stood inside. He was wearing a black suit, and there was a white flower on his chest.

“What’s the matter?” the young man asked.

This was not the man who had just given him the postcard. If he was not mistaken, he should be Chen Zesheng’s brother.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s about your brother,” Zhou Ze said. He had already decided that if this guy could not communicate, he would knock him out first and then go in to look for Chen Zesheng.

“Oh, okay. Please come in.”

The man seemed to be very easy to talk to, and he directly gestured to Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze looked at the man deeply before walking in.

The two beds were still there, and so was the freezer.

“Where is your brother’s body?” Zhou Ze asked.

“My brother’s funeral was held yesterday. Sir, are you my brother’s friend?”

“Sort of,” Zhou Ze replied half-heartedly.

“My brother’s body was cremated yesterday.”

Who are you kidding?

Zhou Ze nodded, indicating that he understood. Then, he turned around and left.

The man in the suit looked at Zhou Ze’s back and seemed to be deep in thought.

…

The evening breeze was slightly chilly. Under the moonlight, the oil and vegetables around the villa created a bleak atmosphere like a grand funeral. Everything here was embellished and laid out.

The workers were all off work. This place did not provide accommodation. Even though it was very big, it was still very spacious. Of course, the workers did not want to stay here.

The man in the black suit placed dishes on the round table in the hall. They were all cold dishes without any heat.

Then, he poured wine into the wine glass on the table. It was old yellow wine.

Then, he walked to the corridor and shouted,

“The banquet is ready.”

Three women.

From young to old, they went downstairs one by one. They did not stand on ceremony and took their seats.

The priest did not leave and stood by the table.

The man in the suit went to the basement and pushed out a stretcher. The stretcher was covered with a white cloth, and then the second, third, and fourth stretcher arrived.

The hall began to smell of plastic and disinfectant.

The old woman began to cough.

The middle-aged woman looked unhappy.

The young man covered his nose and waved.

“Why are there so many people?” Madam Liu asked unhappily.

“Since we’ve agreed to get my brother and sister-in-law a netherworld marriage, we have to get my parents to attend it.”

“Your whole family sure is sick,” the old woman mumbled. “No wonder your brother urged my granddaughter to jump off the building with him.”

“My brother is not to blame for this. My brother has been managing the family business. He was unwilling to die, but it was your family that had a tradition of men committing suicide. My sister-in-law was influenced by the family education, so she brought my brother to commit suicide.”

“Hmph.” The old woman could not be bothered to argue with that. She urged, “If you want to do it, hurry up. I’m tired.”

“Okay.”

The man in the suit removed a white cloth from the stretcher, revealing Miss Liu’s body.

He picked Miss Liu up and placed her on the chair. Then, he tied her up with a few plastic ropes so that she would remain seated.

Then, the man in the suit lifted his brother’s white cloth and carried him to sit beside Miss Liu.

However, her brother’s sitting posture seemed to be maintained very well. There was no need for the knot to be fixed.

The suited man was surprised, but he did not take it to heart.

“These two poor children, why bother?”

The old woman squeezed out a few tears. It was really tough on her.

Madam Liu comforted her mother.

Madam Liu’s daughter comforted her mother.

The three women snuggled together, crying, consoling, and talking.

Bing sat coldly in their seats.

Her eyelids were tightly shut.

They could not see.

The dishes on the table were prepared for them.

However, this table of scenes had nothing to do with them.

The man in the suit put red flowers on his elder brother and sister-in-law’s chests. He wanted to make them look more festive, but he gave off an even colder vibe.

“Don’t open your eyes, don’t disturb them.”

When Madam Liu saw that the man was about to use tape to open the corpse’s eyelids, she immediately stopped him.

She had already overcome a huge psychological barrier by agreeing to Minghun. Now that she was sitting on the same table as the two corpses, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. If the corpses’ eyes opened again, she really could not sit down anymore.

The suited man was stunned for a moment, but he still nodded in agreement.

Then, the man in the suit shouted at another stretcher,

“Mom, it’s Brother’s wedding today. Please come and take a look.”

As he said that, the man in the suit pulled open the white cloth, and a middle-aged woman’s body was revealed.

She was wearing a cheongsam, and she looked rich and powerful. However, she had probably been dead for many years. Even the best anti-corruption measures could not change her appearance.

Deep inside his skin, there was already a green glow. It was just a skin bag, a skin bag that had been made to preserve its appearance.

He placed his mother on the chair and let her sit next to the old lady.

The old lady shivered in fear but did not say anything.

Madam Liu glanced at her ‘in-laws’ and did not dare to take another look.

Finally,

The suited man said to the last stretcher,

“Dad, Brother is getting married today. Please wake up…”

“Aye.”

An answer came from under the white cloth.

The suited man’s body trembled as fear appeared on his face.

The three women on the table started to tremble. The young girl almost screamed, but she quickly covered her mouth.

Even the priest looked up suspiciously. He really did not understand what was going on.