“Let's help.” With hot water and a cloth, Old Lady Wang cleaned all the blood seeping from the holes in Bu Toa’s body. Assisted by Kim Lian, she changed the corpse's clothes, put on shoes and a hat, and combed its hair,
Then, they transported it downstairs, laid it on a bench, and covered the entire body with a clean cloth. After that, they cleaned the room, erasing anything that could arouse suspicion. When it was all done, Old Lady Wang left and Kim Lian knelt beside her husband's body, crying out loud, as was customary for people mourning their families. There were three ways to mourn for a woman whose husband had died: first, to wail loudly and utter heartbreaking words, second, to cry silently with tears streaming down, and third, to mourn with a forlorn face without crying or wailing, as if the mourner had run out of tears. Apparently, Kim Lian chose the latter.
False! False! False! Deception engulfs this world! Hypocrite! Hypocrite! Hypocrite!
Actions contradict words! Sincerity contradicts heart!
Of course, Shi Men was thrilled to see how well the scheme had worked. He quickly paid Old Lady Wang to buy a coffin and all the necessities for the burial. Naturally, the cost was twice the usual amount, with more than half of Shi Men's money going into Old Lady Wang's pocket.
“There is another difficulty, Shi-Kongcu,” said the cunning Old Lady Wang.
“Tomorrow, when the body is to be buried, we will have to deal with government officials checking the cause of death. Inspector Hu Kiu is very sharp. I hope Kongcu can arrange so that he does not get suspicious and conduct an examination. I would be helpless against him.”
“Haha, don't worry, I'll handle Hu Kiu,” said Shi Men. After Bu Toa's body was put in a coffin and a worship table was set in front of it, neighbors began to arrive, asking what disease caused the death of shortie Bu Toa.
“He had a long-term stomach disease. It worsened recently. Despite my efforts to treat him, it was all in vain.” Widow Kim Lian wept in front of the neighbors. They comforted her with the old words, saying,
“The dead cannot come back to life. Everyone who lives will eventually die. Don't grieve too deeply because it will affect your own health.” Kim Lian then expressed her gratitude, looking deeply touched. This pretense would probably never disappear as long as humans still hold onto such deceit. Meanwhile, Old Lady Wang managed everything using Shi Men's money. She bought the coffin, incense, cloth, and all other burial necessities, arranged for the burial site, reported to the authorities, and so on. That morning, Officer Hu Kiu casually went to visit the mourning house and unexpectedly bumped into Shi Men, who had obviously been waiting for him on purpose.
“Good morning, where are you heading to, dear friend?” Shi Men, who knew the officer well, asked.
“Ah, I am going to visit Bu Toa's house. He died and will be buried this afternoon,” answered Hu Kiu.
“Hold on, friend. I have something important to tell you. Let's stop by that liquor store for a bit.” Without further ado, Shi Men took him by the arm and led him to the quiet attic of the liquor store, as it was still early and no customers had arrived yet. Shi Men ordered warm wine and some light snacks. Hu Kiu secretly wondered what made this rich man so kind to him this morning. After they drank, Shi Men took out a bag of silver coins and spoke softly.
“My friend Hu, please don't refuse, accept this as a token of friendship and respect. I will be very grateful to you.” Hu Kiu pretended to refuse, the glittering silver unsettling his heart.
“Ah, Kongcu, what reason could make you so generous to me? I have never assisted Kongcu in any matter. How can I accept a gift without doing anything? Perhaps if there's something I can do?”
“No problem, friend Hu. Just keep the silver.” As if by magic, the bag disappeared into his large, deep robe pocket.
“Now tell me, Kongcu. What can I do for you?”
“Ah, a small matter, dear friend. It's only fair if you receive some compensation for your task at Bu Toa's family's house. Oh, would you help me so that Bu Toa's body is not disturbed by any examinations and is allowed to remain closed?”
“Aha, is that all Kongcu asks for? I thought it would be a big matter. Why give such a large gift for such a small thing?”
“If you don't accept my token of respect, it means you are rejecting my request for help.” Of course, Hu Kiu knew who Shi Men was, a good friend of high-ranking officials. He understood that there must be something behind Shi Men's request, but that was not his concern. A fortune that comes should not be refused, he thought. Upon arriving at the mourning house, Hu Kiu was greeted by Old Lady Wang, and he asked,
“What was the cause of his death?” “According to his wife, it was a stomach disease,” Old Lady Wang replied. Hu Kiu approached the coffin. The priests were praying around the table and the coffin. Hu Kiu then lifted the white cloth covering the corpse's face. He saw that its fingernails were swollen and turned bluish-green, its lips were blackened, its face was pale as night with bulging eyes. It was clear to him that this was not a natural death, but a crime. Also, his two subordinates who had arrived earlier sensed something strange.
“The color of his face is suspicious,” they told Hu Kiu, their superior, “His lips bear the mark of teeth bites, and there is blood in his mouth...”
“Nonsense!” Hu Kiu snapped at them.
“That's the result of heat. Close the coffin!” Old Lady Wang was very happy, knowing that Shi Men's influence was felt there, and after the coffin was closed, she handed a string of copper coins to the officer. Hu Kiu then left the place with a light heart. After Bu Toa's body was buried, Kim Lian did not fulfill her duty as a mourning widow. She pushed her husband's ashes table to the corner of the room and covered it with white paper.
She did not prepare meals for the worship table, as should be done for the table of a recently deceased person, but cooked for herself. Even Bu Ying, who had lost her father, was not allowed to mourn, let alone cry. The child was told by Kim Lian to hide in the back of the house, to stay in her small room. The only thing Kim Lian was busy with was putting on makeup. And while the mourning was still ongoing, just a few days after Bu Toa's death, one morning Kim Lian already had a secret meeting with Shi Men, of course, as usual, at Widow Wang's house. Having not seen Shi Men for several days, upon meeting him, Kim Lian whined and spoke sweetly,
Glossary
- Shi-Kongcu: An honorific title used to address a person of higher status or age.
- Hu Kiu: The name of a government official in the story.
- Bu Toa: A character in the story, whose death is the central event in this chapter.
- Kim Lian: Another character in the story, the widow of Bu Toa.
- Nenek Wang: An Old Lady character in the story, playing the role of a helper in the events.