Global Film Emperor

Chapter 443 Funeral, Family Bonds (6K)

As he gets older, he has officially entered middle age, turning thirty-four in a few months. The passage of time has brought many changes, such as his growing economic strength and rising social status.

But middle-aged people naturally have their own troubles, such as gradually weakening physical strength, wrinkles gradually appearing on their faces, the pressure brought about by starting a family and career, and having to accept the inevitable departure of their parents.

After all, no one can leave this world alive.

Being in your thirties is still manageable, but many of Lu Ze's friends are over forty, and their elderly relatives are also getting sick. In the last four or five years, Lu Ze has lost count of how many funerals he has attended and how many cries he has heard. Although he can't say he has seen through life and death, he can be considered indifferent, because one day in the future, everyone, including himself, will leave in a dignified or undignified way.

All we can do is wait patiently for that day to come.

At the airport, just outside the gate, the wind in the capital was a bit strong today, and it looked like it would rain soon. He glanced at his watch; it was already four in the afternoon. For some reason, the smoking area, which should have been crowded with passengers, was almost empty. He found an empty spot with his back to people, heated the lighter, looked up at the sky, and silently finished his cigarette.

"Beep beep beep beep... Hello? Lu'er, where are you?"

"I'm in the smoking area, under the overpass, number 13. I see you, can you see me waving?"

Lu Ze raised his hand and waved at Wang Pushen. Old Wang had good eyesight, and he spotted Lu Ze immediately. He strode over and beckoned to Lu Ze with two fingers, indicating that he wanted one.

The two stood by the roadside, chatting as they finished their cigarettes, before casually hailing a taxi. They gave the driver, who spoke with a strong Beijing accent, their address. Upon hearing that the address was a funeral home, the driver didn't refuse to take them, but swallowed his conversation and silently led them to their destination.

It was rush hour, and while heading into the city was manageable, once on the Fifth Ring Road, it would take five or six minutes to move even a hundred meters. The two were also in a bad mood, and after getting in the car, they barely spoke to each other, each closing their eyes to rest. They sat for more than two hours, until it was dark, before finally arriving at the funeral home.

From a distance, there were many luxury cars parked along the roadside. Although the driver didn't say anything, he kept craning his neck out of curiosity. The taxi slowly drove to the gate, where many people were smoking. When they saw Lu Ze and Wang Pushen get out of the car, their eyes kept glancing at the taxi.

Because it was dark and Lu Ze was wearing a hat and glasses, the group didn't recognize him at first. But when Lu Ze took off these things, their previously expressionless faces immediately changed.

"Hello, Mr. Lu."

"Professor Lu, you've arrived?"

For a time, greetings came incessantly. The voices weren't exactly obsequious, but you could still tell they were trying to be friendly. I looked at each face; I recognized some, and I'd never seen them before. Even those I recognized were all guys who weren't doing too well, otherwise they wouldn't be blocking the entrance for so long.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll go in and check on the elderly first. We can talk again later, okay?"

"Yes, yes, the elderly are the priority. I was being presumptuous. Please go ahead, Teacher Lu."

Soon, the group made way for Lu Ze and stopped sticking to him like glue. Lu Ze thanked them and then followed Wang Pushen into the courtyard. After asking a few questions, they entered the farewell hall in the center of the funeral home.

There were many seniors standing outside the hall, but the total number was not large. After all, it was the first day and at night. Unless they were very close, most people would come the next day.

After shaking hands and greeting the elders, a girl who seemed to be a member of the Song family's collateral relatives handed over two chrysanthemums. The two stood at the door, straightened their clothes, and heard the funeral music. Lu Ze sighed and stepped over the threshold, which was about half a knee high.

The crystal coffin was covered with a white cloth, so the old lady's face could not be seen. There was no prayer mat on the ground, which solved the problem of whether or not to kowtow to many people. Old Song's family members were all there, including Song Guiyuan's eldest brother, younger sister, their spouses, and children.

Lu Ze looked at Song Guiyuan. He hadn't cried, but he must have cried earlier, as his eyes were a little red. He nodded to Lu Ze and softly called out to the crystal coffin, "Mom, Lu Ze and Pu Shen have come to see you."

This cry of sorrow also stirred up Lu Ze's sadness. He had met the old lady a few times before. Once, when Lao Song returned to Liaoning Province for the New Year, Lu Ze even drove a special way to visit the old lady to wish her a Happy New Year.

In my memory, she was a very cheerful old woman. The second time I saw her, I saw her picking up water bottles downstairs. She was very frugal and clean, and especially kind. Just a few years ago, she had a rosy complexion and was full of energy. I never expected that she would suddenly pass away in such a short time.

Looking at the old lady's face in the portrait, he took a step back and bowed three times to her with Wang Pushen. After the family expressed their gratitude, he gently placed chrysanthemums in front of the coffin before walking towards Song Guiyuan and giving him a firm hug.

"Life goes on, man, hang in there."

He hugged Lao Song and patted his back loudly. Song Guiyuan forced a not-too-bad smile and nodded vigorously at Lu Ze. He had said these words to Lu Ze before, and this time, he returned the words to comfort himself.

Friends should be there to offer comfort and support when needed.

"Don't worry, don't leave these next couple of days if you're not busy. After I see my mom off, we'll have a drink. Pu Shen, you too."

"Okay, I'll drink as much as you want. Sister-in-law, give me a mourning sash."

No matter what, Lu Ze always acknowledged Song Guiyuan as his elder brother, so he also treated the old lady as his mother. He had just seen Zheng Yi and the others at the door, and they were all wearing white cloths around their waists.

Without a word, Zhuang Xue turned around and handed the mourning bands to Lu Ze and Wang Pushen. The two of them tied the bands tightly around their waists. Seeing that more people were coming in, probably Old Song's sister's guests, they left the mourning hall without taking up any more seats.

People outside were standing, and no mourning tents were allowed inside the funeral home. The October night was already chilly, and with the strong winds today, the cold wind instantly gave me goosebumps.

Because of this, most people left after standing at the entrance for a while. Only a small number of people who were on good terms with Lao Song, or who wanted to take this opportunity to build relationships, stayed. They either waited at the entrance of the funeral home or went back to their cars to turn on the heater to warm up.

"Pu-Shen! Over here!"

Zheng Yi sat in the car, rolled down the window and waved to Wang Pushen. Seeing that Wang Pushen had seen him and that other unfamiliar vehicles were passing by, he rolled the window back up. When Wang Pushen got closer and peered through the window, he saw a group of guys playing cards in the back seat.

There was no one in the passenger seat, so he sat down and took off the scarf wrapped around his neck one by one. As the warm air blew, snot started running down his nose. He sniffed lightly, grabbed a tissue, and wiped his slightly reddened nose. He then brought his hands to the warm air vents to wake up his somewhat numb fingers.

I glanced at the guys behind me. They weren't really into playing cards; they were just killing time. They were all quiet and didn't talk much, just calling out their card numbers.

After exchanging greetings, Wang Pushen turned off the front-seat lights, leaned back in his seat, sighed deeply, lowered the window slightly, offered a cigarette to Zheng Yi, and lit his own first.

"Wow, I'm really busy."

The two looked towards the entrance of the funeral home, where a large crowd had gathered, surrounding Lu Ze. Zheng Yi couldn't help but sigh. He was a native of the capital, and his accent was quite strong. His tone sounded a bit sarcastic, but the brothers all knew that he absolutely didn't mean it that way; it was just the literal meaning.

"Who wouldn't say that? They're all crowding in front of him. And what about Li Wei?"

"He's in Tianjin. A lot of people have come to see the old lady. All the decent wreaths in the entire Dongcheng area have been sold out. He's filming in Tianjin right now, so we asked him to bring ours along. By the way, have you ordered any yet?"

"Lu'er and I have placed the order. There's still stock in Shunyi. We placed the order over the phone, and it should arrive in about an hour."

We had discussed it beforehand. We're all brothers and friends, so we decided on the number of wreaths to buy together. Each person will buy ten wreaths, no one will buy more or less than anyone else, so as not to hurt our feelings. Besides, buying too many wreaths would be difficult to handle in the city and would only cause trouble for Lao Song.

The two chatted idly in the car, with Lu Ze making all sorts of excuses and trying to be as tactful as possible. He simply didn't want to embarrass these people who were trying to build connections in this situation.

He actually dislikes socializing in these kinds of situations. It's supposed to be a sad and serious event, and the main focus isn't the relatives and friends attending the memorial service. But the current trend has turned funerals into a social event for the working class, as if the final value of the deceased is to create connections for others.

But precisely because this is the old man's last value, no one would show dissatisfaction in such a situation, especially Lu Ze, a close friend of the person in question.

The other party's words were pleasant to hear, so Lu Ze could only nod and accept them. He collected a large number of business cards, stacked them up, and stuffed them into his suit pocket. Once he was out of the crowd, he started to feel cold again. He stood on the side of the road, looking around for Wang Pushen's figure, until Zheng Yi, that jerk, flashed his hazard lights twice, and the bright LED headlights shone into Lu Ze's eyes.

You could find at least twenty Toyota Alphards on this street and still have some left over. This car has been popular in China's business circles for the past few years, and it's said that the markup is quite high.

It seems this car has become an entry ticket to some social class. Lu Ze hasn't driven in China for a long time and doesn't know how this thing became popular. But as long as you understand one principle, the more you pay extra, the more people will buy it. If you don't pay extra, these people won't buy it. Then you'll understand what kind of people buy this car.

However, to be fair, this car would be suitable for weddings or funerals, and the convoy would look quite impressive. But no matter what, it doesn't live up to its exorbitant price.

The back door opened, and Lu Ze boarded the luxury car for the first time. The space wasn't small, but with two airline-style seats and three other people sitting there, it felt a bit cramped. Zhao Xinxiang flipped up to the third row to offer Lu Ze a seat. After some initial hesitation, Lu Ze couldn't refuse and sat down in the airline-style seat. Seeing some playing cards tucked away in the armrest, and someone already playing a game, he didn't refuse again and joined in. He then took out three more decks of cards and started playing four-of-a-kind with the three men.

Lu Ze and his friends hadn't eaten dinner yet, and they hadn't gone to the banquet for guests, fearing that they might need help if anything happened. They just ate some bread and milk in the car to tide them over. Just as Lu Ze finished his bread and threw down a six-pack of milk, he heard a clattering sound of water splashing on the roof of the car.

It's raining.

A black Audi A8 slowly drove up. Lu Ze turned his head and looked over. Through the interior lights of the A8, he saw Zhuang Yu and Wang Zhen open the car door, open their umbrellas, and hurriedly get out of the car.

"Brother Shen, play a couple of rounds for me. I'm sure I'll win this round. I'm going out for a bit."

"Row."

Having found a replacement, Lu Ze, carrying an umbrella, jumped out of the car and strode towards the two men. He called out to them, and they stopped and turned to look at Lu Ze.

"Lu'er?"

"Hey, Sister Zhen."

Wang Zhen was still very cheerful. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Lu Ze. He stood on tiptoe and gave Lu Ze a light hug before giving Zhuang Yu his turn. Zhuang Yu also hugged Lu Ze and smiled.

"When did you arrive?"

"I've been here for a while. Where did you two come from?"

"Just got back from Shanghai. We were still in a meeting at Tiancheng when we received the news. We got stuck in traffic as soon as we left the company, and the flight was delayed. We almost missed it. How is Grandma doing?"

"It was done very well, quite respectable."

Looking into the hall, it was brightly lit and very spacious. In about half an hour, the funeral home would close. Nowadays, it is no longer allowed to set up private mourning tents in big cities, so there will be no vigil. Later, Old Song's family will have to come out. If they want to go home, they can go home. If they don't want to go home, they can spend the night in the parking lot at the entrance.

"That's good. Come stay at my place tonight."

"No thanks, I'll see how things go. If I need help, I'll sleep in the car. If not, I'll go stay with my master. The old man has called me several times. I'll have to visit them when I get to the capital."

"Alright then, please give my regards to Old Master Chen. Are you still going in?"

"I won't go in. The wreaths I ordered haven't arrived yet. I need to call and ask."

After finishing their conversation, Zhuang Yu and his wife went into the hall. Lu Ze also contacted the driver who was supposed to deliver the wreaths. He was told that the delivery would have to wait until the rain stopped to avoid the wreaths getting wet and damaged. Lu Ze could only sit there and go back to his car to warm up.

It wasn't until 8 p.m. that the funeral home officially closed and all the family members left. Just then, the rain began to stop, and Song Guiyuan's brother and sister found Lu Ze to express their gratitude. The group stood at the door, discussing who should keep vigil that night.

“Listen to me, brother. You and little sister go back first. I’ll stay here tonight. You two go to my place and look after the house. Little sister, you should spend more time with Dad. The family line can’t be broken. It’s settled then. Tomorrow, big brother, you can come and relieve me. Wife, you take Xiaoliang and go stay at your brother-in-law’s place. The child is sleepy, so make sure he goes to sleep. Give the house key to big brother. Lu’er, Lao Zheng, Lao Wang, you should leave now. Go, go.”

Although Old Song was the second oldest in his family, he was the most assertive. After he made the arrangements, his two siblings didn't say anything, just nodded and silently packed their things to leave.

"Guiyuan, can you... manage all by yourself?"

As the saying goes, a wife loves her husband. This is indeed not a good place. Sleeping alone in a car outside a funeral home, even if she is not superstitious, she should be worried. After all, she has heard many stories of people going to graves alone or passing by funeral homes and being scared crazy.

"What's wrong with that? Hey...? Who's here again?"

Not far away, two trucks, one large and one small, drove up. Everyone squinted and looked over. They saw a man get out of the passenger seat of the large truck, jump down, throw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomp it out. The lights were too bright to see his face clearly until he shouted, and then everyone realized who it was.

"Come on, lend a hand!"

"Damn, Lao Li, why are you only getting back now?"

"Don't fucking mention it. It was raining so hard, we couldn't see anything on the road. We almost got stuck in the ditch with our car. Drivers, you guys unload the truck and move it to the yard. Whose truck is that in the back?"

Lu Ze's phone screen lit up, and he quickly waved to acknowledge it. He walked over to the truck driver, signed the papers, and paid the final payment. Song Guiyuan had just finished speaking with the gatekeeper. Everyone worked together to carry the wreaths into the yard and tied them together with ropes to make sure the strong wind wouldn't blow them away. Finally, they covered them with a layer of transparent plastic sheeting to prevent the weather from getting worse again.

After finishing their work, the group reconciled their itinerary. However, this time, Lu Ze and his buddies objected. This place was indeed quite eerie. It was alright for a few grown men to be here, but they would definitely be scared. Old Song was being stubborn, and he would definitely regret it if everyone left.

They'd all been brothers for over ten years, so no one objected. What difference did it make where they stayed? These old guys had stayed everywhere when they were young, so they all agreed. Not one of them shirked their responsibilities. They arranged accommodations for the women and children present, left four cars for the group, and then the rest of the group left.

Lu Ze suddenly felt that the place had become quiet all of a sudden, without even the chirping of cicadas or the croaking of frogs. Well, it was almost winter, and the little insects had long since frozen to death.

It was only a little past eight o'clock, and no one was sleepy, so they parked the two cars side by side and used the remaining plastic sheeting between the car doors and windows to create a makeshift shelter that could only block the wind but had no cover. Those who wanted to continue playing cards could do so by the light from the security room, while those who didn't want to play could go back to their cars and play on their phones.

During this time, everyone asked about Lu Ze's recent situation, but they only asked very basic questions, such as whether he had adapted to life abroad. Lu Ze didn't like playing poker, mainly because he really didn't have any talent for it. Who would play if they always lost? He threw down some loose change and lay down in a car with Song Guiyuan. He took out his phone and played for a while, but then he got sleepy. It was too noisy outside, and he couldn't access the system space, so he fell asleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but his subconscious told him that he hadn't slept for very long. Suddenly, the sound of a car door opening startled him awake again. He turned his head and saw that it was Lao Song getting out of the car.

"What are you going for?"

"Go to the toilet."

Lu Ze took a moment to assess the situation and realized he had some reserves as well. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and called out to Song Guiyuan.

"Wait for me, I'll go too."

This place is very remote, almost in the mountains. The public toilet is inside the funeral home. Not only would the gatekeeper be asleep and they feel bad disturbing him, but even if he wasn't asleep, they wouldn't be so bold as to go to the funeral home to use the toilet in the middle of the night.

There was no other way to lower their standards, so they had to settle things on the spot. Following Song Guiyuan's lead, the two chose a roadside tree a little further away. Old Song handed them a cigarette, which Lu Ze accepted and lit. Then they each stood in front of a tree and loosened their belts.

"You can lend a hand when the coffin is lifted the day after tomorrow."

"Row."

After saying that, the two stopped talking. There was no need for a thank you. They each found a tree that was thick enough that it was too dark to tell what kind of tree it was, unzipped their pants and started to take care of their business. Since they were facing away from the road, their eyes naturally looked towards the fields. It was so dark that they couldn't see very far. As for ghostly figures, that was nonsense.

"How come the old lady didn't even say a word? Take my mom, for example. I went to get some food, and she passed away before I even came back. I didn't even get to see her one last time. You know my old lady, she's been frugal her whole life. Even now that her son and daughter are successful, she still refuses this and that, and continues to live a stingy life. Now that's the case... the three of us siblings can forget about having a good life for the rest of our lives. Do you think anything we eat will still taste good?"

"Every era has its own way of life, and each generation is destined to bear the imprint of that era. Although our generation is not worried about food and clothing, if our children are filial, they will still feel indebted to us on the day we die. That's fate. Our parents gave us a life, so how can we value it?"

Fate is something that can never be repaid. They're not Nezha. Besides, would returning their bones to their fathers and their flesh to their mothers settle the score? In fact, they would only incur more debt. What is debt is debt, and they are destined to be in debt for this lifetime. What else can they do? This is what Lu Ze saw clearly: we are destined to come into this world with a sense of apology to our parents, and similarly, our children will leave us with a sense of apology to us. Or, to put it more appropriately, it's not about indebtedness, but about the reluctance to part with family ties.

After shaking it a couple of times and putting on the inner layer, Lu Ze suddenly heard Song Guiyuan sigh, with a slightly snorting sound. Lu Ze was stunned for a moment, watching Old Song pull up his pants and turn to leave, but he didn't see his face. He flicked his cigarette ash, then pulled on his belt and left as well.

"..."

(End of this chapter)