Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C011

The rain was getting heavier. Raindrops hit the roof tiles, splashing water droplets that flowed down the eaves, first like broken beads, then gradually forming lines of rain and rain curtains.

Inside the house, water vapor lingered.

Two large buckets of hot water were steaming. Xiaohong used a copper basin to scoop a basin of hot water and placed it on the table. Wushuang was wetting the snow-white handkerchief, while Meifang was helping the deceased great aunt undress in front of the bed.

On the other side of the wall, Nanny Zhao was leading people to set up the mourning hall.

Because of the heavy rain, many things were not prepared in time, so the arrangement was extremely inconvenient. There was always something missing, and someone always had to find Steward Chen and ask him to find it on the spot.

Fortunately, Steward Chen was capable, and he managed to gather everything, albeit with some difficulty.

Bailu was also outside. She was supposed to accompany Wushuang, but when she heard that the body would be washed and dressed for the small funeral, she was so scared that she found an excuse to stay outside to set up the mourning hall. As for Granny Chen and Qian Si, they had long since disappeared, but no one cared about them at the moment.

***

No one came to disturb her, so Wushuang had plenty of time to wipe her great aunt's body and change her clothes.

She shed tears silently as she wiped her great aunt's body.

Xiaohong and Meifang were not eloquent, especially Meifang, who was remarkably taciturn. Neither of them could persuade others, so one could only pay attention to the movement outside, while the other stayed to assist Wushuang.

After wiping her body, she put on her undergarment, middle garment, and burial garment.

The burial clothes were prepared by the great aunt in advance, even the tongue depressor to be placed in her mouth was prepared by the great aunt in advance.

There was also a coffin.

According to Meifang, Steward Chen would probably deliver the coffin later.

Wushuang also learned from Meifang that Steward Chen was their own people, but great aunt deliberately pretended in front of the Marquis's mansion, so it was hard to tell from the surface, but in fact, Steward Chen had taken good care of great aunt over the years.

Until the great aunt finally lay there clean and presentable, if it weren't for her cold body, she would have looked almost like a living person. 

"Grandmother, rest assured. Although you didn't say it, I know your last wish. This time, I will definitely let you be buried with grandfather. Give me some time, and I will definitely be able to do it." Wushuang held the great aunt's hand and said solemnly.

Xiaohong was a little confused.

What did she mean by this time, and what other time?

She had no idea that the Mei Wushuang of the previous life had no idea where her great aunt was buried, but she must not have been buried with the old Marquis.

The great aunt knew that her granddaughter was alone and vulnerable, and that she was surrounded by wolves, so she did not make this request, but how could Wushuang not understand?

It was because she understood that she deeply regretted her own past life's ignorance, letting her great aunt leave alone and helpless, hating those who bullied others too much, and hating her own weakness and incompetence.

Only the weak would be bullied at will, would be unable to do anything, and could only let others trample on them.

Having lived another life, it was not until this moment that Wushuang truly understood that the misery of her first life was not because of bad luck or that she was born to suffer.

Master Qin's teachings of meekness and self-pity were all false, and that there were malicious people who deliberately used such things to confuse and control her.

No one knew what kind of mental journey Mei Wushuang had gone through during the short time she had spent bathing and changing the burial clothes of her great aunt.

But in this life, she would not repeat the same mistakes!

***

In the courtyard, Steward Chen was drenched, pushing a cart carrying a coffin with several other men who were also soaked.

It was obvious that they were being very careful. Not only was the coffin covered with straw mats, but it was also covered with several large sheets of oiled paper.

“Where did this coffin come from? Why did you send it here in such a hurry?” asked Nanny Zhao, frowning as she stood in front of the door. 

Steward Chen looked innocent and helpless. “Didn’t you say that you wanted to hold a funeral for the great aunt? I didn’t prepare this coffin. Great aunt had someone make it in advance. She once said that when she passed away, it would probably be hot, so there was no need to be too particular. She said to bury her after three days so that she wouldn’t stink after her death…”

He said the last sentence very weakly, but everyone in the mourning hall heard it clearly. He said, "Didn't the great aunt tell you about this? I thought she did, that's why I dared to deliver the coffin in the rain."

Nanny Zhao frowned. Her mind was already in turmoil, and she wasn't paying much attention to this. Although she felt that Steward Chen's words were a bit strange, they seemed to make sense.

But she had heard that the body should only be kept for three days before being buried. She felt that this couldn't be done, after all, no one from the mansion had come yet. If the body was buried now, how would she explain it later?

At this moment, Wushuang walked out of the house. “Look at the rain, it will be a while before anyone from the mansion can come. In such an emergency, we should do what we can. Since it is the last wish of the great aunt, let's do it.”

"But Third Miss..." 

Wushuang glanced at Nanny Zhao. "Steward Chen is right. It's raining, but it's also hot. There's no ice here. If great aunt's body spoils, I, as a junior, would be unfilial. Nanny Zhao, if you're afraid of being criticized for making your own decisions, I'll take the blame. I don't think grandmother will blame you for this."

But how could Nanny Zhao tell the truth?

To say that they didn't get what they wanted, didn't find what they were looking for, and had to wait for someone from the mansion to come before they could deal with it and hold a funeral for the great aunt?

Nanny Zhao could only keep quiet because these words were not to be said casually, even if it meant breaking her head. 

Looking at the current situation again—there was a downpour outside, and the heat in the house could not dissipate. The heat from outside was all rolling into the house. Even though it was raining, it was still more stuffy than if it had not rained. Under these circumstances, the corpse could not be kept for long. Forget about seven days, even three days would be difficult.

At this moment, Nanny Zhao was completely flustered. She wanted to find someone to ask for advice, but she didn't see Granny Chen and Qian Si. She didn't know where these two lazy bones had gone to slack off.

She was still hesitating when Wushuang said again, "What? Are my words as a young lady useless? Then who among you thinks she can be the manager? Step forward and tell us a plan."

Upon hearing this, all the servants of the Marquis's mansion present lowered their heads and said, "This servant does not dare."

Wushuang looked at Nanny Zhao again.

Nanny Zhao gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, we'll do as the Third Miss said."

Seeing that Nanny Zhao had relented, Steward Chen immediately ordered several men to move the coffin into the house.

Before the deceased is placed in the coffin, the body must first be wrapped in a burial shroud.

Originally, Nanny Zhao had not helped with the minor funeral arrangements, but at this time she suddenly came in and said she wanted to help, and also called Bailu to assist.

Bailu was trembling with fear, but she dared not refuse to help.

Wushuang knew what Nanny Zhao wanted to do, so she turned a blind eye and stood aside, letting them do as they pleased.

The two of them dawdled and wrapped the great aunt up. Only then did Wushuang come over and personally tidy her up in front of the two of them. Then she had someone help carry the great aunt and place her in the coffin.

Generally, when a deceased person was placed in a coffin, it was called a grand burial.

Even if she was put in the coffin, it would not be sealed until before the funeral. However, Wushuang turned her head and took advantage of the fact that no one else was paying attention to signal Steward Chen to seal the coffin directly.

Receiving the signal, Steward Chen did not say a word and led his men to nail up the coffin with a bang.

Nanny Zhao did not want them to seal the coffin, but she could not find a suitable excuse. She could only comfort herself that she had already checked the coffin and the body, and there was nothing hidden. 

At this time, the mourning hall outside had already been set up. Wushuang had already changed into plain clothes. She took the linen and hemp clothes handed to her by the wife of Steward Chen and began to guard the coffin.

The Third Miss had already done so, so Nanny Zhao and the others did not dare to just stand there. They quickly went to change into mourning clothes. 

***

At the same time, a group of people were approaching the manor. They were made up of more than twenty light cavalry and two black carriages. The cavalries were dressed in black clothes, black armor, and black cloaks. They were clearly not ordinary people.

Soon, this group of people arrived at the manor.

The carriage stopped, and a cavalry in black dismounted and stood in front of the carriage.

The carriage was pulled by two horses. It was black, flat-topped, and simple in style. However, the wood and paint were of high quality, and the body of the carriage was carved with exquisite patterns. It was obvious that this was not a carriage that ordinary people could ride in.

Under the exquisite canopy, two sheep horn lanterns hung on the left and right sides.

These lamps, made of a kind of glazed tile that could not be penetrated by water or wind, emitted a warm glow in the dim rain, casting a faint light on the space behind the carriage curtain, where two people seemed to be sitting, one in front of the other.

The cavalry did not dare to look up, but the person inside spoke.

"Master, we've arrived."

"Let's go in first and find a place to shelter from the rain and stay overnight."

The person sitting near the carriage door said with a smile, "We're almost to the capital, but I didn't expect to encounter such heavy rain. It's quite a coincidence that we ended up in this place."

It was clear that this person knew where this place was, and these words were also spoken to the 'master'. Then, this person said to the cavalry outside, "Go in and find a place to take shelter from the rain and stay overnight. This rain probably won't stop for a while."

"Yes." The cavalry replied, hurriedly wiping the rain off his face, and with a few big steps, he got on his horse and led the team inside.

***

Outside, the rain was pouring down, occasionally accompanied by lightning and muffled thunder.

It was clearly still afternoon, but it felt like dusk.

Wushuang burned paper money while looking at the rain curtain under the eaves, seemingly lost in thought.

Behind her, Bailu, Xiaohong, and the others, who were also dressed in mourning clothes, were folding gold and silver foil into the shape of ingots to be burned.

Nanny Zhao, who was also kneeling on the side in mourning clothes, couldn't figure out how things had turned out this way.

She looked at the rain outside, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions. She was glad that no one would come to the mansion today, but she was also sad that the rain would stop sooner or later. Once it stopped...

At this time, a group of people on horseback passed by the gate of the courtyard.

This house was just a small courtyard with no screen wall, so the people inside could naturally see outside. Because the main house was not far from the small courtyard, it was obvious that this group of people were going to the main house.

Nanny Zhao thought that someone from the mansion had come, and her body immediately went limp.

But Wushuang looked at them, and saw that this group of people did not seem to be from the mansion, and she always felt that the men in black armor looked familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen them before.

It was impossible to hide. Nanny Zhao came to Wushuang with a pale face and said that someone from the mansion had probably come, and she was going to take a look.

Wushuang did not stop her.

Just as Nanny Zhao was about to leave, Steward Chen came and said that it wasn't someone from the mansion who had come, but someone who had come to take shelter from the rain and wanted to find Nanny Zhao to discuss something.

Author's Note:

There is a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter, and the male protagonist in his previous life also came to the manor around this time. I won’t say anything else, as it would be too much spoiler.