13 Mingke Street

Chapter 31 Discount

It's getting colder;It's not late autumn or early winter, but it's really winter now.In the cold weather, as long as the wind is not too strong outside, it's actually much more comfortable to bask in the sun outside than to stay in a cold and dark room.Paul and Ron are sitting in the yard on small stools. Last month was very busy, sometimes they even wished they could take a nap with the "guests" on the stretcher;These days, they finally have some free time.Of course, as experienced funeral home workers, they know that this is the last bit of leisure for this year, because many elderly people cannot withstand the transition from deep winter to spring.Maybe they were prepared in the fall, and their determination was firm in early winter, but when the real cold wave comes, and they have to struggle with the weather with their old arms and legs, many elderly people have to accept their fate and let the seasons sweep them towards the end of their lives.Ron has a cigarette in his mouth and is playing with a deck of cards, muttering from time to time about how he missed the opportunity to make a profit with a good hand last night.Paul is reading a book about electricians and occasionally making notes with a pencil.Karen is carrying a pig's head and walking into the yard.

"Hey, young master, what delicious food are we preparing today?" Ron immediately stood up and came over.Since the young master's injury has recovered enough for him to move around, the daily work meals have been exceptionally rich and delicate. Every day at lunch, various dishes that Ron has never even heard of are served, and the taste is truly satisfying.Paul also closed his book and looked over."Ron, bring me a basin and fill it with water.""Yes, young master."In fact, most people in this world do not mind helping the chef.Soon, Ron brought a basin of water."Ah~"Aunt Mary yawned as she walked out of the living room, handing a gas torch to Karen at the same time.

Karen took the torch and smiled, "I didn't expect to have one at home." She lit it and began to use the flames to roast the hair off the pig's head. Aunt Mary said, "Some guests have a lot of body hair and need to use this to remove it." Karen was curious, "Isn't more body hair better, it makes you look more manly." Aunt Mary shrugged, "Not all body hair grows on the chest." Then, with her countless experiences as a "reader of people," Aunt Mary sighed, "Some people have body hair in other places, it's disgusting." "Haha." Karen continued to carefully roast the pig's head while laughing.

Aunt Mary watched this scene curiously and continued the previous topic: "There are also some people who think that having a lot of body hair is a very manly thing while they are alive. They even see it as a narcissistic charm. But they can't smell the odor on their own bodies. Even after they die, the smell lingers. Their wives have been disgusted by this for many years.When people are alive, there's nothing they can do about it. So after they die, their wives often strongly request to have their body hair removed during the embalming process.""For the sake of appearance?""No, I think it's purely to vent their anger.""Such love is truly enviable.""Well, it's because usually the husband passes away before the wife." Aunt Mary fixed her hair. "And there are some men who like to marry much younger wives. It's not a bad thing if they can't keep their body hair after death. Having resentment and complaints at least shows that they care. We've seen many cases where the husband's lover attends the funeral with the wife after he dies."If there are no urgent matters and all the relatives are in the city, it only takes three days to hold a funeral and burial."That's why I no longer believe in love," Ron said."What about that young nurse at the sanatorium?" Karen asked."Oh, don't mention her. My heart has already been shattered because of her."

"Couldn't make a date? I remember you wanted to ask her out to watch a movie.""We did go out, and we watched six movies together.""Did you have popcorn?" Karen asked."We licked each other's ten fingers clean, and every time after the movie ended, the nursing home was closed. So I had to accompany her to a small hotel to rest.""Isn't that a good thing?" Karen put down the spray lamp and started scraping the pig's head with a knife. "You watched movies, did things, and you didn't plan on proposing to her?""I promised her that I would stop drinking and gambling, work hard, and give all my income to her to manage. She was touched.""And then?""And then, the day before I was going to propose to her, an old man in the nursing home who was about to be discharged confessed his love to her, and she accepted.""Oh, that's such a sad story.""Tell me about it, I was heartbroken for a long time. I was actually beaten by an old man."

"No, Ron, what you are competing for is the mansion.""Well, that's true, but my fiancee has left me like this.""Look at it from a different perspective, his fiancee has watched so many movies with you before getting married."Upon hearing this, Ron thought seriously,Then he smiled and said,"Master, after hearing you say that, I suddenly feel like I've gained something.""That's right."At this moment, Paul suddenly asked, "Master, Madam, may I ask you a question?""Go ahead."

Karen continued to carefully scrape the pig's head, he had been missing the taste of this pig's head meat for a long time. In his previous life, there were only a few specialties in his hometown, and this pig's head meat was considered the best, rich but not greasy.Because he started to focus on managing the kitchen, the kitchen at home has slowly undergone a "peaceful evolution".Although the family was not amazed by Chinese cuisine, it was enough to make them realize how simple and boring their previous recipes were.Paul asked, "If you want to further your relationship with a lady, how should you approach it?""Go watch a movie!" Ron immediately shouted, "The late show!"Paul ignored Ron's suggestion.Aunt Mary laughed, "Is it the Miss from the Kooch family?"Paul nodded shyly, "Yes, ma'am, thank you, ma'am."Paul's target was introduced by Aunt Mary, the daughter of a carpenter from the Kooch family. Although their family was ordinary, they were all honest and simple. Aunt Mary wouldn't help Ron introduce a girl like this, but Paul's diligence and steadfastness were evident, so Aunt Mary played the role of matchmaker.

"Have you visited her parents?" Aunt Mary asked."We have, her father is very nice and her mother is also kind. My mother also likes her. We have set the wedding date for spring." Karen understood that Paul had completed the process of discussing marriage, but they were stuck on the "sleeping" part. This may seem ridiculous, but there are indeed some people in this world who only pursue relationships for the purpose of sleeping together. However, there are also responsible people who want to go through the legal procedures and formalities, but because they are too honest or have taken a wrong step, they can't find the right rhythm when they try to go back. Karen lifted the pig's head and carefully inspected it, while saying to the pig's head, "Paul, can you ask her if she wants to watch the moon by the window in your room?" Aunt Mary looked at Karen with a shocked expression and then forcefully knocked on the pig's head in Karen's hands. "Did your uncle teach you this?" Karen was confused and replied, "No."

"Really not?""Really not."Aunt Mary snorted, "As expected, all the men in your Inmoleis family are the same. Your uncle invited me like this before, saying that his room was on a high floor and was suitable for moon viewing. Then he showed me Mina, and then showed me Lunt.""Hehe..."Karen couldn't help but laugh.Aunt Mary looked at Paul and said, "Actually, it's simple. If she really likes you, even if you say there's an elephant in your room, she will 'believe' and be willing to come and visit your room."Paul rubbed his head and said with some guilt, "Really, can I?"Aunt Mary sneered, "She's your fiancée. Are you afraid that she will call the police afterwards and say to the police officer, 'Mr. Police, my damn fiancé forced me to lie on the bed!' If even this is a crime, then those guys taught by Berry will all be arrested and shot?"

Karen wanted to remind her aunt that even if it is forced within marriage, it is still unethical and illegal; But then she thought, it seems that the law is not yet complete to this extent. At this time, a group of students holding banners walked by the door of the house, most of them were middle and high school students: The leading student shouted: "We want to protect the environment!" Other students around also shouted together: "We want to protect the environment!" "We want fresh air!" "Fresh air!" "We want clear river water!" "Clear river water!"

The crowd in the courtyard watched as the group of students walked by, shouting slogans.Karen was a little surprised. Was the environmental organization already so popular in this era?Ron pinched his throat and whispered, "We want Lubi."Today was not a weekend, so these children must have skipped class.Aunt Mary looked at Karen and asked, "Karen, have Mina and Lunt told you about this?"Before Karen could answer, Aunt Mary continued, "Of course not, how could they tell you about the children's affairs."Although Karen was only a little older than Mina, as Uncle Mason said, after Karen recovered from her illness, he felt like calling her Uncle Karen;In fact, the family no longer treated Karen as a child.

"What's wrong, Aunt?" Karen asked."That environmentalist girl from Vayne came to Rulian the day before yesterday," Aunt Mary said."Environmental girl Dailisi?" Karen remembered seeing her name in the newspaper. She was passionate about promoting environmentalism and was very popular among young people in Vayne.The mayoral election in Rujia City was about to enter its final voting stage, and the challenger to the incumbent mayor advocated for environmentalism. From the information she got from the newspaper, this environmentalist girl must have come to Rujia City to support the candidate.Of course, it could also be seen as a celebrity appearance.Paul said, "Environmentalism is a good thing, isn't it?"Aunt Mary glared at Paul and pointed at the group of students who were leaving, sneering, "What do they know about environmentalism? They just don't want to go to class."...Karen went to the second floor kitchen with a pig's head, ready to start cooking.

Today's main dish for lunch is lentil rice. Because the main dish has pig's head meat, Karen added less diced meat in the lentil rice.The side dishes are egg custard, fish-flavored eggplant, and seaweed egg drop soup.In addition, because the family really likes spring rolls, Karen fried some more.After the meal was served, Dis sat at the head of the table, with Aunt Mary, Aunt Winnie, Paul, and Ron. Everyone started eating.Uncle Mason is not at home today, he went to invite the officials in charge of the Shu's crematorium auction for dinner, but before he left, he specifically reminded Karen to save some food for him.The cousins are all in school today.Cooking for the family gives Karen a great sense of satisfaction, similar to the fulfilling happiness of feeding pigs.Karen went downstairs and added dog food to the golden retriever's bowl.Then she placed a plate of braised small fish in front of Puer, and also served a cup of coffee.The golden retriever looked at the plate of braised small fish in front of Puer, drooling, and suddenly felt that the dog food in its bowl was not appetizing at all, but it didn't dare to compete with Puer for food.

Karen happily took a sip of coffee before leisurely eating her fish.She was used to this strange cat-like combination. As she walked upstairs, she ran into Dias coming down."Lunch was delicious, especially the pork head. I have something to do at the church this afternoon, so I have to go first.""Be careful on the way, Grandpa.""Mm."Karen went to the second floor, where Ron and Paul were already leaning back in their chairs, patting their stomachs. Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie were drinking tea."Aunt, Auntie, it's not good for digestion to drink tea right after a meal," Karen reminded them."Oh, really?" Aunt Mary hesitated for a moment before putting down her teacup."Karen, aren't you going to eat?" Aunt Winnie asked."I ate enough during the taste test," Karen replied as she began to clean up the dishes and utensils.

"We're coming, we're coming," Aunt Winnie stood up to help tidy up.The phone on the first floor rang, and Aunt Mary went downstairs to answer it. After a while, Aunt Mary's voice could be heard from downstairs:"Hans Hospital!"After basking in the sun all morning and just finishing a hearty meal, Ron and Paul immediately went into work mode. The two of them quickly went downstairs, and Karen also put down her plate and wiped her hands with a wet towel before picking up her coat and following them downstairs.Usually, there are three people on duty, Uncle and two assistants. When Uncle is not at home, Karen will voluntarily go up to help out.Paul went to start the hearse,Ron went to carry the stretcher,Karen gathered the promotional brochures and price lists of Inmores Funeral Home,Time is life, time is money.

Then everyone got on the car as quickly as possible,The hearse set off, heading to the destination, Hans Hospital....Hans Hospital was only a fifteen-minute drive from Mingke Street. Upon arrival, Paul and Ron stayed in the car while Karen straightened her collar and carried the briefcase with promotional materials under her arm as she walked inside.She found the head nurse and the nurse responded, "The patient is in critical condition and may not make it."Karen sat on a bench outside the operating room and waited. There were many anxious family members sitting on the bench next to her, but she didn't approach them at this time.Nothing else, she was afraid of being hit.She sat quietly with her back straight, as if waiting for an interview;In fact, she was indeed waiting for an interview.

Actually, after working in this industry for a long time, you gradually get used to it. Maybe you feel that it's not humane to come early and wait for orders while others' families are waiting for the patient's rescue... But is it more merciful to kill chickens and sheep in a restaurant? It's all the same, it's all like this. A stretcher was pushed in from outside, with parents on both sides, constantly cheering on their daughter who was about to undergo surgery. The surgery carries certain risks. When the stretcher passed by Karen, the little girl turned her head and looked at Karen, showing a shy smile. Although she is young, she naturally has a good impression of beautiful things and people. Little boys will instinctively want to get closer to beautiful girls, and little girls will show joy when they see handsome boys. This innocent preference is natural when young, but as we grow up, it doesn't actually dissipate or disappear, but we learn to hide it. Karen also smiled at the little girl and made a gesture of encouragement. The little girl smiled even more happily. Another half an hour passed.

Karen waited for the "client" and the responsible doctor came out of the operating room and took off his mask:"The patient has been saved.""Oh!!!!!!""Thank God, God bless!""Mom, my mom, oh my god, oh my god..."The client "jumped the queue",Karen's face showed no disappointment,She stood up,Started to move her body slightly, sitting for too long made her feel numb.Since she was no longer needed, Karen turned around and prepared to leave quietly.

But at this moment,The lights in the hallway suddenly went out."Power outage, power outage!""Where is the backup generator?""Backup generator, hurry up and generate power."The door to the little girl's operating room was pushed open, and the doctor shouted in frustration:"Generate power, generate power quickly, the surgery isn't finished yet!"There was chaos in the hospital.News came that the backup generator in the hospital had encountered problems and could not supply power in a short time.There was also news that environmental activist Daisy had organized a student protest, surrounding a coal-fired power plant. The passionate students clashed with the power plant workers, ultimately leading to the power outage.

Karen stood in the hallway,He saw the little girl's father pacing back and forth anxiously while signing papers, and the little girl's mother was sobbing;In the operating room, doctors were going in and out, and from the eyes not covered by their masks, Karen could feel that the situation was not looking good.He turned around,Looked at the bench he had sat on before,And then looked at the briefcase under his arm,He felt like he should sit back down and continue waiting;But he also resisted sitting back down at this moment.He just stood there, standing.The planned surgery had taken a huge turn and turned into an emergency rescue.

As time passed, he saw the radiance on the face of the little girl's mother fading away, her gaze becoming empty and numb. The little girl's father ignored the surroundings and took out a cigarette, trying to light it but failing. The lighter fell to the ground.Karen stepped forward and took out her own lighter to help the little girl's father light his cigarette."Thank you, thank you," the little girl's father thanked Karen, but it seemed like a habitual polite gesture as he numbly asked, "What do you do?""I'm a pharmaceutical representative.""Oh, oh, I see."The little girl's father continued to smoke heavily, his gaze fixed on the door of the operating room.Finally, the electricity came back on, whether it was the power plant resuming operation or the hospital's generator kicking in.But at that moment, the doctor came out and faced the little girl's father."I'm sorry."

"No..." The little girl's mother fainted directly.The little girl's father knelt on the cold porcelain tiles in the hallway.Karen quietly walked to the nearby bench and sat down.He felt that he had already become accustomed to seeing corpses at home, and could even make some jokes with Aunt Mary while helping her. He thought he should have gotten used to it.But in reality, he hadn't;The true meaning of life and death does not lie in life or death, nor in its state, but in...the process of transformation.The day gradually turned into dusk.Due to power supply issues, all surgeries scheduled for the afternoon were cancelled, and the doctors seemed to recognize "Karen's" profession, so the body was not taken to the morgue.The little girl's mother was held in her father's arms, both of them with sorrowful expressions.Karen sat there, sitting there.

The head nurse walked over and first squatted down to comfort the parents, then pointed to Karen. She was well-intentioned, at least for the Inmoleis family. But she mistakenly thought that Karen, this "new face" and "young person", was thin-skinned and didn't know how to actively solicit business, so she took the initiative to introduce her. At this moment, the little girl's father stood up and walked to Karen. Karen looked up at his face and asked, "What do you do?" Karen hesitated for a moment and replied, "Inmoleis Funeral Home..." "Bang!" Karen's face was punched and she fell to the bench. "It's because of you, it's because of you, you cursed my daughter, you cursed my daughter, you demons, you scum who make dirty money!"

Karen slowly sat up, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He straightened his back and it seemed as if he was not the one who had just been beaten. Seeing him like this, the little girl's father, who was about to throw a second punch, relaxed and turned back to comfort his wife. The sky was starting to get dark. Karen was still sitting here. When he came, it was for an order, for business, for money. But now, it's not just about an order. Under the premise of being beaten, he could just leave and his family wouldn't say anything. But now, business has become a kind of responsibility. Finally, the little girl's father hugged his wife, who was leaning on him, and walked in front of Karen again.

Karen looked up at his face again;"Hey, what are you doing here?"Karen moved her left cheek, which still hurt a little, and showed a professional smile. While opening her briefcase, she said:"In Memoriam Funeral Services, providing the final companionship for your loved ones."..."Master, your face?"Paul noticed the injury on Karen's face."It's nothing."Karen shook her head.After completing the procedures at the hospital, Paul and Ron placed the girl's body in the hearse. Behind them, the girl's parents would follow in their own car, accompanying the hearse to Minke Street.

They stayed up all night to prepare and arrange the funeral for their daughter, because only in this way could they still feel like she was by their side, as if they were taking her to the mall to pick out clothes.Ron glanced at the car that the little girl's parents were driving and licked his lips, saying:"Look, they're driving a Suntland."He meant to remind the young master that this was a big order, but seeing that the young master was still sitting there quietly, he didn't say anything else.The hearse returned to the Inverleith house on Ming Street, followed by the Suntland behind."Be careful when lifting," Karen reminded.The parents stood under the hearse, waiting to "receive" their daughter."Understood, young master."Paul and Ron carefully lifted the stretcher off the car;As everyone went inside, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie took the initiative to comfort and introduce the business.

Karen covered her profile with the corner of her clothes and went straight upstairs.She was a little tired and wanted to lie down and rest. She hoped her parents wouldn't ask for psychological counseling."Brother, you're back. You've worked hard." Mina brought a glass of ice water for Karen. Her brother didn't like to drink tea or coffee, only water with ice.Karen didn't go into the room, but took the water first."Brother, your face?" Mina, who was attentive, noticed the injury on Karen's profile."It's nothing."Karen didn't intend to explain.At this time, the bedroom door opened and Lunt, Karen's cousin who shared the same room, came out holding an environmental protection slogan. He showed off to Karen:"Brother, I participated in the environmental protection parade organized by Daisy today. Daisy is so cool. Look, she even gave me her autograph, hehe."

Karen was stunned."Brother?"Lunt curiously approached Karen, wondering why his brother suddenly had no reaction.Then,Karen directly poured the water from the cup onto Lunt's face."Slap!"Lunt, who was splashed with ice-cold water, looked at Karen in confusion:"Brother...what's wrong...""Slap!"This time it wasn't water,

But it was Karen's slap.Lunt was knocked to the ground, covering his face, looking at his brother with disbelief and fear as he too had marks on his face.At that moment,Grandfather's study door opened and Dias stood at the doorway.Mina immediately helped Lunt, who was still lightly sobbing, to stand up."Grandfather, it's okay, we were just playing around." Mina quickly explained to her grandfather.Dias looked at Karen and asked:"What happened?"Karen looked at Dias and replied:"He deserved it."

"Oh."Dis nodded and turned back to the study, closing the door behind him."Brother?"Mina tried calling Karen twice, but when she didn't get a response, she took Lunt to the second floor."You're sad."Puer's voice came from the window behind Karen."Just get used to it, because you'll find that you can't do anything else."Karen shook her head.Puer laughed, "You don't agree with me?"Karen leaned against the window sill with both hands.

*："I will ask my aunt to give you a discount."