13 Mingke Street

Chapter 32 The Light Went Out

Mingke Street No. 13, Chapter 32 of the Main Text, the basement lights went out.Aunt's workshop.Mary held a cigarette in her hand, slowly burning it.Uncle Mason stood at the door, pinching the back of his son Lunt's neck.Lunt was crying, constantly saying:"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."Uncle Mason, who has always had a good temper, now has a gloomy face.

Finally, it seemed that it was difficult to bear this noise any longer, Aunt Mary spoke up:"Go wash up, don't disturb the little girl's rest."Lunt skipped class to participate in a protest organized by the environmental activist girl, Daisy, which targeted a power plant and caused a widespread blackout in the east district. The blackout resulted in complications during the little girl's surgery; now, she lay here.In fact, Lunt did not really make a mistake, even if he was taken to the police station, the police would probably just laugh it off.Life is full of unexpected events.Perhaps this little girl's surgery was never meant to be successful? After all, it carried a high risk.If only the backup generator at Hans Hospital could operate properly and provide electricity in time, would the impact of the blackout on the surgery have been avoided?Furthermore, Lunt was only holding a sign and chanting slogans outside the power plant, or rather, he was just "chasing stars". He didn't rush into the power plant to cause damage.But some reasons can be used to deceive a judge, but cannot deceive oneself.

Karen told what happened today;He couldn't hide it, not just because of the injury on his face, but also because if he did, he wouldn't be able to ask his family to discount the funeral expenses for the girl.He was just a member of the family who enjoyed dividends, but had no decision-making power.After telling the story, Uncle Mason took off Lunt's pants and whipped him with a belt on his buttocks.Knowing that his actions today caused the death of a girl several years younger than him, Lunt cried but did not scream in pain or beg for mercy.After the beating,Uncle Mason brought Lunt to the girl to "apologize".To outsiders, this may seem like a foolish act, deliberately staged;But where is the show happening in one's own home, only for family members to see?Ultimately, the family style of the Inmerlays has always been very good.

Lunte limped up the slope, where Mina was waiting for him, wiping his face with a warm towel."Sister...I was wrong...""Sigh."Mina didn't know how to comfort her brother, especially knowing that the body of that little girl was lying below. There were no words of comfort that could be said."How much should we charge?" Uncle Mason asked his wife."They requested the B package." Aunt Mary said.Ron had already pointed out that this was a big deal.In the past, when there was a business with the B package, Aunt Mary could walk with the wind, but tonight, she couldn't be happy.Aunt Mary stubbed out her cigarette and continued:"I discussed it with Winnie, we will follow the B package standards, but when we give the specific quote tomorrow, we will offer a bigger discount."

"Oh." Uncle Mason nodded, "Is that so?"Aunt Mary ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, "This order, we won't make any money, we'll just lose some.""Okay."Uncle Mason's expression finally relaxed.For this order, if they made money, he wouldn't feel good about it. It's better to lose some money and have a slightly more peaceful mind."I'll go upstairs and make some calls to those companies."Some funeral supplies, such as coffins, have special requirements and need to be ordered on demand. The Inmores family keeps some commonly used items in stock, but it's impossible to have everything, after all, they are more like consumers of upstream companies rather than distributors.Aunt Mary shook her head and said, "It's too late, let's arrange it for tomorrow."After speaking, Aunt Mary waved her hand, indicating for her husband to disappear from her sight, she was annoyed."Okay." Uncle Mason left.

Aunt Mary began to clean the little girl's body by hand, her movements were very gentle.After cleaning her, Aunt Mary helped her put on a set of underwear and then pulled over a round stool to sit by the bed and give the little girl a head massage.In fact, the vast majority of the funeral rituals and procedures are prepared for the living, including Aunt Mary's current massage. The little girl has already passed away and cannot feel it;But it is her who is being massaged, and it is Aunt Mary's own inner peace that can be relaxed.After the head massage, the rest of the body is taken care of.After completing the process, Aunt Mary begins to embalm the little girl so that on the day of the funeral, she can say goodbye to her loved ones in the most natural and beautiful way.The role of a mortician is to preserve the dignity and grace of the deceased when they leave.Another role is to allow the deceased's family and friends to remember their image seriously.When people think of someone else, what often comes to mind is a still "photo";Why do people attach so much importance to "seeing the last face" and consider it a great regret if they don't get to see it?

Because in daily life, people rarely take the time to carefully look at and remember the faces of those around them. And often, the closer the relationship, the easier it is to be overlooked. They always naively think that there is still a long time, a long time to come.Until the unexpected farewell comes, they realize that the face in their mind, the "photo" in their mind, has long been outdated, no longer clear and already blurred.The fear is not losing, but not being able to forgive oneself for forgetting when it is important to remember.Aunt Mary's job is to try to avoid this regret as much as possible.She didn't plan to rest, and she didn't allow herself to rest. She planned to use the remaining time tonight to complete everything for the little girl.In addition, she hasn't worked so seriously and devotedly in a long time....At three in the morning, Karen, who had already slept and woke up, brought a coffee pot to the basement and handed it to Aunt Mary.Aunt Mary took a big sip, and her thoughtful nephew had put a lot of sugar for her, which made her very satisfied.Karen pulled over another round stool and sat down next to her.

At this moment, the little girl lying on the cold steel bed has already put on a cute pink dance dress. She is wearing new white dance shoes on her feet."This was left by her parents, originally intended as a gift for her after a successful surgery.""Oh, I see."Aunt Mary began to fix the little girl's hair, using a hair straightener with great care, as if afraid of burning her scalp.You should know, Aunt Mary is skilled in using a gas lamp to remove body hair for other guests.But this time, she was very careful."Is it beautiful?" Aunt Mary asked.Karen nodded and said, "She's a lovely little girl.""Her parents said she loves ballet and works hard in her dance practice.""Really? That's not easy."

"Yes, it's not easy." Aunt Mary looked up at Karen and asked, "The injury on your face?" "It's fine now." Karen shook her head. "I neglected it, I should have helped you deal with it first." "It's okay, it's just a wound from life, it's inevitable." Aunt Mary continued to help the little girl curl her hair while chewing on these words: "Wounds from life. Karen, sometimes I really wonder, are you really only fifteen years old? Or is it true that a serious illness can bring about such a big change?" "I should be turning sixteen soon." "Your birthday hasn't arrived yet, but it's coming soon, we should celebrate it properly." "It's not my whole birthday, there's no need."

"In life, when conditions allow, try not to compromise if possible. Otherwise, how can we justify the wounds inflicted by life? Karen nodded, "Okay, Aunt." Today's assignment was an accident. Even if it wasn't Karen, but Uncle Mason who went to Hans Hospital, it would have been inevitable. That's life, like how beneath the calm stream, there are hidden jagged rocks. "Aren't you going to rest?" Aunt Mary asked. "I already slept." "It seems like you have something on your mind. I could tell when you came back. Lunt made a mistake and your uncle has already reprimanded him." "I know." Uncle was on the second floor, but Karen on the third floor could hear everything clearly.

However, Karen still said, "Actually, Rent is not entirely at fault."If it were a mother who always protects her child and doesn't listen to reason, she would probably explode upon hearing Karen's words.So, you reported him and beat him up, but now you're saying he's not entirely at fault?But Aunt Mary nodded and said, "Yes, he deserves to be punished."If he's not punished, he won't feel uncomfortable, and neither will his elders or guardians.Blind obedience is not always a big mistake, because the law does not hold everyone accountable. But if one does not repent or reflect, they will likely continue to blindly obey next time, which is not a mistake, but rather seems like a mental disability."I will give you a discount for the funeral expenses, but we will lose money on this order.""Thank you, Aunt Mary.""I am Rent's mother, it is my responsibility. If possible, I really want to kneel down with Rent and your uncle to the parents of the little girl."

But this is meaningless, except for the fact that we feel less guilty in our hearts, it is of no use to the parents. Even worse, we have to endure the nausea to comfort you. Sigh, it's like watching the snow falling outside through the window, oh, so many snowflakes drifting down; only when you walk outside and a snowflake flies into your neck, you shiver and feel the real cold." "Aunt." "Yes, what's wrong?" "I feel like I should be used to corpses, coffins, wreaths, black veils, and all these things. But for some reason, this time, I feel like my emotions have been greatly affected. Not just because of Rent."

"But it's just my own feeling today in the hospital corridor," Karen remembered the little girl being pushed past her into the operating room, shyly smiling at her. Suddenly, he felt that he was being overly dramatic today, no, too dramatic. Even though he had seen stranger and more horrifying things before, he was feeling emotional today. "Why, does being in our line of work really make us heartless? Are we really becoming cold-blooded?" "That's not what I mean." "I know, but just like how a painter needs to constantly paint and create every day, what they are pursuing is a piece of work that satisfies them and also moves them. Who would think that a painter would become numb and lose their spirituality and emotions just because they paint too much?" After getting her hair done, Aunt Mary put down her hair clip and lit a cigarette, offering the pack to Karen, who shook his head and refused.

Exhaling a smoke ring, "We are just used to seeing dead people, not used to life and death." Standing up, Aunt Mary pointed to the exquisitely dressed young girl in front of her with the hand that didn't hold the cigarette: "Such a beautiful young girl, such a beautiful dress, she's lying here. If she could sit up and dance, that would be great." Karen fell silent. Aunt Mary walked to Karen's side and touched her shoulder: "Be more open-minded, learn to adjust yourself, understand? Just like when you help others with psychological counseling, you should know better than me in this aspect." "I understand, Aunt Mary." "Do you want some late-night snack?" "Yes, Aunt Mary." "Okay, I'll prepare it. Remember to turn off the lights when you come up later."

After finishing speaking, Aunt Mary walked out of the studio.Karen was still sitting on the round stool, looking at the well-dressed and delicate little girl in front of her.After a while,Karen stood up and walked to the phonograph, pressing play;The cheerful melody of "Luo Jia Elf" rang out, lingering in the entire studio.Aunt Mary's words before leaving echoed in Karen's ears: "What a beautiful little girl, and what a beautiful dress she's wearing. If only she could sit up and dance, that would be wonderful."If,You want to dance,I can help you.Karen walked up to the little girl and reached out her left hand.

This is his first attempt to actively use his own abilities. In fact, he has not yet mastered this ability. Every time he uses it, it is either accidental or sudden. He has never been in a calm state.But at the moment he reached out his hand,Karen inexplicably had a feeling,He seems to be able to sense the emotions of the little girl lying in front of him;He seems to be able to hear her voice, even though she cannot speak;It's like being able to sense her temperature, even though she is already cold;This is not an illusion, but a false and extreme reality.I am lucky,I was already dead, but because of Dias's reason, I woke up again.And you,

I am not so lucky.Please tell me,Is my perception correct,Are you calling out to me, or is it just my wishful thinking?Do you remember,In the hallway,You smiled at me twice.Karen placed her finger on the little girl's neck.If you want to dance one last dance, I will fulfill your wish.Karen closed her eyes.

Then,Slowly opened his eyes again,He saw standing in front of him, a little girl.The little girl still had a shy smile on her face, looking at him.What Karen didn't notice was that at his feet, there were now black vine-like patterns slowly spreading out, gradually blending and seeping into the floor tiles of the studio.Meanwhile, on the third floor,On the windowsill,The Pu'er who had already fallen asleep suddenly raised his head, with a look of surprise on his face:"Dis?"Immediately after, the shock on the black cat's face became even more intense:

"Not Dis!!!"In the study,Dis, who was writing in front of a candle, suddenly stopped.He looked at the flickering flame in front of him,muttering:"Order?"Then,he reached out and controlled the flame of the candle,saying:"No, it's order."

This time,Karen did not step back, nor did she switch her perspective to zoom in or out;Instead, she naturally reached out her hand.The little girl smiled slightly, biting her lower lip with her teeth, feeling a little embarrassed, but couldn't resist and placed her hand on Karen's palm.Her hand had no weight, no temperature, but it felt so real.Karen signaled for her to return to her own body... her, the body that was left behind.The little girl floated up, in front of Karen, lying down, and then slowly descended, finally merging with her body.The cute little elf lying on the steel plate opened her eyes.There was no white, no blood, no ferocity, only clarity and peace.

She slowly sat up,She remembered Karen,Because this was the stranger she saw on her way to the operating room, who left a deep impression on her.She spoke:"Little brother, you are really handsome.""Hehe."Hearing this, Karen laughed and subconsciously reached out to touch her head like he usually does to his little sister Mina.But then he thought of the hair that Aunt Mary had just done for her, so he hesitated;However, the little girl took the initiative to put her head under Karen's palm and rubbed it:"Daddy also likes to touch my head like this."

"Oh, really?"Unfortunately, your parents can't be here to see you sit up again.This is not something Karen deliberately wants to hide, at least not for the sake of secrecy;but rather, to let her parents see their daughter sit up, only to see her lie back down again, would be like making them experience the pain of losing a daughter for the second time."Rojia Elf, I really like to use it as accompaniment when I practice dancing.Little brother, do you want to watch me dance?""Okay."Karen sat back on the stool.Wearing new white dance shoes, a pink dance skirt, and delicate makeup, the cute little girl began to dance to the melody.Her dancing was not perfect, and even to Karen, who was an outsider, it was clear that she was still young and had some flaws, but she danced with great seriousness, very seriously.

This is not the real her, the real her is already dead;But this is also the real her, they are exactly the same.Karen was admiring seriously,She was dancing with great dedication;At this moment, time seemed to enter a kind of eternity, but the cruel thing is that eternity is often used as a short prelude.Finally,The music ended,The dance ended,She began to take a bow;Karen felt like she had just had a real dream, and when she looked up, she realized that the little girl who had taken a bow was now lying back on the steel bed, very sensible and obedient.

Slightly messy hair, slightly dirty white shoes, and a dance skirt with small wrinkles, are telling the story of what just happened.Karen started to clap;Then,He stood up,Walked to the door of the studio,Reached out,Touched the switch,Hesitated for a moment,But in the end,"Snap."

The light went out.