13 Mingke Street

Chapter 8 Arrival!

Mingke Street, No. 13, Chapter 8 of the Main Text is Coming! It was just getting light outside;"Who is it, who is it!"In the basement, Aunt Mary's angry scream could be heard.Then,She stomped up the slope,And saw Father Dis wearing a priest's robe."Father, Mr. Mosan in the basement was attacked by some damn person..."

"I performed a ritual for him.""Oh, I see. Praise your kindness, may Mr. Mosang rest in peace."Aunt Mary immediately prayed.Then, she turned and went back to the studio, quietly "touching up" Mr. Mosang's makeup.There have been times before when the bodies brought home were "disheveled," and her father-in-law had also performed rituals for them, causing the makeup to be ruined.But since it was her father-in-law who did it, Aunt Mary dared not get angry with him, not at all.Last night, Karen, who left here, rearranged Mr. Mosang's body back onto the stretcher, wiped away her own blood on the ground, and tidied up Mr. Mosang's clothes, but the makeup on his face... Karen just didn't have the ability to restore it.

So, he could only go back to sleep after washing up again.When he woke up,His cousin, Lunt, who slept in the same room, was no longer there.Karen sat up in bed and patted his forehead.This body is indeed good-looking, even from a man's perspective;But it's a bit weak.Although Karen in his previous life often stayed up late and smoked, he still insisted on running and exercising, and his physical fitness was still good."It seems like I need to make exercising a priority."Karen washed up, went downstairs, and saw milk and bread on the table.He poured a glass of milk, dipped the bread in it, ate two pieces, and then drank the milk with bread crumbs mixed in. Karen straightened his collar and cuffs, and went downstairs to the first floor.

The first floor phonograph is playing the piano piece "The Departed Loved Ones", which is one of the most frequently used songs for mourning in Luo Jia City and several nearby cities.Karen stood by the phonograph, the first floor had already been arranged, appearing solemn and solemn;Ron and Paul were placing the coffin on a small platform, Mina and Chris were busy lighting candles;Cousin Lunt held a mop, cleaning the possible footprints on the floor.Aunt Mary sat in the corner drinking water, looking a bit tired, and Karen knew why. The work that was supposed to be done last night turned into a rush in the morning, and she must be very tired.Aunt Winnie was holding a booklet, counting the utensils.All the furnishings in the first floor room, except for the "flowers", were old actors.Although they were all things that were reused, if they were lost, it would also be a considerable expense to replace them.Grandpa stood by the small platform, watching Ron and Paul place the coffin.Karen had been down for a while, and Grandpa didn't specifically look over at her.

The family members are all working, only Karen sleeps in and no one calls her, this can be considered as a special treatment for Karen."Please, you must be tired, it's not good to come so early.""It's okay, it's okay, it's my duty, haha."Uncle Mason welcomed a middle-aged bald man who was dressed cheaply but looked very imposing;Karen searched her memory and knew that his name was "Malm", the deputy director of a department in the district government.In her memory, Aunt Mary looked down on this person, thinking that he was too greedy, had an unattractive appearance, and liked to hold onto his status. Unfortunately, in that department, besides one director, everyone else was a "deputy director";The other people in the office were all appointed through connections, while he had to run errands and do busy work, so in reality, he was just a clerk.Mr. Malm noticed Karen and reached out to touch her head;Karen took a step back and avoided him."Haha, last time I heard you were sick, but now it seems like you've recovered?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern," Karen responded."Okay,"Malmö didn't waste any more time and walked up the stairs, picking up his old-fashioned "Wofford" camera that he always carried with him. He took a picture of Jeff inside the coffin and then stepped back down the stairs.Grandfather, dressed in a priest's robe, stood in front of the coffin, bowing his head in prayer."Click!"Malmö took another picture.Finally, Malmö stepped back to the entrance of the living room and chose a spot with good lighting. He raised his camera, capturing the entire living room in the frame.Karen noticed that Aunt Mary, who was originally sitting in a chair, had also stood up. Everyone, including their cousins, were all solemnly bowing their heads in mourning."Get ready, everyone take your positions..."

Karen also stood up straight and lowered her head."Click!""Okay."Malm also put down the camera.Uncle Mason then handed a black notebook to Malm, who nodded and accepted it.Inside was a tip;This is how welfare works, the government and charity organizations provide a decent amount of funding, but it gets distributed among many layers.Of course, today's "tip" would be more than usual because Mr. Malm woke up early today.After taking the three required photos for filing and submitting the report, Mr. Malm didn't waste any time and left with his camera and notebook. Uncle Mason saw him off all the way to the door.Even if he wanted to be courteous and send him back to the office, it was impossible unless Mr. Malm was willing to be picked up by a hearse, as the Inmores family did not have a private car.

Afterwards,Paul and Ron worked together to move Jeff's body out of the coffin and onto a stretcher, pushing it back to the basement;Immediately after, the two of them pushed out "Mr. Mosan" and carried him into the coffin.Aunt Mary stepped forward to make adjustments to his posture, trying to make Mr. Mosan appear more "comfortable" and "composed".The rest of the decorations and furnishings remained the same.This was all part of the "rush";Although Mr. Mosan's children were stingy in other aspects, because some relatives lived in another city, they had booked a "full day" for Mr. Mosan's funeral, instead of just a "half day".Of course, if conditions allowed, they would even be willing to "book by the hour".So, today, "Jeff" was actually hitching a ride on Mr. Mosan's funeral.Once the process was completed, Jeff would have to make way and return to lying in the basement.

Mr. Mosang has already "taken his seat",Paul and Ron have put up signs at the living room door and the yard gate, indicating that today is Mr. Mosang's memorial service.Since there was nothing for him to do on the first floor, Karen walked to the flower bed in the yard and picked a lot of patchouli leaves.Then, he went upstairs and entered the kitchen.Today's lunch was prepared by him;Often, the venue for the memorial service will provide simple meals for the relatives and friends who come to mourn, of course, this is only possible if the family needs this service and pays for it;Therefore, the Inmores family will also eat together, as a working meal.But today, Mr. Mosang's children didn't even order a simple meal, let alone drinks... not even the cheapest lemonade. As a result, the Inmores family had to prepare their own lunch.Karen, who entered the kitchen, didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In his previous life, he often cooked for himself, and he enjoyed the process very much. Although he couldn't be considered a master chef, he was excellent at the level of a housewife or househusband.After washing the patchouli leaves, Karen put a few pieces in a cup and poured in hot water.

Afterwards, he began to select ingredients. The ingredients in the house were actually quite abundant, but he didn't plan on making a lavish feast. There was a refrigerator in the kitchen, which looked new and must have been bought recently, but in Karen's eyes, it was "old". As he prepared the ingredients, there were some noises coming from the first floor. It should be Mr. Mosang's relatives and friends arriving one after another. Mina and Chris walked to the second floor, the two little girls curiously standing outside the kitchen, watching Karen who was kneading dough. When the house was still in business, the two of them had to serve tea and water on the first floor, but they didn't need to do that today. "Brother, when did you learn how to cook?" Mina asked. "Yeah, yeah, what is that stick for?" Chris poked her head out and asked. "Wait and see." Karen smiled. The rolling pin in his hand was taken from his small desk in his bedroom. There were actually more suitable long round sticks in the basement, but Karen didn't dare to use them, let alone wash them. Pouring oil, heating it up, Karen put the wrapped spring rolls into the pan to fry, then took them out to drain the oil.

The spring rolls are filled with chives and some small pieces of meat;Afterwards, Karen started frying eggplant pancakes, but in each pancake, she added a piece of mugwort leaf, which made the texture crispier and less greasy.Because there were many people in the family, Ron and Paul would also have lunch here, so Karen fried two large plates of spring rolls and eggplant pancakes separately.Afterwards,Karen started stir-frying the ingredients. She felt that she still needed to make time to go to the market in the future. Although there were plenty of ingredients at home, they were lacking in spices;She poured the previously marinated chicken pieces into the pan, covered it with a lid, and started braising.Yes, Karen was planning to make "braised chicken" again.She picked up her tea cup and took a sip of the lukewarm mugwort tea,Ah,Karen really liked this feeling.

In his previous life, there was a popular and simple way of eating in his hometown called "tea-soaked rice". It used huo xiang tea and was usually paired with pickled vegetables. Although it was simple, once you got used to it, it became addictive, but it was not good for the stomach.Oh, that's right, he also needed to make some pickled vegetables. Although there were some jars in the basement, Karen decided to buy new ones from the market.After the chicken was cooked, Karen added diced potatoes, sliced mushrooms, and green peppers to the pot and started to reduce the sauce over high heat.In another pot, Karen made a simple tomato and egg soup using eggs and tomatoes.When the soup was ready, the braised chicken could also be taken out of the pot."Mina, Chris, come and serve the dishes.""Okay, brother.""Mmm, it smells so good!"Mina and Chris came in to serve the plates;After arranging everything on the table, Chris went downstairs to let the family know that lunch was ready, and then she couldn't wait to come back up and grab a spring roll, putting it straight into her mouth.

It's not that we don't follow table manners, but when there's work at home, we just eat whenever we have a break, without waiting for everyone to gather. Eating earlier also allows us to go back to work and greet guests."It's delicious, brother." Chris nodded while chewing."Chris, use your fork." Mina reminded."It's okay, I'll just use my hands." Karen also directly picked up a spring roll and dipped it in the bowl of fruit vinegar.The taste of the fruit vinegar at home is similar to white vinegar, and Karen is not very satisfied. He is more used to the taste of Zhenjiang vinegar.Mina served Karen a bowl of soup. According to his usual habit, Karen likes to add vinegar to his tomato and egg soup, but he still resists the taste of fruit vinegar.As he took a sip of soup,Karen took a deep breath,Feeling moved to the point of wanting to cry.It's not because he's craving it, but after experiencing such a big change, the food from his "hometown" can bring a sense of comfort to the soul.

No matter how much "chicken soup" there is, there is no soup that can be more substantial.Mina and Kris ate very sweetly, dipping the soup of braised chicken with spring rolls and eggplant cakes, but Karen refused Mina's offer to serve braised chicken in her plate;He didn't cook rice, and braised chicken without rice is soulless."Brother, will you teach me how to cook in the future?" Mina said."And me, and me." Kris also hoped."Well, okay."At this time, Aunt Mary also walked up and saw the food on the table, and was surprised: "Karen, did you make this?""Yes, Auntie, please try it.""Okay."Aunt Mary picked up a spring roll with a fork and took a bite:

"Hmm, it's delicious. When did you learn to cook?""I learned from books.""Really? That's impressive. In the future, we can offer an additional service at home, where our hired chef will prepare simple meals for our guests.""Okay." Karen politely responded. Today was just a small attempt, as he could make many more dishes. In his past life, he achieved a small financial freedom and often traveled around the country, not for taking photos, but specifically to search for local delicacies. He especially loved and was good at Sichuan cuisine.Aunt Mary sat down and continued eating, not forgetting to mock while eating:"There weren't many people who came to pay their respects, and even fewer who brought offerings. There was even someone who only brought a bouquet of flowers. Tsk tsk, it looks like they just picked it from Mrs. Mark's yard next door."The level of development of productivity is the fundamental reason for the emergence of customs and traditions. After all, in both marriage and funeral ceremonies, the help of relatives and friends is needed, so the practice of offering money has its rationality.However, according to Karen's memory, here, instead of giving money, gifts can be given at weddings, but sometimes the newlyweds will make a list of desired gifts for their relatives and friends, which is not much different.And, compared to gifts, people still prefer to receive cash.

"Can it break even?" Karen asked Aunt Mary."So they booked the afternoon session, and relatives from out of town will come in the afternoon, there should be a generous offering inside, right?" Aunt Mary took a sip of soup and continued, "But it doesn't matter, we can still enjoy our leisure time with less income."Everyone came up to have lunch, all showing their praise for Karen's cooking skills.In terms of food ranking, the spring rolls were the most popular, and Ron and Paul even came up in the afternoon to finish the leftover cold spring rolls.When Grandpa came up for lunch, Karen stood by."Not bad.""I can make other dishes too," Karen said, "but I need some extra spices.""Ask your aunt for money.""Okay, Grandpa.""If you cook in the future, your allowance can be increased, of course, you don't have to cook every day," Dis said.

"I like cooking.""Well, I also need a raise in my allowance."During this conversation between grandfather and grandson, Puer was lying on the small sofa next to them, looking at the table full of food. This cat was lost in thought."Meow...""Meow...""Meow...meow..."At almost three o'clock in the afternoon, the last group of condolence guests from another city finally arrived.They were four elderly men, dressed in suits with military medals pinned to their chests.Karen noticed that the envelopes containing the funeral money from these four men were noticeably thicker.The four elderly men gathered around Mr. Mosang to mourn, and one of them, Mr. Ding Geer, even asked Aunt Mary about the arrangements for the funeral. Aunt Mary politely replied that everything was already taken care of.

Behind someone's back, it's possible to mock their children for being stingy, but there's no need to publicly humiliate them.Mr. Mosang's children quickly stepped forward and helped the elderly leave while talking to them.Karen, who was standing at the living room door, heard Mr. Mosang's children explaining that due to the weather, the burial at the cemetery would not be organized or arranged. They said that Mr. Mosang's last wish was for everything to be simple and not disturb anyone.However, Mr. Dingel seemed to have noticed something, but he didn't make a big deal out of it. As he walked out of the courtyard with the other elderly, Karen saw him sigh towards the living room and wipe his eyes.The funeral was over.Under the organization and supervision of Aunt Winnie, everyone began to tidy up the living room.At this moment, Paul's neighbor came to find Karen and said that his mother had gone to the clinic for a check-up due to health reasons in the afternoon.Paul, who had just received a raise, asked his neighbor about his mother's condition. After all, he had just received a raise and didn't want to leave work now if it wasn't a serious problem.After all, today's work was not finished yet. Although they didn't have to transport the coffin to the cemetery for burial, they still had to transport two bodies to the suburban Xius crematorium for cremation."Go to the clinic and check on your mother. Give her my regards," Aunt Mary spoke up.

"Thank you, madam. Thank you, madam."Paul thanked and immediately turned to run towards the clinic with his neighbor.After Uncle Mason left, he looked troubled and rubbed his butt, complaining:"It still hurts here."Aunt Mary glared at him and shouted at her husband, "You're just lazy!"Normally, Uncle Mason didn't like to touch corpses or do physical work, so it was normal for him to be lazy. However, Karen believed that Uncle Mason was really not feeling well. He said he fell yesterday, but Karen thought he was beaten."Uncle, I'll go with you." Karen said.It's not that Karen is diligent, but he knows that some things don't need to be hidden, and it's better to have an understanding between them. But for now, the most important thing for him to ensure his safety is to integrate into this family.

"Home" is Grandpa's soft spot;To a certain extent, Karen also grasps this weakness. Under the premise of survival, Karen does not consider himself to be cunning or pretentious.Aunt Mary didn't want Karen to work, but the situation in the workshop made her very worried about her nephew's recent physical condition. However, there was a shortage of male labor at the moment.And according to customs, apart from close relatives, women and underage children are not suitable to go to the crematorium. The local adult standard here is fifteen years old.Uncle Mason was overjoyed and patted Karen's shoulder affectionately: "Our Karen has really grown up. Ron, come on, let's first carry the 'guest' up."Karen and Ron first pushed Jeff, who had been parked alone in the basement for a day, and then together they moved the modified "Fruit Shell" brand hearse;Then, they pushed Mr. Mosan out and also put him on the hearse.During the transportation, Ron was afraid that Karen's strength would not be enough, so he held the "guest" by his shoulders, while Karen only needed to hold his legs.After the "guests" got on the car, Uncle Mason and Aunt Mary waved goodbye and got into the driver's seat, starting the car.The car headed west, turned a corner, continued west, and entered the townhouse area of Mingke Street.

And at this moment, Karen noticed that Uncle Mason deliberately slowed down the car.Karen turned her head to look at the row of townhouses across the street,On the second floor window sill,He saw a woman sitting at the coffee table behind the curtain, with a book and a glass of water on the table;The woman's body was slightly tilted back, with her upper body hidden behind the partially opened curtain, but her long legs and the lightly swaying red high heels revealed a different kind of charm and temptation;But after seeing that high heel,Suddenly, Karen felt a little dizzy, and a sense of gloom came over him;Because of the unpleasant images left by that dream, for a long time to come, he probably wouldn't like high heels so much, especially...red ones;Turning his head to look at Uncle Mason in the driver's seat in front of him, who was also looking towards the row of townhouses, there was an indescribable look in his eyes;But in Karen's memory, although Uncle Mason was not well-mannered in business and liked to be lazy, he had no problems with his lifestyle and had a great relationship with Aunt Mary.

Therefore, Karen did not believe that Uncle Mason was having an affair here, and the fact that the affair was with someone so close to home was just too foolish.At this point, Karen asked tentatively:"First love?""Um... nonsense, it's not true!"Mason immediately stepped on the gas,Finally, he glanced at the woman in the apron watering the flowers in the flower bed.After driving out of Mingke Street, Uncle Mason couldn't help but turn his head and look at Karen, his face a little embarrassed:"There's really nothing going on.""I believe you, Uncle.""Actually, I only found out recently that she and her husband moved here. We've seen each other across the yard, but we just smiled at each other and didn't talk. Karen, you know, I value family a lot."

Speaking of this,Uncle Mason sighed and continued:"I made a mess of my former home, but since I have already made it so messy, how could I possibly do anything to hurt your aunt again?However, two days ago, her family encountered some trouble and she asked me for help. I helped her deal with it, but there was no further involvement. She and her husband are now looking for a new house to move into."Uncle Mason subconsciously shifted his weight and glanced at the two "guests" lying in the train car.Karen noticed this detail,So,Could Uncle Mason's fight with Grandpa and the person lying behind them... be related to Jeff?It could only be Jeff, because Mr. Mosan was brought from a nursing home, while Jeff froze to death on the street as a welfare recipient.Thinking back to the dream she had in front of Jeff and how Aunt Mary immediately called Uncle Mason home after Grandpa went down to the basement...

Karen rubbed her forehead,Jeff,Is it really freezing to death?"Karen...""Don't worry, Uncle, I won't tell Auntie."Karen knew that her uncle wanted this assurance, so he deliberately didn't say anything and waited to hear more gossip."Hoo...haha."...Second floor, bedroom.One leg lifted, high heels hooked on the bottom of the curtain, pulling the curtain up.

Immediately, the legs wearing red high heels walked towards the door.As "she" was about to open the door,The radio next to her played "Snowflake Melody";"Cough, cough, cough..."A series of coughing could be heard from inside."Where are you going?"The voice of the radio host sounded weak, as if they were sick or... injured.Then,Another voice came from the radio:"Oh, you said you sensed him?"

"He's already dead, do you know that? Because you scared him to death, you've caused me so much trouble. The judge of the Order in this area has already come looking for me.""What does it matter if it's a judge from the Order?""Others may not matter, but he's not just anyone, he's not an ordinary judge... No, I don't even know why he's only a local judge now. My injury was caused by him, I'm not completely sure I can defeat him.""My injury this time can be considered as repaying the favor I owed you back then, so please behave from now on. Also, there may be some things happening in Luo Jia City recently, I've noticed some unusual energies appearing in the suburbs of the city.""Him, him, him? Why are you still fixated on him! He's just a stupid thief scared to death by you, he's being sent for cremation, what more do you want!""What?""You mean you're not talking about that stupid thief?""I am... the one who entered our shared consciousness last time?""Then, then, then you definitely shouldn't go near him, he's definitely not an ordinary being!"

"Even, I believe he is a high priest in some cult, using the holy artifacts of the church to explore the spiritual realm, and by chance, he stumbled upon you and me.""Afterwards, I realized just how powerful he was, because I initially thought it was just another foolish thief you had brought in, but you later told me that he appeared without a sound,No, he descended!""You ask me why he did this?""To spy, it was just his interest, not his intention!""Especially the holy song he sang... it made my soul tremble!"