Chapter 2 The Passing Years, the Inescapable Cycle
1234 Words
“Li the Cripple, there’s something wrong with your coffin! I want a refund!”
“Bullshit! Nobody’s ever said my coffins are bad.”
A figure sat up abruptly from the coffin, his angry eyes scanning the surroundings, seemingly searching for the person who had slandered his craft.
However, when Li the Cripple saw the person at the door, he was so frightened that he immediately lay back down in the coffin.
“Looks like my time is really coming to an end. Why is that penniless bastard Chen Changsheng here?”
Hearing Li the Cripple’s grumbling, Chen Changsheng grinned and went straight to the coffin.
Looking at Li the Cripple, whose eyes were closed in the coffin, Chen Changsheng said.
“Li the Cripple, you promised me that if there was anything wrong with the coffin, I could come back for a refund.”
“Now, are you trying to renege on your promise?”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s words, Li the Cripple reluctantly opened his eyes.
"I have no money, but you can take my life. Take whatever you want from here."
Faced with Li the Cripple's shameless attitude, Chen Changsheng was immediately amused.
"Li the Cripple, aren't you afraid of me?"
"You were the one who buried my grave."
Hearing this, Li the Cripple glanced at Chen Changsheng and said, "I'm sixty this year. The doctor said I have at most three years to live."
"I, Li the Cripple, have no children, and no old flames."
"Do you think I care about living three more years?"
"Besides, when you came to buy a coffin, I knew you would come back."
"Why?"
"I've seen people buy their own coffins, but I've never seen anyone so excited about buying one."
As he spoke, Li the Cripple looked Chen Changsheng over again, hesitating.
"By the way, kid, interested in working for me? Room and board included, no wages."
"This trade is perfect for a lone wolf like you."
"And if you learn this skill, you'll most likely never die."
"After all, this world has everything, but it doesn't lack dead people."
Hearing Li the Cripple's words, Chen Changsheng was intrigued.
Although he could indeed live a long time, he would still die eventually.
And death was just one of many causes of death.
Originally, he only planned to stay here temporarily, but now he suddenly had a long-term meal ticket. This option seemed pretty good!
"Li the Cripple, your conditions are too stingy."
"Give me more wages!"
Faced with Chen Changsheng's complaint, Li the Cripple simply pulled out a book of burial scriptures from his pocket and threw it at him.
"With your lively spirit, how could you possibly die after me? If I die, all my things will be yours!"
"You see this tiny space? There's nowhere else for you to sleep."
"This coffin over there is your bed. You like sleeping in coffins, too."
Saying this, Li the Cripple immediately prepared to go back to his coffin to continue sleeping.
But Chen Changsheng grabbed him.
"Wait, weren't you going to teach me how to make coffins?"
"Why are you giving me this?"
Faced with Chen Changsheng's question, Li the Cripple rolled his eyes and said, "As the saying goes, the more skills you have, the better. If you only sell coffins, who will patronize your business?"
"Let me tell you the truth, I can handle the whole funeral procession. You have a lot to learn!"
After saying this, Li the Cripple shook off Chen Changsheng's hand and lay back down in his coffin.
Looking at the burial manual in his hand, Chen Changsheng paused for a moment, then laughed, "Well said, quite the skill!"
With that, Chen Changsheng immediately climbed into another coffin.
To be honest, once you get used to sleeping in a coffin, sleeping in a bed is really uncomfortable.
...
Through the changing seasons, autumn harvests and winter storage, eight years passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Changsheng settled down completely at Li the Cripple's coffin shop, spending his days reading and learning the craft of coffin making.
Whenever there was a funeral feast, Chen Changsheng could enjoy a good meal.
However, in these peaceful years, Chen Changsheng could only afford to improve his meals a few times a year.
As for his ten attribute points, Chen Changsheng devoted them all to defense.
Theoretically speaking, if he could just survive for a tiny fraction of a second, he could gain an incredibly long lifespan.
Therefore, defense was naturally the attribute Chen Changsheng valued most.
It's worth mentioning that Li the Cripple didn't die in the third year; after Chen Changsheng arrived, he lived for a full five years.
But ultimately, he couldn't outlive Chen Changsheng. One night, after lying in the coffin, Li the Cripple never rose again.
...
"Brother Changsheng!"
The door of the coffin shop was pushed open.
Chen Changsheng was also awakened by the noise, then helplessly got out of the coffin and said, "Niansheng, I've told you many times."
"This is a coffin shop. What kind of behavior is it for a girl like you to run here every day?"
Hearing this, Li Niansheng stuck out her tongue and said, "I don't care about that!"
"Let them say what they want."
"Besides, there's a plague going around now; they don't have the mind to care about me."
"I'm going to cook for you. Get out of the coffin quickly; don't sleep in it all day."
After saying that, Li Niansheng walked briskly towards the kitchen at the back.
Watching Li Niansheng's retreating figure, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but sigh softly.
The plague had raged for a full year, and Nianci and her husband had passed away at its very beginning.
He himself had even helped with their funeral arrangements.
The interval between periods of deep sleep should not be less than one-tenth of one's total lifespan.
Eight years had passed since his last awakening; theoretically, he could enter a deep sleep again.
But Niansheng was now all alone; how could he bear to leave her alone in the world?
Thinking this, Chen Changsheng shook his head and jumped out of the coffin.
"Never mind, it's the same whether I sleep early or late. I'll wait until this little girl gets married."
...
Soon, two steaming hot breakfasts were placed on the table.
Chen Changsheng and Li Niansheng silently ate their congee.
Suddenly, Li Niansheng looked up and said, "Brother Changsheng, are you an immortal?"
"You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"If I were an immortal, how could I watch your mother and the others die of the plague? Your mother was a very good friend of mine."
Faced with Chen Changsheng's answer, Li Niansheng looked down at the bowl in her hands.
"Brother Changsheng, I'm fourteen years old this year. I'm not the little girl I used to be."
"There are some things you can't fool me about."
Seeing this, Chen Changsheng patted Li Niansheng's head and laughed.
"You silly girl, what's gotten into you today?"
"It's not that I don't want to buy you candied hawthorns, it's just that your teeth can't eat them anymore."
"I'll take you to buy some another day..."
"Nianci is my mother's nickname."
Chen Changsheng's words were interrupted by Li Niansheng, and these words made Chen Changsheng put down the bowl in his hand.
- Writer
