Eating Melon

Amidst the somber funeral dirge, Xiao Ran slowly opened his eyes.

He quietly gazed at the dark coffin lid before him, listening silently to the noisy commotion from outside, his face expressionless.

"Guests arrive, first bow, second bow, third bow."

He could clearly hear the solemn pronouncement of the officiant and the mournful cries of the deceased's family.

"The ceremony is complete! Family expresses gratitude."

"Clang, clang..."

At this moment, a sound suddenly came from above. Immediately, one end of the coffin lid was pushed open, and a shiny bald head poked in, lowering his voice and anxiously asking, "Xiao Ran, is there a problem with the coffin? People are waiting to be put in."

Xiao Ran propped himself up and sat up from the coffin. He took out a notebook from his pocket and scribbled on it: [Pillow too high, a bit hard, soundproofing isn't great, a bit noisy, stuffy].

After thinking for a moment, he crossed out the word [stuffy] and tore the paper for the bald man. "Improve the soundproofing, change the pillow."

After speaking, he rubbed his neck.

"Is that necessary?" The bald man took the torn paper with a strange expression.

Xiao Ran explained, "After all, they'll be lying in here for a long time. If the pillow isn't comfortable, it'll be suffering."

The bald man pondered, then after a moment, as if remembering something, he suddenly asked, "I heard you have a part-time job at the funeral home in the city. How's the pay there? I have a grandniece who just graduated from vocational school..."

Xiao Ran sighed, "It's just part-time. Most of the time there's no work. They don't hire contract workers anymore."

"Ah, then forget it. If you ask me, instead of working hard managing your Old Master's coffin shop and doing a part-time job at the funeral home, you might as well open a milk tea franchise! If you don't have time, you can have my grandniece help you manage it..." The bald man shook his head regretfully and left, holding the note Xiao Ran had written.

Xiao Ran smiled, stretched, and then climbed out of the coffin. He lifted the curtain, went around from the inside to the front hall of the mourning hall, and found a chair by the side to sit down.

There were many distant and close relatives in the front hall. The aunts and uncles on both sides, though strangers, looked somewhat familiar. After all, this was where he grew up as a child. His grandfather only took him to live in Luo City when he was about to start middle school.

His return this time was also because his cousin had unexpectedly passed away, and his face was disfigured. To ensure a dignified send-off, they had to ask someone to contact him, hoping he could help repair his cousin's body.

The arriving relatives hadn't recognized him yet. Seeing Xiao Ran busy earlier, one of them enthusiastically stepped forward and offered him a cigarette.

"Fourth Uncle, I don't smoke."

Xiao Ran glanced at the middle-aged man offering the cigarette. Although he had aged considerably since his memory, he recognized him immediately.

Being called Fourth Uncle, the man looked confused.

"It's me, Xiao Ran," Xiao Ran reminded him with a smile.

The Fourth Uncle mumbled Xiao Ran's name a few times, then his eyes widened. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, pouted at Xiao Ran, and turned to leave. His expression suggested he wished he could grab a nearby shovel and hit him.

When other relatives heard it was Xiao Ran who had returned to help, their faces immediately showed distance. Even a few children who wanted to approach were hastily called away by their parents.

Some of the younger descendants didn't understand what was going on.

Seeing the elders of the family avoiding Xiao Ran as if he were a plague, they were bewildered. They thought he was a relative who had just been released from prison and casually asked.

This one question gave the aunts and uncles something to talk about. They gathered around and pointed at Xiao Ran, chattering.

"Stay away from him, that child has been abnormal since he was young."

"He almost burned down the granary with a fire, and he said the people inside were cold. He's simply insane."

"That year, after Fourth Old Madam was buried, this brat dug her up in the middle of the night, cut open her stomach with a knife, and tried to dig something out. Fortunately, someone by the roadside saw it and quickly notified Fourth Master. For this incident, Fourth Master almost fought Sixth Master to the death."

"He deserves it. Their Sixth Branch has been doing this kind of dirty business since the Old Patriarch's generation. Otherwise, why would his parents disappear without a trace, both in life and death, right after he was born?

Soon, the village's most mysterious intelligence agency quickly spread the word about all of Xiao Ran's past troubles from childhood to adulthood, so that their own younger generation would stay far away from this guy.

Xiao Ran also felt the whispers and stares behind him, but he didn't care. They only talked about the bad things he had done, why didn't they mention the two silver lumps he took out of Fourth Old Madam's stomach?

After all, he had been taken out of the village by his grandfather since he was young and hadn't returned for many years. In fact, his emotional ties had long since faded.

His return was purely out of respect for this cousin.

His gaze fell on the black and white photo on the offering table in the mourning hall. It was an ordinary-looking, kindly smiling, slightly plump middle-aged man.

In his memory, this cousin's name was Xiao Xingbang. He was more than ten years older than him. He dropped out of junior high school halfway through and started pulling a tricycle to sell fruit. Later, he found hat weaving profitable and made hats at home, gradually involving the villagers. Finally, with the village's support, he started a textile factory, becoming one of the few wealthy families in the village.

Back then, every time he met Xiao Ran, this cousin would smile and slip him candy. When he heard that his parents had passed away, he even rushed back from out of town to give him a large sum of money.

He never expected that after more than ten years, they would meet again, separated by life and death.

At the main seat of the mourning hall, a young woman with a grief-stricken expression, dressed in white mourning clothes, held a girl of about five or six years old in her arms, standing blankly to the side. A few stray strands of hair fell along the edge of her mourning hat to her neck, adding a touch of messy beauty.

This cousin's wife's name was Zhang Yu. She was five or six years younger than her cousin. It was said that her parents had also died early, and when she was alone and helpless, she met her cousin, and they got together.

At this moment, Zhang Yu's face was pale and bloodless, her eyes swollen red, clearly having cried many times.

However, Xiao Ran noticed that the uncles and elders beside her, while maintaining a posture of mourning, kept glancing inadvertently at Zhang Yu's ample bosom. They were clearly perverts.

As Xiao Ran was sighing, he saw a few highly respected elder members of the village entering one after another. They first bowed together to the photograph. Then, one of them walked to Zhang Yu's side, sighed, comforted her kindly, and then asked in a gentle tone, "Daughter, what are your plans for you and the child? If you need any help, just tell your uncle."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle."

Facing the elder's condolences, Zhang Yu nodded stiffly. Her throat was hoarse at the moment, and her voice was broken.

Xiao Ran was looking at his phone while playing with it. The bald man suddenly sat beside him, grinning, and offered him a cigarette. "Almost done. The person will be in the coffin soon. We'll start the funeral procession at eight."

Xiao Ran waved his hand to decline, checked the time on his phone, and asked with a frown, "Are the incense, candles, and paper money all prepared? The scene is so chaotic, don't miss anything later."

"Heh, they're not in a hurry, why are you worried? Look over there, they haven't finished causing trouble yet!"

The bald man looked at Zhang Yu, who was being surrounded by a group of relatives, with a sly grin. He sneered, "I heard your family doesn't have many relatives left..."

He then put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and took a long drag, exhaling a smoke ring. "You know, trouble tends to find widows, especially when they're alone and weak."

Before he could finish speaking, a distraught cry came from Zhang Yu's direction: "No, I won't agree!"

The previously spacious and noisy mourning hall fell silent.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the source of the argument.

Zhang Yu's pretty face had turned deathly pale, her peach-blossom eyes wide with anger as she glared at the elder in front of her.

But Xiao Family's Uncle wasn't angered. He spoke calmly and earnestly, "Xingbang only left this one poor child behind. He still needs to go to school next year, so someone needs to take care of him. You're a woman; you should just focus on taking care of the child at home."

At this point, a woman nearby, who might have been an aunt or an aunt-in-law, chimed in, grabbing Zhang Yu's arm. "Xiao Yu, the Xiao family has such a large factory. How could we women manage it? Why don't you let Jiahui help you? Men..."

"I said I don't agree, and I won't!"

Zhang Yu's bloodshot eyes blazed with anger. She suppressed her emotions, her voice hoarse and trembling, yet undeniably firm.

"You ungrateful child! We're all doing this for your own good, and for your child's good!"

Xiao Family's Uncle finally frowned, his previously kind expression fading as his tone turned stern.

"Jiahui, we've watched him grow up. He's known for being honest and diligent. Letting him help you manage the factory will not only allow you to focus on your child but also help you with any major or minor issues that arise at home. Everyone in the village is doing this for your own good..."

"Sister-in-law, the factory has a lot of daily reception and social events. It's indeed inconvenient for you to be out and about. Don't worry, leave the factory matters to me. I promise I'll manage it perfectly for you!"

The person who spoke next was a man nearing thirty. Xiao Ran learned from the bald man that this was the sole son of the Xiao family's third branch, named Xiao Jiahui. Although his words were polite on the surface, the hint of greed and urgency in his eyes was evident to many discerning individuals.

"A complete mess!" the bald man muttered sarcastically.

Xiao Ran smiled noncommittally.

By seniority, they had esteemed elders of the family, Zhang Yu's sisters-in-law, and Zhang Yu's brothers-in-law. It was already quite excessive to retort so publicly, but... Xiao Ran felt their greed was rather unsightly.

The deceased hadn't even been laid to rest, and they were already eyeing their family's assets. If he were in their shoes, his tone would likely be even harsher.

As he pondered, he heard Zhang Yu's resolute voice echo through the mourning hall, "Thank you all for your concern, but our family's affairs do not require others to decide for us."

Xiao Family's Uncle's expression grew increasingly grim, and his voice rose. "Don't need? What if you ruin the factory? Although it's your family's factory, doesn't everyone have some shares in it?"

"Yes, yes! When you started the factory, we all put in money!" another woman, possibly an aunt or aunt-in-law, chimed in.

Zhang Yu gritted her teeth, her emotions stirred. "We borrowed money from the village back then, and over the years, we've paid back both the principal and the interest!"

After speaking, Zhang Yu looked towards the Village Head, who was hiding behind the crowd. "Director, we've never been late with our village dividends over the years, have we?"

The Village Head pursed his lips and said softly, "Well... but the land for the factory is still the village committee's."

"Regardless, the factory is our village's property! You're an outsider, and if you remarry in the future, what if you take our money to support some other man?"

As the argument escalated, the hall became noisy with a cacophony of criticisms.

"You..."

Seeing the "outcry," Zhang Yu's face grew paler. Even the little girl in her arms, who was already in tears, trembled uncontrollably.

As more people surged forward, the cousin's wife's face turned paler.

Suddenly, a shattering sound of glass breaking made everyone freeze.

Turning around, they saw Xiao Ran standing innocently before the offering table, pointing at the broken wine bottle. "Don't look at me, this bottle fell on its own. Maybe my brother is angry."

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, the expressions on everyone's faces became somewhat unnatural.

"Stop playing tricks. I think you broke the bottle," Xiao Jiahui said, not quite believing it.

As soon as he finished speaking, the black and white photo on the table trembled and then slammed onto the table with a "crack."

Now everyone was stunned. This time, they all saw it clearly; Xiao Ran was standing aside and hadn't moved.

The air in the mourning hall seemed to freeze, an inexplicable pressure enveloping everyone's hearts. The relatives who had been planning to persuade the cousin's wife stopped in their tracks, looking at the shards on the ground in confusion.

"My brother is manifesting?"

Xiao Ran let out an exaggerated shriek and quickly retreated a few steps, moving to the cousin's wife's side. "Sister-in-law, my brother is manifesting! Why don't you quickly ask if he left any will or made any notarizations?"

Prompted by Xiao Ran, the cousin's wife finally came to her senses. As if remembering something, she suddenly stood up and rushed into her bedroom. Soon, she emerged from the bedroom, red-eyed, and slammed a will onto the table.

Indeed, it was a will, bearing not only the cousin's signature but also the village notary's signature and fingerprints.

As the crowd tried to gather around to look, Xiao Ran quickly snatched the will and began reading it aloud.

The content of the will was simple: the cousin's house would belong to the village, but the factory would belong solely to the cousin's wife. In addition, all savings and the car also belonged to the cousin's wife.

After Xiao Ran finished reading the will, he glanced at the Village Head beside him and said with a smile, "Director, your signature and fingerprint are here too. You won't deny it, will you?"

"What right do you have to speak!"

The uncle glared fiercely at Xiao Ran, but Xiao Ran acted as if he didn't see it, staring intently at the Village Head and saying coldly, "Director, be a person with a conscience, or else be careful my brother doesn't knock on your door at midnight!"

The Director's mouth twitched. "This is feudal superstition. I..." He trailed off, then glanced at the broken wine bottle under the table out of the corner of his eye. After swallowing, he deflated like a punctured ball and weakly nodded, "There is this will."

With the Village Head's admission, the previously aggressive relatives immediately fell silent, unsure if it was because of the will or if they were intimidated by the cousin who was seemingly manifesting.

However, the uncle, seeing that everyone else had fallen silent, seemed unwilling to give up. He stepped forward, trying to snatch the will. "I don't believe it, let me see."

Xiao Ran dodged his uncle's hand, a smile on his face, and leaned close to his uncle's ear to whisper a few words.

Instantly, his uncle's expression turned from green to white. He stared at Xiao Ran for a long time before finally falling silent.

"This... Uncle, he..."

The most frustrated, naturally, was Xiao Jiahui. He stepped forward, intending to point at Xiao Ran and say something, but his uncle turned back and kicked him fiercely. "Shut up."

Seeing the atmosphere in the mourning hall grow cold.

The Village Head coughed, breaking the silence. "Since that's the case, let's handle the funeral first. We can discuss other matters at another time."

Although everyone was reluctant, no one wanted to court further misfortune. They all stopped interfering.

"Leaving the mountain! The filial son carries the banner, bystanders keep away!"

At eight o'clock, with a shout from the bald man standing at the entrance of the mourning hall, the coffin was carried out of the inner room by four pallbearers. The procession set off towards the ancestral graves on the mountain behind the village.

Xiao Ran silently followed at the back of the procession. The rest of the matters were no longer his concern; it was all up to the bald man.

The bald man specialized in presiding over funerals in nearby villages and towns. His family had been doing this for three generations.

Xiao Ran was only asked to help repair the remains because his cousin had died in a car accident, and they were worried the funeral home staff wouldn't be skilled enough.

He had only agreed to help out of consideration for how well his cousin had treated him when they were younger, so he wasn't afraid of offending the relatives in the village.

After the coffin was lowered into the ground and everyone had paid their respects at the grave mound, they got up to leave. Soon, in front of the large grave mound, only the sorrowful mother and daughter remained, wiping the tombstone and clearing the area around the grave.

"Let's go, it's time for the feast."

The bald man walked up to Xiao Ran with a smirking expression. "What did you say to your uncle just now? His expression at the time was priceless, like he had a big duck egg stuffed in his mouth, his tongue all tied up."

"Knowing is no good for you..."

Xiao Ran smiled mysteriously. "I won't be eating at the feast. Since it's still early, I'll go back to the old house for a visit and then head back early."

"Alright, I originally wanted to have a few drinks with you, but maybe next time."

The bald man was helpless against him and could only gossip a bit more, like "My niece is quite good-looking, if you're interested, I can arrange a blind date for you." After that, he bowed at the grave and left.

Xiao Ran followed the bald man and also bowed and offered flowers.

"Xiao Ran, thank you so much today. Xiao Xiao, you thank your uncle too!"

Zhang Yu, with red eyes, bowed to Xiao Ran. The little girl followed suit, saying "Thank you, Uncle."

Zhang Yu knew that if Xiao Ran hadn't suddenly stepped in and intervened, she might have buckled under the pressure today and handed over management of the factory. Once she conceded, the demands would only grow, and in the end, they might be left with nothing.

Xiao Ran smiled and shook his head. "No need to thank me. Cousin was a good person and took good care of me back then. We even spoke before the accident. He mentioned you then, saying you were very virtuous at home, but the factory matters weren't really suitable for you to manage. If he's gone, you should sell the factory, get a large sum of money, and move somewhere else to raise the child."

After speaking, he crouched down, his gaze level with the child's, and said with a gentle smile, "Little beauty, your dad wanted you to pick some wildflowers every year to place on his tombstone for him to admire."

"Really? Then I'll go pick them now!"

The little girl nodded very seriously and then began searching for flowers all around.

After the little girl had walked away, Xiao Ran continued, "Cousin also said that Xiao Jiahui is actually the illegitimate son of Uncle and Second Aunt's affair, not Second Uncle's child. If he dares to cause you trouble in the future, expose this matter. Just calculate Xiao Jiahui's birth date, and the old women in the village will naturally see the trick. Then their family will be in chaos..."

"Cousin's wife, I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself."

After speaking, Xiao Ran stood up and bid farewell to the cousin's wife in front of him.

As he walked towards the entrance of the cemetery, Xiao Ran suddenly felt a strange emotion. He turned back abruptly and saw from afar that his cousin's wife was still standing by the tombstone with the child, waving goodbye to him.

Beside them, a middle-aged man with an ordinary but kind smile and a slightly chubby face was also waving at him