in2ebook Chapter 276 Condolences
Chapter 276 Condolences
In the funeral home, the originally empty hall is now filled with wreaths. The stacked wreaths almost fill the entire space with colors.
Each wreath was hung with a white ribbon, with words written in memory of Teacher Gu. The words were full of respect and reluctance to part with him.
The wreaths are complemented by mourning couplets with white characters on a black background, which flutter slightly in the solemn atmosphere, as if telling the sorrow in people's hearts.
On the front wall hangs a large black-and-white photo of Teacher Gu. In the photo, his kind face is like the warm sun, and his eyes seem to be filled with tenderness and care for the world, as if he is still alive and will walk out of the photo in the next second to continue teaching everyone.
In the center of the hall, Mr. Gu lay quietly in the coffin. He was wearing a neat and straight Zhongshan suit, and every wrinkle seemed to be a mark left by the years, and seemed to be telling the story of his integrity and dignity throughout his life.
His face was ruddy, and thanks to the careful work of the funeral home's professional makeup artist, he looked as if he was just sleeping soundly, without any sign of pain.
With great respect, the makeup artists used their skills to make Teacher Gu pass away cleanly and spotlessly, just as purely as he treated everything and every student during his lifetime.
When people who came to mourn saw Teacher Gu like this, they couldn't help but have tears in their eyes and recalled every moment they spent with him.
Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu stood there with tall postures, and their neat and straight black suits made them look even more solemn.
The lines of the suit are smooth, every cut is just right, without the slightest wrinkle, and the texture seems to be silently expressing respect for the deceased.
In their left buttonhole, they wore a carefully prepared white flower. The flower was pure white, and there seemed to be morning dew on the petals. Under the slightly dim light of the funeral home, it exuded a tranquil and sad atmosphere.
They were concentrating on receiving every guest who came to pay their respects. There was an endless stream of people coming, most of whom were former students of Teacher Gu. Those young faces were full of grief and reluctance, with tears in their eyes, as if they had lost a beacon on the road of life.
There were also teachers who were traveling with us. They supported each other, with sadness in their eyes for the departure of their old friend.
Customers who had received help from Teacher Gu in the bookstore also came one after another, holding carefully prepared gifts in their hands - or a precious book with Teacher Gu's annotations, which was the testimony of Teacher Gu's guidance for customers;
Or a hand-painted calligraphy or painting to express praise for Mr. Gu's knowledge and character;
Or it could be a heartfelt thank-you letter, every word of which expresses gratitude for Teacher Gu's selfless help.
Although these gifts vary in shape, each one carries the customer's deep respect for Teacher Gu.
The beautiful employees of the bookstore also came. They were dressed in uniform black clothes, like a group of elves in the night, adding a unique touch of beauty to the sad atmosphere.
Everyone wore a white flower on their chest, which echoed the ones worn by Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu.
They held a white chrysanthemum in their hands. The petals of the chrysanthemum were slender, soft, slightly curled, and exuded a faint fragrance.
They walked into the hall in groups of two with slow and heavy steps, stopped in front of Teacher Gu's coffin, bowed deeply, and every movement was full of respect.
Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu returned the greetings with solemn expressions, their eyes filled with gratitude towards the guests.
After bowing, the guests slowly approached Teacher Gu's coffin. They looked at Teacher Gu's face, which seemed to be sleeping, with reluctance in their eyes, and then gently placed the chrysanthemums in their hands around the coffin.
More and more chrysanthemums bloomed, gradually forming a white sea of flowers around the coffin, as if paving a pure road to heaven for Teacher Gu.
At this moment, a steady sound of footsteps was heard outside the funeral home, and President Bai Yixiu walked slowly in with his daughter Bai Jinrong, son Bai Jinhui, and a group of students.
They held wreaths and elegiac couplets of varying sizes in their hands. The flowers on the wreaths were gorgeous and the handwriting on the couplets was vigorous and powerful, and every word was filled with remembrance for the deceased.
Everyone walked towards the hall step by step with solemn expressions. The solemn atmosphere seemed to make the air around them heavy.
Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu, who were busy receiving guests in the hall, looked up inadvertently and saw President Bai and his party. A hint of surprise flashed in their eyes. After all, President Bai was very busy and they did not expect him to come in person.
However, this surprise was fleeting, and soon they regained their composure, solemnity reappeared on their faces, and they continued to perform their duties of receiving guests.
President Bai walked to the center of the hall and stopped. Bai Jinhui and Bai Jinrong beside him also stopped.
President Bai looked solemn. He lowered his head slightly and took the lead in bowing towards the coffin. His movements were slow and pious, and every arc showed his respect for the deceased.
Bai Jinhui and Bai Jinrong followed closely behind, imitating their father's example and bowing deeply.
Afterwards, President Bai and his children slowly walked towards the coffin. They quietly gazed at the deceased's face. President Bai's eyes were full of complex emotions, including regret and reluctance. He nodded gently, as if saying his final goodbye to the deceased.
After completing these rituals, the three walked towards Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu. Seeing this, Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu immediately bowed respectfully in return.
Mu Xiaoji took a step forward, and his deep and rich voice rang out in the quiet hall: "Thank you, President Bai, you are very busy.
I, Mu Xiaoji, sincerely thank you for your deep love and affection for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and pay my respects to the teacher. " Mu Xiaoji nodded slightly again, with a sincere and humble attitude.
However, Bai Jinrong suddenly pouted her lips so high that it looked as if she could hang a bottle of oil on them. She muttered, "My dad won't argue with an uneducated little brat!"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for people around her to hear. For a moment, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
President Bai's face darkened and he shouted sternly, "Rong'er, don't be rude!"
Bai Jinrong was scolded by her father. Although she felt a little unconvinced, she did not dare to say anything more and just lowered her head angrily.
At this time, Jiang Chengyu made a timely gesture of invitation and said with a smile: "President Bai, please come this way."
Under the guidance of Jiang Chengyu, Qin Shuyue led President Bai to the reception seat on the side. As soon as they sat down, several beauties in black uniforms came over politely, holding three cups of steaming tea on the tray in their hands.
They placed the tea on the table with light movements, bowed slightly, and then quietly left.
After completing the condolence ceremony, the students who came with President Bai walked towards where President Bai was and stood quietly behind him. The whole scene was solemn and orderly.
Immediately afterwards, reporter Yao Xinyue and her photographer brother appeared at the door of the funeral home.
They each held a white chrysanthemum in their hands. The chrysanthemum looked particularly pure in their palms. The white petals trembled gently in the breeze, as if they were also infected by the sad atmosphere.
The two walked into the hall with steady steps. As soon as they entered the hall, Yao Xinyue and the photographer put away their usual relaxed attitudes and their expressions became extremely solemn.
They first bowed deeply towards Teacher Gu's coffin. The amplitude of the bow was almost ninety degrees. They maintained the bow for a long time before slowly standing up.
Afterwards, they followed the etiquette of mourning and walked towards the coffin step by step to pay their respects to Teacher Gu's remains. During this process, their eyes were full of respect, without any disrespect.
After paying their respects, they gently placed the white chrysanthemums in their hands next to the coffin. The chrysanthemums intertwined with the numerous flowers around them, adding a quiet sadness to this final farewell.
After doing all this, Yao Xinyue and the photographer walked towards Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu. Seeing this, Mu Xiaoji and Jiang Chengyu immediately returned the greeting.
Yao Xinyue showed her signature confident smile and said with her sharp tongue, "Mr. Mu, Professor Jiang, I won't mention the fact that you two stood me up before.
Look, today is such a special occasion, can you give me an interview opportunity?"
Mu Xiaoji frowned slightly, but did not say anything. He just silently made a gesture of invitation.
At this time, Qin Shuyue came over with a smile on her face, but there was also a hint of sadness in that smile. She said softly, "Please come this way." Then she took Yao Xinyue and the photographer to the reception seat.
After the two sat down at the reception seat, a beautiful waitress in black uniform came over politely.
On the tray in their hands were two cups of steaming tea, and the fragrance of tea slowly spread in the air.
The beautiful waitress gently placed the tea on the table in front of Yao Xinyue and the photographer, bowed slightly, and then quietly left.
Yao Xinyue knew very well that this was a solemn mourning hall, not a place where she could act recklessly. If she were to dwell too much on it, it would only make her appear to be ignorant of etiquette.
Mu Xiaoji's silent attitude also made her realize that it was already very good for her to be able to stay here to find interview materials, so she didn't say anything more, just sat there quietly, observing everything around her.
Yao Xinyue was sitting in the reception seat, worrying about not being able to find any strong-tasting ingredients. Her brows were slightly furrowed, with a hint of anxiety in her eyes.
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the originally solemn door of the funeral home, mixed with heart-wrenching cries, which instantly broke the tranquility here.
"Brother Wen, why are you leaving just like that? You want me, your brother, to stay in this world without any ties or worries. What should I do?"
The cry was so sad, as if one had lost the most important thing in life.
Then, another voice rang out: "My dear uncle, you have been in good health all these years, how could you be gone just like that?"
The father and son cried as if they wanted to vent all the grief in their hearts; the sound echoed outside the empty funeral home, making people feel heartbroken.
Soon, the noisy father and son rushed into the hall. They looked very funny, crawling all the way in, and their miserable appearance seemed to be performing the most tragic farewell in the world, as if they had an extremely deep and indelible emotion with the deceased.
Especially the man who called himself his brother. He was a little hunched over, leaning on a cane, and seemed to be trembling with fear with every step he took. His face was covered with tear marks, and the bloodshot in his eyes was clearly visible. Anyone who saw him would think that he was suffering great pain.
However, what was unexpected was that after he approached Mu Xiaoji, he raised the cane in his hand without saying a word. The cane drew a sharp arc in the air and smashed towards Mu Xiaoji hard.
At this critical moment, Jiang Chengyu was quick-witted and rushed forward to hug Mu Xiaoji, using his back to block the sudden attack.
With a "crack" sound, the cane hit Jiang Chengyu's back heavily, broke into two pieces in an instant, and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
This dramatic scene was captured by Yao Xinyue and the photographer. Yao Xinyue's eyes flashed with excitement, and she and the photographer quickly reacted and took several photos with their cameras.
The photographer quickly turned on the camera and recorded the thrilling scenes one by one. They were like cheetahs that had smelled their prey and would not miss any wonderful moment.
Mu Xiaoji looked at Jiang Chengyu nervously, his eyes full of worry, and asked anxiously: "Little Monster, how are you?"
Jiang Chengyu frowned, looking painful, but still said with all his strength: "Xiao Ji, don't be nervous, I'm fine."
At this time, President Bai, who had been paying attention to the situation here, immediately stood up. He frowned, his eyes were full of majesty and anger, and he shouted sternly:
"Who are you two? They are holding a funeral, and you two dare to come and disrupt it. Do you have any manners?"
His voice echoed in the hall, making the father and son's behavior seem even more abrupt and unreasonable.