Ye Tiancheng and his group, their faces etched with unconcealable anxiety, clearly looked like they weren't there for the banquet but had something urgent to attend to.
Upon their arrival, Zhao Xudong came to greet them. Zhao Hai quickly approached Zhao Xudong and, in a few brief words, explained the situation.
After hearing Zhao Hai's account, Zhao Xudong's expression changed drastically. He called out to Ye Tiancheng and the others, "Go, hurry to the mourning hall!"
The villagers, realizing something major had happened, and being naturally drawn to crowds, mostly followed the group to Liu Han's mourning hall.
As they approached the mourning hall, everyone's expression shifted.
Even before entering, they could hear unusual noises from within, sounding as if something was thrashing inside the coffin, to the point where the coffin lid was almost bursting open.
At this point, some people began to retreat.
Spectacle was one thing, but one needed to be alive to witness it. The situation sounded so eerie; if something were to happen by getting closer, who would they seek redress from?
The mourning hall was left unattended. Those who should have been guarding it had all fled outside, likely scared out by the commotion. They happened to run into this large group.
Zhao Xudong, with a grave expression, stopped a few people. "Fellow villagers, do not panic. We must go in again."
Those stopped by Zhao Xudong were extremely frightened. "Zhao Xudong, your wife has resurrected!"
"We're not doing this work anymore, and we don't want the pay. We're not going in, please let us go!"
Zhao Xudong insisted, "It's not my wife who has resurrected. There's a living person trapped inside the coffin, and we need your help to open it and rescue them!"
"A li-living person?"
Hearing this answer, the few people calmed down slightly. However, upon further thought, they were there to help Zhao Xudong carry the coffin and nail it shut. They had personally nailed the coffin when it was sealed. How could there be a living person inside?
Even if someone were reckless enough to get into the coffin, unafraid of death, they shouldn't have been able to get in.
One of the leaders spoke to Zhao Xudong, "Zhao Xudong, we won't do anything that risks our lives. You must guarantee that nothing will happen to us when we go in!"
Zhao Xudong was in a hurry and dared not delay. He immediately swore an oath, "I, Zhao Xudong, swear to the heavens that I only need your help to open a coffin, and there will be no other accidents. If you brothers encounter danger, may I die a terrible death!"
Such a solemn oath, sworn outside the mourning hall, still left them with some unease and confusion, and fear. However, the few men still dared to go in.
After all, those who dared to do this kind of work were not that timid. They were merely scared by the "resurrection." Now that Zhao Xudong personally guaranteed it wasn't a resurrection, they were less afraid and more curious about who had gotten into the coffin and how.
The villagers who had followed, upon hearing Zhao Xudong's explanation and noticing that one person was missing from Ye Tiancheng's group, began to suspect something. They no longer rushed to flee but instead had the courage to enter the mourning hall to observe the situation.
A large group surged into the mourning hall. The men Zhao Xudong had stopped went to the coffin. Seeing that the coffin was still shaking, the leader boldly knocked on the coffin lid. "Brother, no, I don't know if you're a big brother or a big sister, stop thrashing. We're about to open the coffin. If you keep thrashing, you won't get out, and it will hinder us from opening it."
As soon as he spoke, the person inside, whoever it was, actually quieted down. However, for some reason, they remained silent.
Ye Tiancheng and the others also gathered anxiously by the coffin, waiting for it to be opened.
The coffin had been sealed and nailed shut two days prior. Prying it open wouldn't be easy, and they didn't want to damage the coffin lid, as they didn't know if Liu Han was still inside. If the coffin lid was damaged, there would be nothing to put Liu Han in.
With the body having been kept for several days and left outside, it might not hold up much longer.
However, considering the strong possibility of a living person inside and the danger of delaying, which could lead to suffocation, the men worked faster. After some time, they skillfully and quickly pried open the coffin lid.
Once all the sealing nails were removed, the men exchanged glances. The leader forcefully pushed the coffin lid open. As the coffin opened, everyone witnessed a shocking scene.
The bride was still lying in the coffin, but above her was a slightly plump man, who was none other than the胖子 (Pang Zi) who had come to the village with Ye Tiancheng. The bride wasn't lying still either; her hands were tightly gripping the胖子, even covering his mouth.
The coffin lid was so thick; no wonder the胖子 couldn't cry out for help from inside.
As soon as the coffin was opened, Ye Tiancheng and the others rushed forward, fumbling to pull the胖子 out of the coffin.
The胖子 didn't know how long he had been trapped inside. The coffin was cramped, and being sealed, there must have been very little air. The胖子's face was purple with exertion. After coming out, he gasped for air, clearly having been severely deprived of oxygen.
The bride's previous posture had been so strange, but after Ye Tiancheng and the others pulled the胖子 out, the bride looked like a true corpse, not moving at all, only her eyes wide open.
Moreover, her body had been kept for some time. The胖子's struggles inside, with the strength of a grown man, must have been considerable. The bride's appearance was not pleasant to behold.
In short, one glance was enough to make someone unable to eat for three days.
Many onlookers turned pale. Hou Mingzhu had already tightly covered Ye Qingcheng's eyes, fearing she might develop some bad shadow from this.
Ye Tiancheng didn't mind his brother. He and Xiao Huli found plenty of tissues and handkerchiefs to wipe the胖子. Xiao Huli also brought a teapot. In such a situation, it was difficult to be picky. Using cold tea water to wash his hands and face, and to rinse his mouth, was clearly necessary.
After the胖子 recovered, Ye Tiancheng asked him with concern, "Pang Zi, what happened? How did you end up in someone else's coffin?"
The胖子 also looked extremely unlucky. "Heaven knows how I got in. I was sleeping soundly in my room."
The surrounding villagers were still there. Although all of them were quite frightened, since nothing that could harm them had occurred, perhaps adhering to the mindset of "since we're here," no one left. Most of them continued to stay and listen to the situation.
Having experienced such a bizarre event, they would have something to talk about for the rest of their lives. As long as they didn't lose their lives, for these villagers with little entertainment, who would leave at this moment?
Moreover, they knew that the胖子 couldn't have crawled into the coffin himself.
Yesterday, the胖子 had brought his partner to the banquet. Liu Han's coffin had been sealed two days prior, and everyone had clearly seen when the coffin was opened that the sealing nails were still intact.
As neighbors, Zhao Xudong's expression was very grim, but he couldn't drive them away. He could only stand aside with a dark face.
The胖子 told Ye Tiancheng, "I was sleeping soundly, and for some reason, I had a dream that I was getting dressed and married. Then, several women pushed me into a sedan chair, and with music and fanfare, I was carried into a red room, which was said to be the bridal chamber. I was forced to sit inside with a veil covering my head."
"At that time, I thought it was strange, thinking this must be a dream, but I couldn't wake up. I didn't want to cooperate, but I couldn't control my body."
"Later, when I came to my senses, I was already lying in that coffin."
Ye Tiancheng listened with a thoughtful expression.
Xiao Huli quickly grasped the key point and said with a strange expression, "Brother Pang Zi, your dream was... you got married?"
The胖子 looked sallow, whether it was because he was inexplicably stuffed into the coffin or because of the "marriage" matter.
"Stop talking about it! I don't want to remember!"
While this commotion was happening, other people soon arrived after hearing the news. Among them were Zhao Xudong's parents, who had not attended the wedding banquet before because they did not support Zhao Xudong's marriage to Liu Han.
Besides the couple, the old fortune-teller who had arranged Zhao Xudong's marriage also rushed to the scene.
The old fortune-teller asked someone about the situation and then sighed, "Alas, I said from the beginning that this marriage shouldn't have been arranged. It couldn't be done, but they insisted on forcing it. Now, look, the bride is unwilling to marry and has dragged someone to substitute for her."
Everyone had basically the same reaction.
Wow! The胖子 was actually married off, and the bride even found someone to substitute for her!
And some villagers, who were unaware of the issues between Zhao Xudong and Liu Han, now overheard and realized something was wrong.
Suddenly, with a crisp "snap," everyone's attention was drawn to the sound. Zhao Xudong's mother had slapped Zhao Xudong hard. Zhao Xudong's face was turned aside, and a bright red handprint gradually appeared on his cheek, which began to swell.
"I told you back then not to marry that woman. She didn't even want to marry you!"
Zhao Xudong's mother trembled with anger, "Dongzi! Look at what you've been doing these past few days! You've truly brought a jinx into the family!"
Regardless of the argument between Zhao Xudong and his mother, Ye Tiancheng and his group were purely unlucky.
While observing the conflict between Zhao Xudong and his mother, Ye Tiancheng and the others chatted about the matter. The胖子 said dejectedly to Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Huli, "What is this? They did some unknown evil deed, so why am I the one suffering?"
"And those brides are also strange. They found someone to substitute for them, but why me, a grown man?"
Xiao Huli opened his mouth, intending to say that Liu Han, the bride, should have first found Ye Tiancheng. However, perhaps Ye Tiancheng was too formidable, which had scared Liu Han away.
But he recalled that he and Ye Tiancheng had kept these matters from the胖子. In this situation, if the truth were revealed, it would likely not be good, so he closed his mouth again.
Ye Tiancheng shook his head and said, "Who knows what's going on in her mind? We're truly unlucky this time. If we weren't trapped here and couldn't leave, this wouldn't have happened."
The胖子 gave a wry smile, "With my luck, I think after we get out of here, I can immediately buy a lottery ticket and might even win the grand prize."
Of course, he didn't actually mean he was going to buy a lottery ticket. The胖子 was just trying to find humor in his misfortune, making a joke of himself.
Ye Tiancheng didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only pat the胖子's shoulder and say, "As long as you're okay, that's what matters. We were almost frantic when we realized you were missing today. Who could have known that such a thing would suddenly happen here."