On the staff made of willow branches, the branches were shriveled and emaciated. The cloth hanging on it was dirty all over, and the tassels below were scattered and completely in disarray.
On the cloth strip hanging in the middle, Mu Yuan's birth date and the day of his death should have been written in the most regular and square characters. But now, there were only a few hasty strokes, and even ink stains were trailing.
Taking a closer look, it was clearly not Mu Yuan's birth date!
Such perfunctory and insulting treatment. If she didn't say anything today, Mu Yuan would never be able to rest in peace even in death!
Qu Yue's soft voice was extremely penetrating, brutally tearing apart the truth that Mu Qing had tried to whitewash.
For a moment, the whole place fell silent.
The servants had signed death contracts and didn't dare to make any remarks about the master's family.
The other mourners who accompanied the funeral felt it was a pity for Mu Yuan.
They mourned his misfortune and resented his loyalty.
The contemptuous gazes of the crowd were like maggots sticking to the bones, clinging to the Mu family members, seemingly filled with disgust and mockery.
This made Mu Yao, who was used to being admired by everyone, feel extremely uncomfortable.
She glared angrily at Qu Yue, wishing she could tear her to pieces.
The surging anger in her chest kept churning, washing away her reason. "If you think it's shabby, then pay for it yourself! Do you know how much it costs to hold a funeral?"
"Still trying to get money from the Mu family. Don't you know the current situation?"
It was too late for Mu Qing to stop her. "Yaoyao! Stop talking nonsense to outsiders!"
Mu Wang seized the opportunity to press on. "What situation? Tell me!"
Mu Yao's heart skipped a beat. The panic of her slip - of - tongue washed over her from head to toe. Her hand hanging by her side tightened on the hem of her clothes. "Of - of course it's the situation without big brother's support!"
"Our great sister - in - law refuses to give up the reward. Where can we get so much spare money to buy all these things?"
After finding an explanation, her drifting eyes fixed on Mu Wang. Her voice gained confidence and rose several decibels. Many people covered their ears.
But Mu Wang didn't believe it.
He knew Mu Yao too well. This person always liked to bluff when lying.
Putting one hand on his hip, his almond eyes scanned the outsiders present. He also understood the principle of "not airing family dirty laundry in public" and silently held back his urge to dig deeper. "Since there's no support, why didn't you ask me for it?"
"It's not right for you, the younger brother, to pay for big brother's funeral." Song Luo took his hand and explained gently. "Be good. Don't worry about so many things."
Mu Wang was about to ask further, but the person who had been pacing back and forth anxiously on the side finally couldn't hold back and spoke up to get back to the topic. "My lord, it's time to plant the soul - guiding banner..."
Mu Qing cast a disdainful look at the shabby soul - guiding banner on the ground. "How can we plant this!"
"..."
The Taoist priest shivered in fright and obediently shrank back into the crowd, closing his mouth.
Mu Wang squatted down, picked up the soul - guiding banner that Qu Yue had thrown away. His hanging ponytail covered his tightened jaw due to anger. He looked back at the Taoist priest and questioned, "When else can this soul - guiding banner be planted?"
The Taoist priest looked calm. "It's calculated according to the general's birth date. The universe is vast..."
Mu Wang frowned. "Speak human language!"
The Taoist priest immediately became obedient. "At the You hour today!"
Mu Wang raised his eyebrows slightly. The scorching sun hung obliquely in the sky, and its blinding rays burned his vision.
There was still time.
He stood up straight. His outstanding figure made the coarse hemp mourning clothes fit him perfectly. The lean bones of the young man exuded the charm of responsibility. "Father, mother, you've been tired all day."
"Go back to the mansion to rest first. I'll plant big brother's soul - guiding banner."
Song Luo carefully glanced at Mu Qing's expression. Her heart pounding, she grabbed Mu Wang's hand. "Wang'er, don't worry about these things. Just let Qu Yue do it!"
Mu Wang always listened to Song Luo, but the events of these days had shattered his filter for her.
The young man who used to like to act coquettishly with her for the first time spoke in a solemn tone. "Mother, let go."
Song Luo's eyes were full of pleading. "Wang'er, don't..."
It seemed like a plea, but Mu Wang felt more of a sense of fear.
Mother was scared.
Mu Wang suddenly had an epiphany and looked at Mu Qing across from him.
He slightly hooked his lower lip. "Father, can you trust me to do it?"
Mu Qing's face was beyond description. He gritted his back teeth tightly. "Of course."
Only then did Mu Wang feel relieved. He patted Song Luo on the shoulder. "Mother, since father trusts me, you go home."
The young man's gentle pat on her shoulder felt like a gust of wind from the bottomless abyss, hitting her hard.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head slightly and begged weakly. "Wang'er, you're the only one mother has left..."
"Don't, don't... let Qu Yue be in charge. Come home with mother, okay?"
In response to Song Luo, there was Mu Wang's reassuring smile and his decisive turn.
His back was like the backbone that had always supported Song Luo. Once it was taken away, she lost all her vitality.
She was on the verge of falling. It was Mu Yao behind her who quickly stepped forward to support her.
She frowned tightly and called out worriedly. "Mother!"
Song Luo's features were tightly wrinkled. She was so anxious that she was about to cry. "Don't let Wang'er go..."
"Let him offend father if he wants to." Mu Yao remained unmoved. She glanced at Mu Wang's departing back and even sneered.
She helped Song Luo stand up. "Mother, take a good look. Is it your son or daughter who's by your side!"
Song Luo was momentarily speechless. "Yaoyao..."
"Let's go. Back to the mansion." Mu Yao didn't want to listen to her long - winded reasoning anymore. She told the servants to pack up.
Turning around and seeing Xiao Yang kneeling on the ground, her eyes turned sharp.
She gritted her teeth and cursed. "Good - for - nothing who can't do anything right!"
Xiao Yang forced a smile. "Miss, I, I just remembered there's something to do in the house. I'll leave first..."
She had already taken the blame. She had done her best. Shouldn't she be allowed to leave?
Mu Yao put on the airs of a young lady. "Who said you could leave?"
"Go back to the Mu mansion and wait for punishment!"
Xiao Yang's hair was in a mess. Tears were streaming down her swollen red face. Being yelled at by her, she shivered constantly. "Yes."
But in her heart, she was secretly calculating when to find a good opportunity to escape!
After the people from the Mu mansion left, only Qu Yue and Mu Yuan's three brothers were left in the whole cemetery.
Qu Yue was in a good mood. She spread out her arms and embraced nature.
The summer wind blew through her hair. The bright golden light surrounded her body. An unprecedented sense of exhilaration filled her chest.
Behind her, the three men stood facing each other. There were emotions in their eyes that even they couldn't explain clearly.
The wind brought the faint fragrance of honeysuckle from Qu Yue's body, tugging at their heartstrings. The scene of that night in the mourning hall kept crashing into their minds.
The three of them coughed lightly into their hands simultaneously to cover their embarrassment.
But when they made the same move, they looked at each other suspiciously.
For a moment, there was a suffocating strangeness in their eye contact.
It was Wen Wuyou who gave a soft laugh and subtly but somewhat stiffly changed the topic. "Yue'er just came back from the gates of hell. Why is she starting to appreciate the beauty of the world now?"
"Hmm?"
Qu Yue turned back gently. There was a naughty smile on her cute face as if her scheme had been exposed.
But there was no sign of badness at all. Instead, she was even more endearing.
Qu Yue shyly pursed her lips and smiled, her white teeth faintly visible. "You noticed?"