The temperature dropped;

It wasn't late autumn or early winter, but truly the onset of winter.

In the cold weather, as long as the wind wasn't too strong outside, it was actually much more comfortable to bask in the sun outside than in a cold and gloomy room.

Paul and Ron were sitting in the courtyard on small stools. Last month, they were very busy and sometimes wished they could nap with the "guests" on the stretcher. These days, they finally had some free time.

Of course, as experienced funeral service workers, they knew that this was the last bit of leisure time this year, because many elderly people couldn't withstand the winter to spring transition.

Perhaps they were prepared in autumn and steadfast in early winter, but when the real cold wave struck, many elderly people had to choose to resign themselves to fate and let the seasons sweep them into the end of life.

Ron had a cigarette in his mouth and was playing with a deck of cards. He occasionally muttered about not being able to make a profit from the good hand he had last night.

Paul was reading a book about electricians and occasionally making notes with a pencil.

Karun walked into the courtyard with a pig's head in his hand.

"Hey, young master, what delicious food are you preparing today?"

Ron immediately stood up and came over.

Since the young master's recovery allowed him to walk, the daily work meals were made exceptionally rich and exquisite. Various dishes that Ron had never even heard of, let alone tasted, were served on the table every day at noon. The taste was really comfortable.

Paul also closed his book and looked over.

"Ron, get me a basin and fill it with water."

"Yes, young master."

In fact, most people in the world don't mind helping the chef.

Soon, Ron brought a basin of water.

"Ah~"

Aunt Mary yawned as she walked out of the living room and handed Karun a gas torch.

Karun took the torch and smiled, "I didn't expect to find one at home."

As he spoke, Karun lit the torch and began to use the flame to roast the hair off the pig's head.

Aunt Mary said, "Some guests have a lot of body hair, so we need to use this to remove it."

Karun was curious, "Isn't more body hair better? It makes you look more manly."

Aunt Mary shrugged, "Not all body hair grows on the chest."

Then, with countless experiences as a funeral home worker, Aunt Mary sighed, "Some people have body hair in other places, which is really disgusting."

"Hehe."

Karun laughed as he continued to carefully roast the pig's head.Aunt Mary watched the scene curiously and continued the previous topic: "Some people think that having thick body hair is a very manly thing when they are alive, even considering it a kind of narcissistic charm. But they can't smell the odor on their own body, and even after they die, the smell lingers. Their wives have been disgusted by it for many years. When people are alive, there is nothing they can do. Therefore, after they die, their wives often strongly demand that their husband's body hair be removed during embalming."

"For good looks?"

"No, I think it's purely to vent their anger."

"Such love is really enviable."

"Whoever said it, it's usually the husband who passes away before the wife?" Aunt Mary tidied her hair, "And some men like to find wives much younger than themselves. It's good that their body hair can't be preserved after death. Having resentment and complaints at least means caring. We've seen many husbands who bring their lovers to attend their own funeral."

If there is no hurry and relatives are all in the city, it only takes three days from death to holding a funeral and burial.

"So I no longer believe in love," Ron said.

"What about the little nurse in your sanatorium?" Karun asked.

"Oh my god, don't mention her. My heart has already been broken because of her."

"Didn't you ask her out? I remember you wanted to ask her to watch a movie."

"We went out, and we watched six movies together."

"Did you have popcorn?" Karun asked.

"We licked each other's ten fingers clean, and every time we finished watching a movie, we had to go to a small hotel to rest because the sanatorium was closed. I had to take care of her."

"Isn't that good?" Karun put down the spray lamp and began to scrape the pig's head with a knife. "You watched the movies and did the things. Don't you plan to propose to her?"

"I promised her that I would stop drinking, stop playing cards, work hard, and give all my income to her to manage. She was very moved."

"And then?"

"And then, the day before I was going to propose to her, an old man in the sanatorium who was about to be discharged confessed his love to her and she agreed."

"Oh, this is really a sad story."

"Who said it wasn't? I was sad for a long time because of this. I was actually competed against by an old man."

"No, Ron, it was the old man who competed against you."

"Well, that's true, but my fiancée left me like this."

"Look at it from another perspective. Her fiancé watched so many movies with her before they got married."

Ron thought about it seriously when he heard this and then smiled and said:"Young master, hearing you say that, I suddenly feel like I've hit the jackpot."

"No kidding."

At this moment, Paul suddenly spoke up and asked, "Young master, madam, there's a question I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

Karun continued to carefully scrape the pig's head. He had missed the taste of this pork for a long time. In his previous life, there were very few special delicacies in his hometown, and this pig's head was actually the best one, fat but not greasy.

Because he had started to focus on managing the kitchen, the kitchen at home was slowly undergoing a "peaceful evolution". Although the family members were not amazed by Chinese cuisine, it was enough to make them realize how simple and boring their previous recipes were.

Paul asked, "If you want to take a relationship with a lady further, how should you approach her?"

"Go to the movies!" Ron immediately shouted, "The late show!"

Paul ignored Ron's suggestion.

Aunt Mary smiled and asked, "Is it Miss Kuchi from the Kuchi family?"

Paul nodded shyly, "Yes, madam, thank you, madam."

Paul's target was introduced by Aunt Mary. Miss Kuchi's father was a carpenter at a coffin factory. Although their family was ordinary, they were all honest and simple.

Aunt Mary wouldn't help introduce such a girl to Ron, but Paul's diligence and steadfastness were evident to all, so Aunt Mary played the role of matchmaker.

"Have you visited her parents?" Aunt Mary asked.

"I have, her father is very kind, her mother is also very kind, my mother also likes her, we have set the wedding date for spring."

Karun understood that Paul had completed the process of discussing marriage, but was stuck on the "sleeping" part.

This was not ridiculous, there were indeed many people who pursued relationships just to sleep with someone, but there were also some responsible people who wanted to go through the legal procedures and formalities, but because they were too honest or took a step back, they couldn't find the right rhythm.

Karun lifted the pig's head and carefully inspected it, then said to the pig's head, "Paul, you can ask her if she wants to watch the moon by the window in your room."

Aunt Mary looked at Karun as if she had seen a ghost, and then knocked hard on the pig's head he was holding, "Did your uncle teach you this?"

Karun was confused, "No, he didn't."

"Really not?"

"Really not."

Aunt Mary snorted, "As expected, all the men in your Inmores family are the same. Your uncle invited me like this back then, saying that his room was on a high floor and was suitable for moon watching. Then we saw Mina, and then we saw Lunt."

"Hehe..."

Karun couldn't help but laugh."If she really likes you, she would believe you even if you said there was an elephant in your room and would be willing to come and visit."

Paul rubbed his head and said nervously, "Really? Can I do that?"

Aunt Mary sneered, "She's your fiancée. Are you afraid she will report to the police afterwards and say, 'Mr. Policeman, my damn fiancé forced me to lie on the bed!' If this is a crime, then shouldn't the guys in the Berry Church be rounded up and executed?"

Karun wanted to remind Aunt Mary that even forcing someone within marriage was unethical and illegal, but he thought that the law might not be well-established enough at this point.

At this time, a group of students holding banners came walking down the street outside the house, all of them in middle and high school:

The lead student shouted, "We want environmental protection!"

Other students around him joined in, "We want fresh air!"

"We want clear rivers!"

The people in the yard watched as the students walked by chanting slogans.

Karun was surprised that environmental organizations were already so prevalent in this era.

Ron pinched his throat and whispered, "We want money."

Since it wasn't the weekend, these kids must have skipped class.

Aunt Mary looked at Karun and asked, "Karun, have Mina and Lunt told you about this?"

Before Karun could answer, Aunt Mary continued, "Of course not, why would they tell you about the children's affairs?"

Although Karun was not much older than Mina, just as Uncle Mason said, after Karun recovered from his illness, he felt like calling himself Uncle Karun; in fact, his family no longer treated him as a child.

"What's wrong, Aunt?" Karun asked.

"The environmental protection girl from Vane came to Rulan the day before yesterday," Aunt Mary said.

"Environmental protection girl Daisy?" Karun remembered seeing her name in the newspaper. She was enthusiastic about promoting environmental protection and was very popular among young people in Vane.

The mayoral election in Roja was about to enter its final voting phase, and the challenger to the incumbent mayor advocated environmental protection. Based on the news he had read in the newspaper, this environmental protection girl was probably here to support the challenger.

Of course, it could also be interpreted as a celebrity tour.

Paul said, "Environmental protection is also a good thing."

Aunt Mary glared at Paul and sarcastically pointed at the group of students walking away, "Yeah, sure.""They don't know what environmental protection is, they just don't want to go to class."

...

Karun carried a pig's head to the second-floor kitchen, preparing to cook.

The main dish for today's lunch was mung bean rice. Since there was pork in the hard vegetables, Karun added less diced meat to the mung bean rice.

The side dishes were egg custard, fish-flavored eggplant, and seaweed egg drop soup.

In addition, because the family really liked spring rolls, Karun fried some more.

After the food was served, Dis sat at the head of the table, with Aunt Mary, Aunt Winnie, Paul, and Ron joining in the meal.

Uncle Mason was not at home today. He went to have dinner with the official in charge of the Shu's crematorium auction. However, before leaving, he specifically instructed Karun to save him some food.

The cousins were all in school today.

Cooking for the family gave Karun a great sense of satisfaction, similar to the happiness of feeding pigs.

Karun went downstairs and added dog food to the golden retriever's bowl. Then, he placed a plate of braised small fish in front of Puerh, along with a cup of coffee.

The golden retriever looked at the plate of braised small fish in front of Puerh, drooling. It suddenly felt that the dog food in its bowl was not delicious at all, but it didn't dare to compete with Puerh for food.

Puerh drank a sip of coffee happily, then ate the fish slowly and methodically.

Karun was already accustomed to this strange cat-like combination. He walked upstairs and met Dis coming down.

"Lunch was delicious, especially the pork head meat. The church has something to do this afternoon, so I have to go first."

"Grandpa, be careful on the road."

"Okay."

Karun arrived on the second floor, and Ron and Paul were already patting their stomachs while leaning back in their chairs. Aunt Mary was drinking tea with Aunt Winnie.

"Aunt, Auntie, it's not good for digestion to drink tea right after eating." Karun reminded them.

"Oh, really?" Aunt Mary hesitated for a moment, then put down her tea cup.

"Karun, aren't you eating?" Aunt Winnie asked.

"I ate enough during the taste test." Karun began to clean up the dishes.

"We'll help, we'll help."

Aunt Winnie stood up to help clean up.

The phone on the first floor rang, and Aunt Mary went downstairs to answer it. Soon, Aunt Mary's shouting came from downstairs:

"Hans Hospital!"

Ron and Paul, who had just finished eating and had been basking in the sun all morning, immediately went into work mode. They hurried downstairs, and Karun also put down his plate and used a wet towel to wipe his hands before picking up his coat and following them downstairs.

Usually, there were three people in the car: Uncle, plus two assistants. When Uncle was not at home, Karun would willingly fill in.

Paul went to start the hearse,

Ron went to carry the stretcher,

Karun collected the brochures and price lists of the Yinmerlays Funeral Home.

Time is life, time is money.Then everyone got on the car as fast as possible,

The hearse set off, heading to Hans Hospital.

...

Hans Hospital was only a fifteen-minute drive from Mingke Street. Upon arrival, Paul and Ron stayed in the car to wait, while Karun straightened his collar and carried the briefcase with promotional materials under his arm as he went inside.

He found the head nurse and she responded, "The patient is being rescued, but it's unlikely they will make it."

Karun sat on a bench outside the operating room and waited. There were many anxious family members waiting for their loved ones to be rescued on the adjacent benches, but Karun didn't approach them for fear of being hit.

He sat quietly, with his back straight, as if waiting for an interview.

In fact, that's exactly what he was waiting for.

After working in this industry for a long time, you gradually get used to it. You might think it's inhumane to come and wait for orders while the patient's family is waiting for their loved one to be rescued...

But is it really any different from running a restaurant and killing chickens and sheep?

It's all the same, really.

A stretcher was pushed in from outside, with the parents accompanying their daughter on both sides, constantly cheering her on. Their daughter was about to undergo a risky surgery.

When the stretcher passed by Karun, the little girl turned her face and looked at him, showing a shy smile.

Although she was young, she had a natural fondness for beautiful things and people.

Little boys instinctively want to get closer to pretty girls, and little girls will show their joy when they see handsome boys. This innocent preference is natural when you're young, and it doesn't really disappear as you get older, but you learn to hide it.

Karun smiled at the little girl and made a cheering gesture.

The little girl smiled even more happily.

Another half hour passed.

The doctor in charge of the "client" Karun was waiting for came out of the operating room and took off his mask.

"The patient has been rescued."

"Oh!!!!"

"Thank God, God bless!"

"Mom, my mom, oh my god, oh my god..."

The "client" had cancelled the order.

Karun didn't look disappointed.

He stood up and began to stretch his body slightly. Sitting straight for too long had made him a little numb.

Since he was no longer needed, Karun turned around and prepared to leave quietly.

But at that moment, the lights in the corridor suddenly went out.

"The power's out, the power's out!"

"Where's the backup generator?"

"Quick, turn on the backup generator!"

The door to the little girl's operating room was pushed open, and the doctor shouted in a panic, "Turn on the power, turn it on quickly! The surgery isn't finished yet!"

There was some chaos in the hospital.There was news that the backup generator in the hospital had a problem and could not supply power in a short time.

There was also news that environmentalist girl Dailisi organized a student parade and surrounded a thermal power plant. The environmentally conscious students and power plant workers clashed, ultimately leading to a power outage.

Karun stood in the corridor and saw the little girl's father pacing anxiously and signing nervously, while the little girl's mother was weeping.

In the operating room, doctors went in and out. From their eyes not covered by masks, Karun could feel that the situation was not optimistic.

He turned back and looked at the bench he had sat on before, then looked at the briefcase under his arm. He felt he should sit back and continue waiting, but he was also resistant to sitting down again.

He stood there, standing all the time.

The planned surgery had a huge change and turned into rescue. As time passed, he saw the light fading from the little girl's mother's face, and her gaze became empty and numb. The little girl's father ignored the environment here, took out cigarettes, and tried to light them, but the lighter fell to the ground.

Karun walked up and took out his own lighter to help the little girl's father light it.

"Thank you, thank you." The little girl's father thanked Karun and asked, "What do you do?"

"I am a medical representative."

"Oh, oh, I see."

The little girl's father kept smoking while staring at the door of the operating room.

Finally, the power supply came back. But at this moment, the doctor came out and said to the little girl's father, "I'm sorry."

"No..." The little girl's mother fainted directly.

The little girl's father knelt on the cold corridor tiles.

Karun silently walked to the bench next to him and sat down.

He felt that he had already seen enough corpses at home, and even could make some jokes with Aunt Mary while helping her. He felt that he should have been used to it.

But in fact, he wasn't.

The truth of life and death is not about life or death, nor about its state, but...the process of transformation.

The day gradually turned into dusk. Because of the power supply problem, all the surgeries scheduled for the afternoon were cancelled, and the body was not pushed into the morgue, perhaps because the doctors recognized Karun's profession.

The little girl's mother was held in her father's arms, and the two of them looked mournful.

Karun sat there, sitting there all the time.The head nurse walked over and first comforted the parents, then pointed to Karun. She was well-intentioned, at least for the Inmoleis family, she was.

But she mistook Karun, this "new face," this "young man" for having a thin face and not knowing how to actively solicit business, so she introduced herself.

At this moment, the young girl's father stood up and walked to Karun.

Karun looked up at his face.

"What do you do?"

Karun hesitated for a moment and answered, "Inmoleis Funeral Services..."

"Bang!"

Karun's face was punched and he fell sideways onto the bench.

"It's because of you, it's because of you, you cursed my daughter, you demons, you dirty money-makers!"

Karun slowly sat up, wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and continued to straighten his back as if he hadn't been hit.

Seeing him like this, the young girl's father stopped the second punch he was about to throw, turned around, and continued to comfort his wife.

The sky began to darken.

Karun still sat here.

When he came, he was for the order, for the business, for the money.

Now, it's not just about an order. Under the premise of being beaten, leaving directly with just one order, his family wouldn't say anything.

But business has become a kind of responsibility at this moment.

Finally, the young girl's father walked to Karun again, holding his wife who was leaning on him.

Karun looked up at him again.

"Hey, what do you do?"

Karun moved his left cheek, which was still a bit sore, and showed a professional smile. While opening his briefcase and taking out a brochure, he said, "Inmoleis Funeral Services, providing the last company for your family."

"...Young master, what happened to your face?"

Paul noticed the injury on Karun's face.

"It's okay."

Karun shook his head.

After the hospital formalities were completed, Paul and Ron sent the young girl's body to the hearse. Behind them, the young girl's parents would drive their own car and follow the hearse to Mingke Street.

They had to prepare and arrange for their daughter's affairs overnight, because only in this way could they still feel that their daughter was with them, as if they were taking their daughter to the mall to pick out clothes.

Ron glanced at the car driven by the young girl's parents, licked his lips, and said, "Look, it's a Santalan."

He originally wanted to remind the young master that this was a big order, but seeing that the young master was still sitting quietly there, he stopped talking.

The hearse returned to the Inmoleis family on Mingke Street, and the Santalan behind also stopped.

"Be careful when you lift it." Karun reminded.The parents stood under the hearse, waiting to "receive" their daughter.

This novel is available on "pawread dot com".

"Understood, young master."

Paul and Ron gently lowered the stretcher from the car.

As everyone entered, Aunt Mary and Aunt Winnie took the initiative to comfort and introduce business.

Karun covered his profile with his clothing and went straight upstairs.

He was a little tired and wanted to rest. He hoped his parents wouldn't ask for psychological counseling.

"Brother, you're back. You've worked hard."

Mina brought a glass of ice water to Karun. Her brother didn't like to drink tea or coffee, only water with ice cubes.

Karun didn't enter the room but took the water first.

"Brother, your face?" Mina noticed the injury on Karun's profile.

"It's nothing."

Karun didn't plan to explain.

At this time, the bedroom door opened, and his cousin, Lunt, who lived in the same room as Karun, came out holding an environmental propaganda sign, showing off to Karun.

"Brother, I participated in the environmental protection parade organized by Daisies today. Daisy is so cool, look, she even signed it for me, hehe."

Karun was stunned.

"Brother?"

Lunt curiously approached Karun, wondering why his brother suddenly had no reaction.

Then, Karun poured the water in the cup directly on Lunt's face.

"Smack!"

Lunt, who was splashed with ice water, looked at Karun in confusion.

"Brother...what's wrong..."

"Smack!"

This time, it wasn't water, but Karun's slap.

Lunt was knocked down, covering his face, looking at his brother with disbelief and fear, who also had scars on his face.

At this time, the study door opened, and Dis stood at the door.

Mina immediately helped Lunt, who was still sobbing slightly, to stand up.

"What's wrong?" Dis asked as he looked at Karun.

"He deserves to be punished," Karun replied as he looked at Dis.

"Oh," Dis nodded and turned back to the study, closing the door.

"Brother?" Mina tried to call Karun twice, but seeing that he didn't respond, she took Lunt to the second floor.

"You're sad," Puerh's voice came from behind Karun's window.

"Get used to it because you'll find that you can't do anything else," Puerh laughed.

Karun shook his head.

"Do you disagree with me?" Puerh asked.

Karun leaned his hands on the windowsill and said, "I'll give my aunt a discount."