AGN -Chapter 354 Planning Ahead for a Funeral

By the time Qin Huai finished wrapping all the sixi tangyuan at Luo Jun’s home, it was already 7 p.m.

Everyone had talked themselves hungry, so they simply cooked a fresh pot and ate it on the spot. Sixi tangyuan paired with dried tangerine peel tea was the luxury combo of the Yunzhong cafeteria.

As for the pot of food that Qu Jing had cooked…

Everyone tacitly chose to forget about it.

After two bowls of dried tangerine peel tea, Luo Jun’s temper improved noticeably. His eyes no longer seemed to spit fire, and his mouth no longer felt like it was laced with poison—at least if he licked himself, he wouldn’t poison himself to death.

Luo Jun had already drunk a bowl when the tea was freshly made, and another bowl before eating the tangyuan. After two bowls, he could barely eat any dumplings at all. He didn’t even pick up a spoon, just stared at the sixi tangyuan in silence.

Qin Huai keenly noticed that Luo Jun’s appetite seemed to have decreased.

During this period, Qin Huai hadn’t paid much attention to how Luo Jun ate. The impression he had was that Luo Jun ate far more than an average 90-year-old. Every morning, Zhang Shumei would go to the Yunzhong cafeteria and buy one of everything for him to bring back. Of course, Luo Jun wasn’t actually that extravagant—it was simply that he had money and indulged himself.

Usually, he would pick a few things he wanted to eat and finish them. From the rest, he would break off a little of each to taste. If there was something particularly delicious, he would save it as a snack for watching TV.

If nothing suited his taste, the leftovers would be handed over to Zhang Shumei.

According to insiders, Zhang Shumei’s daughter would come every morning to pick up the leftovers from Luo Jun’s house. The Zhang family’s breakfast variety was so rich it made many residents of the Yunzhong cafeteria jealous.

Luo Jun was extremely picky, and what he liked depended entirely on his mood. Aside from dried tangerine peel tea, which he always liked, if he was in a bad mood, even sixi tangyuan, premium three-delicacy buns, five-delicacy buns, rice wine steamed buns, and even A-grade fruit dough could all be dismissed by him.

So while Qin Huai didn’t know Luo Jun’s exact appetite, he knew it was definitely not small.

At the very least, it shouldn’t be enough to be full after just two bowls of dried tangerine peel tea.

Even if that tea was actually dried tangerine peel, snow pear, and lotus seed soup.

“Mr. Luo, are you dissatisfied with today’s sixi tangyuan, or did you eat something earlier?” Qin Huai asked with concern.

“Hmph.” Luo Jun snorted. “I’m just full from being annoyed by you lot barging into my house and insisting on using my kitchen to do all sorts of nonsense.”

Qu Jing & Qin Huai: …

Chen Huihong said loudly, “Oh come on, Luo Jun, don’t be so petty. Among us, only your kitchen is used regularly, and it has the best utensils and seasonings. My kitchen has barely been used, Qu Jing doesn’t cook much either, and Qin Huai goes even less.”

“Besides, your house is the biggest, and the kitchen is spacious enough. The parent-child cooking event at Huihui’s school is coming up, I was even planning to borrow your kitchen to practice.”

Luo Jun: “?”

His eyes flashed fire again as he squeezed out three words through his teeth: “Not. Lending. Get lost.”

Just then, Qu Jing—who had been quietly sipping the tasteless tangyuan soup—put down her bowl and looked at him with concern.

“Mr. Luo, are you feeling unwell recently?”

“You really haven’t come to our hospital for rehabilitation or a physical check-up in a long time. Maybe you should find time to come in for an examination.”

“Your appetite really seems to have decreased.”

Luo Jun could rant at Chen Huihong endlessly, but he found it difficult to turn into a verbal flamethrower when faced with Qu Jing’s concern. He could only restrain himself.

“No need.”

“I know my condition. Don’t worry, I’m not dying anytime soon. If I am, I’ll let you know.”

Then he glanced at Qin Huai.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already made a will. Once I die, all my assets go to you. You’ll be the first one I call before I go.”

Qin Huai sat upright and said, “That sounds extremely tempting.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be the first to arrive. And I definitely won’t poison you just to get the inheritance early. I certainly wouldn’t put poison in the dried tangerine peel tea.”

Luo Jun: …

He silently drank another sip of tasteless tangyuan soup, only to feel even more irritated—the soup had almost no flavor, only a strange boiled glutinous rice water taste (at least that’s what Luo Jun thought).

He stood up and waved them off.

“Alright, get out, all of you. Especially you, Chen Huihong—take your bowl and leave. Return it tomorrow.”

Without hesitation, Chen Huihong stood up, took her bowl, and left, even pocketing the unfinished melon seeds on the way.

With a loud bang, all three were kicked out of the house, each holding a bowl. Qin Huai didn’t even get to take his freshly wrapped sixi tangyuan.

From inside, Luo Jun shouted: “I’ll have Zhang Shumei send your dumplings to the Yunzhong cafeteria tomorrow morning! Don’t loiter outside—I’ve got cameras at the door and you’re annoying!”

The three could only enter the elevator with their bowls.

Qu Jing looked confused.

“Did we say something wrong? Did I upset Mr. Luo?”

“But his appetite really has decreased a lot. If there’s something wrong with his body, modern medicine could still help him.”

“He has no need for treatment—he’s not truly dying anyway, just reincarnating as a baby.” Chen Huihong said quietly while chewing a dumpling. “And if he really wants to die, he should’ve done it earlier. That would actually be good—it means he’s letting go. Maybe like Dangkang, he’ll succeed in his next life.”

Qin Huai: …

Logically, that made sense, but if anyone overheard that conversation and recorded it, it would sound like evidence in a murder case against them when Luo Jun eventually died.

At that time, Chen Huihong and Qu Jing would be accomplices, and Qin Huai the main culprit—the inheritor with the strongest motive.

Seeing Qin Huai’s inner thoughts, Chen Huihong reassured him: “Don’t worry, I’ll go delete the elevator surveillance footage later.”

Qin Huai: …

That somehow made it worse.

Just like earlier at Luo Jun’s house, Qu Jing ignored irrelevant details and focused only on the main issue.

“So… Mr. Luo is really…”

“Probably.” Qin Huai said. “I only asked casually at first, but his reaction says a lot. And now that he’s mentioned making a will, it’s likely already notarized.”

Qu Jing looked even more worried.

“I know what Sister Chen said makes sense, but thinking that Mr. Luo might soon be gone… reincarnating into a child… I still feel very sad.”

Chen Huihong comforted her again: “It’s not necessarily soon. Maybe he still has months or even a year. He’s just eating less, not terminal yet. When he reincarnates, he won’t be able to watch TV like now, so he probably won’t rush to die.”

“And kids under five have dietary restrictions. He won’t be able to eat Qin Huai’s snacks anymore either. He won’t be dying anytime soon.”

Qin Huai also added:

“Yes, Mr. Luo probably has his own plans. And he wasn’t angry because of what you said—he probably wanted to kick us out a long time ago. It’s just that my dumplings weren’t ready yet.”

Qin Huai still had one more thing he didn’t say.

Seeing Qu Jing’s reaction just now, he suddenly understood why Luo Jun had said her tribulation wasn’t as difficult as it seemed.

Qin Huai also began to feel that even if Qu Jing acted recklessly—like contacting her parents from her past life and openly admitting everything—she still wouldn’t fail her tribulation again in this life. She would most likely live it out safely, happily, and peacefully.

Qu Jing was the most human-like among all these spirit beings.

Or rather, she was already human.

She was sensitive, delicate, kind, studious, considerate—and a little prone to melancholy. She retained the kindness of a small bird, while also possessing the emotions, habits, and even negative feelings of a normal human being.

Compared to the other spirit beings, her tribulation had undoubtedly been successful. She had truly entered the mortal world, learned how to be human, and truly come to see herself as a human.

Just as she had once quietly told Qin Huai: as a spirit being, she knew she absolutely should not contact her parents from her past life, let alone confess everything. But as a daughter, she would definitely do it.

The elevator doors opened, and the three of them stepped out carrying their bowls. Just as Qin Huai was internally sighing and thinking they would soon part ways, Qu Jing suddenly spoke again.

“I was just thinking.”

“If Mr. Luo is destined to die, and Qin Huai will inherit his estate, and he has no relatives in any meaningful sense, then his funeral will probably be very quiet. Only us and maybe some neighbors who knew him will attend.”

“But if his funeral is too quiet, would Mr. Luo be unhappy? Should we start contacting funeral homes and related staff now to plan it properly? For example, choosing a portrait he would like.”

“We should also pick a cemetery he would be satisfied with, and look at gravestone styles.”

“In rural areas, funerals can be very lively—you hire suona players, set off firecrackers, things like that. Should we arrange all of that for Mr. Luo?”

“Although many people think elaborate funerals are unnecessary since the deceased can’t feel it and it’s better to enjoy life instead. But Mr. Luo is different—after he reincarnates, he will definitely check whether his funeral was well handled.”

“If he’s dissatisfied with his funeral in his second life and blames us, what then?”

“By the time he can contact us and learn about his funeral, many years will have passed. We won’t be able to redo it then.”

Qin Huai & Chen Huihong: ?

Qin Huai: ?? So all that hesitation and sadness earlier… was about this?

He realized again that he still didn’t understand spirit beings. Even though Qu Jing was already very human-like, she still wasn’t exactly normal.

But then again, what she said… actually made some sense.

Given Luo Jun’s personality, if the funeral wasn’t done well, he would absolutely hold a grudge.

Qin Huai took a sharp breath. “That… actually sounds reasonable.”

Chen Huihong, still eating, thought for a moment and quickly swallowed her dumpling with a sip of soup.

“That does make sense. We should properly plan the funeral and even the gravestone in advance. Even if Luo Jun only dies next year, starting now isn’t too early.”

“But I’ve never organized a funeral before. How about this—I’ll ask my mom tomorrow. She’s attended a lot of funerals. She’s been to every banquet in our village.”

Qin Huai nodded. “Then I’ll also find a way to ask my grandma. She’s attended a lot of village banquets over the years too.”

Qu Jing blinked and cautiously said, “Then… I’ll ask my ‘mother-in-charge’ at the orphanage?”

“I’m not sure if she usually attends banquets.”

After going home with their bowls, Qin Huai chatted with Shi Dadong on WeChat for a while.

He even specially asked Shi Dadong whether he was satisfied with his first life’s funeral. That question left Shi Dadong confused, but also strangely warmed—realizing he wasn’t the only spirit with questionable thoughts.

Seeing that others of his kind were also “not very normal,” Shi Dadong felt reassured.

Although he didn’t understand it, he still respectfully joined in the long-distance planning.

According to Shi Dadong, he actually knew nothing about his past funeral—he had never even tried to find out. He had never looked into his past reputation at all.

To this day, Shi Dadong still believed he probably died with the label of “coward who committed suicide to escape guilt,” and he didn’t dare investigate it, afraid of confronting the past.

But hypothetically speaking, if someone died normally, then yes—he might still care quite a bit about how his funeral was arranged.

He even offered some rather “dark” ideas.

For example, after Luo Jun dies, everyone could visit his grave every year, take photos, and when Luo Jun returns, use those photos and videos to prove how well they maintained it.

If possible, they could even invite Luo Jun to visit his own grave. After all, visiting one’s own grave is a rare experience only spirits get—miss it and it’s gone forever.

Shi Dadong was extremely responsive, enthusiastic, and attentive on the phone. No matter what Qin Huai said, he replied earnestly and thoughtfully—even if he didn’t actually think of much.

As everyone had said, Dangkang really wasn’t very smart.

Shi Dadong’s enthusiasm made Qin Huai even wonder whether Luo Jun’s judgment was wrong—maybe Shi Dadong wasn’t lying or hiding anything at all.

He seemed so honest that if Qin Huai asked for his bank card password, he might just blurt it out.

By the end of the call, Qin Huai was a little sleepy and told him he needed to get up early tomorrow to work at the Yunzhong cafeteria.

Shi Dadong replied enthusiastically:

“Alright, Xiao Qin, you’ve worked hard. I’m going out fishing tomorrow. If I catch something good like wild yellow croaker or grouper, I’ll send it to you.”

“If you have anything you want to eat, anything high-quality you can’t get, just tell me—I’ll raise it!”

“I don’t just raise seafood, I also know a bit about chickens, ducks, pigs, and even farming.”

Qin Huai was touched.

What a considerate Dangkang.

Qin Huai: “Bananas too?”

Shi Dadong: “Bananas… I’ll go study that.”