Chapter 51: You Cannot Sleep With Me

Township Head Hao's funeral was grand and enthusiastic. Every bureau and township in the county sent wreaths and sent representatives.

Zhu Shizhen was the head of the funeral group, welcoming and sending off guests with grace and propriety, his eyes filled with tears and his face full of sorrow. County Magistrate Liu Qimeng personally wrote the eulogy and entrusted Deputy Director Xiao of the government office to attend the memorial service. The emotional eulogy brought the entire memorial service to a climax amidst sorrow.

As the daughter-in-law, Liu Hongyan wore mourning clothes throughout the process. After the memorial service, she almost collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.

In the capacity of a daughter-in-law and entrusted by the organization, she served Township Head Hao wholeheartedly in the Beijing hospital until he passed away. Although it was less than half a month, she felt it was as long as a century.

Before Township Head Hao left, he held her hand, tears seemed to shimmer in his withered eyes, he opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't make a sound. He gazed at the daughter-in-law before him, the woman he watched grow up, with a thousand words in his heart.

In fact, Liu Hongyan understood what he wanted to say. When a person is about to die, who doesn't want a grandson to help them break the basin after death? Who doesn't want filial sons and grandsons to hold the banner? Raising children to prevent old age, sending them off at the end of life. But his son was thousands of miles away, and he was about to leave the world, but he couldn't see him by his side. His heart ached, but he was helpless against reality.

Hao Qiang didn't want to go to police school at first, but Township Head Hao forced him to go. When the last public security officer of the township police station died that year, Suxi Township never had a policeman who stayed for half a year. Until Hao Qiang graduated and returned to the township, he was both the director and the policeman, and also managed the cook and the driver. When Hao Qiang was studying, he fell off a single-plank bridge during training. This fall caused him to lose the right to be a father. Even Hao Qiang himself didn't know about this. Only his father, the doctor, learned of this cruel reality. From that day on, Township Head Hao felt that life no longer had much meaning. He blamed himself deeply. Because of him, his son lost the right to be a father, and because of him, his Hao family would have no descendants from then on.

Township Head Hao closed his eyes with hatred. His hand was always holding Hongyan, until she felt his hand go cold, and then she realized he was gone.

Liu Hongyan felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was cracking before her eyes. She cried loudly in front of the hospital bed without any scruples. Her heart ached as if it were being stabbed by a knife. This old man, who had been silent all his life in her eyes, would rather not remarry for half his life for the sake of his son. She vaguely remembered the night before she married Hao Qiang, when he called her into the room, and just like today, he opened his mouth but couldn't speak. In the end, he took out the only passbook he had, put it in her hand, and sighed softly.

Now, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper. He was gone!

Every village in the township sent representatives to attend the memorial service. All the teachers from Xue Bing's middle school were present. The township government courtyard was packed with people. Two gas lamps were hung high, and the pale light reflected a piece of sorrow.

Xue Bing quietly tugged at the corner of my clothes. She was trembling slightly because of fear. I held her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

People who are not used to life and death have an innate fear of death. I am no exception. Although there was only Township Head Hao's ashes in the coffin, in the dim light, a pitch-black coffin would always give people boundless fear.

As soon as the memorial service ended, more than half of the crowd dispersed. The representatives of each village had to send Township Head Hao up the mountain the next day, so they couldn't go back. Because the people from the county were busy with official business, after the memorial service ended, they were all sent to their parking places by the villagers holding torches.

I was ready to send Xue Bing back, but she was coy and refused to leave.

I said, "How about you stay at my place tonight?"

Xue Bing didn't even dare to look at the mourning hall. She leaned against me and said, "What about you?"

"I'll stay here and accompany Hao Qiang and the others," I said.

"I don't want to, I'm scared." Xue Bing puffed out her cheeks.

"Then I'll accompany you."

"Hmm," she agreed in a low voice, and added worriedly, "You cannot sleep with me."

Her straightforward confession made me laugh and cry. Such innocent words made me, a man used to the world's banter, feel excited. I stole a glance at the dark surroundings and saw no one, so I reached out and touched her breast lightly. Suddenly, my head was full of blood.

Xue Bing angrily slapped my hand away and said, "What time is it, and you're still so indecent."

I laughed and said, "You are my wife. A husband loving his wife is justified no matter what. Where am I being indecent?"

Zhu Shizhen suddenly popped out in the darkness, scaring us. Xue Bing was so nervous that she hid in my arms.

"It's Secretary Chen and Teacher Xue." He laughed, "You haven't rested yet?"

I said, "Chairman Zhu, you are still busy."

Zhu Shizhen looked helpless and said, "I am the head of the funeral group. Tomorrow we have to send Township Head Hao up the mountain. I still have a lot of things to arrange tonight."

I handed him a cigarette and said, "Chairman Zhu, you are really working hard."

Zhu Shizhen took a puff of the cigarette and said with a heavy heart, "Township Head Hao is gone, and Suxi Township is missing a township head."

I said, "The county will have arrangements, right?"

Zhu Shizhen said, "Of course, this is a matter for the organization."

I said, "I don't know who the county will send to be the township head."

Zhu Shizhen probed, "Secretary Chen, do you think the county will send a township head, or promote one from the cadres in Suxi Township?"

I smiled bitterly and said, "How would I know that?"

Zhu Shizhen said to himself, "If the county sends cadres down, they won't be familiar with the situation, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to carry out the work."

I didn't want to continue the conversation. Township Head Hao's body was not yet cold, who had the mood to talk about this topic? Besides, who would be the township head had nothing to do with me. I said, "Chairman Zhu, you go ahead and get busy, I'll send Teacher Xue to rest."

Zhu Shizhen stared at us for a while, smiled meaningfully, and said, "Teacher Xue is not going back to school?"

I didn't want to pay attention to him, so I pulled Xue Bing and walked back to my small room, step by step.

Lighting the oil lamp, I brought water for Xue Bing to wash, and I leaned against the corridor outside the room to smoke. In the darkness, I saw Liu Hongyan walking slowly alone. Seeing me in front of the door, she gave a miserable smile, opened the door, and went in.

Xue Bing called me from inside the room. She was wearing my shirt, exposing her white thighs, and was combing her hair in front of the mirror by the dim light.

I hugged her from behind, reached my hands into her clothes, and felt a piece of smoothness. Suddenly, my emotions surged.

Xue Bing giggled, broke free from my hand, pushed me out of the door, and chided, "Go and accompany Director Hao and the others."

I was pushed out of the room by her. Standing by the door, I lowered my voice and said, "I'm really leaving."

"Go." After she finished speaking, she closed the door, and I clearly heard the crisp sound of the bolt falling.

It was pitch black in Hongyan's room next door, and there was no sound. I tried to push the door, and the door was pushed open without a sound.

Through a ray of light, I saw Hongyan sitting by the bed with her head down. Seeing me come in, she looked up and then lowered it again.

I walked over, and before I could speak, Hongyan threw herself into my arms, biting her lip and suppressing her crying.

I was at a loss, so I had to let her hold me, and I patted her back with both hands. I used silence to comfort her helplessness and sorrow.

Suddenly, Hongyan raised her head, seemed to glance at Xue Bing in the next room, stared into my eyes, and whispered, "Do you dare to kiss me?"

I covered her mouth with my lips without hesitation. Hongyan's tongue skillfully drilled in, resisted my tongue, and stirred slowly. Kissing is a cup of poison, and all defenses collapsed in an instant. Hongyan hugged tighter and tighter, as if she wanted to completely integrate her body into mine. Her kiss made me almost suffocated, my tongue pushed her tongue back, and she sent it back without hesitation.

In the darkness, we were entangled, not daring to make a sound. Our tongues were intertwined silently, and our hands were groping, looking for places that were intoxicating.

This kiss allowed our love for the past two years to be vented to our heart's content. She was the first girl I saw when I came to Suxi Township, and her clear and moving demeanor had once made my heart beat countless times. Who knew that just when I was about to confess, Liu Quan suddenly married her to Hao Qiang, which made me cry for many nights.

Just as I was fascinated, she suddenly pushed me away, biting her fingers and weeping secretly.

I stood there blankly, not yet recovered from the passion. This was the first time I kissed her, and her soft tongue ignited me like an aphrodisiac.

I still wanted to hold her, but she smiled silently in the darkness, took my hand, put her mouth to my ear, and whispered softly, "Go to the mourning hall and accompany Hao Qiang."

I shook my head very firmly.

She pointed to the next room, and my heart jolted, shame rushing to my cheeks.

"This is our first time, and also our last time." Hongyan said almost firmly, no longer looking at me.

I sighed sadly and turned to leave.

She suddenly pulled me back and whispered, "Thank you, Chen Feng."

The funeral music coming from outside made my heart tremble. I touched her face and said, "I'm going to accompany him."

After speaking, I opened the door and walked toward the mourning hall filled with funeral music. ===== CHAPTER 52 =====