Chapter 81

Vivian said, "Yes, our clients are women from wealthy families. Some of them are not easy to get along with." Vivian sat beside me and explained.  "When I meet those hard nuts, I will adjust myself. Treat them with courtesy no matter what they do." I nodded. "Do you mean to be thick-skinned? I'm good at that." Vivian agreed with me after pondering for a moment. "They are poor women in fact. Most of them have a bad temper because they feel empty and depressed." This answer confused me, so I asked, "They're rich, so why do they feel empty?" "Not everyone has a business to kill his time. Look at you! You can embroider, but what can they do at home? They, self-abased, lose their confidence after being an accessory for a long time." Right then, Jason came with Joey. Joey reminded me of the horrible Old Madame Brown and Nathan, so my face instantly darkened. Observant, Vivian noticed Jason's hesitation, so she stood up and said, "Then see you. I wish you a happy life." "Thank you for sharing me your story." I forced a smile. I still had a lot of questions to ask Vivian, but Joey was here.  After seeing Vivian off,  I went back to the living room. "Joey, why did Old Madame Brown send you here?" After a slight bow to me, Joey said, "Recently, Mr. Carroll often appeared in her dream and complained of his wet and dark grave. Therefore, Old Madame Brown invited the best priest to find a new graveyard for him." Frowning, I asked with confusion, "Do you mean to dig out Carroll and bury him again?" "Yes, you are right." Joey suggested a local taboo without hesitation.  I sneered. Carroll was still alive, so Old Madame Brown must be talking nonsense.  Did her conscience stir? "Madam, the rite needs your presence, so Old Madame Brown wants you there." That was the key point.  Silent, I just looked at Joey with an inoncent look in my eyes.  After a hollow laugh, Joey kept his polite but distant attitude. "You know Old Madame Brown." "Yes. You came to threaten me. I should attend my husband's funeral. Joey, you could call Jason. You didn't have to come in person." I knew that a refusal would bring me more trouble. Therefore, I accepted this arrangement without protest.  It was just a funeral. I would do whatever they wanted me to. After a fleeting smile, Joey said, "Old Madame Brown told me to bring you one sentence." "I am afraid it is about something bad." I looked at Joey with contempt. Old Madame Brown kept making things difficult for me after our first meeting, and Joey was her right-handed man. Joey said, "Old Madame Brown said that you, married, should keep a distance from the people around you. Don't forget that you are a widow. If there is any scandal..." Then, he shot a meaningful glance at Jason. I got the hint.  The scandal about me and Jason reached the ears of Old Madame Brown. I chuckled. "Old Brown has been dead for decades, and you stay by Old Madame Brown for years. Will that affect the reputation of Old Madame Brown after her death?" I asked Joey with an innocent look.  Instantly, Joey turned pale in the face. "Madam, that's rude." "Wake up, Joey. World War II was over years ago, so don't try to fetter me with the yoke of tradition. Does the Brown family have a throne? Even if it did, I couldn't inherit it. I'm just a widow who doesn't have a child, so let me enjoy my life." This retort took Joey by surprise. He snorted and said, "I'll convey your words to Old Madame Brown. I hope you can say something like this in front of Mr. Carroll's grave tomorrow." After that, Joey left in anger. After a long breath, I grabbed an apple and put it in my mouth. "How can there be such a grandmother in the world?" I said with disappointment.  "There are all kinds of people in the world. Madam, are you going to attend the funeral tomorrow?" Jason asked. I nodded. "What can I do? To wait for that old lady to bring Nathan here to take me there?" "That's true. However, the funeral will be held in the evening." Lying on the sofa, I was lost in thought. In Phoenix Village, people were conservative.  Fastidious to funerals, nobody would dig out the dead and reburied them.  Moreover, that was an empty coffin.  Nobody would bury the dead at night.  What did they plan to do to an empty coffin? Confused, I asked Jason, "What Old Madame Brown is up to?" Jason said, "Excuse me?" "Given my experience in the countryside, I heard that the graveyard would affect the fortune of the family of the dead, such as having no decedents, getting rich, and so on," I explained. Jason grew up with Carroll, so it was reasonable that he didn't know this superstition. Jason was enlightened. "I heard that. However, Mr. Carroll is still alive, so let her do what she likes." After arriving at the new graveyard the next day, I felt deeply regretful.  I was right.  Old Madame Brown brought a lot of priests over. These people wore weird robes and kept muttering something. This was more like a mysterious spell than a funeral.  I walked over with the portrait of Carroll in my arms and asked, "Old Madame Brown, what are you doing?"