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Funeral Home Workers
墨書 Inktalez
The elderly man in the coffin was brought in yesterday afternoon by a man and a woman. The man took out a Death Certificate, claiming to be the elderly man's Youngest Son, while the woman was his Sister-in-law. I caught a glimpse of the Death Certificate; it was issued by a small hospital, and the cause of death listed was "sudden Myocardial Infarction."
The elderly man's Eldest Son, Mr. Zhao, hurried from the airport and collapsed over the coffin in despair, only being calmed down with difficulty by relatives and friends. Sniffling and with a hoarse voice, he asked our boss, Chen Senran, "Can I take one last look at my mother?"
The Fat Boss instructed me and three other colleagues to help remove the coffin lid. The elderly man was dressed in the most expensive Funeral Garment from this Funeral Home, covered with the finest Shroud.
Whether it is a peaceful passing or an untimely death, no one wants to face the deceased directly. Even those who work in a Funeral Home usually avoid it unless necessary. However, as I had just entered this line of work and was still young, when the lid opened, I didn’t shy away but instead took a careful look at the elderly man lying inside...
At that moment, as the lid was removed, a faint voice suddenly echoed in my ear: "Help me, I'm not dead! Help me!" The voice was old, trembling, and weak yet incredibly clear.
My mind buzzed as I looked at everyone else; they seemed completely normal. After a moment of focus, the pleading voice rang out again: "Hurry and save me; I'm still alive!" The voice continued without pause.
My heart began to race uncontrollably. What on earth was happening? I distinctly felt that the Shroud covering the elderly man had slight movements! Was I seeing things?
When the elderly man's daughter lifted the veil from her mother's face, I didn’t look away but instead steadied my pounding heart and observed closely. Although the elderly man's complexion was somewhat pale, it wasn’t the typical ghastly white or gray associated with death.
The elderly man's Eldest Son and two sisters couldn't help but weep again upon seeing their mother's remains. Noticing that no one was paying attention to me, I stepped back and gently tugged at Fat Boss's sleeve. He looked displeased but followed me outside the Funeral Parlor, his face serious as he asked, "What do you want?"
Seeing that no one was nearby, I whispered, "Boss, it seems like the person in the coffin is still alive!"
My words were like a thunderclap.
Fat Boss Chen Senran, in his fifties, had opened this Funeral Home in Jiangcheng eight years ago. He also owned two branches along with his own paper factory and paper goods factory; business was quite good. However, his character left much to be desired.
He was harsh towards us employees and would exploit clients whenever possible.
"You can't say such things!" Chen Senran scolded me quietly.
I couldn’t guarantee anything either; if I were wrong about this, there would be no way to resolve it. Boss Chen was also conflicted; under normal circumstances, Funeral Home staff shouldn’t interfere in family matters. But given the current situation—where lives were at stake—if tomorrow someone discovered that a living person had been sent to the crematorium by mistake, it would ruin his Funeral Home’s reputation and lead to its closure.
"To drag a living person to burn, just thinking about it makes one shudder all over."
Boss Chen pondered for a moment and gestured to me, "Follow me!"
The two of us returned to the Funeral Parlor. Boss Chen, with his stout figure, bent down gently to assist the weeping Eldest Son at the coffin. "Mr. Zhao, please accept my condolences."
With Boss Chen's support, Mr. Zhao stood up. At the moment I was helping the old man cover his face with a cloth, I pressed my fingers against his neck...
Yes, although the pulse was extremely weak, I was certain of my feeling.
I nodded firmly at Boss Chen, who understood and led Mr. Zhao to a small lounge nearby. "Mr. Zhao, may I have a word?" he said while signaling for me to wait.
I didn't know what Boss Chen and Mr. Zhao discussed, but soon they both came back out.
Mr. Zhao addressed his wife and younger brother, who were kneeling by the coffin: "You two go to the hotel and have something to eat with the Visitor; I'll stay here for now."
The two of them stood up. Mr. Zhao's wife approached him and said, "Don't be too sad; the doctor said it was a sudden Myocardial Infarction... Mom didn't suffer." As she spoke, she took out a tissue to wipe her eyes.
Mr. Zhao silently patted his wife's shoulder.
When only Mr. Zhao and our company staff were left in the Funeral Parlor, the old man was carefully lifted from the coffin and placed on a single bed in the lounge suite.
I didn't waste time; I asked Mr. Zhao to help position the old man on his side. I took out a needle box, sterilized a silver needle, and inserted it between the lower edge of the hip bone and the ankle joint, 1.5 inches from the anterior edge of the tibia on the outer side between the tibia and fibula, piercing inward at a 90-degree angle from the outer side.
The lounge was so quiet that only a few suppressed breaths could be heard.
The silver needle penetrated about an inch before stopping. I then lit an moxa cone and placed it at that spot.
Twenty minutes passed; for everyone except me, it felt as if they had lived through a century.
Suddenly, the elderly woman in her Funeral Garment moved, then coughed violently, expelling a thick phlegm from her mouth before gasping for air and muttering, "I almost suffocated!"
She turned her head with difficulty to look at me and said, "Young man, you’re amazing! Thank you!"
Except for myself, everyone else seemed too astonished to notice anything wrong with what she said.
—No one mentioned who had saved her; why did she thank me directly?
Beside me, Mr. Zhao seemed to have all his strength drained away as he collapsed over the old woman in tears.
The next day, major social media platforms and short video sites exploded with news:
A wealthy sister-in-law from Jiangcheng had an affair with her younger brother-in-law and was caught by her mother-in-law. The old lady suffered a heart attack from anger and died on the spot! Fortunately, a master from the Funeral Home acted in time, miraculously bringing her back to life…!
The report from Jiangcheng Evening News is quite objective: An elderly woman in the city experienced a phlegm blockage in her throat and appeared to be lifeless. However, she was rescued from the brink of death by a skilled Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner using Acupuncture and Moxibustion.
This incident proves that Traditional Chinese Medicine is a great art and a treasure of our nation!
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