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At midnight, the secluded Yang Bridge Village was still lively.
In front of a shabby red-brick house near the end of the village, a mourning tent had been set up, and the mournful music streamed continuously from the speakers hung on the left side of the parasol tree.
Li Shi knelt in front of the coffin in the main hall, somewhat dazed.
He struggled to stand up to look at the person inside the coffin.
"Stone, don't be too sad. Your sister-in-law suffered a lot due to illness over the years. Perhaps her passing is a good thing, a kind of liberation," Li Qiao Na consoled him softly, supporting him by his side.
Li Shi seemed not to hear her and continued staring blankly ahead.
According to the funeral customs of his hometown, the lid of the coffin should have been loosely placed on top, only to be opened on the day of the burial to allow the filial sons, grandsons, and other relatives and friends to say their final farewells.