"Huu..huu..*XiaoCie..."
"Huuh...Tan Er ahh..."
"Namanabu...namanabu nama..."
"What is the noise... so noisy....i can"t sleep peacefully...it seems many cries and prayers, is someone die?"
TanTan opens her eyes, surprising to see a darkness in front of her. She is also feeling that her body laying on something and can"t move freely.
She tried to move up her hands but her movement is limited to the s.p.a.ce. Then she realizes something scary....
she is trapped...trapped in a closed box ,like a wooden coffin? the smell is like a wooden thing.
"What happened ? Am I die? No way!!!" TanTan tried to refresh her last memory. She remembered that she was rushing to go home, willing to tell her Mom about a good news, that she is finally officially being hired in a law department. She has an opportunity and a bright future ahead of her life. She can give her Mom a better life and also reach her dream to be a justice judge. There is no way she dies! Or does she? Maybe she was not paying attention to the road and got an accident?
No, it cannot be...
TanTan follows her instinct, she hears voices outside, so she tries so hard to b.u.mp the top cover of that coffin and she shouts as loud as she can be...
"Bukkk.....Bakkkk...Bukkkk...."
"Let me go...LET ME OUT!!!"
Indeed there are many people at that room, around the coffin. Because it is a funeral of the first daughter of Hua Family. A horror and terrified expression shown in every faces, they are unbelievably looking at and hearing the voices from inside the coffin. No one dares to take any action.
An old woman that looks fatigue after crying a lot reacts first and immediately commands some men to open the coffin,
"What are you waiting for?? Quickly...open it... its Tan Er....my Tan Er...she is still alive..."
The old woman was the elder of Hua Family, Madam Hua who even though already around 80 years but still having a clear mind to lead the Hua Family for many years. So some servant men are right away obeying her command and opening the coffin...
TanTan relieves and she immediately arises from the coffin, and starts observing around. TanTan can see how shock and horrify the looks of the people, seeing her awakes from the coffin. It is understandable for the condition, but what makes TanTan feels weird is the clothes of the people wear, and the decoration of place she is right now. It feels that she is in the ancient mainland series, which is her Mom"s favorite genre to watch. Could she being in the movie site, somehow she is dragged into a making of Chinese movie? But she didn"t see any cameras?
So if it is not a movie site then is it a possibility that she travels back in time???? What the h.e.l.l I am???
"Tan Er ..she is alive...Quick, help my TanEr out of that...."
As TanTan has get out of the coffin,
Madam Hua approaches TanTan, hugs her tightly and crying,
"TanEr...TanEr...ahh..you are still alive....thanks G.o.ds...amitabha...."
TanTan doesn"t reject the hug, even though she doesn"t recognize this grandma but TanTan can see the real affection toward her, not like other"s reaction. They whisper to each other and some are loud enough for TanTan hears.
"My G.o.ds, why is she alive again? "
"No way, hate to admit it but this woman just too lucky..."
"How scary it is....maybe...maybe she is really an evil..."
"She is an evil indeed, regarding what she had done...maybe even heaven has rejecting her...."
TanTan wonders why there are more negative responds than positive responds to the fact that she is still alive.
"Nm...mm...excuse me?" TanTan decides to ask to the grandma who hugs her.
"What is it TanEr?"
"Where am I? Who are these people?"
"What are you talking about, you are at home, TanEr? These are all of Hua Family"s members...your family."
"Hua Family? But I"m not "Hua"... I am "Lang"....LangTanTan, right? What is Hua family anyway?"
Madam Hua becomes panic to hear what TanTan said...
"Aiyahh, TanEr...what happen to you? Don"t scare Grandma..." She glares to other servant, "Go. find the finest physician here to check my TanEr..."
"What? No...I am not sick... I just don"t know what happen here?"
A young girl who before also crying beside Madam Hua is now standing beside TanTan,
"XiaoCie, don"t make me scare too, don"t you remember me? Its XiaoRue, your trusty servant who born in the same day with you.."
TanTan can"t respond anything for both of them cause of the confusion she had in her mind for these all new information...She is even mumbling herself, ignoring the others "This is dream....must a dream, come on TanTan, wake up...wake up..."
From the crowd of audience, there is a n.o.ble man who in forties stands closely to them, bows politely to Madam Hua, and say some words to soothe her,
"Forgive me to dare saying this, Madam Hua but I believe Young Lady maybe just in shock for just awaken. Perhaps Young Lady need to rest, so all her memories can returns itself and she can back to her normal state. Anyway, it is a fortune sign for Hua Family that Young Lady, Hua MuTan has surpa.s.sed the death. So let me congratz Madam Hua for the fortune..."
"..." Madam Hua suddenly stands firmly and looks to the one that gave the words.
"You are right, FouEr...XiaoRue, take your XiaoCie to her room, and let her resting for a while. And for everyone who has come, I, HuaLangMu will give you a bow as a grateful for your attendances. I will never forget it. But as you can see, there is no funeral to be carried out anymore, so if you please, you all may left from here..." As her word, by accompanied the servants at her both sides, she did bow to all people in the room. XiaoRue guides TanTan out of the room as Madam Hua"s order. But before TanTan left, she can see that man who is called FouEr by Madam Hua, is staring to her sharply.
Out of the room, TanTan is mesmerized with the view of the house. First thing in her mind is that this house is really really giving ancient vibe, but it is also s.p.a.cious. Both sides of the way to her room are filled with many different kinds of flower, but not so far, when TanTan is walking nearer to a place that seems as her room, she can see abundant colourful peony flowers. "It is a garden of Peony...so beautiful...". She stops.
TanTan remembers that peony flower is also her Mom"s favourite flower,
"If only Mom is here, she would be very happy...but she is not. Instead, I am here... why?"
TanTan looks at the sky. The sky is so bright and clear, as it is still daytime.
Seeing her master like that, XiaoRue feels agitated, she immediately pulls TanTan to enter the room.
"XiaoCie, come...come...you need to take a rest now...."
TanTan just follows as she also agrees that she need to take a rest, maybe if she closes her eyes once more time, then everything had happened is actually just a dream. Maybe she will wake up again in her small but comfy bedroom with her Mom calling her to wake up.
Note:
*XiaoCie = Young lady, a formal calling from the servants to the n.o.ble daughters.