Chapter 19
The air in the funeral home was always filled with a mixture of disinfectant, formalin, and an indescribable cold emptiness.
The setting sun's last rays streamed through the tall windows, stretching the shadows in the preparation room long and thin, adding an eerie quality to the space.
Emily had just finished a complicated body restoration job. A thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead, and she felt mentally exhausted.
She pulled off her mask, her face slightly pale.
Technically, her work for the day was done, and she could leave now. But then a burst of noisy commotion, growing louder as it approached, shattered the funeral home's usual solemnity.
"I want to see your director! This is outrageous! What did you do to my father's body? You owe me an explanation!"
"Yeah, call out that restoration worker, the one called Emily."
Seven or eight people of various ages crowded together, emotions running high, blocked by security at the entrance to the service hall, but their voices had already spread throughout the office area.
Emily, about to leave, stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowing slightly.
She recognized the middle-aged man leading the group—he was the son of a car accident victim who'd been brought in a few days ago.
Her colleague Lily ran over, face pale, and urged in a low voice, "The family's really worked up right now. Don't go out there."
Emily understood she meant well, but couldn't help showing her displeasure.
She prided herself on being meticulous in her work, doing everything to perfection.
The deceased from this family had been in a terrible car accident, with extensive damage to the body. Emily had done her absolute best with the restoration, at least allowing them to see him one last time.
Back then, they'd been all sweet words, thanking her profusely, but now they suddenly showed up to cause trouble.
What exactly did they want?
"Did anyone call the police?" Emily asked quietly, her gaze falling on the group in the service hall.
"Yes, but this is a civil dispute. We need to negotiate first." Lily replied helplessly, looking at Emily with concern.
They got along well, and Lily had noticed this group was deliberately looking for trouble, so she wanted Emily to lie low for a bit.
"Negotiate?" Emily sighed helplessly. "I'll go calm them down. If we let them keep this up, how can the other families have any peace?"
Lily nodded and didn't try to stop her.
Emily straightened her clean clothes and walked toward the noisy service hall.
The moment she appeared, the arguing family members fell silent for an instant.
The front man looked Emily up and down, let out a cold snort through his nose, and, with a face full of grief and anger, spoke with spit flying. "It's because of you! My dad always cared about his appearance when he was alive, and you people made him unrecognizable! This is disrespect to the dead; it's criminal. If you don't give us a satisfactory explanation today, I'm not done with you."
Facing his agitation, Emily remained calm, waiting until they quieted down a bit before speaking. "You say the body is 'unrecognizable'—which part wasn't handled properly? Were there flaws in the sutured wounds? Did the facial restoration not meet expectations? If I remember correctly, after completing your father's body restoration, I contacted your family multiple times for confirmation, to ensure he could leave in a peaceful state."
Emily's questions were professional and direct. The man froze, clearly not expecting her to ask this.
Plus, she'd directly stated that she'd contacted the family for confirmation. The man started stammering. "Anyway... anyway it wasn't restored properly, we're not happy with it!"
Now he was just being unreasonable, and the onlookers began looking at the group with some condemnation.
The funeral home was where families said their final goodbyes to the deceased. With all this noise and commotion, no one could have any peace.
Emily clearly noticed the mood of those around them and first bowed to everyone in apology. "I'm very sorry that such a problem occurred at the funeral home and affected everyone's emotions. I understand your grief, and please accept my condolences."
When the funeral home director arrived, this was the scene he saw—Emily handling things properly.
The old man's face showed some appreciation for Emily, and he also stepped forward to apologize again.
After their repeated apologies, the other families didn't want to make a fuss and dispersed one by one, leaving just a few onlookers. Emily remained completely unfazed. "Your father was hit by a large truck at the time—fractured skull, multiple facial collapses. I spent six or seven hours restoring his appearance and suturing his wounds, so he could leave with dignity. When you signed off on it, why didn't you say there was any problem? Now that he's been laid to rest, you come out saying I didn't restore him properly?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, carrying an undeniable authority.
Emily had worked at the funeral home for a long time and held a reverent and compassionate attitude toward all the deceased.
Seeing them using this as an excuse to cause trouble, she naturally wasn't going to just take it.
"If you really cared about your father's appearance, you should have raised any issues right then, not wait until now to make a scene." At these words, the family members' faces instantly changed.
The middle-aged man in front's eyes flickered, and he shouted with false bravado, "What are you talking about? We're just here seeking justice!"
This time, before Emily could speak, the funeral home director stepped in front of her.
His expression was serious, his words neither humble nor arrogant. "Dear family members, I completely understand your grief at this moment. However, according to funeral home procedures, before confirming the deceased's appearance, there are multiple steps, and we have surveillance footage and signed documents as proof. If you have any complaints, you can confront us directly right here."
He was clearly protecting Emily, and his words were reasonable and well-founded.
The family members who'd been so aggressive moments ago immediately fell silent, and the middle-aged man's face turned deathly pale.
"You... you people..." He pointed at Emily, his finger trembling, unable to get a word out.
"Forget it." An elderly man with a cane emerged from the family group and patted the middle-aged man's shoulder. "We came with you today just to understand the truth of the matter, not to cause trouble. Since the funeral home's procedures are all in order and they can prove their innocence, stop making a scene here."
He coughed and nodded at Emily. "He just feels too much for his father. Don't hold it against him."
"It's fine." The director waved his hand. The drama ended, and the group dispersed.
"Come with me." He looked at Emily, his expression serious.