Chapter 690: Profound Grief
Chapter 690: Chapter 690: Profound Grief
After the coffin was built, everyone set up a memorial hall in the wooden house. When Leo Denton learned someone had passed away, he made a special trip over with other soldiers to pay their respects.
Ethan Dawson, Miles Vaughn, Quincy, and Peter Owens placed Zion Lowell into the coffin. Zoe and Annie returned with an armful of fresh flowers and pine needles they had gathered, and Wendy began to make wreaths. As the sound of firecrackers echoed, the coffin lid was closed. Everyone then moved the coffin into the memorial hall. Wyatt Vaughn brought over several strips of white cloth. Evelyn Ford was the first to take one and wrap it around her head. Seeing everyone dressed in mourning, Taylor Vance turned away and wiped his eyes.
Liam Sterling was hosting Leo Denton and the others. With Zion Lowell’s passing, no one was in the mood to cook. After the memorial hall was set up, Taylor Vance came over and urged everyone to eat something.
"If you starve yourselves and ruin your health because of him, do you think he’d be able to rest in peace? Don’t be too sad, everyone. We’ve lived together for so many years, and there are no regrets in our friendship. Go eat, children. After you eat, get some proper rest. Don’t be sad anymore. I’ll watch over him tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll move his coffin to the storage area. When spring comes next year, I’ll find a place and bury him then."
Taylor Vance was very insistent. After sending everyone away, he personally lit three sticks of incense for Zion Lowell, then pulled up a chair and sat down beside the coffin.
"From now on, I won’t have anyone to play chess with. But that’s okay. Whenever I have time, I’ll go to the storage area to chat with you. Mr. Lowell, the storage area has a preservation function. Putting you there is for your own good. When spring comes, I’ll find a nice place for you with mountains and water. You used to ramble on about wanting to plant more fruit trees, so I’ll plant a few hundred for you by your grave. You never liked crowds, so we’ll stay far away from the base. The great plains in The Northwest are quite nice..."
Evelyn Ford stood outside. Hearing Taylor Vance’s words, she quietly left the memorial hall.
In the kitchen, everyone gathered to eat, but the food tasted like sawdust to them.
"Mr. Vance’s intention is to hold the wake for only one day. Tomorrow, we’ll move Mr. Lowell to the storage area. He doesn’t want to see everyone so upset, and he’s worried that Mr. Lowell’s passing will affect our spirits and our lives. We all need to pull ourselves together. No more crying, and at the very least, don’t cry in front of Mr. Vance. Understood?"
"Understood."
After eating, everyone went back to their rooms. But whenever they thought of Zion Lowell, none of them could sleep. Evelyn Ford sat on her bed in a daze, while Ronan Kendrick stood silently by the window.
’Perhaps a decade ago, he wouldn’t have known what it felt like to lose a family member, because back then he had no family and couldn’t comprehend the feeling. But today, he was experiencing it firsthand.’
’This large group of theirs, though not related by blood, had truly and genuinely become a family.’
’There was an empty seat at the table now, one less set of bowl and chopsticks. A familiar voice would never be heard again, and a busy figure was gone from the corner of the living room.’
’Losing family wasn’t just a literal loss. It was like a gust of wind—you could never catch it, and it would never return.’
Evelyn Ford raised a hand and messily wiped her face. She didn’t want to cry, but the tears seemed to have a will of their own, falling whenever her eyes were open.
"The special medicine isn’t a panacea, and the space isn’t a safe house that can ward off life and death. Everyone will eventually grow old and die."
Evelyn Ford looked at Ronan Kendrick. "I’m just worried about Mr. Vance. I don’t know if he can get through this. He and Mr. Lowell were best friends for decades. Mr. Lowell’s passing is a huge blow to him."
Ronan Kendrick poured a glass of water, then dragged a chair over, sat in front of Evelyn Ford, and handed her the Water Cup.
"Mr. Vance isn’t a fragile person. He’ll pull himself together. You need to pull yourself together too. Don’t cry anymore. Your eyes are all swollen."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Okay, I won’t cry anymore."
Taylor Vance stayed in the memorial hall all night, talking to Zion Lowell. The next morning, he urged everyone to move Zion Lowell’s coffin to the storage area.
"He definitely wouldn’t want to see you all like this, with your eyes swollen like walnuts."
"Mr. Vance, let’s keep him here for two more days."
"No more waiting. Let’s move him. From now on, everyone get back to your routines. We need to live positively and live our lives well. That’s what he would want to see."
Before they moved the coffin, Leo Denton came to the wooden house alone. He told Liam Sterling he wanted to help. Liam went inside to inform Evelyn Ford. Seeing that he had come by himself, Evelyn nodded and let him in.
There were eight pallbearers in total: Ronan Kendrick, Miles Vaughn, Quincy, Peter Owens, Ethan Dawson, Liam Sterling, Leo Denton, and Officer Graham.
As the coffin was lifted, Taylor Vance came over and patted it firmly twice.
"Mr. Lowell, let’s go."
The coffin was carried to the storage area. Taylor Vance set up an offering table and placed some of Zion Lowell’s favorite foods and a set of chess pieces on it.
"Let’s go back. We shouldn’t disturb him anymore."
Leo Denton had assumed they were going to bury the coffin, so he was surprised when they carried it to another location instead—a place filled with all sorts of supplies.
His curiosity about this place grew, but he also knew that he was a soldier. A soldier’s duty is to obey orders, not to be curious about things he shouldn’t be.
’But if the coffin is left here, what about the body decomposing?’ Seeing everyone’s grief-stricken faces, however, Leo Denton could only suppress his thoughts.
Evelyn Ford walked up to Leo Denton and thanked him solemnly.
"Captain Denton, thank you for your trouble these past two days."
"It’s no trouble. The Base Commander said you can come to us for anything you need."
Evelyn Ford waved her hand. "But your mission is to farm. The survival of the base’s residents depends on those five thousand acres of grain. You should take that mission seriously."
Leo Denton stood at attention. "Yes, ma’am."
After Leo Denton left, Evelyn Ford lit three sticks of incense, placed them in the incense burner, bowed three times, and then left the storage area with everyone else.
Zion Lowell’s death had a huge impact on everyone. For a long time afterward, the sound of laughter and cheerful chatter was no longer heard in the wooden house.
In Eldoria, the fierce winds and blizzards raged without end. The base residents stayed indoors. After a hurricane passed, the base gradually returned to calm, but a clap of thunder shattered the peace once more as a long-awaited downpour finally began.
Seeing the heavy rain, the people felt not a shred of joy, only endless fear and worry.
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick had to leave the space every day to check on the situation. On this particular day, Liam Sterling went to the base’s administration building. When he returned, Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe had come along with him.
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick were warming themselves by the fire in the courtyard kitchen. They were both a little surprised to see Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe.
The rain in Eldoria wasn’t heavy, just a dreary, endless drizzle. Fortunately, the fierce winds had stopped, the snow had ceased, and the temperature had risen by a couple of degrees.
Although the three of them were wearing raincoats and rain boots, they were still shivering from the cold.
Evelyn Ford quickly added more firewood to the fire and told Liam Sterling to take the two of them to a nearby room to change their clothes.
"Our clothes aren’t wet, no need to change. I’m so sorry. This damn weather has had us running around like crazy. If Liam Sterling hadn’t come over, I wouldn’t have even known that Mr. Lowell had passed away."
A flicker of sadness crossed Rhys Chase’s eyes. Zion Lowell’s passing had unintentionally reminded him of an elder he once knew, which was why he had rushed over to the courtyard with Ryan Rowe without stopping, just to pay his respects to Zion Lowell.
"Mr. Lowell went peacefully. He passed away in his sleep, so he didn’t suffer."
Hearing Evelyn Ford’s words, Rhys Chase sighed. "Mr. Lowell was such a good man."