Traveling to ancient times, with space

Chapter 148 The Sound of Knocks

Not long after, a servant brought the cooked vegetable porridge into the old lady's room.

As soon as the pot lid was lifted, the old lady, who had been sleeping soundly and drowsily in bed, slowly opened her eyes through a very thin slit.

Upon seeing this, Imperial Censor Li, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward and gently helped the old lady up, allowing her to sit against the headboard.

Immediately afterwards, the young maidservant responsible for serving the old lady swiftly ladled out a full bowl of steaming hot vegetable porridge, held a silver spoon, and gently brought it to the old lady's lips.

At first, everyone in the room secretly speculated that the old lady, who hadn't eaten or drunk anything for the past few days, probably still had no appetite and most likely wouldn't open her mouth to eat this porridge.

Unexpectedly, the old lady opened her mouth without hesitation and swallowed the porridge in the bowl one mouthful after another.

In no time at all, the small bowl of vegetable porridge was completely devoured.

Nevertheless, the old lady lying on the bed was clearly not full. Her slightly cloudy eyes remained fixed on the empty bowl, as if she was still not satisfied.

Upon seeing this, Imperial Censor Li's heart skipped a beat. Could this be a final burst of energy before death?

Otherwise, why would I suddenly have such an appetite? After all, I haven't eaten for several days!

Left with no other choice, Imperial Censor Li had to instruct the maid to fetch another bowl and feed it to the old lady.

Unexpectedly, after the second bowl of vegetable porridge was finished, the old lady's gaze remained firmly fixed on that bowl, showing no sign of looking away.

Imperial Censor Li thought to himself, "No matter what, I can't let the old lady go through the last leg of her life on an empty stomach."

So he gritted his teeth, nodded to the little maid, and signaled her to continue feeding the old lady.

The old lady couldn't wait to drink it down in big gulps, finishing the whole bowl.

She still seemed unsatisfied, and after drinking another bowl of vegetable porridge, the old lady clearly felt that her stomach was no longer churning as it had before.

Instead, she felt a warm and comfortable sensation, which not only filled her stomach but also made her feel as if she were wrapped in a warm embrace.

At that moment, the old lady felt extremely comfortable, and even her eyelids became heavy.

She slowly closed her eyes, a satisfied smile still lingering on her lips, ready to savor this rare moment of comfort.

However, not far from her, Imperial Censor Li was looking at her with anxiety and worry, his originally serious face now looking like he was about to cry.

But the old lady, immersed in comfort, was completely unaware of this.

Soon, the old lady's head had just touched the pillow when she instantly fell asleep.

She was sleeping soundly and peacefully, with a smile even on her lips.

Seeing this, Imperial Censor Li grew increasingly uneasy. Trembling, he reached out his hand and softly called out, "Mother~"

However, the old lady on the bed did not react at all.

"Waaaaah, Mother!" Upon seeing this, Imperial Censor Li could no longer control his emotions. He knelt down in front of the bed with a thud and burst into tears.

He cried as he gripped the old lady's hands tightly on the bed, as if afraid that if he let go, she would leave him.

At this moment, Imperial Censor Li no longer cared about his image. Tears streamed down his face like a burst dam, and he cried his heart out.

Just then, Li Yushi's wife rushed over.

When she saw the scene before her, her heart ached terribly.

She saw her husband kneeling before the bed, weeping uncontrollably, while the old lady on the bed lay quietly and motionless.

She instinctively assumed the old lady had passed away, so she knelt behind Imperial Censor Li and began to cry out, "Mother! How could you leave us like this? Mother! How could you bear to leave us like this? My mother! You didn't even get to see Wan'er and Ping'er get married, how could you leave this world like this?!"

For a moment, the entire room was filled with heartbreaking cries, so loud that it brought tears to everyone's eyes.

These heart-wrenching, sky-piercing cries possessed an almost endless penetrating power.

The news spread far and wide, and this was quite alarming; the tragic sound could be clearly heard in every corner of the Imperial Censorate.

Everyone knew instantly that the old lady had passed away!

In an instant, the entire mansion was engulfed in a chorus of weeping, the cries rising and falling.

Upon hearing the news, Li Yushi's sons and daughters rushed to the scene, each one heartbroken.

He staggered and knelt down outside the old lady's door, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam, soaking the ground beneath him.

Meanwhile, the usually organized and efficient housekeeper was also busy.

He quickly directed his men to get to work, and before long, a solemn and dignified mourning hall was set up.

Not only that, the exquisite coffin that had been prepared in advance was also carefully carried out and placed steadily in the center of the mourning hall, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

All the preliminary work is now complete, and we are just waiting for the master and ladies over there to calm down a bit.

Then someone will come forward to change the old lady into brand new burial clothes and place her in the coffin.

Time passed by, and before we knew it, the sky was gradually turning white.

Finally, just before dawn, the Li Imperial Censor's residence managed to arrange everything perfectly.

At this moment, Imperial Censor Li was already dressed in hemp clothes and wearing a mourning cap, kneeling in front of the mourning hall with a haggard face.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared blankly at the burning paper money in the brazier.

He kept muttering to himself, "Mother, it's all my fault for being an unfilial son. I couldn't let you enjoy a few more years of happiness before you left me so hastily... Now all I can do is burn more paper money for you, hoping that you can continue to live a life free from want in the afterlife..."

At this very moment, people are at their most tired and confused during the day.

Looking around, apart from Imperial Censor Li, who was silently burning paper money and trying to appear energetic, the only other person in the entire mourning hall was...

The other people keeping vigil were also exhausted, their heads drooping as they drowsily sat on the prayer mats, starting to doze off.

Apart from the crackling of the burning candles, the only other noise in the entire mourning hall was the burning of paper money.

Just then, Imperial Censor Li, who was focused on burning paper money, heard a "thump-thump" sound of wood being struck.

At first, Imperial Censor Li thought he had misheard, so he didn't pay attention and continued to add paper money to the brazier.

The "thump-thump" sound seemed to be right next to my ear, which startled me and made me jump.

He startled the sleepy people around him awake. "Dad, what's wrong?"

Imperial Censor Li turned to look at his son and asked, "Ping'er, did you hear anything?"