Chapter 34 Very Similar
Susan shook her head. "Nah, it was an earthquake a few years back that took down half the house. Everyone in our village fixed up their places, but the Howard family didn't."
Susan followed Margaret into the house, feeling uneasy. "We can't hang out here too long. This place is falling apart. If it comes down on us, we're toast."
The ground was all uneven dirt, with a patch of ashes and some random pit that Margaret had no clue about.
A fallen beam on the ground was just a small piece, looking like it had been burned.
There were also a few short wooden sticks, which Susan said were from the bed.
Looking around, it was just ruins and broken walls. The half-burned beams on the ground were moldy and had a few mushrooms growing on them from the weather.
The air was thick with a damp, moldy smell.
Margaret pursed her lips and stepped outside the mud house. "Was the fire on purpose?"
She looked up and saw the house's pillars were already rotting and covered in cobwebs.
Susan shook her head. "Nah, it's a law-abiding society now. Who'd be crazy enough to commit arson?"
"Then what happened?" Margaret looked at Susan, whose face was full of wrinkles, confused.
Susan sighed, like she was remembering that awful day. "That fire wiped out the Howard family. We only found out when the cops showed up.
"When the police went in, the bodies were already charred. Gilbert Howard was burned down to just a few bones, and Sandra's body was half-burned but still recognizable. Half of her was intact, and the other half was just bones. When the cops carried them out, a lot of the village kids were so freaked out they cried for days.
"At first, we thought it was on purpose too. But the Howard family was nice to everyone and got along great with the neighbors. They were one of the better-off families here back then. Gilbert ran a small restaurant in the city and would bring us food sometimes. Whenever there was an event, especially a happy one, he was always the one giving the most gifts.
"Everyone in our village respected him. He was a good guy. He didn't fight or cause trouble, so why would anyone have it out for him? Later, when the police report came out, we were even more sure it wasn't on purpose."
Susan rambled on, and Margaret's curiosity was piqued. Her frown deepened. "What did the police report say?"
Susan replied, "It's been so long; I forgot the exact details. But basically, it wasn't on purpose."
Susan smacked her lips and said, "The Howard family's tombstone is nearby. Wanna take a look?"
Margaret nodded. "Sure."
After leaving with Susan, Margaret went to buy a bouquet of flowers.
The Howard family had just one tombstone.
Looked like Raymond's parents were buried together.
The grave was well-kept and neatly squared.
The tombstone had photos of Gilbert and Sandra.
They looked kind and smiled brightly, clearly good people.
So this was what Raymond's parents looked like.
If Gilbert and Sandra were still alive, she thought they would get along great.
Raymond's features resembled Gilbert's a lot, except Gilbert gave off a kind and honest vibe, while Raymond had an air of authority.
But it was clear they looked very similar.
"Did the villagers help keep up the tombstone? It's really nice," Margaret asked again.
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