In the foggy early morning, Wang Liang sat in a heavy funeral car, holding the steering wheel in his hand, his eyes staring at the blurred road ahead through the front windshield. Behind him, a body covered in a white cloth lay quietly in the carriage. Such a scene is the norm for Wang Liang.
Wang Liang, a funeral car driver from Northeast China, has been working silently in this industry for many years.
His mission is to transport the deceased safely from their last stop on earth to their destination.
In the process, he came into contact with all kinds of corpses, and he lost count of the number of people he transported.
However, every time he faced the child's body, he still had difficulty calming his heart.
From Veteran to Funeral Driver: Wang Liang's Transformation
Wang Liang's story begins with an ordinary life as a veteran.
At one time, he worked as a driver in a private company, and his daily job was to drive a shiny sedan through the streets of the city. His boss is a middle-aged man with a successful career, who is both strict and fair to Wang Liang.
Every morning, Wang Liang arrives at his boss's residence half an hour early to carefully inspect the vehicle to make sure everything is running properly.
However, the trajectory of fate is always full of twists and turns. By chance, Wang Liang learned at a party that the civil affairs department was in urgent need of a driver. Considering the stability and benefits of the job, he decided to give a career change a try.
On the day of the interview, Wang Liang wore a neat uniform and appeared in front of the civil affairs department on time. The interviewer, a middle-aged woman, praised Mr. Wang's military background, but also told him frankly that the job was not a regular driver's job — he would drive a funeral vehicle. A hint of hesitation flashed in Wang Liang's eyes, but he quickly calmed down and politely expressed his willingness to accept the job to the interviewer.
After becoming a funeral car driver, Wang Liang's life has changed dramatically. Every day, he drives a heavy funeral car between hospitals, homes and funeral homes. In the car, apart from him, there was only the body lying quietly. He must ensure that everything is in order during the transport, respecting the deceased, while also comforting the heartbroken family.
Between Life and Death: The Daily Life of a Funeral Car Driver
As a funeral car driver, Wang Liang's daily work begins with the first rays of sunshine in the morning.
He arrives at the garage early to scrutinize every detail of the vehicle – from the engine to the brakes – to make sure everything is in top condition. Then, he will put on his neat overalls and start his day.
Whenever he receives a task, Wang Liang will drive to the hospital or home. In these places, he often met grieving family members. Their tears, silence and even occasional excitement are common scenes in Wang Liang's work.
In the face of these, Wang Liang always maintained professionalism and composure, carefully moving the body into the car.
He would cover the body with a special cloth to ensure its dignity and safety during transportation.
Sometimes, Wang Liang needs to spend hours in the hospital morgue waiting for the formalities to be completed. In that silent and cold environment, he would stand quietly and wait. And when everything is ready, he carefully transfers the body to the funeral car.
On the way, Wang Liang always drove very carefully. He knew that what he was transporting was not just a body, but a life that had a story, a family, and a dream. Even in heavy traffic, he always maintained a steady pace, ensuring a smooth and dignified journey at the end.
After arriving at the funeral home, Wang Liang will park the car in the designated location. He would examine the body again to make sure everything was proper during the transfer. Then, together with the funeral home staff, he gently moves the body to a stretcher and from the stretcher to the cold room.
In the past few years of work, Wang Liang has transported all kinds of remains.
Sometimes, he had to transport elderly people, and their families often had tears in their eyes to pay their last respects to the deceased.
Sometimes, he also had to transport young people who had died suddenly, and the grief and disacceptance of the families often filled the scene with an air of sadness, counting the bodies he transported at least 2,000 bodies.
Whenever a mission is completed, Wang Liang carefully cleans the vehicle on the way back to ensure that it is neat and respectful the next time it is used.
Back in the garage, he would sit quietly in the car for a few minutes, then turn off the engine and end the day.
A special challenge: the psychological shadow of transporting a child's remains
In Wang Liang's career as a funeral car driver, the most memorable thing for him was a mission to transport a 13-year-old child. It was a sunny afternoon, and Wang Liang received a mission notice that he needed to go to a hospital to pick up a child who had unfortunately died. When he arrived at the hospital, he saw the child's parents.
Their eyes were hollow, and their faces were full of incredible pain.
Wang Liang walked into the hospital morgue and saw the child lying there quietly.
He was dressed in his usual clothes, and his face was serene, as if he was just sleeping. Wang Liang lightly placed the child's body on a stretcher, and then slowly moved out of the car. The child's parents followed, tears streaming down their cheeks.
When Wang Liang placed the body in the car, the child's father suddenly spoke: "Please... Please be careful. His voice was choked and barely audible. Wang Liang nodded, although he knew that any words seemed pale at this time, he still replied: "I will, don't worry." ”
The car door slowly closed, and Wang Liang drove the funeral car slowly out of the hospital. While driving, he pays extra attention to the speed of the car and drives as smoothly as possible. Although he has done this task countless times, every time he transports the child's body, it always makes him feel extra heavy.
On the way, Wang Liang passed by his child's school. The children's classmates were playing on the playground, and the laughter and laughter were in stark contrast to the silent funeral car. Wang Liang's gaze lingered on the children for a moment, and then he turned his gaze back to the road.
After arriving at the funeral home, Wang Liang carefully transferred the body to the funeral home's staff.
They are also very professional and respectful in dealing with every deceased.
After completing the handover, Wang Liang stood quietly aside, waiting for the arrival of the child's parents.
After the child's parents arrived, Wang Liang saw their emotions broken again. It wasn't the first time he had witnessed such a scene, but every time it felt like the first time.
He knows that in moments like these, no words can comfort parents who have lost their children.
The fragility and preciousness of life: Wang Liang's insights
In Wang Liang's career as a funeral car driver, the completion of every task is accompanied by a deep understanding of the fragility and preciousness of life. Every time he sees family members break down in the hallways of a hospital or cry in the halls of a funeral home, he feels a heavy sense of responsibility.
In the process of transporting the body, Wang Liang often encountered situations where family members asked to accompany the body. At times like this, he will always wait patiently until the family is ready. When the vehicle starts slowly, Wang Liang will pay special attention to the speed of driving, so that the family members have more time to adapt to the sudden parting.
On one occasion, Wang Liang needed to transport the body of an elderly woman.
Her family, a middle-aged woman, held her hand tightly and burst into tears.
Wang Liang waited quietly until the woman finally let go of her hand and slowly took a few steps back.
He comforted softly, "I'll drive carefully." The woman nodded, did not speak, just stood there quietly, her eyes fixed on the vehicle until it disappeared from sight.
On another mission, Wang Liang needed to transport the body of a young man.
Friends of the young people gathered outside the hospital, some grief-stricken, others weeping silently.
When Wang Liang saw this scene, he couldn't help but slow down the car.
He knew that for these young friends, it was a sudden and heavy life education.
Wang Liang's car often passes through the bustling areas of the city, which are full of life and energy.
But in the funeral car, there is only silence and mourning.
This strong contrast often makes Wang Liang feel the diversity and impermanence of life.
Wang Liang: Firmness and philosophical thinking in the face of life and death
In his career as a funeral car driver, Wang Liang has encountered a variety of tasks, each of which is a profound reflection on the meaning of life.
He once transported the body of a veteran who was a hero when he was alive but died with only a few old comrades in his arms. while
When Wang Liang carefully placed the body in the car, the old comrades-in-arms saluted the car.
Wang Liang responded with the same solemn courtesy, and then slowly drove away.
In another task, Wang Liang needed to transport a middle-aged woman who had been ill for a long time.
Her family, an emaciated old man and several young children, gathered around the body, crying goodbye.
Wang Liang waited quietly until the family members were ready. He whispered to the old man, "I'll drive carefully." The old man nodded, stroked the body with a trembling hand, and turned away.
Once, Wang Liang was sent to the scene of a car accident. It was a serious traffic accident that caused many casualties. The scene was chaotic, with ambulance crews and police busy. Wang Liang waited there for a long time until the paramedics transferred the body to his car. He remained calm and professional in the midst of the chaos, trying to keep everything as orderly as possible.
At the end of each mission, Wang Liang carefully cleans and disinfects the vehicle to keep it clean and dignified.
He knows that every cleaning is a sign of respect for the next deceased.
When he returns home, he sits quietly, looks back on the day's work, and thinks about the meaning of life.
Although Wang Liang's work made him face life and death, it also made him understand and cherish life more.
He has witnessed too many sudden departures and experienced the fragility of life.
This made him cherish every moment of himself and his family together.
In an interview, when asked by a reporter how he felt about the job, Wang Liang said: "I'm no longer afraid, but every delivery makes me feel sad." This job has given me a deeper understanding of the meaning of life. ”
His words are simple, but full of reverence for life and respect for the deceased.
Through this special job, Wang Liang learned how to face life and death, and how to find the value of life in every task.
For him, this job is not only a duty, but also a deep understanding and respect for life.
Each mission is a challenge and improvement of his personal values, as well as a deepening of his concept of life.
While facing life and death, Wang Liang is also constantly growing and understanding the world.
Li Linyi.The hearse of the comrades-in-arms passes through the city[J].Road Traffic Management,2016,0(4):94-94