Chapter 88

"Because the college entrance examination is next month, inviting people to dinner will take too much time, I have to go all out and do well in the exam." Xie Jinxuan said: "It is said above that this year's college entrance examination paper is a national unified examination, and the difficulty is different from the previous ones. If I don't work hard, I will be surpassed by those high school students who are graduating this year."

Luo Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, and after a long while he said, "Then... I won't ask you to play basketball anymore. You should study hard and take the exam well. After you pass the exam, I will come to celebrate with you."

"Okay, then let's make a deal. After the college entrance exam is over, I will invite you to my house for dinner. Then, I will ask Qingtang to make you twice-cooked pork and three fresh vegetables."

Luo Xiangqian chuckled: "Then I'll be waiting!"

After this happy birthday, Xie Jinxuan became even more motivated to study. He even borrowed more study materials from others and studied hard every day, forgetting to eat and sleep.

He gets up at five in the morning, studies for an hour, then goes to exercise with his grandfather. Then he eats breakfast and waits for Xia Qingtang to go to work. He will also read until almost eight before going to the office.

Because his boss knew that he was going to take the college entrance examination, he did not have any business trips assigned to him this month and tried to exclude him from overtime work.

His colleagues in the office are all very familiar with him. They are all older than him, so they hope that this young man can get good results in the college entrance examination. Everyone in the office is willing to work overtime for him so that he can have more time to study.

After entering summer, the work in the cotton mill has become much easier. This is a characteristic of the textile industry. Because the workshops are too hot and humid in summer, the production capacity will be much lower than when the weather is cold, and their union work has also been reduced accordingly.

She would get off work and go home on time every day. Now she no longer asked Xie Jinxuan to help her pick, wash and cut vegetables. These housework were not heavy and were a piece of cake for her, so she would come back to cook the dishes herself and then have dinner with Xie Jinxuan. After dinner, she would let him take a shower first and then let him study peacefully in the study until late at night.

Xie Jinxuan usually studies until late at night and usually returns to her bedroom to sleep after midnight.

Xia Qingtang went to bed early and had never known what time Xie Jinxuan went to bed every day. One night, when she got up to go to the bathroom, she saw that it was already 12:15, but Xie Jinxuan had not come to the bedroom yet. She went to the study to take a look and found that he was so engrossed in doing his homework that he had forgotten the time.

From this point we can see the difference between her and Xie Jinxuan. When she studies, she is far from being obsessed. For example, although she is studying English seriously, she does not put in much effort.

Fortunately, Guan Chenxiang also said that since it was not for an exam, it was normal to choose a slower learning pace. She also told her not to be anxious and not to let learning English affect her normal life.

So Xia Qingtang once again determined her future path. Going to college was not suitable for her, but she could go to night school in the future to enrich her skills. If she chose to do business, she should also learn some financial knowledge.

In order to let Xie Jinxuan concentrate on the exam, milk powder and malted milk were continuously sent to her from the small western-style building. Sixth Aunt used her old connections to buy two old hens from the countryside, and secretly stewed them into soup for Xie Jinxuan.

Grandma also found a way to buy a lot of eggs so that Xie Jinxuan could eat an egg a day.

In her words: "People who study must supplement their brains with nutrients, otherwise they will definitely not learn well."

Xie's mother was a little nervous, because Xie Jinxuan had a full-time job after all. He was not like those high school graduates who had devoted themselves to studying in school in the past few years. The amount of knowledge he acquired was obviously different from those who were working.

Xie Jinxuan himself was quite confident. He even comforted his mother: "Don't worry, Mom. I'm not going to go to Beijing. It should be possible for me to study in a university in our province."

Xie's mother nodded seriously on the surface, but she was still worried.

Because of the presence of her grandmother and Sixth Aunt, she doesn't pay much attention to her eldest son on a normal basis, but when something big happens, she will still worry about her child.

As June passed day by day, and when the exam was approaching, Xie's mother went to the newly restored temple in the city without telling anyone, and secretly asked for a talisman to improve Xie Jinxuan's luck in the exam. Then she ran to the small courtyard and secretly gave it to Xia Qingtang, asking her to put it in Xie Jinxuan's study drawer, saying that it could bless him to succeed in the exam.

Xia Qingtang looked at the amulet with incomprehensible symbols on it, hesitated for a moment, and finally took it: "Thank you, Mom. I'll put it in his drawer."

"That's good, that's good. The master chef told me that this amulet can bless him to get into university." Xie's mother said: "But Jinxuan has never believed in these things. What if he finds out..."

"If they find out, I'll say that I asked for it back." Xia Qingtang said immediately.

Mother Xie laughed and said, "Well, you are a smart and kind child."

"Mom, too. It's all for Jinxuan's own good. In fact, even if he saw this, he wouldn't say anything. He knows that this is the love of his family for him."

Mother Xie let out a sigh of relief: "You are right. This makes me feel relieved."

Afterwards, Xie Jinxuan really found the talisman paper that he couldn't understand in the drawer. He really did as Xia Qingtang said. He didn't say anything, but put the talisman paper back to its place with a smile and continued to study.

The weather is getting hotter, July has arrived as scheduled, and the college entrance examination is finally here.

The examination dates for this year were uniformly scheduled from the 7th to the 9th. Xie Jinxuan's examination venue was in a primary school near the compound, very close to her home, and only took about ten minutes to walk there.

At this moment, high school students are sent to take exams by their teachers, while people in society go to the exam halls on their own.

Xia Qingtang also went to the steel plant to ask about Hu Yanni's examination venue. Her examination venue was at No. 1 Middle School. Although it was some distance away, Hu's father would pick her up by bike, so there was no need to worry.

Xie Xiaoshuang had bought a bed, cabinets, tables, chairs, pots and pans in June, but because Hu Yanni was about to take the college entrance examination, she still stayed in Hu's house and took good care of Hu Yanni's daily life with Hu's mother.

For example, if Hu's mother works the early shift, she will find someone to switch to the late shift, so that she can make breakfast for Hu Yanni, while Hu's mother can make dinner. The two of them take turns, which really saves a lot of trouble.

On the night of the 6th, Xia Qingtang couldn't fall asleep at all, and he didn't dare to turn over, for fear of disturbing Xie Jinxuan's sleep.

In the morning, with a pair of bloodshot eyes, Xia Qingtang made a simple and light breakfast. Grandma, Sixth Aunt and Xie's mother also came over with breakfast and wanted to have breakfast with Xie Jinxuan.

Everyone looked a little nervous, and the only person who was not nervous was today's candidate himself.

Xie Jinxuan ate two eggs, a bowl of steamed pumpkin, and two large meat buns that Aunt Liu had made early in the morning, and then said, "Don't be nervous. I'm well prepared. I'm sure I can get satisfactory results this time."

"I wish you a successful first battle." Xia Qingtang stood up and gave him a hug. "I'll accompany you to the examination room?"

"No need. There will definitely be a lot of people at the elementary school gate today. I can go there by myself. If you go, you will be more nervous." Xie Jinxuan rubbed her head, checked the backpack she was going to take to the exam again, and when the time was almost up, she walked out of the house.

Grandma and Xie's mother were both standing in the corridor rubbing their hands. Neither of them dared to say a word, for fear that they would say something wrong and affect Xie Jinxuan's performance.

Xie Jinxuan said with a relaxed look: "Then I will go out to take the exam. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Xia Qingtang waved at him, "I'll make you something delicious tonight."

"Okay!" Xie Jinxuan waved and rode out on her bike.

Although Grandpa Xie and Xie Chengye did not come to see her off to take the exam, they were actually very concerned. As soon as Grandma and the others returned, they immediately asked about Xie Jinxuan's condition.

Grandma said: "Jinxuan himself is not nervous. I think he is quite confident."

Grandpa Xie nodded and said, "Then trust him and wait until the test is over to see the results."

The three-day exam was neither long nor short. After finishing the last subject, the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. Xie Chengye then dared to run over and ask his eldest son how he performed.

Xie Jinxuan said: "I personally think it should be pretty good."

Xie Chengye nodded nervously: "Then...then I should be able to pass the exam, right?"

"We won't know until the results come out." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile: "Dad, now that the exam is over, don't be nervous. There's no point in being nervous now. It's all a foregone conclusion."

Xie Chengye said: "Then I am just nervous."

"Dad, your mental state is too poor. It doesn't matter if I fail the exam, after all, I have a job." Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "I won't rely on this to change my fate."

Upon hearing this, Xie Chengye scratched the back of his head and said, "That's true. If I want to be nervous, I should be nervous about Xiaoyun. They will really have to rely on the college entrance examination to change their fate in the future."

"You don't have to worry about Xiaoyun. He ranked second in the exam before. I think he will have a stable performance in the college entrance examination and will definitely be admitted to a good university." Xie Jinxuan said.

Half of the students in the third year of middle school have been eliminated, and only the other half who passed the exam can continue their studies in September. As for the remaining children, although they no longer need to go to the countryside to work in the fields, they still face difficulties in finding employment.

Of course, these things have nothing to do with them. Now, the only thing the entire Xie family has to do is wait for the college entrance examination results to come out.

On the evening of the college entrance examination, Xia Qingtang once again prepared a sumptuous meal for Xie Jinxuan, and also invited Luo Xiangqian to come over and let him taste twice-cooked pork, three fresh vegetables and vegetable pancakes.

Xie Jinxuan had worked so hard for so long and had accomplished a great thing. Although the result had not yet come out, for him, it already felt like a perfect achievement.

Because the weather was hot, they didn't drink white wine today. Luo Xiangqian went to buy some beer and even found a refrigerator to freeze it for a long time. When he brought it to the small courtyard, the bottles were still cool. Even Xia Qingtang couldn't help but took two sips of ice beer from Xie Jinxuan's cup.

Luo Xiangqian was very satisfied with the meal and kept saying, "Xiao Xia, with your cooking skills, you can really go to a state-owned restaurant to be a chef. Those chefs can't cook as deliciously as you do. Do you know? It's great to be a chef in a state-owned restaurant. You can bring home a lot of delicious food every day. Why don't you just change your job? It's great to be a chef."

Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "I like cooking, but I only like home-cooked meals. If I had to cook so many dishes in the kitchen all day long, I probably wouldn't like it."

What she likes is to cook simple and delicious meals for her family in the small kitchen at home. She definitely can't do the kind of large-scale work in the kitchen.

"That's such a pity. You're such a great craftsman." Luo Xiangqian looked regretful.

Just as Xia Qingtang was about to speak, a voice came from outside the door: "Brother, my uncle called and wants you and mom to answer the phone!"

For some reason, Xie Jinxuan's hand suddenly trembled and knocked over the white wine glass beside him. He was stunned for a moment, put down the chopsticks in his hand and stood up: "I'll go over now!"

Xia Qingtang saw that his expression was not right, and her heart began to beat fast. She suddenly thought of something and said, "I'll go with you. Lao Luo, you continue eating."

Luo Xiangqian was completely unaware of the changes in their expressions. He nodded happily: "Okay, I'll continue eating. You guys come back soon."

Xie Jinxuan didn't say anything, she just pushed open the screen door and strode out. Xia Qingtang quickly took out a flashlight from the low cabinet and followed her.

There are street lights in the compound, but there are not many of them, so flashlights are still needed in some places.

She chased him to the road and saw that Xie Jinyun didn't notice anything wrong. He was still mumbling: "I just finished washing the dishes, and someone came to the door and said that my uncle called and specifically asked my brother and mother to answer the phone. Mom has already gone there, and grandma asked me to come and call you."

"Okay, thank you." Xie Jinxuan said this reluctantly, and then said nothing more. She just strode forward in silence with her brother.

Xia Qingtang also followed them silently. When the phone call suddenly came at this time, she had already guessed what it was about.

After the Chinese New Year, grandma's health went through a period of stability. Probably starting from May, Xia Qingtang noticed a clue from the letter from her cousin Peng Wei - grandma's health was probably getting worse day by day, and it depended on how long she could hold on.

Everyone knows that Xie Jinxuan is going to take the college entrance examination this year, so her grandmother hopes even more that her Jinxuan can get good grades.

So after that, whether they communicated via correspondence or phone calls, there was no bad news from the other side. They always said that grandma's condition was stable and asked them not to worry.

The three of them walked quickly to the telephone room and saw Xie Chengye and Xie's mother standing outside the door. With the light coming through the door, they could see that Xie's mother's face was pale.

Xie Jinxuan walked over and held her mother's hand: "Mom, let me fight?"

"Okay, you hit me." Xie's mother's voice trembled slightly.

Xie Jinxuan nodded, then walked in and made a phone call.

After the operator got through, Xie Jinxuan said, "Uncle, this is Jinxuan. My parents, Qingtang, and Xiaoyun are all here. What do you want from us?"

Xia Qingtang stood beside him, holding his empty hand tightly, and could feel the tension and fear coming from his body.

Everyone had a bad feeling in their hearts, but everyone still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that it would not be like that...

The voice of his uncle came from the other end of the phone. Xia Qingtang couldn't hear it clearly, but after he finished speaking, Xie Jinxuan paused and his body stiffened instantly.

Xia Qingtang immediately realized that something was wrong. She looked at Xie Jinxuan's profile nervously and saw that his eyes turned red almost instantly.

Xie's mother stood by the door and asked in a low voice: "What happened? What did they say over there?"

Xie Chengye also looked at the house worriedly. Only Xie Jinyun didn't know what had happened and was still kicking pebbles outside the door.

After hearing a few more words from the other end of the phone, Xie Jinxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took a few deep breaths and whispered, "I know, don't worry, uncle."

After hanging up the phone, Xie Jinxuan turned around. He lowered his head, hardly daring to look at his mother, but still said clearly word by word: "Mom, my uncle said that grandma left around five o'clock this afternoon..."

Before she could finish her words, Xie's mother's body swayed and she fell backwards. Fortunately, Xie Chengye had been holding her hand, so he quickly hugged her and prevented Xie's mother from falling headfirst.

Xie Jinyun was stunned at this moment. His feet were still in the posture of kicking pebbles, but his eyes were wide open, revealing confusion, fear and helplessness.

Xie Jinxuan walked over, helped her father to lift up Xie's mother, and then whispered, "Mom, we are going there by bus tomorrow morning. Please ask Dad to find someone to buy tickets now. No matter what kind of tickets we can buy, we must go there immediately."

Mother Xie was completely paralyzed. She could barely stand on her own. After hearing what Xie Jinxuan said, she could only weakly say, "You...go and make the arrangements. I..."

She was speechless and could only cover her heart with her hands, revealing a childlike confusion and fear. The news came too suddenly and she couldn't even cry.

The person on duty in the telephone room quickly brought out a chair and asked them to place Xie's mother on the chair. He then took a clean cup, poured a glass of water and handed it to Xie Chengye.

Xie Jinyun stood there motionless. He watched several people busying themselves taking care of Xie's mother who was about to faint. He waited until Xie's mother and he sat down a little steadily before he went over and carefully held Xie's mother's hand. He whispered, "Mom...Mom..."

Mother Xie looked at her little son's confused and horrified face, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she hugged her little son tightly: "Xiao Yun, Mommy... I don't have a mom anymore..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xie Chengye and Xia Qingtang's eyes also became red.

Xie Jinyun's tears flowed down as if a floodgate had been opened. He seemed to have never cried so hard before. He cried uncontrollably and his limbs became numb.

As a result, after Xie Chengye comforted his wife, he quickly went to comfort his younger son. The staff on duty poured a glass of water and brought it out. He also took out a piece of fruit candy from somewhere, peeled it and gave it to Xie Jinyun to eat.

Xie Jinxuan controlled his emotions from beginning to end. His eyes were just slightly red. He and his father took care of his mother first, and then took care of his younger brother.

But Xia Qingtang could see that Xie Jinxuan was very sad. His eyes looked as if he was about to collapse in the next second, but he was still holding on.

Although they couldn't see each other often, everyone knew that Xie Jinxuan had a very good relationship with her grandmother. Receiving the news of her grandmother's death on the night she had just finished the college entrance examination was a huge blow to Xie Jinxuan.

Last month, Xia Qingtang mentioned this to Xie Jinxuan during dinner, saying that as soon as his scores came out, he would tell his grandmother so that she could be happy too.

After Xie's mother and Xie Jinyun finally recovered from their crying, Xie Chengye immediately said, "Jinxuan, Qingtang, you two take them home. I'll go find someone to buy train tickets now."

It is definitely not enough to just cry together. No matter how sad you are, you still have to do what you have to do.

Xia Qingtang immediately said, "Dad, I want to go with Jinxuan, is that okay?"

Xie Chengye hesitated for a moment and said, "I understand how you feel, but this happened too suddenly, and I don't know how many train tickets I can buy in such a hurry. If I can only buy two, then your mother and Jinxuan will have to go back together, and Xiaoyun and I will have to stand aside."

"I know. Anyway, if I can buy extra tickets, I want to go back with Jinxuan." Xia Qingtang took a step closer and whispered, "I'm afraid he can't hold on."

Xie Chengye glanced at his eldest son, who didn't cry and whose back was still straight, and realized that it was definitely not a good thing for him to be so strong, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. I'll try to buy it. That's it for now. I'm going out now."

"Dad, here's the flashlight!" Xia Qingtang handed the flashlight she brought out to Xie Chengye, and went back to help comfort Xie Jinyun.

After both mother and son calmed down a little, Xie Jinxuan said, "Mom, let's go home first, okay? We can't always sit here, it will disturb others on duty."

The person on duty immediately said, "We are fine. There are no calls at the moment. It won't affect anything."

Mother Xie blinked her red eyes and whispered, "Okay, let's go home first. We still have to pack our things."

She was a decent person after all, and after a brief moment of grief and loss of control, she regained her usual self-control.

Xie Jinxuan helped Xie's mother up, and Xia Qingtang held Xie Jinyun's arm and said, "Xiaoyun, can you still walk?"

Xie Jinyun wiped her tears with the back of her hand and said, "I can walk."

He stood up and followed his mother and brother like a little animal, walking with heavy steps.

This should be the first time that the young boy faced the death of a loved one. Although he only heard it with his ears and had not yet felt it, he knew for the first time what grief was.

When they returned to the small western-style building, Grandpa Xie had not yet arrived home. Aunt Liu was helping Grandma prepare a bath. When she heard them coming back, she ran out to open the door and said, "You're back? What did they say over there?"

Before she finished speaking, she saw Xie's mother's red and swollen eyes and immediately understood: "Ah... yes... yes..."

Xie Jinxuan whispered, "Grandma passed away at around 5pm. My uncle and his family waited until they had finished their work at the hospital before calling us."

Aunt Liu covered her mouth and was unable to speak.

Grandma came out, took Mother Xie's hand and led her to sit on the sofa, then patted her back gently and whispered, "Cry if you want to. You are at home now, you can cry as much as you want."

The tears that Xie's mother had just stopped burst out again. She leaned on her grandmother's shoulder and couldn't stop crying.

Aunt Six held Xie Jinxuan and said, "Why is it so sudden? Didn't you say that the situation was stable before? How could this happen?"

Xie Jinxuan whispered, "The situation should have been bad for a long time, but in order not to distract me from the exam, grandma didn't let them say it. And grandma didn't leave until around five o'clock this afternoon... At that time, the college entrance examination was over... She was waiting for me to finish the exam, waiting for me..."

Xie Jinxuan was talking when he suddenly couldn't continue. He still didn't cry, but his expression looked even sadder than crying.

Xia Qingtang knew that it would be fine if she really cried like Xie's mother and Xie Jinyun, but if she couldn't cry like Xie Jinxuan, it would easily lead to big problems.

She gently calmed Xie Jinxuan down, and then said, "Jinxuan, you should cry too. Crying will make you feel better."

Xie Jinxuan shook her head and said dully, "Don't worry about me. I can't cry, but it's okay."

How could this be alright? From his expression, I knew something serious was going to happen.

But Xia Qingtang had no better idea. She could only sit in the living room with Xie Jinxuan and see how many tickets Xie Chengye could buy.

After Xie's mother finished crying for the second time, Grandpa Xie was finally sent back by a car. The secretary accompanied him to the door of his house and then went back as usual.

Aunt Six hurried over to open the door, and before the old man even walked into the house he heard the news that Xie Jinxuan's grandmother had passed away.

He was startled at first, then nodded and said, "Have you bought the train ticket?"

"Jinxuan's father went to buy some. I wonder how many he was able to buy."

"When did it happen?" Grandpa Xie walked in.

Xie Jinxuan said: "It happened around five in the afternoon."

He nodded: "I probably didn't want to affect your exam, so I didn't tell you."

Xie Jinxuan paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, that should be the case."

Xia Qingtang looked at Xie Jinxuan's expression and felt extremely sad, but didn't know what to do.

Grandpa Xie walked up to Xie Jinxuan, patted his shoulder, and then touched his head, as if he was still a child.

Grandpa Xie said, "Don't think you did anything wrong. You went to take the exam, and everyone knows about it. Your grandmother's illness is also known to everyone. You have been prepared for it. She didn't let them tell you, not because she didn't want you to see her for the last time. She just hopes that you can do well in the exam and have a better future. Your grandmother and I are not young anymore, so I can understand your grandmother's thoughts. It's not that important to see her for the last time. If I know that you can live a good life in the future and walk the path you want to walk, then I can die with a smile on my face. So, you must not blame yourself. When you go back this time, remember what your grandmother told you before and send her off calmly."

Xie Jinxuan had been unable to cry, but after Grandpa Xie touched his head and said these words, his tears suddenly burst out. He lowered his head slightly, and big tears dripped down his chin onto his pants, and his whole body was shaking slightly.

Xia Qingtang also started crying, and at the same time felt a little relieved. As long as he could cry, it was a good thing.

Grandpa Xie continued to touch his grandson's head, and then whispered, "Cry, have a good cry, and then go over there and tell your grandma that you did well in the exam, so that she can rest assured."

Xie Jinxuan cried for a long time, her tears soaking half of her trousers, but he still didn't stop.

Grandpa Xie also maintained this posture without moving, waiting for his eldest grandson to vent his grief.

At this moment, there was a knock at the door: "Is Jinxuan here?"

"Lao Luo?" Xia Qingtang stood up immediately. "We forgot him at home. I'll go out and tell him."

Xia Qingtang rushed out immediately. When Luo Xiangqian saw her, he said, "You guys are really here. What's going on? You went out to answer a phone call and couldn't come back. What are you doing?"

Xia Qingtang rushed to the door and whispered, "Jinxuan's grandmother passed away."

Luo Xiangqian burped loudly, then quickly covered his mouth and widened his eyes.

"Sorry, we came back here right after receiving the call. Dad is going to buy train tickets now. We don't know how many tickets he can buy, but even if he can't buy tickets, Jinxuan will go there tomorrow." Xia Qingtang said, "Are you full? If you are, help me get the key hanging at the door and lock the door, okay?"

Luo Xiangqian was still burping. He was probably frightened, but he nodded immediately and said, "Okay, I'll go over and lock the door and get the key. Wait, I'll be there soon!"

Having said that, he ran away.

Xia Qingtang was standing in the corridor waiting for him. Through the screen door, she could hear the noise inside the house. It was obvious that Xie's mother was still crying quietly, but Xie Jinxuan was still silent.

Not long after, Luo Xiangqian came running over. He handed a bunch of keys to Xia Qingtang and said, "Can I do anything? Do you need me to do anything? If I can help, just tell me. I can do anything."

"Thank you, Lao Luo. There shouldn't be anything I can help with for now. When Jinxuan comes back from there, I'd like you to talk to him more and spend more time with him. Also, tell Leng Feng...you are his best brothers. You have been friends with him for so many years, and you may understand the relationship between him and his grandmother better than I do." Xia Qingtang said sincerely.

At this moment, even if it was Leng Feng, she would go for help.

Luo Xiangqian felt a lump in his throat, his mouth pursed, and he suddenly started crying.

Xia Qingtang smiled with red eyes: "Lao Luo, why are you crying too?"

"I... I'm just very sad... Jinxuan just finished his exam today, and he did very well. How come grandma couldn't wait until he received the admission letter? No, it would be fine if she could just wait until the results came out... I'm just very sad for Jinxuan. You know, if grandma knew he did well, she would be so happy..." As Luo Xiangqian spoke, tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

He was probably a little shy, so he quickly turned his head away and wiped away his tears with his big hands.

Xia Qingtang said softly, "Grandma believes in him very much. Even if she hasn't waited until the day when the results come out, she will know that Jinxuan did very well in the exam. Later, Jinxuan can burn paper and tell her, don't worry."

Luo Xiangqian wiped away his tears again, nodded and said, "Then...then you go in and accompany him. He is very worried, you must comfort him."

"I will, thank you, thank you so much." Xia Qingtang nodded slightly at him and turned to go in.

Xie Jinxuan cried for a long time and stopped only when she had no more tears left.

After crying, he went to the bathroom to wash his face. He felt a little better and was no longer as worrying as before.

Xie Chengye finally came back, and the news he brought back was pretty good. Although the hard seat tickets and hard sleeper tickets were sold out, there were still quite a few soft sleeper tickets that not many people took. He used some connections and bought four soft sleeper tickets, so he could set off early tomorrow morning.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the news.

Only Xie Jinyun stood up. With red eyes, he said, "Dad, can I go over?"

Xie Chengye was stunned for a moment and said, "Xiao Yun, you are going to attend a funeral, you are still a child..."

"I'm not a child anymore. I will be a high school student next semester. Some of our classmates who can't go to high school will go to work. Those who can work are adults. Although I am still studying, I am not a child anymore. Dad, I also want to see grandma off for the last time." Xie Jinyun's attitude was serious and resolute.

Xie Chengye was still hesitating when he heard Grandpa Xie say, "Let Xiaoyun go with you. He wants to see his grandmother off for the last time. As a father, you should fulfill his wish."

"But, there are only four tickets..."

"Get on the train first, and then buy the ticket once you're on board." Grandpa Xie said, "You have four sleeper tickets in total. As long as Xiaoyun can get on the train and buy a standing ticket, she can just sit with you for a day and get there. It's not a big deal."

"Okay, I understand. Then let Xiaoyun go with us." Xie Chengye nodded.

Xie Jinyun immediately said, "Thank you, Grandpa, thank you, Dad. I'll go back to my room and pack my luggage. How many days will we be gone this time?"

Xie Jinyun was on summer vacation, but everyone else still had to go to work, so she could only take leave to go there, so she couldn't stay there for too long.

Xie Chengye said, "Just bring two or three sets of clothes with you. We will be back in a few days at most."

"Okay, I got it." Xie Jinyun ran upstairs and started packing her luggage.

Xie Jinxuan said, "Then Qingtang and I will go back to pack our bags. I'll ask Grandpa to help me take my leave, and Qingtang's leave...maybe I'll have to ask Grandma to come over."

Grandma immediately said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of the leave. I'll go to the cotton mill tomorrow morning and tell the union people."

"Thank you, grandma. We'll go back first." Xie Jinxuan said, and pulled Xia Qingtang out.

At this moment, almost everyone in the compound had gone to bed. As I walked along the road, almost all the houses were dark and had no lights on. Only the street lights that appeared far away were illuminating the road lonely.

Xia Qingtang didn’t know how to comfort Xie Jinxuan, so she could only hold his hand tightly, hoping to give him some courage and support.

She herself had almost no such experiences and emotions. The only time she was heartbroken was when Hu Yanni passed away in her previous life.

The two of them returned home in silence, opened the door and walked in. As soon as Xia Qingtang turned on the light in the living room, she was hugged by Xie Jinxuan.

She immediately hugged him back, and hugged him harder than he did.

She said, “I’m here, I’m here.”

Xie Jinxuan didn't say anything, but just hugged her tightly and shed tears silently for a while.

About ten minutes later, Xie Jinxuan raised her head slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Did I scare you just now?"

"Yes." Xia Qingtang nodded gently, "I know you must be very sad, and I can't empathize with you, but I want to tell you that no matter how long it takes you, I am here, and I will always be here with you."

Xie Jinxuan's eyes softened and she said, "I know."

"Do you want to take a shower first? The hot water is ready." Xia Qingtang's tone was a little cautious.

Xie Jinxuan touched her head and said, "Let's clean up the table first, then take a shower and pick up some clothes to take with us. We won't stay too long this time. The custom there is to bury the body after three days. Today is the first day, and the burial will take place the day after tomorrow morning. After that, we will accompany grandpa and take care of the rest of the things. We will be back in four days at most."

"Okay, I get it. So how much money should we bring?"

"One or two hundred yuan should be enough. Do you have any at home?"

"Yes, I always keep one or two hundred yuan hidden away every day in case of emergency." Xia Qingtang said.

"Okay, let's clean up the table first." Xie Jinxuan looked much more normal now than before.

Xia Qingtang felt a little relieved, so she helped him to clear the dishes and then washed them together.

They were busy until after eleven o'clock at night before they lay down together. It was hot, so everyone slept with the windows open, but there was no cool breeze coming in from outside.

Fortunately, there was no power outage tonight, so Xia Qingtang placed the electric fan at home next to the bed and blew air onto the big bed.

She could feel that Xie Jinxuan hadn't fallen asleep yet. After lying there for about an hour, Xia Qingtang suddenly asked, "Do you want to talk?"

"You can't sleep either?" Xie Jinxuan's voice sounded a little hoarse.

"Yes, I can't sleep." Xia Qingtang said, "How about we talk?"

"Okay..." Xie Jinxuan held her hand and said, "Do you want to hear the stories of my childhood and my grandmother? There are still many stories that I haven't finished yet."

"I want to hear it, you tell me, I really want to hear it."

Xie Jinxuan began to talk about the past events that she had not finished talking about before. It was unknown how long she talked before Xia Qingtang gradually lost consciousness.

It seemed that she had not slept for long. She felt the person next to her sitting up, and she woke up immediately: "Is it time?"

Xie Jinxuan looked at her with some self-blame: "I'm sorry, I woke you up. There's still some time, you can sleep a little longer."

Xia Qingtang rubbed his eyes and sat up: "Didn't we buy a soft sleeper? It's as comfortable as a high-end hotel. Then I'll sleep on the train."

So, the two of them went out to wash up together, and after they were done, they carried their luggage bags to the small western-style building.

The lights were on on the first and second floors. Aunt Liu had almost not slept all night, and was busy in the kitchen making vegetable pancakes and boiled eggs for them to take on the train.

"I know you all have no appetite now, but you have to eat no matter how sad you are. People are made of iron and rice is made of steel. If you don't eat, you will be hungry. I have packed all these. You can eat them when you are hungry in the car. And these peaches are all fresh. I have washed them, so you can eat them directly." Aunt Liu said, "Xiao Yun, I will pack you some peach cakes and biscuits, okay?"

Xie Jinyun was wearing a cotton shirt and dark blue shorts. He was still in a daze and did not react when he heard Sixth Aunt talking to him.