Chapter 384 The End

As for how Gu Xiao later discussed things with Commander Gu, she didn't know the specific process. She only knew that Commander Gu finally relented before her family returned to the capital.

A new caregiver, surnamed He, appeared in the home. She was a neat, efficient woman in her forties with experience in nursing. Caregiver He visited daily, primarily assisting Wu Ma with heavy and delicate tasks, and also paying extra attention to Commander Gu's daily life and health.

Aunt Wu was quite pleased with this, and privately told Nan Zhiyi, "This is great! Comrade Xiao He is quick and efficient, and also very meticulous. With her help, I can have it so much easier."

Nan Zhiyi put her arm around Wu Ma's no longer upright shoulders and gently instructed, "That's good. You must never do everything yourself like before. You must take care of your health and never overwork yourself."

Aunt Wu patted the back of her hand and nodded repeatedly: "I know, I know, I know what I'm doing, don't worry."

She was somewhat reluctant to part with him, and her rough palms caressed the back of Nan Zhiyi's hand.

"Once you return to the capital, this old man of mine will really miss you and Xiaoman... This departure means I'll only be able to see you once a year again..."

These words stirred up Nan Zhiyi's sadness.

Their little family and Commander Gu of Jian'an rarely saw each other, often only able to reunite during holidays.

For her and Gu Xiao, Commander Gu was their only remaining elder.

The thought immediately stirred up uncontrollable longing for my deceased parents, and my heart felt as if something was blocking it, causing a dull ache.

That night, Gu Xiao returned home very late, carrying a faint smell of alcohol.

Nan Zhi saw him enter and pursed her lips slightly.

Seeing her expression, Gu Xiao immediately softened his voice, "Good wife, don't be angry. I visited some senior leaders today and couldn't refuse, so I had a little drink. Just a little. I'll go wash up right away and make sure I smell nice right away."

He went out today to make some necessary arrangements on behalf of the Gu family. Nan Zhiyi has never been fond of these kinds of social engagements, so she did not go with him.

After Gu Xiao quickly finished showering, he immediately pulled his wife into his arms and coaxed her softly, "I'm sorry I came back late, don't be angry, okay?"

"I'm not angry... I... I just miss my parents."

In front of Gu Xiao, she didn't need to hide this vulnerability.

"Then let's go pay respects to your parents-in-law tomorrow, and take Xiaoman with us, the whole family will go together, okay?"

"good..."

Nan Zhiyi nodded in his arms.

She was a thorough materialist, educated in modern science, and knew perfectly well that worship was just a ritual, a way for the living to express their grief, and did not really believe in the existence of souls, ghosts, or the underworld.

But at this moment, the deep longing stemming from blood ties and memories makes her willing to set aside rational understanding.

Gu Xiao sensed his wife's low spirits and gently patted her back, "Good wife, don't be sad..."

Nan Zhiyi murmured softly, "Gu Xiao, I don't know if I'm sad, or rather, it's not entirely sadness... it's just that when I think of them, my heart feels swollen and achy."

She asked a question she would never normally ponder: "Fifth Brother, do people really have souls after they die?"

Nan Zhiyi suddenly felt a strange sense of fear.

She feared that if she remained a materialist all her life, her death would ultimately be nothingness.

She was afraid that in that endless darkness and silence, she would never see the person who was holding her so tightly again.

What she feared even more was what would happen if there truly was another world, and she had no soul, or if she missed her chance with Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao was stumped by the question.

He was also a staunch atheist and a soldier who believed in science.

Based on his past education and preconceived notions, he would not hesitate to give a negative answer.

But at this moment, seeing the deep sorrow and fear of loss in his wife's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to give that rational answer.

He ultimately chose an honest answer: "I don't know."

He carefully chose his words and whispered in her ear, "But ever since I married you, I've often thought that if people really have souls, even if it's just in the last moment when they dissipate, I will definitely find you and wait for you."

"If... if it turns out that it's not true in the end, then let's cherish every day we live and every moment we spend together. I will engrave you firmly in my heart and remember you in my bones. That way, even if there is no next life, my life in this life will be complete, and there will be no room for anyone else."

He didn't give a definite answer because no one could.

Nan Zhiyi reached out and hugged him tightly, burying her face deep in the crook of his neck.

Yes, whether they have souls or not may not matter; what matters is that at this moment, they truly possess each other.

This possession is enough to ward off the fear of unknown death and to smooth away the marks left by time.

The next day, light snow began to fall.

Seeing that Nan Zhiyi didn't say she wouldn't go, Gu Xiao silently prepared a few simple offerings and drove his wife and children to the cemetery outside the city.

As the car started, Xiaoman curiously peered out the window at the swirling snowflakes. "Mommy, where are we going?"

Nan Zhiyi touched her son's little face.

He was too young, and his memories of the times he had brought the offerings to his maternal grandparents were already blurred.

"Let's go see Mom's dad and mom."

Xiaoman asked logically, "Grandpa is Dad's dad. Mom, do you also have your own mom and dad?"

Nan Zhiyi felt a pang of sadness, but smiled gently on her face: "Yes, of course, Mom also has her own mom and dad."

"Where do they live? Why have I never seen them?"

Xiaoman's questions kept coming one after another.

Nan Zhiyi gazed at the increasingly dense snow curtain outside the window, her voice softening, "They... live in a place we can't see right now. You'll find out later."

Xiaoman seemed to understand, but seeing that her mother didn't seem to want to say more, she didn't ask any further questions and instead continued to look at the snow scene outside the window.

The car stopped outside the quiet cemetery.

The cemetery appeared even more solemn and peaceful in the snow, with a thin layer of white accumulated on the branches and leaves of the pines and cypresses.

Gu Xiao carried the offerings in one hand and held Nan Zhiyi's slightly cool hand tightly in the other. Xiao Man was led by Nan Zhiyi on the other side. The family of three walked slowly into the depths of the path, which was already covered with snow.

Arriving at the two tombstones side by side, a layer of snow had already settled on the bluestone slabs, and the inscriptions on the tombstones appeared exceptionally clear under the snow's glow.

The little one sensed the unusual atmosphere and became unusually well-behaved, tightly gripping his mother's fingers and clumsily following his parents' example by bowing.

Gu Xiao squatted down, gently brushed the snow off the tombstone with his sleeve, arranged the snacks and fruits he had brought, and lit the incense and candles.

Nan Zhiyi held Xiaoman's hand and watched quietly.

Fine snowflakes landed on her hair and shoulders, but she was oblivious. She simply spoke softly to the cold stone tombstone, "Dad, Mom... Gu Xiao and I brought Xiaoman to see you... It's snowing, are you... cold...?"

Her voice was very soft, swallowed up by the sound of wind and snow.

Gu Xiao bowed, stood back beside her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

The flames of burning paper money flickered in the wind and snow, reflecting the faces of the family of three.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, gradually covering the graves in white.

Worried that his wife and children would catch a cold, Gu Xiao waited until the memorial ceremony was completed, then held Nan Zhiyi, whose eyes were red with tears, tightly with one hand, picked up Xiaoman with the other, bowed deeply to the tombstone again, and slowly left this peaceful resting place through the increasingly thick snow.

On the way back, Xiaoman was unusually quiet, pressing her face against the car window and looking at the white world outside, her little mind still processing everything she had just seen.

Much later, when Gu Zhao truly understood the meaning of "death," he realized that the "unseen place" his mother spoke of was truly gone forever.

That place has no specific address and cannot be reached by footsteps; it can only be treasured in the heart, touched by longing on every snowy day or in the dead of night.