"Bang bang bang!"
A knock came at the door.
Wang Shouren was still sleeping when he heard a knock on the door and rubbed his eyes.
Qin Jingru also got up.
They are all in relatively good health and don't sleep too late.
"Go drive..." Qin Jingru nudged Wang Shouren.
Wang Shouren; ...
"You sleep outside."
"Oh..." Qin Jingru pulled her feet back, letting Wang Shouren pass.
Wang Shouren sighed, pinched her cheek, got up, got out of bed, dressed, and opened the door, all in less than three minutes.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw an old man with a calm expression.
"Sir, what's going on?"
“You’re an old lady, come and help out.”
"Gone? Where did he go?" Wang Shouren hadn't reacted yet, mainly because the old man was too damn calm.
"He passed away..."
Wang Shouren: ...
Qin Jingru: ...
After a flurry of activity, Wang Shouren and Qin Jingru went out together. An old man comforted them, saying, "Don't rush. I've taken care of everything. You just need to arrange the rest."
Qin Jingru's eyes turned red.
If you were to ask who she was closest to in this courtyard, besides the Third Uncle, it would be the First Aunt.
It was only later that the third uncle started chatting with her.
When she first arrived at this courtyard, she appeared carefree on the surface, but she was genuinely afraid—afraid that Wang Shouren would abandon her and send her back to the countryside. Or perhaps, Wang Shouren simply wanted her to cover up his relationship with Qin Huairu. An older woman gently and softly advised her on what to be careful about in the city.
Where to buy groceries, where the food ration coupon station is, where things are cheap, and when is the best time to do laundry.
And so on and so forth, a whole series of city life experiences that she was unfamiliar with were taught to her step by step by an older woman.
Now, the middle-aged woman who was perfectly fine yesterday has suddenly passed away, which she can't accept.
Seven days later
The courtyard grew quiet; the passing of the elderly woman had affected many. Many people had traveled from afar to return. After all, she had lived a life that could be described as "kind to others." Yi Xiaochuan rushed back from the United States to see the elderly woman one last time, his voice hoarse from crying.
An old man stood to the side, puffing on his cigarette, neither shedding a tear nor showing any sign of sadness.
After all that was done, everyone left.
An old man took out the old woman's box from the cupboard and handed it over along with the things he had prepared: "Xiao Chuan, this is what your mother asked me to give you before she passed away. Also, these are what I prepared for your future son or daughter. Your mother's is quite special; I heard it's a gift from a princess in the palace. Remember to keep it safe; it can be passed down as a family heirloom. As for mine, it's not as thoughtful as your mother's."
The old man's share was also very simple: a land deed and a bankbook, nothing more.
"Dad, you keep it. You can give it to me after our baby is born." Yi Xiaochuan's eyes widened; he was genuinely scared.
Seeing his father like this, there was no sadness or grief, only a calmness as if he were making his final arrangements.
The old man didn't insist and nodded: "Alright, I'll put it in the hidden compartment in the inner room, remember that."
"Dad, you..."
"Go ahead and study. At this age, everyone has to go through this. I'm still in good health and won't die anytime soon, so don't worry."
Yi Xiaochuan nodded. His resilience was stronger than that of ordinary people. He was heartbroken, but he still had to do what needed to be done. Besides, the old man didn't want him to stay here like this.
"Then, Dad, take care."
"Go on, go on," the old man waved his hand.
Yi Xiaochuan walked to the door and then went to Uncle San's house to ask for help from Uncle San's family. As for Wang Shouren, he had already asked for help the night before he left.
The third uncle readily agreed, but he was also somewhat saddened. The passing of the older woman made him sense the approach of death. It turned out that their generation was also beginning to fade away.
After Yi Xiaochuan left.
The old woman sighed, "Sigh, the child that the old man adopted is very filial, but it's a bit late in life. He's so young, and he has to face all this. It's not easy for him."
“What’s so unpleasant about it?” The third uncle shook his head. “In our time, it was much more unpleasant.”
Modern people find it hard to understand the discomfort that the elderly folks are talking about.
In modern times, most families only face the loss of their parents when they reach middle or old age. But in this era, most parents of the generation like my great-uncle and great-aunt don't live to that age. Some even die young. Many of them grit their teeth and persevere.
"The one who's really suffering is Lao Yi. He's been acting strange lately. When an old lady passed away, he didn't cry or get angry. Now all he does is go out and wander around aimlessly."
"Isn't this good?"
"Good my ass." The old man rarely swore. "He was keeping it all inside. Who knows, it might explode any day now. You know, how could he just leave like that? Maybe if he went to the hospital, they could have saved him or something."
"It's not like she just left on a whim." The older woman hesitated for a moment before saying, "Didn't you notice? During the time before she left, which was the same time we went on our trip, she was in great spirits, just like that... what you said..."
"A final burst of energy before death."
"Yes, it was a final burst of energy before death. Especially after she came back, she was so refreshed and energetic. We were even saying that Auntie's health was getting better and better." Auntie San, who was with Auntie Yi all day long, knew Auntie Yi's personality perfectly well.
In the past, this woman was a rather mild-mannered person. Because of her heart condition, she was efficient in her work, but not fast. She did things slowly to avoid stimulating her heart. But in the last six months, she seemed like a completely different person, always one step ahead of everyone else in everything. These were all signs, but no one paid any attention.
Oh, perhaps there were, but only one Wang Shouren saw them.
He had no other options, so he simply kept quiet.
"I see, no wonder." The third uncle sighed. "However, we still need to find a way to resolve Old Yi's matter. We can't let him continue like this."
"I actually think he's quite good."
"What a load of rubbish! He doesn't even come out to practice his Tai Chi every day anymore!"
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