Chapter 39
That night, Lu Wancheng died in front of Lin Qingyu.
He had drooping eyelashes and a serene expression. He was wearing a festive scarlet robe and looked clean and clear. One of his hands was held by Lin Qingyu, and the other hand was placed on the armrest of the wheelchair, as if he was really just asleep.
His face lost its support and fell to the side, just as it had done before when he dozed off in his wheelchair. Lin Qingyu subconsciously dropped the umbrella in her hand and held Lu Wancheng's cold cheek.
Without the shelter of the umbrella, the snow fell silently on their hair, faces, and shoulders.
The fierce servant told Lin Qingyu the funeral process. He should remember it very clearly, but now, he was a little confused and at a loss - Lu Wancheng was dead, what should he do.
Huantong was really worried, so she came to the yard to check the situation. He saw his young master kneeling on one knee in front of the wheelchair, his bright red wedding dress spread out on the snow, his long hair blocking his profile. He held the young marquis's hand with one hand and cupped his cheek with the other. Beside him stood an open umbrella covered with white snow.
The two of them were motionless, like statues.
"Young Marquis!"
Lin Qingyu heard a cry from behind him - it was Huantong's voice.
Huan Tong was someone he brought from the Lin Mansion. At the beginning, like him, she hated the entire Nan'an Marquis Mansion. Who could have thought that he would cry so sadly for Lu Wancheng in the end.
In less than a year, he was able to win people's hearts to this extent. Lu Wancheng is really capable.
Huantong knelt in front of the wheelchair, crying breathlessly. His crying brought Lin Qingyu back to reality from his daze.
Lu Wancheng is dead. Maybe he has been reborn in some bizarre world, or maybe he is really dead.
No one could tell him the answer, and he didn't know if he could wait for the answer. But no matter what, he promised Lu Wancheng that he would watch him go and then live well.
He has already done the first half.
Lin Qingyu stood up slowly. He maintained the same posture for too long, and when he stood up, his vision went dark for a moment and he nearly fell, but he finally managed to keep his balance. "Don't cry," he heard himself say, "Didn't you hear what the vicious man said? If you drop your tears on him, you won't dream of him anymore."
Huan Tong said in a trembling voice: "Young Master..."
Lin Qingyu gradually recalled what the fierce waiter had said, and woodenly ordered: "Move him into the house, cover his face with white silk, and there is no need to change the shroud. Just let him wear this shroud for burial. After doing this, you can go and report the death." He paused, and then said: "By the way, carry him on your back, not in a princess hug."
Huan Tong choked up and nodded: "What about you, Master?"
"I'm going to change my clothes."
He couldn't let others see him wearing his wedding gown and painted flowers. Only Lu Wancheng can see it, no one else can.
Reporting the death, embalming, guarding the shop... Lu Wancheng's funeral went on in an orderly manner. Lin Qingyu took care of everything personally, and even when the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion was in turmoil and difficult situation, he still arranged a grand funeral for Lu Wancheng.
When the news reached the palace, the queen was greatly saddened. The child that the younger sister who died young gave birth to with her life eventually died after reaching the age of twenty. She also thought of her own children who were far away in another palace and it was difficult for her to see them. She had to watch other people's sons enjoying a glorious life every day, which made her even more heartbroken.
The Queen secretly shed tears in Fengyi Palace. She couldn't leave the palace, so she could only send her trusted eunuch to the mansion to express her condolences. His Majesty showed sympathy for his subjects and bestowed many gifts upon them. He also allowed Marquis Nan'an to rest and recuperate at home. As for the many affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, the Crown Prince could take charge of them first.
Duke Wen and his wife burst into tears when they learned that their grandson had passed away. They were old and could not bear to see such sad scenes, so they selected a few capable managers to help take care of the funeral arrangements for their granddaughter-in-law. They knew that their grandson cared about his daughter-in-law, otherwise he would not have asked them for her again and again, just because he did not want his daughter-in-law to be troubled by the housekeeping affairs.
In addition to the Lu clan, most of those who came to pay their respects were officials from the court and their families. The visitor met the man who was married to him by the emperor himself in the mourning hall. But he was seen kneeling in front of the coffin in mourning clothes, with an indifferent expression, and he did not shed a single tear from beginning to end. In the middle of the mourning hall was a large Chinese character "甸", with white banners fluttering in the wind, which actually made his appearance look somewhat mysterious and beautiful.
Two young masters passed away in the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion within a month. The master was bedridden and the mistress was crazy. It was really unbelievable and caused many gossipers to discuss privately: the so-called husband and wife can only be one man and one woman, and two men getting married is against the will of heaven. Not to mention that the man’s wife was so beautiful, how could a sickly man bear it? Now, retribution has come. It is obvious that what happened to Nan'an Marquis' Mansion that day was not joy but disaster.
There was a constant stream of mourners during the day, and only at night could Lin Qingyu find some peace. Hualu put paper money into the brazier while crying. She was the one crying the saddest in the entire Lanfeng Pavilion.
"What's there to cry about?" Lin Qingyu said calmly, "Didn't I tell you a long time ago that he won't survive the winter?"
Hualu burst into tears: "But, but... Shaojun, are you really not sad at all?"
Lin Qingyu was stunned for a moment and said, "Not bad."
Everything was as he expected. As soon as he saw Lu Wancheng for the first time, he knew that he would not live long. You have a year to prepare yourself mentally, so there is nothing to be sad about.
Lin Qingyu looked at Lu Wancheng's tablet and felt uncomfortable no matter how he looked at it. He thought about it for a long time and finally realized what was wrong. He stood up suddenly and said, "You are wrong."
"Young Master, what did you say?"
"His name is not Lu Wancheng."
Pan and Hua Lu looked at each other. Mrs. Pan thought that Lin Qingyu was in a state of confusion because he had not rested for too long, so she advised him, "Why don't you go back to your room and rest for a while? I'll be guarding here."
Lin Qingyu shook his head and repeated what he had just said: "His name is not Lu Wancheng."
Pan was helpless: "If his name is not Lu Wancheng, what else can he be called?"
Lin Qingyu opened his lips and said, "His name is Jiang..."
The voice stopped abruptly.
But the crying did not stop; it was sad, intermittent and annoying.
Lin Qingyu tried hard to block out these voices. He has a photographic memory and he never forgets anything he hears. As long as that person has mentioned it, he will be able to remember it.
However, he thought about it for a long time, and even though everyone had left and he was the only one left in the mourning hall, he still couldn't think of the person's name. He only remembered the man's indecent nonsense on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival:
"My last name is Zhu, and my given name is Da Zhuang. Besides calling me 'Wan Cheng', you can also call me 'Brother Da Zhuang'."
"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Actually, my last name is Jiang, and my name is..."
Lin Qingyu chuckled.
The candlelight illuminated his pale yet handsome face. He slowly put away his smile, and after that, he had no other expression.
He just sat there in front of the man's coffin until dawn.
The time after Lu Wancheng's death seemed to pass extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already his seventh day.
According to legend, the soul of the deceased will return home on the seventh day to see his relatives for the last time, and only then can he be peacefully reincarnated. On the seventh night after the soul returns, family members should avoid the coffin and meet the deceased in a dream.
Lin Qingyu never believed these things, but still went to bed early. Maybe it was because he had been overworked these days, but he soon felt sleepy.
In his sleep, he vaguely heard someone calling his name. The voice was unfamiliar, but the tone was very familiar, casual but with a smile, just like someone.
Lin Qingyu suddenly opened his eyes. He thought he would see Lu Wancheng, but unexpectedly he saw a strange boy.
The young man was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. He wore foreign clothes that he had never seen before. He had neat short hair, and his facial features were unbridled and delicate. His eyebrows were raised with a lazy look, and he looked handsome as if he had not gotten enough sleep.
The young man sat on the floor leaning against the bed. Seeing that he had woken up, he smiled and called him, "Qingyu."
Lin Qingyu looked at him in a daze.
"I didn't lie to you," the young man held his chin and smiled, "Am I much better looking than Lu Wancheng?"
Lin Qingyu nodded in a daze.
The boy asked again: "Is your voice better than his?"
Lin Qingyu nodded again.
The boy took his hand and placed it on his abdomen: "Let me feel your abdominal muscles."
The boy was only wearing a thin piece of clothing with short sleeves. Lin Qingyu touched the so-called abdominal muscles, which were warm, firm, full of vitality, and extremely real.
——Is it a dream? Is this the Lu Wancheng he imagined?
The young man looked at him for a while and sighed: "It's so hard to meet you, why are you so stupid? If you don't talk, I'll leave."
Lin Qingyu was anxious and grabbed the boy's clothes: "Where are you going?"
"There is only one road ahead of me, and I can only go forward. As for where this road leads, I don't know. Do you still remember our secret code?"
Lin Qingyu recited it immediately.
The boy showed a satisfied smile and stood up: "I should go now."
Lin Qingyu followed him out of bed, only to find that the boy was actually half a head taller than him. "Name," Lin Qingyu asked eagerly, "What's your name?"
The boy was silent for a moment, then suddenly picked him up by the waist. Lin Qingyu was caught off guard by the hug and subconsciously hugged the boy's neck. The boy laughed happily: "You are so light, lighter than I thought."
This guy doesn't allow others to carry him like a princess, but he can carry others like a princess so easily.
Lin Qingyu wanted to mock him, but then he remembered that this person was already dead and they were in a dream, so he swallowed his words and asked the most important question: "What is your name? If you don't tell me, how can I offer sacrifices to you?"
The boy put him back on the bed and knelt on one knee in front of the bed, just like he knelt on one knee in front of the wheelchair that day. "If I can come back, I will tell you. If I don't come back, just pretend that I have never been here."
"No, I want you to tell me now."
The boy ignored him, turned and walked into the night, waving at him with his back turned.
Lin Qingyu wanted to chase after him, but his feet seemed to be rooted and he couldn't move at all.
"River……"
Jiang what?
Lin Qingyu woke up from his dream, only to see that the sky was bright and the room was filled with dim light.
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