The rain came suddenly in the early hours of summer, like an unexpected farewell. The branches and leaves of the weeping crabapple were wet with raindrops, and a fresh, earthy smell filled the air. Countless rain lines blended into a blurry mass of light and shadow under the lampposts in the courtyard.
A moment later, three figures emerged from the shadows and entered the courtyard, simultaneously appearing in Pei Sui's somewhat unfocused eyes. He paused for a moment and saw that it was A-Juan and another nanny holding an umbrella and helping the old lady walk this way.
He immediately strode out to meet her, but the old lady quickly waved her hand, saying, "It's raining, don't come over, you'll get wet and then you'll have even more work to do."
She was getting old and couldn't really stay here all night. Around 8 o'clock, she became restless and went back to the fourth courtyard. But knowing Cui Xueheng's condition, she couldn't sleep well either. Around 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock, she got up and came over twice.
This was the third time. Reaching the corridor, Ah Juan and the others closed their umbrellas. From inside, she could faintly hear an almost deafening cry. She paused, looking at Pei Sui in astonishment. "Gone?"
Pei Sui pursed her lips and nodded.
The old lady sighed, "She's suffered too."
After saying that, she quickly went to the bedroom. Looking at Cui Xueheng lying lifeless on the bed, the old lady's eyes reddened again.
After all, she had been Cui Xueheng's daughter-in-law for over thirty years, and the old lady was still heartbroken by Cui Xueheng's departure.
The old man, son, and daughter-in-law all walked ahead of her.
How can a parent not feel pain when they bury their child?
The old lady's back hunched over, and it took her a long time to steady her voice before she said to Pei Yu, "Yu, let's begin the funeral."
His voice was full of vicissitudes and bitterness.
"grandmother."
Pei Yu stepped forward to support her and said in a low voice, "Please take care of yourself. The mortician has arrived. Leave the rest to me."
The old woman sighed again, "Perhaps this is a relief for her. Are you planning to hold her funeral at the funeral home?"
Pei Yu pursed his lips and pondered for a moment, "Let's do it in the fifth courtyard. Mom would probably prefer to say goodbye here."
On their way back through the fifth courtyard, as they passed the plum garden, Cui Xueheng pointed in the direction of the plum garden with her finger, and Pei Huan immediately understood that she wanted to go in.
She stayed inside for more than ten minutes before being carried back into the house because her condition was unstable.
When she left, Cui Xueheng looked longingly at the plum trees inside.
Although she left suddenly without leaving any last words, they all knew very well what home meant to Cui Xueheng, and that home made her feel safe.
The flickering light danced in the old lady's cloudy eyes. She nodded. "Alright, let her go in peace. Let's hold it at home. You and Asui will have to work hard these next few days. If there's anything, you two brothers can discuss it together."
"I'll contact the temple later and ask them to come and perform a ritual for your mother in a couple of days."
"Okay, Grandma, you should go back and get some sleep." Pei Yu glanced at the nanny next to the old lady. "It's raining outside, don't let Grandma get wet."
The nanny responded with a "yes" and then helped the old lady back to the fourth courtyard.
The Pei family home was brightly lit. Pei Yu quickly pulled himself out of his grief and got busy.
Around 7 a.m., white silk was hung on the Pei family's magnificent mahogany gate, plunging the large mansion into an atmosphere of sorrow.
When Gu Ci came over carrying a double-layered basket, Pei Sui was on the phone with Meng Sheng.
The rain curtain acted like a natural filter, the mist obscuring his handsome features. His figure, standing under the eaves, as solitary as a pine tree on a cliff, came straight into her view.
Gu Ci's gaze suddenly became unfocused for a moment as she tried to reconcile the man under the corridor with the image of the boy deep in her memory.
The person is the same.
But many things have changed.
He no longer belongs to her.
Suddenly, a fragment of memory was unearthed from my mind and began to play like a slideshow.
It seems like it was when I was seventeen, it was raining in the summer again, and it was also at the Pei family home, but this time it was at Pei Sui's Zhishui Residence in the fourth courtyard.
At that time, she was in good health and had gone to school. Pei Sui was a year ahead of her. She remembered that it was a Saturday. She went to Pei's house to visit the old lady and Cui Xueheng, and then came to find Pei Sui to do her homework together.
Pei Sui was sitting under the eaves at the time, holding a history book in his hand.
She, too, gazed at him through the rain.
But Pei Sui soon saw her too. Although his expression was still cold, he put down his book, opened his umbrella and came over to greet her, taking the schoolbag and two snacks he had brought from the Gu family from her hands.
Although he didn't say anything, Gu Ci was still touched by his actions.
She always knew that Pei Sui only seemed cold, but as long as it was someone he truly wanted to protect and liked, he would be very attentive and considerate, would shield her from all difficulties, and would even be a little indulgent towards her.
As they walked under the eaves, she took his arm with a tender and happy expression, her voice soft and gentle with a hint of coquetry, "It's July already, but it still feels chilly after the rain."
Pei Sui glanced at her sideways and said, "If you're cold, go put on that coat inside."
Gu Ci agreed with sweet joy and went to Pei Sui's dressing room to get a large, thin baseball jacket to put on.
At that time, she felt like the happiest person in the world.
Even if she has a physical disability, she has a fiancé who loves her very much.
Indeed, in the past, she attributed all of Pei Sui's kindness to her as love, never considering that it was simply Pei Sui's sense of responsibility.
She also didn't notice that Pei Sui never wore the baseball jersey she had casually draped over her shoulders again, because after she returned it to him in front of many classmates at school on Monday, Pei Sui casually threw it into the trash can.
It was precisely because of those beautiful memories, knowing how good Pei Sui was, and cherishing the love he showed her, that she wanted to take Pei Sui back from Meng Sheng. This desire had become an obsession that haunted her in both her past and present lives.
She had never once thought how wonderful it would be to go back to her childhood.
She wanted to experience once again the tenderness that Pei Sui showed her exclusively, the kind of coldness he only showed to others.
But now, she has no chance anymore.
How can she not regret her decision to annul the engagement, and how can she not resent the injustice of fate?
Isn't she miserable enough?
Why did God have to add insult to injury and bring her even more suffering?
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