When they left, everyone staying at the nearby hotel came to see them off.
"Have a safe journey. We'll meet up in Jiang City once things are settled here."
Looking at Yangyang's father, whose temples were graying, Zhou Chunhua nodded and instructed, "Be careful."
Yangyang's father nodded.
Finally, they drove away as everyone watched them go.
Along the way, the black hearse drove ahead, and she drove behind with Gu Yao and the two children.
Looking at the cold, black glass of the hearse, Lu Ming's carefree smile kept flashing through her mind. Even when he was seriously injured, he would always say with a smile, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
After traveling for several days and nights, they returned to Jiang City.
The funeral home that received Lu Ming had been contacted in advance. After entering the funeral home, they quietly began to prepare Lu Ming's remains.
"Mr. Lu passed away peacefully with a smile on his face," the mortician said.
Zhou Chunhua felt a pang of sadness, and it took her a long time to manage to say, "Please take good care of him so that he can say goodbye to his relatives and friends in a dignified manner."
After leaving the funeral home, she first took Gu Yao and the children home.
Nana was already waiting at home. As soon as they entered, she arranged for them to have dinner.
Zhou Chunhua didn't go inside. She just asked Zhu Lina to take care of Gu Yao and the child for a while before turning around and heading to the sanatorium where Lu Ming's mother was staying.
Just like last time, after registering her, the receptionist nurse led her to the ward.
This time, however, it was only her.
In the same hospital room, the old lady sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, quietly reading a book in her hands.
She closed the door, walked over, and sat down opposite the old lady.
Just as she was about to speak, the old lady suddenly looked up at her.
This startled Zhou Chunhua.
You should know that Lu Ming had not only told her about the young lady's illness, but even when Lu Ming came before, the old lady never responded or made any move.
“Lu…Mom?” She opened her mouth.
"Xiao Ming... he's gone?" The old lady's voice was hoarse and indistinct.
“You…” Zhou Chunhua didn’t know how to express her shock.
“I’m not sick. I just have to do this because only in this way can I collect his body.”
Halfway through her sentence, the old lady's eyes were already red and swollen.
Tears fell one after another onto the pages of the book, soaking the paper and wetting the words.
The old lady turned her head to look out the French windows.
"When you came last time, the maple leaves were a beautiful red. His smile was like the maple leaves, burning hot."
At this moment, the room, though bathed in sunlight, is filled with sorrow.
"I'm sorry. It's all because of me." Zhou Chunhua bowed her head and apologized again, "I'm sorry."
The old lady slowly turned to look at her, tears still clinging to her face. Instead of blame, her eyes held a hint of relief.
"It's not your fault. I led him down this path. The outcome was already predetermined the moment he embarked on this path, and it has nothing to do with you."
She suddenly lowered her hand, slowly took her hand, and said, "Speaking of which, I should thank you. You saved him from prison and gave him his final dignity."
Before she could speak, the old lady let go of her hand.
"Will I... be able to see him one last time?"
Zhou Chunhua nodded.
After explaining the situation, showing the relevant documents, and completing the registration, she drove the elderly woman to the funeral home.
In the mourning hall, Lu Ming lay in the coffin. After tidying up his appearance, he wore light makeup.
The bullet wound wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely.
The slight upturn of his lips softened his coldness.
The old lady withdrew her hand from her support, cupped Lu Ming's face in her hands, and remained motionless.
Zhou Chunhua stepped aside and lowered her head to wipe away her tears.
The most tragic thing in the world is for a parent with white hair to bury their child with black hair.
But fate is fickle.
The old lady stood there all afternoon, holding Lu Ming's face in her hands.
Even when it stopped moving, it insisted on leaning against the coffin, unwilling to leave.
Zhou Chunhua didn't try to persuade her; she just stayed quietly by her side.
Even as evening fell, the old lady collapsed to the ground, but her hand remained tightly clasped around Lu Ming.
She brought a cushion for the old lady to sit on, then sat cross-legged beside her so the old lady could lean on it.
She stayed with him like that all night.
The old lady didn't speak; even her tears were silent.
Lu Ming's funeral was very simple.
The only ones who came to pay their respects were Gu Yao and Zhang Bo and Zhang Xiaonuan, who had difficulty moving around.
The bouquets they brought were placed in front of Lu Ming's portrait.
Not long after they sat down, Zhang Bo and Zhang Xiaonuan came to say goodbye to the old lady.
It seems that Zhang Xiaonuan has kicked her drug addiction, but she has become so thin that she looks different, although she seems to be in much better spirits than before.
A pair of eyes softened and gained warmth.
After Zhang Bo passed away, Gu Yao sat in the mourning hall all night.
They didn't say anything, they just quietly stayed with the old lady.
As dawn broke, a small box became Lu Ming's final resting place.
She and Gu Yao accompanied the old lady to bury Lu Ming at Fuzeyuan.
The old woman, who hadn't spoken for two days, simply hugged the tombstone and gently stroked the photo on it.
As darkness fell, the old woman finally said, her voice choked with emotion, "Son, go well, don't look back. If there's a next life, please don't be my son again."
In one sentence, the old lady expressed all her self-reproach.
This scene made Zhou Chunhua even more upset.
If it weren't for her, Lu Ming wouldn't have...
Unfortunately, in this world, there are everything, except "what ifs".
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Xu Xiuzhen dialed Su Mu's number again.
"Where are you? I've been waiting for you here for four days. Are you coming or not?"
"You old hag, what's the rush? It'll be over soon!"
"When is 'soon'?" Xu Xiuzhen pressed.
"We're already at Chentian, only half an hour away! What's the rush!"
Xu Xiuzhen gritted her teeth: "Fine. I'll wait for you."
Half an hour later, Xu Xiuzhen heard the sound of brakes.
Chentian is a remote town.
The place she chose was a small rented house on the edge of Xiangshuihe Township, which is under Chentian Town.
Generally speaking, there are very few cars, let alone passersby.
Looking out from behind the curtains, Su Mu, wearing a mink coat and a bright red tight-fitting pencil skirt, had just gotten out of the driver's seat.
"Shameless thing, her skirt is so short it doesn't even cover her buttocks," Xu Xiuzhen muttered before walking towards the door.
He opened the door and waved to Su Mu.
Su Mu threw the cigarette he was holding on the ground, looked around, and walked in through the door in his high heels with a look of disgust.
"Why did we have to come to this lousy place to talk? Why not anywhere else?" Su Mu complained impatiently, looking at the mud on his shoes with a pained expression.
Xu Xiuzhen didn't reply, but instead slammed the door of the rented room shut.
Incidentally, while Su Mu had his back to her and was looking down at his shoes, she also put a lock on the bolt of the door.
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