Chapter 116 Death is not the end, forgetting is.
After the birthday celebration, Dan's mother and her group returned to Nan'an City first, while Gu Ji and Dan Anwen spent two more days in Weihai before returning home.
As soon as the plane landed at Nan'an Airport, Dan Anwen received a message from Liu Lei that had been sent two hours earlier.
Liu Lei: Teacher Fang passed away peacefully in the hospital.
Upon seeing this message, Dan Anwen's fingertips trembled suddenly, and he almost dropped his phone.
I typed a few lines, almost with a trembling heart full of panic.
Dan Anwen: Didn't you say that the teacher's condition has improved in the past two days?
His original plan was to go back to Nan'an City to see Fang Manjing after celebrating the child's birthday, but Liu Lei said that her health had been getting better and better these past few days, so he extended his trip.
Unexpectedly, they are now separated by death.
Liu Lei: His condition had been stable for the past two days, and even the doctor said there was nothing seriously wrong, but his heart stopped beating without warning at noon.
Gu Jigang took his suitcase off the conveyor belt and said with a smile, "Uncle Dan, let's hurry to Grandma Fang's house. She told me last night to go see her early this morning."
The man did not tell the girl that Fang Manjing was hospitalized, and Fang Manjing did not want her to worry, so she did not tell her that she was hospitalized either.
Gu Ji had been looking forward to going back to Nan'an City to see Fang Manjing for the past few days, and he even brought her many Weihai specialties.
“Little friend…” Dan Anwen’s hand gripping the suitcase handle was bulging with veins, and the blood vessels around his eyes were rapidly congested.
Gu Ji looked up and saw the man's reddened eyes and his trembling lips. This was the first time she had ever seen him lose control of his emotions.
"Uncle Dan, what's wrong?" Gu Ji immediately grabbed the man's hand.
Dan Anwen closed her dry eyes, her voice choked with emotion, "Little friend, your teacher... she's gone."
"Gone?" Gu Ji was stunned for a moment, not understanding what he meant.
Dan Anwen lowered his eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions within them. "Liu Lei said that the teacher passed away two hours ago. Let's go to the hospital first."
Gu Ji stood there dumbfounded. Last night, Grandma Fang had assured her she would get home safely, so how could things have changed so drastically today...?
Moreover, Grandma Fang's health has never been very good. Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered that Uncle Dan had told her a few days ago that Grandma Fang's health was not good.
As Gu Ji jogged after the man out of the airport, he asked, "Was Grandma Fang's health already quite poor a few days ago?"
She initially thought that Grandma Fang's illness was just temporary and that's why she couldn't attend her coming-of-age ceremony. However, according to Uncle Dan, Grandma Fang had been hospitalized for quite some time.
Dan An noticed the girl's light running and slowed her pace slightly. "We stayed in the hospital after arriving in Weihai, and our condition had been stable and good. I didn't expect..."
The girl didn't blame the man for not telling her about Grandma Fang's hospitalization in time; she knew it was because he didn't want her to worry.
Moreover, the person who felt most guilty and heartbroken about Grandma Fang's sudden passing was the man in front of her, who looked so gloomy and walked briskly.
But Grandma Fang was still full of energy when she spoke to her on a voice call last night.
After Gu Ji and Dan Anwen walked out through the VIP passage, the driver was already waiting at the exit.
"Mr. Dan, Ms. Gu." The driver took the two suitcases from Dan Anwen's hands.
After handing the suitcase to the driver, Dan Anwen walked straight out of the airport without pausing for a moment, saying, "I'm going straight to the hospital."
The atmosphere in the car was somewhat somber. The girl and the man remained silent, unable to process the sudden death of their loved one.
The men, in particular, displayed an unusual dejection and grief.
Gu Ji had always known that Grandma Fang was more than just a teacher and student to Uncle Dan; the two of them were like family.
Even though she didn't know about their past relationship, she could still sense Uncle Dan's feelings for Grandma Fang.
They are master and apprentice, but they are more like close family members.
She didn't know how to comfort the heartbroken man in front of her, so she could only imitate how he comforted her, gently patting his large hand.
Dan Anwen lowered her eyes to look at the small hand in her line of sight, and her previously tense heart relaxed slightly.
When they arrived at the hospital, Liu Lei was already waiting at the entrance and took the two directly to the morgue.
A white cloth covered Fang Manjing's body, concealing the beauty of her life.
"President, shall we lift the white sheet to see Teacher Fang one last time?" Liu Lei asked respectfully from the side.
Dan Anwen's cold eyes stared at that white figure, his true emotions unreadable.
The man had calmed down from the turmoil he felt at the airport and returned to his previous expressionless and indifferent demeanor.
His voice, however, was extremely hoarse as he spoke, "Never mind, the teacher doesn't want to see her looking old and weak."
Fang Manjing is a dignified and elegant old lady, and she wouldn't like her family seeing her in such a pale state.
After a moment of silence, the man spoke again, his tone calm, "Does the teacher have any last words?"
"Teacher Fang's symptoms appeared suddenly, and she didn't leave any message, but she was still talking about you and Miss Gu this morning."
Upon hearing this, the girl's reddened eyes instantly became watery.
Liu Lei bowed slightly and asked in a businesslike manner, "I have arranged everything regarding the crematorium, but I'm wondering which cemetery the president would like to choose?"
"Bury him in the Qingling Mausoleum," Dan Anwen said in a flat tone, making it impossible to discern his true feelings.
Liu Lei was slightly surprised. He knew that Qingling was the burial ground of the Dan family's ancestors. He wondered what the Dan family elders would think if someone with no family ties was buried in Qingling.
During the years he had been by the president's side, he had never known the deep connection between Teacher Fang and the president.
He simply followed the president's instructions and took care of Teacher Fang, checking on her home from time to time.
Gu Ji, who was standing to the side, also narrowed his dark pupils after hearing the man mention Qingling.
She had accompanied the Dan family to pay respects to their ancestors during the Qingming Festival, so she naturally knew the significance of the Qingling Mausoleum.
As the burial place of the Tan family's ancestors, that place is very important, and an outsider with no relation to them is not qualified to be buried there.
Clearly, Liu Lei had also considered this issue, and his tone was somewhat hesitant, "President, if we bury him in Qingling, we might need the old chairman's approval."
Dan Anwen lowered her eyes slightly, "My dad will agree, you go and do it."
"OK."
After Liu Lei left, Dan Anwen took a step forward and solemnly said to Fang Manjing under the white cloth, "Teacher, you have no descendants. It would be good if you were buried in Qingling after your death so that your descendants could pay their respects."
The Dan family is very traditional in some customs. Every year, descendants of the family will pay homage to their ancestors who are buried in the Qing Mausoleum.
Death is not the end; forgetting is.
After standing in front of the body for a while, the cold air in the morgue kept rising from the soles of their feet, making them feel a chill.
After standing there for a while, Dan Anwen moved his feet and said in a cold tone, "Little friend, let's go out."
Gu Ji glanced at the body covered by the white sheet again and said softly, "Okay."
When the two of them came out of the morgue, they saw Xiao Hua sitting facing the door.
Unlike usual, Xiaohua was not mischievous. The little cat sat upright at the entrance of the morgue, its round eyes staring intently at the crack in the door that had just been opened, a hint of sadness in its eyes.
"Xiao Hua, what are you doing here?" Gu Ji asked incredulously, looking at Xiao Hua sitting quietly on the ground.
Cats aren't allowed in the hospital, so it definitely wasn't Liu Lei who brought it. So...
Before she could think any further, the little flower that had been quietly lying on the ground suddenly went berserk, its sharp nails scratching at the morgue door, making a series of ear-piercing noises.
Gu Ji was about to squat down to stop Xiao Hua when he was stopped by Dan Anwen beside him.
The man's expression darkened slightly, and he said in a serious tone, "The teacher doesn't like this kind of destructive behavior from you."
Whether it was the man's domineering presence or the fact that he mentioned Fang Manjing, the frenzied little flower instantly withdrew its claws.
After glancing up at Dan Anwen, it meowed softly a few times, with a hint of tears glistening in its eyes.
Gu Ji saw the tears welling up in Xiao Hua's dark eyes and seemed to understand why it had lost control of its emotions just now.
She knelt down, gently patted Xiaohua's head, her voice choked with emotion yet still tender, "Xiaohua wants to see Grandma Fang, doesn't she?"
She didn't expect a response, but to her surprise, Xiaohua's cat head rubbed against her palm.
This action made the girl pause. She knew that Xiaohua must have sensed that Grandma Fang had passed away, which was why she was here.
Animals are all sentient beings, let alone Xiaohua, who has a deep bond with Grandma Fang.
But Xiaohua can't stay in the hospital forever, nor can she stay with Grandma Fang forever.
Gu Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Xiao Hua, Grandma Fang is going to heaven. She entrusted you to me and asked me to take care of you. Would you like to come home with me?"
She knew that Xiaohua couldn't understand her words, but she knew that Xiaohua could sense her emotions and would understand.
Sure enough, Xiaohua turned her head and took another deep look behind the morgue door, then called out twice to the girl.
And so, Dan Anwen and Gu Ji brought it back to Jinshan Villa.
Later, Dan Anwen sent people to investigate how it ended up at the hospital.
It turned out that Liu Lei had gone back to Fang Manjing's house to get something. Xiao Hua, who hadn't seen Fang Manjing for several days, smelled her scent on Liu Lei.
So they secretly followed Liu Lei into the car and arrived at the hospital, then followed the smell to the morgue.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
