Chapter 72, Final Farewell: She chose to ignore He Ming's rejection. ...
A sharp pain shot through her abdomen, her empty stomach protesting silently. Zhu Liushuang opened her clenched palm, revealing a chocolate wrapped in colorful paper. She slowly unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and the bittersweet taste melted gently in her mouth.
After gathering some strength, she sat up, supporting herself on the back of the bench. Her high fever hadn't completely subsided, but the warmth from her palms helped dispel the somber chill of the funeral home.
"Tap, tap—" The leather shoes tapped rhythmically on the ground, and Zhu Liushuang looked up in response. She saw that the unfamiliar doctor from before had returned, wearing a mask.
"I asked the staff for two masks." The man who spoke only showed a pair of smiling eyes.
Although she couldn't see his expression, she could feel his kindness from his smiling eyes.
"Thank you." Zhu Liushuang slowly reached out and took the surgical mask the man offered, putting it on herself. The chocolate in her mouth melted completely; swallowing the last bit of sweetness, she silently took out her phone and began fiddling with it.
"You...are you here for the memorial service too?" The man opposite her didn't leave immediately, but chose a bench about a meter away from her and sat down.
Zhu Liushuang pretended to be busy and said, "Mm."
Seeing that she didn't want to say more, the man changed the subject: "Are you going back now? I can give you a ride."
Zhu Liushuang looked up in surprise. They were just strangers; he didn't need to be so enthusiastic.
"Thank you for your kindness, Dr. Yue, but I can take a taxi home myself." She avoided his gaze.
Faced with the rejection, Yue Lin didn't feel embarrassed. He could understand the girl's wariness: "It seems a bit difficult to get a taxi here... If you don't mind, I can take you to the bus stop at the foot of the mountain, where it's easier to get a taxi."
"As a doctor, I might feel guilty leaving my patients behind," he said, spreading his hands in an attempt to persuade the other party.
Yue Lin's words made sense; funeral homes are not considered auspicious places by most people.
Thinking of how the taxi driver who brought her earlier had fled as if he were running away, Zhu Liushuang chose to accept his kindness.
"Well... thank you, Dr. Yue."
"It's getting late. If you have the energy, shall we set off now? My car is parked in the parking lot outside, it's about a five-minute walk away."
“Okay.” Zhu Liushuang stood up with Yue Lin, consciously keeping a one-meter distance from him.
Yue Lin took in her actions, and to make the girl feel more comfortable, he stopped talking and simply walked ahead silently.
Ten minutes later, Zhu Liushuang arrived at the bus stop at the foot of the mountain. She thanked the man while looking at the back of his head, then opened the door and got off the bus.
At 4:30 in the evening, the sun was gradually setting in the west, and the wind made her head feel dizzy.
A No. 15 bus is approaching from behind and is about to stop at the bus stop. The second-to-last stop for the No. 15 bus is Donghu Jiayuan Station, but Zhu Liushuang has no intention of taking the bus.
She looked down, opened the ride-hailing app, and called a car.
"Beep beep—" The car horn sounded, and Zhu Liushuang thought to herself: This ride-hailing car came too fast!
She looked up in response, only to see a white sedan backing up into her line of sight.
The car window rolled down, and a face that was both strange and familiar peered out: "Ahem... I'm heading back to the hospital now. If you're going to the hospital, I can give you a ride."
"Huh?" Zhu Liushuang asked, puzzled.
"The flu is quite serious..." A hint of unease crept into Yue Lin's smiling, peach-blossom eyes.
After considering the meaning behind the other person's words, Zhu Liushuang calmly said, "I've already taken the special medicine, and I still have some at home, Dr. Yue."
Yue Lin scratched his head and said, "Then be careful, goodbye." Since the other party didn't need his help, he didn't want to insist.
"Goodbye." Zhu Liushuang waved and continued checking her ride-hailing app. The car was still on its way and would arrive in about three minutes.
She remained with her head bowed, numbly, until Dr. Yue's car drove away, at which point she slowly raised her head.
As evening approached, many vehicles were coming and going in the residential area. The narrow passageways were blocked by haphazardly parked electric bikes, making it impossible for taxis to enter.
The driver impatiently beeped a few times, but no one came to move the car. He frowned and said to the passengers in the back, "I can't go any further. I'll have to trouble you to get off here so I can turn around."
Zhu Liushuang was dozing off in the back seat when she heard the noise. She frowned and glanced out the window. After confirming that what the driver said was true, she got out of the car without saying a word.
As autumn deepened, darkness fell particularly quickly after sunset. The streetlights in the neighborhood were old and dilapidated, with only a few working and a couple broken. Walking along this path to Building 10, only a handful of lights were on. Zhu Liushuang pulled her baseball uniform tighter around herself and quickened her pace.
Climbing to the sixth floor exhausted her remaining strength, so she made a lot of noise when she closed the door. She felt uneasy and had prepared her response to her mother beforehand, but her mother didn't knock on her door for a long time.
Having been hungry all day, Zhu Liushuang, feeling somewhat exhausted, leaned against the wall and made her way to the kitchen to get herself a bowl of porridge. After finishing her meal in the dining room, she served her mother a bowl as well.
The master bedroom light was on, and a warm yellow glow shone through the crack in the door. She stood in the doorway, holding a porcelain bowl, hesitating whether or not to go in.
"Creak—" The wooden door was suddenly opened from the inside, and Zhu Liushuang was caught off guard by the loss of composure on her face.
"Mom...Mom." She moved the porcelain bowl closer. "Are you hungry? I ladled out a bowl of porridge for you, and I was just about to bring it in." To hide her guilty conscience, she deliberately avoided looking at her mother's face when she spoke.
"Have you eaten?" Gu Chunling asked casually. She took the bowl from her daughter and walked to the dining table to sit down.
"Tap tap tap—" The green-shelled salted duck egg tapped on the wooden table. Zhu Liushuang watched her mother drink porridge and eat vegetables without saying a word, without giving her a single glance from beginning to end.
She knew her mother was angry, angry that she had disobeyed her and gone out despite having a high fever.
"Mom—" Zhu Liushuang gestured with her lips.
"Remember to take the special medicine in half an hour," Gu Chunling said, taking a sip of porridge. "Don't forget to take the fever reducer either; your hands are burning hot, your fever has spiked again, hasn't it?"
Despite her anger, she was still concerned about her daughter's health.
"Yes, Mom, you remember to eat too." Zhu Liushuang said with a smile.
The mother and daughter understood each other without saying a word, and neither of them mentioned what happened that afternoon again.
————
Zhu Liushuang was awakened in the middle of the night by a car horn and tossed and turned in bed.
Ye Xingzhi said on the phone that he was taking He Ming home to catch up on sleep, so she didn't dare to disturb him.
According to the customs of Gucheng Township, if someone in the family passes away, a three-day funeral feast is held to invite relatives, friends, and neighbors. Xie Jingzhi's body will be cremated tomorrow morning, and Zhu Liushuang guesses that He Ming probably won't hold a funeral feast.
In doing so, she lost her last chance to say goodbye to Xie Jingzhi.
Unless she can get to the funeral home before 6 a.m. tomorrow.
The clock on the wall struck midnight, and the phone in her hand lit up and then went out, lit up again. After thinking for a long time, she finally sent a message to He Ming.
[Senior, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to Dr. Xie's memorial service. I'd like to come and see him one last time before his cremation.]
He should be sleeping at this time.
Ten minutes after she sent the message, she received his reply.
There's no need to make a special trip.
Ye Xingzhi told her that the cremation would take place at approximately 7:30 in the morning, and that there would be a simple "viewing of the remains" ceremony beforehand. Zhu Liu stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, choosing to ignore He Ming's refusal.
【It's Sunday, I have time. You get some rest, see you tomorrow.】
After sending the message, she set three alarms for herself for 4 a.m.
Zhu Liushuang finally fell asleep at one o'clock in the morning. As the alarm clock rang one after another, her mind was even more foggy than the day before. Her eyes felt as if they were glued shut, and she could only open them a crack.
The only saving grace was that she slept relatively well for those three hours and didn't have any terrifying dreams.
Outside the window, the morning star hung high in the eastern sky. Zhu Liushuang put on the same thick black coat she wore yesterday, fully armed, and went out. Carefully stepping out of her house, she quickly ran downstairs; her ride-hailing car would arrive at the entrance of the complex in two minutes.
The driver had probably been driving all night, and when he picked her up, he looked visibly tired.
"Hello passenger, please verify the last four digits of your mobile phone number."
Zhu Liushuang recited four numbers and turned to look out the window. She had taken a fever reducer before going to sleep, and the medication was still in effect. Apart from dizziness and a sore throat, she felt fine.
"We've received the last four digits of the license plate... We're now heading to Gucheng Funeral Home..."
The hot air billowed out from inside her mask, making her chin and nose damp. The camphor trees lining the road rushed past, and then towering buildings and rolling mountains came into view.
Zhu Liushuang looked away and sent a WeChat message to Ye Xingzhi.
[Senior Ye, I'm on my way to the funeral home right now. Should I come find you at Gate 3?]
"Yes, there's a flower shop inside. You can buy a bouquet if you have time," Ye Xingzhi quickly replied.
Okay, thank you, Senior Ye!
Zhu Liushuang arrived at the entrance of the funeral home before sunrise.
This journey was smoother than yesterday's.
The driver didn't speak to her the entire way, showing a strong sense of boundaries. He only reminded her, "Be careful and walk slowly," after she got off the bus and made sure she was settled.
She was not alone on the holly path leading to the hall.
"Senior Ye, what are you doing here?" Zhu Liushuang unexpectedly saw Ye Xingzhi's figure as she approached the lobby.
Because she was wearing a hat and a mask, Ye Xingzhi did not recognize her at first glance.
"Liu Shuang, why are you dressed like this?" Ye Xingzhi asked after a moment of surprise.
"Cough cough—" Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but bend over and cough because her throat felt dry and itchy. "I have the flu... Senior Ye, please stay away from me."
“No wonder…” Ye Xingzhi looked at her with a complicated expression and asked with concern, “Is it serious? If it’s H1N1, you shouldn’t have come here.”
Seeing Ye Xingzhi getting closer and closer, Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but take a step back.
"Hey, my immune system is great, it's no problem!" Ye Xingzhi said nonchalantly. "Every now and then, some students in my class catch a cold or fever, but I don't get infected."
As he walked, he said, "Gate number three is behind the lobby. Just walk straight and turn the corner. We just arrived not long ago. As soon as I got your message, I told Brother He Ming. He... probably thought you wouldn't be able to find it, so he asked me to come and pick you up."
He sent Ye Xing to pick her up!
Zhu Liushuang gave a soft "hmm," feeling a little more relaxed.
"Senior, where is the place you mentioned selling flowers? I came empty-handed, which seems against the rules."
Ye Xingzhi glanced at the time: "There's still time. Let me take you there to buy it first. It's on the right."
The funeral home offered a complete one-stop service, and the flower and wreath shops inside were packed with people. Zhu Liushuang picked out a bunch of yellow and white daisies and squeezed out of the crowd.
"Have you had breakfast?" Ye Xingzhi asked with concern.
Zhu Liushuang replied with a perfunctory "I've already eaten," and then walked away with her head down.
Soon, Gate No. 3, where the bodies were kept, came into view.
There were quite a few people waiting in line for cremation, with relatives scattered in groups throughout the corridor.
Zhu Liushuang's gaze immediately locked onto He Ming. He was wearing a black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest. Even before he got close, she could smell the "sadness" emanating from him.
The corridor was eerily silent; even with so many people standing there, no one uttered a sound. Therefore, the footsteps of Zhu Liushuang and Ye Xingzhi sounded particularly abrupt.
They walked to Gate No. 3, and Zhu Liushuang nodded to He Ming.
"Senior," she said in a low voice.
He Ming's expression didn't change at all because of her arrival, but the others standing next to He Ming looked at her with curiosity. Zhu Liushuang was glad that she was wearing a mask, so that even if something was wrong, others wouldn't notice.
However, the gaze lingered on her for only a short while before being drawn away by the voice of the funeral home staff.
Judging from the sounds, it was Xie Jingzhi's family members entering through Gate 3.
He Ming walked at the front and was the first to step through the door.
Zhu Liushuang followed at the very back, separated from a large group of people.
The so-called viewing of the body was nothing more than a simple farewell ceremony. The deceased's relatives and friends came forward one by one to offer flowers and say a few words of remembrance to the remains. After everyone had circled Xie Jingzhi, Zhu Liushuang stepped forward with the flowers.
The old man lay there peacefully, most of his body covered by a white sheet, only his painted head visible. Zhu Liushuang's nose tingled, and tears instantly streamed down her face. She gently placed the bouquet of flowers in her hands on the white sheet, gazing deeply at the old man who was about to leave this world forever.
Thank you! She said silently in her heart.
"The ceremony is over. Family members, please bring your death certificate and a passport photo to the lobby to fill out forms and settle your accounts..." the staff member urged calmly. "The others can go to the lounge to wait."
Amidst sobs, everyone left. Zhu Liushuang was at the very back, glancing back reluctantly at the elderly man being pushed back into the freezer by the staff. Following the direction of the freezer, one could glimpse a corner of the cremation pool at the very back.
My heart skipped a beat, followed by a feeling of tension and repression that leaped out of my throat.
Zhu Liushuang dragged her heavy steps to the door, and unconsciously raised her hand to touch her forehead.
Her forehead was burning hot; her fever had returned.
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Author's note: Okay, I've finally finished writing this heavy section.
A new chapter is about to begin [lop-eared rabbit head]
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