Chapter 84
The cold winter sun pierces through the thick clouds, and a thin ray of light overflows from the horizon.
At dawn, the body of Mr. Ji had been taken away. The funeral was next. The old man had already been notified of his critical illness, and the Ji family had already started preparing for the funeral hall.
Ji Rang sat alone by the flower bed for two hours until Qi Ying woke up again.
He heard the sound of someone turning over on the other end of the line. The little girl was probably looking for her phone. After a long while, her soft voice came out of the receiver: "I'm awake."
He hummed softly, his voice hoarse because his whole body was frozen stiff, and he said slowly: "Yingying, I can't accompany you to see the pandas today, how about waiting a few days?"
She yawned a little and responded obediently: "Okay."
She is very well behaved and never asks about his private affairs.
Ji Rang didn't plan to tell her, as he didn't want to make the little girl sad for him.
After hanging up the phone, he stood up and stretched his stiff body. Ji Qian sent him information and gave him a brief account of the funeral process.
Ji Rang went home to change his clothes, then took a taxi to the mourning hall.
The old man's body has been prepared and he is dressed in formal military uniform. People are coming to pay their respects one after another.
Ji Rang didn't say hello to anyone, he kowtowed, burned paper, and stood aside in silence. There were too many things to deal with at the funeral, and they were busy coming and going, so they had no time to grieve.
Not long after, a man in a black suit came to Ji Rang with a briefcase and handed him a will. "Mr. Ji left all his inheritance to you."
The boy remained silent, did not take the file, and said calmly, "Donate it."
The lawyer was stunned for a moment: "What?"
The boy cast his eyes towards the portrait and said, "Donate it in the name of Grandpa."
He didn't want to talk anymore, so he lowered his eyes, looking as if he was keeping people at a distance.
At the door, Chen Fengzhi, who was helping Ji Qian receive guests, took a look and whispered, "Does your grandfather favor boys over girls? He didn't even leave any for you."
Ji Qian looked at him speechlessly: "If you don't understand, just shut up."
Chen Fengzhi shrugged: "I understand, it's to make amends, but judging from Arjan's expression, he doesn't seem to accept it."
As the two were chatting, Ji Weiyan walked in from outside. He had just gone outside to pick up Mr. Ji's best friend, and was too busy to spare any time. Ji Qian called him, "Second uncle."
Ji Weiyan turned around: "What's wrong?"
Ji Qian frowned: "Su Rong didn't come, right?"
Ji Weiyan paused and whispered, "No, I asked her to go back."
Ji Qian's eyes flashed with disgust, but she didn't show it on her face: "This is the best. She's not in good health and it would just cause trouble. Arang will be here these two days, don't let her come."
Ji Weiyan responded silently.
As soon as he left, Chen Fengzhi spoke: "You are too rude when talking to your second uncle."
Ji Qian didn't care: "I have been very polite on this issue." She glanced at Ji Rang who was standing in the mourning hall, "If I hadn't studied abroad, I would really..."
After all, there is a layer of relationship between us, but from the perspective of a niece, there are some things I cannot say.
Just then her father called her from outside: "Qianqian, go pick up your Uncle Chen."
Ji Qian stopped at the right time, waved to Chen Fengzhi, and hurried out. After walking two steps, she thought of something and turned back to Chen Fengzhi and said, "Arang probably hasn't eaten yet. Take him to eat something."
Chen Fengzhi nodded, very conscious of being the son-in-law of the Ji family. He walked to stand beside Ji Rang and nodded to the relatives and friends who came to mourn.
Ji Rang turned his head and looked at him: "Why are you back again?"
Chen Fengzhi: "The motherland is my home. I have to go back home often. Are you hungry? Let's go and have something to eat."
Ji Rang didn't want to pay attention to him: "I'm not hungry, I won't eat."
Chen Fengzhi sighed: "We have to wait until tomorrow morning, let's go eat something."
Ji Rang ignored him, staring at the ground, not even looking at him. Chen Fengzhi waited for a long time, and helplessly sent a message to Ji Qian: "I failed to complete the task, please punish me, Lord."
Ji Qian replied with a string of ellipsis.
The news of his death was announced in the early morning, and as evening approached, more and more people came to pay their respects, all from all over the country.
Ji Rang stood there for a whole day. Occasionally, he would be distracted and think of the time when he made mistakes as a child and was punished by his grandfather in the military compound. He had to stand at attention in the hot sun for several hours.
There were several times when he fainted from the sun. My grandmother was still alive at that time. She stomped her feet and scolded my grandfather for being stubborn, and then made mung bean soup for him to drink to cool him down.
The crying sound brought him back to his senses. He didn't know which relative was the one kneeling and crying in front of the mourning hall. Ji Rang just glanced at him and then looked away. When he casually glanced towards the door, he saw a little girl in black clothes, holding a white chrysanthemum in her hand, standing at the end of the crowd waiting to mourn.
The boy, who had been standing like a stone statue for a whole day, finally took a step forward and strode over.
Qi Ying also saw him coming and smiled slightly with her lips pursed.
Ji Rang walked up to her and asked in a low voice: "You..." His throat was so hoarse that it hurt. He coughed twice before regaining his voice: "Why are you here?"
She whispered, "Sister Ji Qian said you didn't eat all day." She looked up at him with soft eyes, "Wait until I finish mourning, then we can go eat, okay?"
Ji Rang touched her head and finally smiled: "Yeah."
After the little girl kowtowed and presented the flowers, Ji Rang ignored the curious gazes around him and took Qi Ying away.
After leaving the mourning hall, she pulled him to the lounge and pulled out a food box from the locker like a magic trick: "Chicken porridge cooked by my aunt, and eggplant cakes."
She was worried that he might have an upset stomach after not eating all day, so she brought some food from home.
Ji Rang sat down on the sofa, took out the food boxes one by one, put them away, and started eating.
She sat beside him obediently, and when he finished eating, she put the lunch box back into the bag and asked him, "Do you want to go out for a walk to help digest the food?"
Ji Rang nodded.
It was already dark, but the street lamps in the garden were bright, and dust was flying in the light.
Ji Rang asked her, "Are you cold?"
She shook her head: "It's not cold, I'm wearing very warm clothes."
He thought about it, grabbed her hand and held it in his palm. It was very quiet around him, he didn't want to be silent, and couldn't help talking to her: "Did you go out to play today?"
She said softly, "No, I'm doing my homework at home." Then she thought of something and said, "Don't you have time to do your homework? School will start in a few days. I'll give you the homework to copy."
Ji Rang laughed: "Why don't you just write it for me."
She tilted her head and thought for a moment: "That's fine."
There was a bench in the garden. Ji Rang was a little tired after standing all day, so he took her hand and sat down. There were many trees around, which blocked the night wind, so it didn't feel very cold. After being cooped up all day, breathing fresh air now made her feel much more relaxed.
Qi Ying sat next to him and whispered, "I will go back to Dongcheng with my uncle and aunt tomorrow. My grandparents live in the countryside of Dongcheng and won't be back until the fifth day of the new year."
Ji Rang leaned over and rested his head on her delicate shoulder, "Well, have fun and say hello to grandpa and grandma for me."
She tilted her head to look at his tired expression, as if coaxing a child: "My grandparents' place is rich in mulberries. I will bring you some mulberries when the time comes."
He closed his eyes and smiled: "Okay, bring more."
She said "hmm" obediently, and then asked him: "Are you very tired? Let me give you a massage."
Ji Rang raised his eyebrows: "You also know how to massage?"
She was a little embarrassed: "I learned it from the brother in the hair salon." She turned slightly and pressed her hands on his temples. Her fingertips were so soft and warm, and she pressed gently.
He even asked him in the tone of those people washing hair: "Is the pressure appropriate?"
Ji Rang burst out laughing: "Yeah, it's appropriate."
She also smiled sweetly, recalling the shampoo boy's skills, with her eyes wide open, trying hard to find the acupuncture points on his head.
Ji Rang teased her: "Young master, your skills are pretty good, is your fee expensive?"
Her voice was soft: "You are pretty, it's free."
Ji Rang laughed so hard that his whole body was shaking. He rubbed her little head with his backhand and sat up straight.
Her face was white, only the tip of her nose was a little red, probably because she was cold. Ji Rang grabbed her hand and rubbed it in his palm, then held it to his mouth and blew on it: "It's cold, go back, don't you have to take a plane tomorrow?"
Her eyes were wet, as if covered with mist. She looked at him for a long time before she said, "Then eat well and don't be sad, okay?"
He nodded seriously: "Okay, I won't lie to you."
She smiled with her eyes curved.
Ji Rang called Chen Fengzhi and asked him to drive Qi Ying home.
After hanging up the line, he led her out.
He was actually reluctant to let her leave, and he was so attached to her gentleness that he walked very slowly. He knew that if he asked, the girl would definitely stay, but he didn't want her to be too tired.
He sent her to the door and watched her get into Chen Fengzhi's car. The little girl leaned on the car window and said seriously: "Eat well."
He smiled and nodded.
He didn't let out a suppressed sigh until the car disappeared.
It was five days later when Mr. Ji’s funeral was finally over.
School is about to start tomorrow, and just as Qi Ying said, he has hardly done his homework, and doesn't have the energy to do it. He got home and fell on the bed and didn't want to move.
As a result, the doorbell rang in the afternoon. When I opened the door, Qi Ying, Yue Li and Qu Dazhuang were standing outside. They said solemnly, "We are here to help you finish your homework!"
Qu Dazhuang: "Don't worry, brother! We will never let you get scolded!"
Yue Li: "I just want a small handmade cake as payment!"
Ji Rang: “…”
I don’t know what the teacher will think when he sees three different handwritings on the same assignment.
But at least he finished the test paper before school started, so Ji Rang slept well without any worries. When he arrived at school the next day, he actually felt like his life was back on track.
There are only more than a hundred days left on the countdown calendar. It is the last semester and we are entering the final sprint stage.
Most people struggled painfully and persevered, burning up the last time of their senior year, but some were lucky and found out they had been qualified for admission as soon as school started, thus being relieved early.
That’s right, the person we are talking about is little boy Wu Rui.
He was admitted to B University, which was the school he had always wanted to go to.
Such a good thing must of course be celebrated. The top student in the grade, who was always known for his thriftiness, generously invited everyone to eat spicy hot pot at the back door of the school.
Qu Dazhuang was so envious that he said sourly, "You can skip classes in the next few months, right? Where do you plan to travel?"
Wu Rui pushed his black-framed glasses and said seriously, "I will continue to take the remaining classes. As long as my heart is still beating, I will continue to study. Learning never ends, and we can never slack off at any time."
Qu Dazhuang: “…”
In awe!
Otherwise how could he be admitted? With this level of awareness, it would be unacceptable not to be admitted!
Wu Rui opened a can of beer, clinked glasses with the group of bad boys who he thought had no connection with him but eventually became good friends, and said ambitiously: "I'll wait for you at B University!"
Everyone: “…”
Fuck you.
After the second mock exam, there were only a hundred days left on the countdown.
Haiyi is a school that attaches great importance to the sense of ceremony. A mobilization meeting alone is not enough, so a 100-day oath-taking ceremony was also held.
The senior high school students are exhausted as hell. It is not enough to just study, they also have to listen to the spit-flying lectures of the dean of studies, with a look of exhaustion and despair on their faces.
King Jinlun stood on the stage and watched the students yawning non-stop. He slapped the podium in the auditorium and shouted hysterically: "Students! Cheer up! It doesn't matter if you can't sleep well. For people of your age, closing your eyes is considered resting!"
Everyone: “???”
I believed in your lies, King Jinlun.
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