CH 12

Chapter 12: Funeral

That night, Chang Qing couldn’t sleep so he kept his eyes open until dawn.

Mother Zhang called him early in the morning, for fear that he wouldn’t come over, “Mr. Lu will be sent to be cremated at ten o’clock in the morning. Can you come here? At least take a look at him. “

Chang Qing’s throat was hoarse. He grabbed the water on the bedside table and took a few sips. He cleared his throat, and before Mother Zhang could say anything he replied, “I’ll come back immediately.”

Mother Zhang heard him say “come back” and was relieved. She asked, “Where are you now? I’ll ask Ah-Jian to pick you up?”

Ah-Jian was the new driver Lu Xuan had hired.

Chang Qing didn’t say anything. At her age, Mother Zhang had eaten more salt than rice. How could she not know what he was thinking? She immediately said, “I’ll ask Ah-Jian to pick you up. You can send me the location.”

Chang Qing hesitated for a while, and then sent the location to Mother Zhang.

After hanging up the phone, he took a shower and asked the waiter to buy him a new set of clothes.

Reluctantly tidying himself up, Chang Qing looked at himself in the mirror and found that his face was still unsightly. His eyes were red and swollen, and now he was bluish. His skin was white, and with such a tired complexion, he looked like he’d lost all luster.

There was no way to see anyone like this, so Chang Qing slapped some cold water on his face, trying to make himself more energetic, but it didn’t help much.

After some time, Ah-Jian called him. Chang Qing answered his phone and walked out of the hotel with just a paper bag containing his old clothes.

Ah-Jian received him, glanced at his face carefully and said softly, “How is the temperature? Is it too cold?”

Chang Qing didn’t have much energy, so he just said “Hmm”.

Ah-Jian couldn’t figure out what he meant, and he didn’t dare to ask. He reached out and turned up the air conditioner in the car. “It’s a little far from here. You can get some sleep. You’ll be there when you wake up.”

Chang Qing was really sleepy, and after listening to Ah-Jian, he closed his eyes without saying anything.

There was a fresh faint aroma in the car. Chang Qing remembered that Lu Xuan also smelled like it.

He was a strict man in every way. He only uses one perfume. Chang Qing doesn’t know what kind of fragrance it is, but the smell is delicate and light, as gentle as Lu Xuan. He wouldn’t get tired of smelling it even after a long time.

Chang Qing opened his eyes, moved his lips, and asked, “What’s this fragrance?”

Ah-Jian was stunned for a moment, “Ah? Fragrance? “

Chang Qing asked again, and Ah-Jian replied, “This is a car fragrance… I don’t know what the smell is. It smells good. Don’t you like it? Do you want me to change it?”

After a while, Chang Qing said, “No need to change it.”

Ah-Jian glanced at him in the rearview mirror and wanted to say something. In the end he didn’t say anything. He thought to himself, his face looks bad enough, won’t there be a problem?

Ah-Jian hasn’t been here for a long time. In fact, he doesn’t really have that much affection for Lu Xuan. After the incident, he didn’t have much reaction except feeling sorry. However, the people who he works with in the Lu family are old people, so the atmosphere of sadness was very strong. As time went by, he also felt a little uncomfortable and became more sensitive, for fear that if he said one wrong word, the people around him would cry.

Instead of giving empty condolences and superficial comfort, it was better to say nothing at all.

Ah-Jian firmly believed this, so he kept his mouth closed and said as little as he could.

He thought like this. Looking back in the rearview mirror, he saw that Chang Qing leaned against the window and closed his eyes. He couldn’t help but drive the car slower, so that he could sleep better.

Chang Qing didn’t sleep. How could he fall asleep? He sucked in a breath and he became aware of how long the journey was taking. He couldn’t help but open his eyes and ask, “Aren’t we there yet?”

Ah-Jian heard his voice and said repeatedly: “We’re almost there.”

Chang Qing sat up straight. He rubbed his face, and didn’t say anything else.

This time, Ah-Jian accelerated, and in less than ten minutes, he’d driven the car to the Lu family’s old house.

When Chang Qing returned to the Lu family again after a few days away, he suddenly felt strange.

Song Jian hardly gave him time to catch his breath. In one breath he took him directly to the Lu family gate and stopped.

Mother Zhang had been waiting in front of the door as early as possible. When she saw Song Jian’s car approaching, she came to pick him up.

“Ah-Zheng has set up an ice coffin and has delayed Mr. Lu’s cremation. You should have come back and talked about it with him. It’s so hot now. How can you put it off for so long?” Mother Zhang sighed.

It had been a week since Chang Qing had left the Lu family. During this week, Lu Zheng had not let Lu Xuan be cremated.

Chang Qing couldn’t tell what he felt. Compared to him, an outsider,  naturally Lu Xuan’s family suffered the most from Lu Xuan’s death. Can he really face them calmly?

Mother Zhang took him through the door and took him to Lu Xuan’s room, “The ice coffin has been parked at home. I’ve been persuading him to hurry up and bury him. It’s been stopped for a week, and it’s started to smell a little bit. If it goes on like this, how can Mr. Lu be comfortable down there?”

Although Mother Zhang was complaining, her tone was filled with grief and sorrow. Although birth, old age and death are inevitable, for people of Mother Zhang’s age, she was most afraid of seeing a young person die before her.

She shook her head and took Chang Qing to Lu Xuan’s room, fearing that he would be uncomfortable being alone, she stayed to accompany him.

When they got to Lu Xuan’s room, Mother Zhang closed her mouth. Their eyes fell on the ice coffin that was placed in the middle of the bedroom where the bed was supposed to be.

The upper part of the ice coffin was made of transparent glass, and the cold air formed a vague white layer on the surface of the glass, which made Lu Xuan’s face a little unclear.

At this time, Lu Xuan had been changed into a brand-new suit and lay upright in the ice coffin, with his hands folded on his abdomen. The ring on his finger was covered with a layer of frost, revealing a dim light between his fingers.

There was plenty of air-conditioning in the bedroom. As if Mother Zhang was already prepared, she took out a thin quilt and put it on Chang Qing, “…You take a look at him…I’m going out.” Mother Zhang suppressed her voice, as if afraid of waking Lu Xuan up. After she finished speaking, she gently turned the door handle and left.

In this large bedroom, only Chang Qing and Lu Xuan, who was already lying in the ice coffin, were left.

Chang Qing stood in front of the ice coffin, moved his lips, and said softly, “…I’m sorry.”

His self-righteousness, his carelessness, and his complacency all harmed Lu Xuan. He’d really let him down.

However, even if these words were spoken, Lu Xuan couldn’t hear them.

Chang Qing reached out and wiped the surface of the ice coffin, and saw Lu Xuan’s face clearly.

At this time, Lu Xuan’s eyes were tightly closed. His cheeks were pale and bloodless, but he still maintained his young and most handsome appearance.

Chang Qing didn’t know how long he stayed there. He had a lot of things to say to Lu Xuan, but he couldn’t say a word, and a thousand words could only be turned into a meaningless “I’m sorry”.

It was at this moment that Lu Zheng burst into the bedroom.

Chang Qing was startled. He turned around and saw Lu Zheng’s face.

Lu Zheng’s eyes were red from lack of rest. His face was pale and gray. And he was shocked to see that there was a bleeding cut on his chin surrounded by stubble. It looked like he had cut his skin with a razor and hadn’t treated it. It was still bleeding.

Lu Zheng saw Chang Qing, lowered his eyes, and gently closed the door behind him.

Chang Qing didn’t dare to look at him, and the fingers holding the ice coffin also tensed up,  showing a bluish white color.

Lu Zheng walked up to him and stared at Lu Xuan’s face. After a while, he suddenly said, “If Mother Zhang didn’t tell you to come back, were you going to leave like this?”

When Chang Qing heard him speak, he lowered his head as if he could not bear the burden. “No.”

Lu Zheng listened, but didn’t speak.

After a while, he said again, “Brother will be cremated at ten o’clock. Have you spoken to him?”

“…Hmm.”

Lu Zheng stretched out his finger and wiped the surface of the ice coffin, “… What were his last words?”

Chang Qing raised his face, and his eyes met Lu Zheng’s. Lu Zheng looked at him, those scarlet eyes looking straight at him, and repeated the question: “What were his last words?”

Chang Qing looked away and lowered his head, “… he said, don’t look at him. He doesn’t hurt. He’s fine.”

Lu Zheng suddenly laughed, “That’s all he said?”

Even in death, he was still so … so gentle that Lu Zheng’s smile felt painful, and it only solidified after a few tries.

Chang Qing was silent. His fingers tightening on the edge of the ice coffin.

The atmosphere became heavy again.

After a long while, Lu Zheng said, “He was a good brother.”

“…Hmm.”

“He was also a good husband, right?”

Chang Qing lifted his eyes and looked at Lu Zheng. He gave a heavy “En”, “He’s very good.”

Lu Zheng smiled. It was a relieved and relaxed smile. He whispered, “He’s been tired for half his life. It’s time to have a good rest.”

At ten o’clock, the funeral home that Lu Zheng called came. Lu Xuan’s body was picked up and sent to be cremated, and Chang Qing also returned to living at the  Lu’s house.

Neither Lu Shi nor Lu Hua wanted to see anyone, so Chang Qing didn’t see them.

After a sleepless night, Lu Xuan’s funeral began the next morning.

Chang Qing and Lu Zheng were both dressed in black and witnessed the whole process of Lu Xuan’s ashes being buried in the cemetery with everyone.

There were mournful cries all around, and Chang Qing’s eyes turned red.

After the funeral, Lu Zheng walked up to Chang Qing and held out a hand.

Chang Qing looked at a familiar box in his hand and was stunned for a moment.

Lu Zheng said in a low voice, “Yours, you don’t want it, right?”

Chang Qing took it and opened it. A ring inside was shimmering faintly. He recognized it at a glance. It was the one that Lu Xuan gave him.

Originally there were two, but the ring belonging to Lu Xuan had been cremated with him, and was buried with him.

Chang Qing picked up the ring and looked up at Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng glanced at him, lowered his voice, and said, “Stay here. Treat the Lu family as your own, just like when big brother was here.”

Chang Qing lowered his eyes, “Don’t you blame me?”

Lu Zheng whispered: “It’s not your fault.”

Chang Qing didn’t speak.

Lu Zheng’s tone was a little heavier, “It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

Chang Qing lifted his eyes and looked into his eyes. The corners of his lips twitched. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t. He looked somewhat like he was crying. After a while, he finally said,”… okay.”

Lu Zheng’s lips also twitched upwards, “Let’s go home.” He whispered.

“……En.”