Chapter 51: Seeing Xia Yehe Again

Chen Nuo was full of impatience and asked to switch drivers several times, but Qi Yuntian firmly refused after learning he didn't have a driver's license.

As a result, Qi Yuntian drove for a full six-plus hours before they reached the small seaside town where Xia Yehe's hometown was located.

At this point, opening the car window allowed them to smell the thick, fishy scent of the sea. The sea breeze on their faces felt like a lover's warm hand, but Qi Yuntian was unromantic, muttering the whole way about how his skin would be corroded by the salt in the air.

The address Qi Yuntian had gotten wasn't detailed enough to specify which street or building. Once they reached the town, Chen Nuo and Qi Yuntian—one actor, one agent—with their extraordinary thick-skinned nature, drove the G-Wagon street by street, asking at every funeral supply shop they found.

The town was very small, and their luck wasn't bad. By the third shop they asked, the owner nodded. "I know, the Xia family. I was the one who set up their mourning hall."

After getting the address, they drove there.

They had left Shanghai at noon, and it was already nearly 8:00 PM. As they drove along the country road, before they even arrived, they could hear the funeral music and the sounds of rituals being performed from afar.

After driving for a few more minutes, the ritual sounds stopped, and they saw the mourning hall.

It was on a gentle slope by the roadside, which seemed to be the local designated place for funerals. There was a brick house, and around the house was a wide, open space. Qi Yuntian stepped lightly on the gas, and the G-Wagon's V8 engine exerted just a little force, carrying the massive vehicle up the slope. Chen Nuo saw Xia Yehe's yellow QQ parked in a corner of the open space.

Qi Yuntian seemed to recognize Xia Yehe's car too, parking directly next to the yellow QQ. He turned to ask Chen Nuo, "What now?"

At the other end of the open space, the savage roar of the G-Wagon's engine made the people who had just finished the ritual turn around, all showing expressions of surprise and curiosity.

"That must be my second brother arriving," a fat woman in her 40s said loudly. "Look, it's a Shanghai car. I told you my second brother would come today. Xia Bing, why haven't you called your sister out yet? That damn girl, she's still inside crying and crying, all she knows is crying. Hurry up and drag her out to kowtow to the guests."

The young man called Xia Bing was about 28 or 29 years old. He was quite sturdy, with dark skin and a very honest appearance. He wore dirty jeans and was dressed in mourning clothes. Hearing the woman's words, he didn't say anything, just nodded and turned to walk into the brick house.

As soon as Xia Bing entered, he said, "Sister, Mom's relatives are here. They want us to go out and greet them."

Xia Yehe was kneeling in front of the coffin inside the room, burning paper in a basin. Without turning her head, she said, "You still call that woman Mom?"

Xia Bing said blankly, "Then what should I call her?"

"Forget it."

Xia Yehe struggled to support her body from the cushion in front of the coffin. She was wearing white mourning clothes and draped in hemp cloth. Her small face was exhausted, her two eyes swollen like peaches. Her originally stubborn and clear eyes now lacked any luster.

Walking out of the mourning hall, Xia Yehe asked, "Where?"

Xia Bing pointed and said, "That car."

"Heh, a Mercedes. She can brag about that for three days."

According to local customs, before the elders who traveled from afar stepped out of their cars, the children of the deceased had to kneel and kowtow to welcome them. Before that, other relatives couldn't go up to greet them, and the arriving guests couldn't get out of their cars. Therefore, the fat woman from before was still standing where she was, not going over to greet them. Seeing Xia Yehe come out of the mourning hall listlessly, she ignored the surrounding relatives and friends and directly cursed, "Xia Yehe, how are you acting as a daughter to your father? My second brother traveled so far, and now he has to wait for you! You're still walking so slowly. Did you not eat lunch? Oh my, Xia Yehe, why did your father ever give birth to a daughter like you? Let me tell you, you go over there now and kowtow properly to your second uncle. I borrowed money everywhere to hold this funeral for your father, and I'm in debt up to my ears. I'm just waiting for them to be kind and lend us some money."

Xia Yehe gave her a deathly pale look and said nothing, walking with Xia Bing toward the parking area. They had only taken two steps when another car rumbled up. This time it was a half-new, half-old white Mazda, also with Shanghai plates.

Xia Bing was indecisive. "Sister, which car should we greet first?"

Xia Yehe walked forward slowly and said, "Whatever. They're all her relatives anyway."

Xia Bing said, "Then let's go to the first one."

As Xia Yehe got closer, Qi Yuntian and Chen Nuo in the car saw her in the rearview mirror. Qi Yuntian grabbed Chen Nuo's sleeve and said, "The little sister looks so pitiful."

Chen Nuo opened the car door, ready to get out, but Qi Yuntian pulled him back. "Wait a second. There are so many people, and you haven't even clarified what your relationship with her is. Why are you going down there? Let's wait for her to come over and hear what she has to say first."

So, Chen Nuo sat in the car with Qi Yuntian, waiting for Xia Yehe to come over.

Chen Nuo saw in the rearview mirror that Xia Yehe seemed to have lost even more weight than before. Her whole person looked haggard; her originally large eyes felt even larger now, and her chin was sharper than before. Draped in mourning clothes, her entire face was hidden in shadows, almost invisible.

Chen Nuo had actually always had a good impression of Xia Yehe. Whether it was her dutifully teaching him to dance or her keeping her word—a one-night stand was truly just a one-night stand—she had treated him well. This was the reason he had come.

Seeing Xia Yehe like this after arriving, even though he was a naturally cold-hearted scumbag, he felt a bit of heartache.

A car seemed to have parked next to them, but Chen Nuo didn't care at all; his eyes were fixed on that thin figure in the rearview mirror.

Watching Xia Yehe walk to the back of their car and disappear from the rearview mirror, Chen Nuo opened the car door and stepped out.

He called out, "Xia Yehe."

When Xia Yehe heard someone call her name, she was just about to kneel. Because she noticed the passenger door had opened and a figure had quickly stepped out, she assumed it was her stepmother's brother who didn't understand the local customs. So, she bent her knees, ready to kneel on the ground.

Then, she heard her own name.

The voice calling her was very familiar. Over the past month, it had often appeared in her dreams.

In her dreams, she and the owner of this voice had been to many places and done many things.

Once, they were honored guests of the Queen Mother of the West while traveling to the sun; another time, they were chased off a cliff by three gangsters with guns. Sometimes they had two daughters and a son, growing old together; other times, his ex-girlfriend came back to find him, leaving her heartbroken and weeping into her pillow.

Well, this time it was quite strange—he had run all the way to her house.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 52 =====