Chapter 51: Goodbye, Xia Yehe

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

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

At this point, one could smell the thick, briny scent of the sea just by opening the car window, and the sea breeze felt like a lover’s warm hand against one's face, but Qi Yuntian was a man who lacked romantic sensibilities, muttering the entire way about how his skin would be corroded by the salt in the air.

The address Qi Yuntian had obtained was not detailed enough to specify a street or building; once they reached the town, Chen Nuo and Qi Yuntian—one an actor, the other an agent—both possessed extraordinary thick-skinned resolve, so they drove the G-Wagon from street to street, asking at every shop that sold funeral supplies.

The town was very small, and they were quite lucky; when they asked at the third shop, the owner nodded and said, "I know, the Xia family, right? I was the one who set up their mourning hall."

After clarifying the address, they drove toward it.

They had departed from Shanghai at noon, and it was now nearly 8:00 PM; as they traveled along the country road, they could hear the sounds of funeral music and ritual chanting from far away before they even arrived.

After driving for a few more minutes, the sound of the rituals stopped, and Chen Nuo and his companion saw the mourning hall.

It was on a gentle slope by the side of the road, a place that seemed to be the local spot for holding funerals. There was a brick house on it, and the area around the house was a wide, open space. Qi Yuntian lightly tapped the accelerator, and the G-Wagon’s eight-cylinder engine exerted only a little force before the massive vehicle climbed 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 as well; he parked right next to the yellow QQ and turned to ask Chen Nuo, "What do we do now?"

At the other end of the open space, the savage roar of the G-Wagon’s engine caused the crowd that had just finished the ritual to look back, their faces filled with surprise and curiosity.

"That must be my second brother arriving," a fat woman in her forties said loudly. "Look, it’s a car from Shanghai. I told you my second brother would come today. Xia Bing, why haven't you gone to call your sister out yet? That dead girl, she’s still in there crying and crying, that’s all she knows how to do. Go grab her and make her kowtow to the guests."

The young man named Xia Bing was about 28 or 29 years old; he was quite sturdy, with dark skin and a very honest appearance. He wore a pair of dirty jeans and was draped in mourning hemp and filial garments. Upon hearing the woman’s words, he didn't say anything, just nodded and turned to enter the brick house.

As soon as Xia Bing entered, he said, "Sister, Mom’s relatives are here; they’re telling us to go out and greet them."

Xia Yehe was kneeling in front of the coffin inside the room, burning paper in a brazier; she didn't even turn her head as she said, "You still call that woman Mom?"

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

"Forget it."

Xia Yehe struggled to push her body up 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 eyes swollen like peaches, and her once stubborn and clear gaze now lacked any luster.

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

Xia Bing pointed and said, "It’s that car."

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

According to local custom, before elders who have traveled from afar get out of their car, the children of the deceased must kneel and kowtow to welcome them; before this, other relatives cannot come forward to greet them, and the visitors cannot get out of the car. Therefore, the fat woman from before remained where she was and did not go 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 came from so far away, and now he has to wait for you! You’re still walking so slowly—did you not eat lunch? Oh, 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’ve been borrowing money everywhere to pay for your father’s funeral, and I’m in debt up to my ears; I’m just waiting for people to show some kindness and lend us some money."

Xia Yehe looked at her with a deathly pale face, said nothing, and walked toward the parking area with Xia Bing. They had only taken two steps when another car suddenly rumbled up. This time it was a semi-new white Mazda, also with Shanghai license plates.

Xia Bing was a bit indecisive: "Sister, which car should we go 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 through the rearview mirror. Qi Yuntian grabbed Chen Nuo’s sleeve and said, "The little sister looks so pitiful."

Chen Nuo opened the car door, preparing to get out, but Qi Yuntian grabbed him. "Wait a second. There are so many people there, and you haven't even made it clear 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."

Thus, Chen Nuo sat in the car with Qi Yuntian, waiting for Xia Yehe to approach.

Chen Nuo saw in the rearview mirror that Xia Yehe seemed to have lost even more weight than before; she looked completely gaunt. Her already large eyes felt even bigger now, her chin was sharper than before, and draped in her mourning clothes, her entire face was hidden in shadow, almost invisible.

Chen Nuo had actually always had a good impression of Xia Yehe. Whether it was her dutifully teaching him to dance or the fact that she kept 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 in this state after arriving, even though he was a naturally cold-hearted scumbag, he felt a twinge of heartache.

A car seemed to have parked next to them, but Chen Nuo paid no attention at all; his eyes were fixed on that thin figure in the rearview mirror.

Seeing Xia Yehe reach the rear of their car and disappear from the mirror, Chen Nuo opened the 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 had noticed the passenger door open and a figure jump out quickly, 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 that called her was very familiar. Over the past month, it had often appeared in her dreams.

She and the owner of this voice had been to many places and done many things in her dreams.

Once, when they traveled to the sun, they were treated as honored guests by the Queen Mother of the West; another time, they were chased off a cliff by three gangsters with guns. Sometimes they had two daughters and a son and grew old together, and other times his ex-girlfriend came back for him, leaving her with a heartbreaking, tear-soaked parting.

Well, this time it was quite a surprise; he had actually run all the way to her house.

(End of chapter)