Chapter 354 - 353: Burial

"Uncle."

"Uncle, you’re back too?"

Xue Xingzhou patted the two children’s heads. "What were you two doing at home?"

Ruanruan shook her head, looking dejected. "Nothing. Grandma’s gone, and she’s never coming back. I’m so sad."

Xue Xingzhou lowered his gaze. "It’s okay to be sad. Your grandma doted on you so much when she was alive. I’m sure she couldn’t bear to leave you either."

Shiyi said angrily, "It’s all Xiao Yu’s fault, that crybaby. Grandma must have passed away because she was so sad about her. I’m never talking to her again."

Xue Xingzhou had heard a little about that child, but he hadn’t known that Gu Yuwei had taken her away.

He asked the two children about it, and after Ruanruan explained the details, Xue Xingzhou’s brow furrowed tightly.

"The police came to the house? Did they say which district’s station they were from?"

Ruanruan and Shiyi shook their heads. They didn’t know either. Xue Xingzhou felt that something was strange about the situation, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong.

But it didn’t matter now. Mrs. He was gone, and no one likely cared what had really happened anymore.

The day of Mrs. He’s burial was overcast. An elder from the village looked at the sky and said a big storm was probably coming, telling them they should head to the cemetery early for the interment.

As the eldest grandson, Little Chen walked at the very front, holding Mrs. He’s photograph. The brothers He Lang and He Nan followed, and behind them were their wives and children, all dressed in mourning clothes, weeping as they made their way to the He Family cemetery.

Mrs. He’s grave was indeed located far from He Ze’s.

When the first handful of yellow earth was tossed onto the coffin, He Lang’s red-rimmed eyes couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They streamed down his face without stopping.

"Mom—"

Then, with a THUD, he fell to his knees. He Nan knelt as well. As more and more earth was piled on, it formed a mound.

A person’s life comes to an end just like that. No matter what happened while they were alive, they take nothing with them.

The sky grew darker and darker as black clouds gathered. Following a clap of thunder, the rain began to pour down in sheets.

The family stood before the grave, and the rain quickly soaked their clothes. Xue Xingzhou took off his own jacket and held it over Ruanruan and Shiyi’s heads. He glanced at Xue Yue and He Lang standing ahead of them. None of the He family members suggested leaving, so Xue Xingzhou started heading back with the two children first.

The rain showed signs of getting heavier. Everyone else had already left, but He Lang and He Nan remained standing at the front.

Water was already dripping from their clothes. Xue Yue walked up and gently pulled He Lang’s hand.

"The rain’s too heavy. Let’s go back first."

He Lang stared ahead, not moving. He Nan said to him, "Third Brother, let’s go. Look, your sister-in-law is soaked."

He Lang’s eyelids twitched. He turned to look at Xue Yue and saw that her lips had turned pale from the cold.

"Let’s go. Let’s go home."

Only then did they start heading down the mountain. This time, they didn’t return to the old family home, but went back to their own house instead.

Xue Xingzhou had already boiled a pot of hot water. He had changed the children’s clothes and given them half a cup of hot water to drink when he saw Xue Yue and He Lang walk in, sopping wet.

Xue Xingzhou frowned. "Hurry up and change your clothes. I couldn’t find any brown sugar, so just drink some hot water to warm up."

"Okay, Big Brother. Your clothes are wet too. I’ll get you a set of He Lang’s clothes to change into."

"No need, I brought my own. I’ll change in a bit. You two go get changed first."

Xue Yue went into the room and quickly changed into a set of clean clothes. When she was done, she turned to look at He Lang and found him still standing in the same spot, staring blankly at the rain outside the window.

Xue Yue paused for a moment, then took a set of He Lang’s clothes and walked over to him, reaching out to unbutton his shirt.

He Lang caught her hand. "I’ll do it myself," he said in a low voice.

Xue Yue took a step back and watched as He Lang unbuttoned and took off his wet shirt. She handed the dry clothes to him. He put on the new shirt, and then the pants.

After a moment, Xue Xingzhou knocked on the door. "Are you changed?"

Xue Yue went to open the door, and Xue Xingzhou came in carrying two cups of hot water.

"Drink this quickly. It’ll be a problem if you catch a cold."

"Are Ruanruan and the others okay?"

Xue Xingzhou said, "They got a little wet, but they’ve already changed their clothes. They should be fine."

Xue Yue nodded. "That’s good."

Xue Xingzhou looked at He Lang. He was holding the cup, his face was pale, and he seemed listless.

Words of comfort rose to his lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them. At a time like this, anything he said would be pointless. He just needed some time.

Xue Xingzhou sighed and said to Xue Yue, "You just stay with him. Don’t worry about the children. I’ve got them."

Xue Yue nodded.

But just as he finished speaking, He Lang stood up and started to walk out. "I’m going to the old house to check on things."

"He Lang, it’s still raining outside!" Xue Yue called out. But he was already out the door. Left with no choice, Xue Yue quickly found the only umbrella they had in the house and chased after him.

He Lang took the umbrella from her and said, "There are still things to do over there. You don’t need to come. I’ll come back on my own when I’m done."

Then, holding the umbrella, he strode away.

"Yue’er, come back inside. That place was a mess this morning, and it’s still a disaster now. Let them handle the cleanup," Xue Xingzhou called out to Xue Yue at the door.

Xue Yue ran back inside and looked out with a worried expression. He Lang had been kneeling for too long, and he wasn’t walking right. She was worried about his legs.

When He Lang arrived at the old family home, everyone was inside taking shelter from the rain. He saw the now-empty mourning tent, and his pupils contracted. A sudden panic seized him, and he stood there, at a loss for what to do.

"Third Brother, the rain’s too heavy right now. Come inside first. We’ll clean up later," He Nan said, running out to pull He Lang into the house.

Now, only the three of them—father and sons—were in the main house. Mr. He sat on the edge of the *kang*, his eyes fixed on the rain outside, somewhat lost in thought.

He Lang sat down on the side of the *kang*. The entire room was filled with traces of his mother, and even the air seemed to carry the scent she had when she was alive.

He used to find his mother’s nagging annoying. Every time she saw him, she would drone on and on.

When he was young, she’d say he wasn’t content to lead an honest life, always running off to the black market, but she would be worried sick about him. Later, she’d complain that his standards were too high. She introduced him to so many nice girls, but he’d turn around and scare them all away. In the end, it was his mother who found a wife for him.

Perhaps because life had been so hard in the past, He Lang had always dreamed of making a lot of money so his family could live a good life. But now, his mother was gone.

He Lang felt like he was suffocating just sitting in that room, so he stood up again.

"I’m going to take down the mourning tent."

He Nan told him, "The rain hasn’t stopped yet."

"It’s fine."

And just like that, He Lang went out. Standing in the rain, he swept the things that had been strewn about the courtyard this morning into a pile.

He Lang didn’t know if he was torturing himself or if he just couldn’t bear to stop. The moment he stopped, his mind would be flooded with images of his mother.

It pained He Nan to watch, so he went out into the rain to help He Lang clean up. They dismantled the mourning tent, put everything in order, and returned the items they had borrowed from their neighbors.

The courtyard was cleaned up spotless, without a single trace of what had been there before.

"Third Brother, your clothes are wet."

"It’s fine, Big Brother. I’m not coming back inside. Just tell Dad I’m heading home."

With that, He Lang walked out the main gate.