Chapter 356 - 169: Lying on the Kang Together

Chapter 356: Chapter 169: Lying on the Kang Together

To live without seeing one another, ever moving like morning and evening stars.

After waiting a lifetime, he had finally returned.

After waiting a lifetime, she had finally lost him for good.

Qin Liheng departed with a sense of completion, leaving Luo Shumin with a lifetime of regret.

A lifetime spanning over seventy years. Less than five of them spent together, in exchange for half a century of waiting. Was it worth it? She only smiled, her mind filled with those brief, sweet moments.

With him in her life, she had no regrets.

Su Ran admired their generation. Most were devoted to one person for their entire lives. Even if their spouse died, they wouldn’t remarry, choosing instead to raise their children alone until the day they died and were buried beside their beloved.

Aunt Luo was one such person, as were many of the septuagenarians and octogenarians in Linxi Village. Their husbands had died when they were young, and they had remained single for the rest of their lives.

That generation knew how to endure loneliness.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon drove slowly along the country road in Linxi Village and pulled up in front of the mud-brick house. A crowd of villagers had already gathered, murmuring amongst themselves. None of them had ever imagined that Madman Qin had been such an incredible figure—a Tsinghua graduate, a former diplomat, a man who had even been to war.

Along the way, Su Ran pointed out to Aunt Luo all the places where Uncle Qin used to spend his time. He would sit under the trees and read; if it started raining before a family had brought in their harvest, he would rush out in the downpour to help them; other times, he would just sit by the fishpond and fish...

But now, the Uncle Qin who had watched over Su Ran’s home was gone.

Aunt Luo entered the mud-brick house to sort through her late husband’s belongings. A photograph of them together on the wall was particularly conspicuous. Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at it, her mind drifting back decades to the Summer Palace. She remembered that midsummer day, the young Qin Liheng, and herself, wearing a long white dress...

The past was as clear as yesterday, yet gone beyond recall.

While cleaning out the belongings under Uncle Qin’s bed, Su Ran discovered a small chest. He opened it and found it filled with relics from a storied past: grenades, bullets, and more... He had kept them in perfect condition, waiting for the day he might be called upon again to fight for Huaxia!

Aunt Luo turned to look at the chest of munitions and smiled faintly. "He always said, ’Only with a nation can one have a home.’ Liheng was one of those unsung heroes, willing to sacrifice his own family to protect our Huaxia."

"Su Ran, remember, only with a nation can one have a home. You’re a capable young man. In the future, you must become someone who contributes to our country. You must have a strong backbone, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Stepping out of the mud-brick house, Aunt Luo stopped and gave a deep bow to the assembled villagers. "Thank you all for taking care of my husband all these years. Thank you."

As everyone watched, the G-Wagon slowly drove away. The crowd sighed in collective sorrow. The Village Guardian was no more.

...

In the heart of the Loess Plateau sat a small village called Wangu Village.

It was a panorama of yellow earth, the very kind of Loess Plateau from the folk songs of Ah Bao, where daylilies bloom a brilliant red. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolate hills and row upon row of cave dwellings.

Scarcely a speck of green life could be seen.

This was Qin Liheng’s birthplace. He was a scholar who had emerged from this land of yellow earth.

Now, like a fallen leaf returning to its roots, he had come home. He was buried in the yellow earth that had raised him, and next to his grave was that of his son, Qin Ping’an.

Su Ran and the four girls had accompanied Aunt Luo to the funeral. The group paid their respects one by one. When it was Xie Yiren’s turn, she lit a stick of incense and sincerely knelt. She kowtowed three times before Qin Liheng’s grave, then turned to the adjacent headstone bearing the name ’Qin Ping’an’ and kowtowed three more times.

They all knew of Aunt Luo’s tragic life. The husband she had waited half a century for returned, only for her to see him one last time before he died.

Her son had also died more than a decade ago from depression. No one would ask why he had taken his own life; who would be so cruel as to reopen old wounds?

In short, everyone felt deep sympathy for Aunt Luo, this incredibly wealthy and powerful matriarch.

She had been very kind to Xie Yiren, even helping her find a job. As a kindred spirit who understood loss, Xie Yiren’s bowing to her family members was entirely from the heart.

She muttered a small prayer, hoping the spirits of Grandpa Qin and Uncle Qin in heaven would watch over Aunt Luo.

Aunt Luo, standing nearby, was deeply moved.

A butterfly that had been resting on Qin Ping’an’s headstone took flight, circled once in the air, and came to land on Aunt Luo’s shoulder.

She didn’t brush the butterfly away, allowing it to remain on her shoulder.

Su Ran said, "The ancients believed that the dead return as butterflies to visit their loved ones. Aunt Luo, your son has come to see you. You have to stay strong, alright?"

Aunt Luo managed a faint smile. "Perhaps so. Let’s go. Time to head back." She turned to walk toward the cave dwellings down the mountain. Just then, the butterfly left her shoulder and, as everyone watched, flew over and landed gently on Xie Yiren’s head.

Su Ran asked, "Are you afraid of butterflies? I can shoo it away for you."

Xie Yiren replied, "It’s alright. Just leave it be."

"Yiren..." Aunt Luo beckoned. Xie Yiren went over and supported her, and the two chatted as they made their way down the steep path.

Su Ran, his hands full, was leading the three delicate girls down the mountain by their hands. One moment, Liu Jinyu would start to stumble, and Su Ran would have to wrap an arm around her waist to steady her. The next moment, Xiao Wanqing would also lose her footing, and Su Ran would use his other arm to catch her. In the chaos, Aina was mercilessly left to fend for herself. She tumbled to the ground, furious. She threw a tantrum, refusing to move another step. Su Ran was exasperated. ’Damn, these girls are going to be the death of me,’ he thought. ’All I want is some peace and quiet. I just have to put up with it for two more days. Then I can fly back to Jiangning alone and finally be left in peace.’

And so, he had Liu Jinyu and Xiao Wanqing support each other while he went back to give the "royal treatment" to the little pest, Aina. He hoisted her onto his back and continued down the mountain.