The next morning, Liu Nanfeng ate breakfast and drove to the bus station.
He arrived at the bus station at 6:30 AM. It couldn't be helped, though. Yu Huilan had left at 5 AM, and he figured she would be arriving soon. He couldn't let her wait for him at the station.
Su Huamei had wanted to go with him, but Su Jinxiu had forcibly taken her to a coffee shop, preventing her from joining them.
"Mom, over here."
Liu Nanfeng spotted Yu Huilan standing under a large tree.
They had arranged to meet there the night before, to avoid any confusion in finding each other.
Yu Huilan was traveling light, with only a bag and a sun hat.
"Where's your car?" Yu Huilan asked as soon as they met.
"Parking isn't allowed here. I parked it up ahead. It's just a short walk."
"Alright, let's hurry then." Yu Huilan followed the direction Liu Nanfeng indicated and walked quickly forward.
"Mom, don't be too sad. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are unavoidable."
Liu Nanfeng saw that her eyes were red and her expression was somber. He knew she was feeling down and offered words of comfort.
"Sigh, you're right, but your Aunt Sun was only in her fifties. Her daughter-in-law was just pregnant. She didn't even get to see her grandson," Yu Huilan replied.
Hearing this topic, Liu Nanfeng quickly shut his mouth. He didn't dare to continue, as it would only lead to an uncomfortable situation.
Upon reaching the parking spot, Yu Huilan directly pulled open the rear passenger door.
"Mom, why don't you sit in the front passenger seat?"
"No, that seat is for your wife. One shouldn't just sit there casually."
"Mom, you're quite particular. Here, this is breakfast your daughter-in-law prepared for you."
Liu Nanfeng picked up a bag next to him and handed it to her.
Yu Huilan accepted it without any ceremony.
"Jinxiu is so thoughtful. Honestly, I'm quite hungry. I didn't have time for breakfast this morning," Yu Huilan said with a sigh.
"Jinxiu made you a rice ball. It has your favorite shredded potatoes and shredded radishes inside. And this chicken soup is perfect for drinking in one go."
"Jinxiu is truly virtuous. The Liu family must have dug up a celestial tomb to have you marry such a wonderful wife."
"Mom, you're exaggerating a bit. Celestial tomb?"
"Mom is just speaking the truth. Jinxiu excels in appearance, temperament, personality, and family background. You, my son, are lucky beyond measure."
"Haha..."
Hearing his mother praise his wife so highly, Liu Nanfeng felt happy too.
"Sigh..." But then, Yu Huilan suddenly let out a deep sigh.
Liu Nanfeng glanced at her in the rearview mirror and remained silent.
Seeing that Liu Nanfeng wasn't speaking, Yu Huilan sighed deeply again. However, Liu Nanfeng continued to drive, feigning deafness.
Yu Huilan grew impatient and asked directly, "Son, why aren't you asking me why I'm sighing?"
"I don't want to ask."
"You unfilial son, do you want to anger your mother to death?"
"Mom, you just want to talk about children. Your Jinxiu and I are still young. You can wait a couple more years."
Liu Nanfeng knew his mother too well. The moment she sighed the first time, he knew what she wanted to say.
"Young? You're almost thirty years old. Why are you still so irresponsible?" Yu Huilan said angrily.
"Then we'll talk about it after I turn thirty."
"Still after thirty? Let me ask you, is this your idea or Jinxiu's idea?"
Yu Huilan was furious at his words.
"Of course, it's my idea. You know what kind of person Jinxiu is. She listens to me." Liu Nanfeng naturally didn't want his wife to be wronged, so he took all the blame.
"You scoundrel, how could I have given birth to such a wicked son like you? You're deliberately trying to make me angry to death, aren't you?" Yu Huilan reached from the back seat, intending to hit Liu Nanfeng's head.
"Mom, I'm driving. Can you please stop being so physical? Be careful, you might lose your son before you get to hold your grandson, and then there will be no hope at all."
"Pah, pah, pah, you jinx."
Yu Huilan retracted her hand at his words and then began to play the emotional card.
"Don't blame me for rushing you. It's just that I think of your Aunt Sun, such a good person, gone just like that. She held on for two years, just wanting to see her grandson. But as the baby was about to be born, she passed away. Your Aunt Sun couldn't rest in peace. Thinking of this, my heart aches... sob, sob, sob..."
"Sob, sob, sob..."
While waiting at a red light, Liu Nanfeng handed her tissues from the side.
"What for?"
"Wipe your tears."
"Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Eat your breakfast while it's still warm. It'll be completely cold if you don't eat it soon."
"You stubborn brat, just like your father. What's wrong with having children? You don't need to raise them. I don't care if you agree or not. I'll talk to Jinxiu when we get back," Yu Huilan said angrily.
"Mom, why are you talking to Jinxiu about this? I said it's my decision not to have children. It doesn't matter who you talk to. You know how stubborn I am, so please don't cause more trouble." Liu Nanfeng said with some annoyance.
"Why are you talking so loudly? Am I not allowed to say a few words to you? Have your wings grown strong? Has your temper gotten worse?"
"Mom, I'm driving. I don't want to argue with you," Liu Nanfeng said, feeling helpless.
Yu Huilan snorted and stopped talking, quietly starting to eat her breakfast.
The journey finally quieted down, and Yu Huilan didn't speak to him again until they arrived at Aunt Sun's residential complex.
However, as soon as Liu Nanfeng got out of the car, he was startled by the black smoke covering the complex.
A massive cloud of smoke had formed a huge vortex. Black energy was constantly being sucked into it from the residential buildings, making it grow larger and larger.
"What are you looking at? You should go back first," Yu Huilan said, seeing her son standing there dazed.
"I'm wondering if it's going to rain," Liu Nanfeng replied.
"Rain?"
Yu Huilan looked up at the sky and then said, "You're talking nonsense. With such nice weather, how could it rain?"
It seemed Yu Huilan couldn't see the massive black vortex in the sky.
"You should go back first. You don't need to pick me up this afternoon. I'll just take a taxi back," Yu Huilan said as she headed towards the complex.
"Mom..."
Just as Liu Nanfeng was about to call out to her, he heard a surprised voice next to him say, "Liu Shutiao, why are you here?"
Liu Nanfeng turned around and saw Shen Wenhua. He was a bit surprised but then realized it wasn't unexpected.
The deceased Aunt Sun was a longtime close friend of his mother, likely from the same factory.
Shen Wenhua's mother was also from the same factory. When the factory dormitories were demolished, it was highly probable that they were assigned to the same residential complex as Aunt Sun.
"Are you Wenhua?"
Hearing the voice, Yu Huilan also turned around and recognized Shen Wenhua at a glance.
"Aunt Yu." Shen Wenhua also recognized Yu Huilan.
"Oh, it's been so long. You've grown into such a beautiful young lady," Yu Huilan said, pulling Shen Wenhua closer and examining her with a face full of joy.
"Aunt Yu, you're here for Aunt Sun's funeral, aren't you?" Shen Wenhua realized at this point.
"Alas, yes. Where is your mother?"
"She's already gone to Aunt Sun's place."
"Then I won't chat with you two. You can chat amongst yourselves. I'm going ahead." Yu Huilan then hurried towards the complex again.
After Yu Huilan left, Liu Nanfeng smiled and said, "So you live here."
"It's just that you haven't been paying attention. If you thought about it, you should have known where I lived. When the housing was demolished, everyone was resettled in a few nearby complexes."
"Haha..." Liu Nanfeng laughed sheepishly.
Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Zhan Zhongxiao calling.
"Hello, why are you calling me so early in the morning?"
"Where are you now? I'm coming to find you."
"Huh? Why are you looking for me?"
"Your electric bike was stolen yesterday, and it was because of me. I'll go with you to buy a new one today. Consider it my compensation."
"What does my stolen electric bike have to do with you? I can't let you compensate me. Stop joking, alright?"
"Who's joking with you? It's just an electric bike. It's not like I can't afford it. Hurry up and tell me where you are!" Zhan Zhongxiao was very persistent on the phone.
"Oh, I'm with Wenhua right now."
Zhan Zhongxiao: ...