As I was about to turn around and walk towards my car, Old Wang said again, "Take these few days to really immerse yourself, think more about the path you want to take in the future. I still suggest you go abroad to study for a few years. Even if I'm nurturing you, it's to make up for what your mom has been missing out on all these years."

I don't know why, but I've been hearing about nurturing and going abroad a lot lately. Maybe I've really reached a turning point in my life, or maybe it's because I seem to lack experience in front of everyone, so they've thought of this common ground.

I calmly remained silent for a moment and replied, "Okay, I'll think about it carefully."

"Okay, make a decision as soon as possible. I can get your手续 (shouxu - procedures) for going abroad done sooner."

My mom, who hadn't said anything, chimed in with Old Wang's suggestion, "A'Che, Mom thinks Old Wang's suggestion is pretty good. A man is still young at thirty, and the road ahead is long. Just decide."

I lit a cigarette, feeling a bit irritated, and after a moment, replied, "Alright, it's decided then. Leaving here might be the best choice. Uncle Wang, I'll leave everything to you to handle. I'll give you my documents now, the sooner the better."

Although my tone sounded decisive, I knew I would still feel a bit panicked, my mood was like going with the flow, as if this was my only way out, with no other choice.

I took out my documents from my wallet, handed them directly to Old Wang, then breathed a sigh of relief and immediately walked towards my car.

…

On the way back, I called Lin Hai, but he didn't answer. After four consecutive calls, he finally picked up, and his voice sounded particularly heavy, "I'm busy now, what's up?"

"Are you okay?"

"Lin Yang's mom is gone," Lin Hai replied calmly.

"When did this happen?" I asked in surprise.

"Just now, are you coming over?"

"Can you handle everything alone?" I asked with rare concern.

"Could you come over? My head isn't clear right now."

"Does she have a lot of relatives?"

"Not many. There are a lot of things to buy, can you help me with that? I'm dizzy."

"Are you at the hospital now?"

"Yeah, hurry up and come."

I hesitated for a moment. After all, this woman had always been a shadow for me, both terrifying and hateful, but her death still left me with an indescribable feeling.

I pulled the car over to the side of the road and finally agreed. If I went, it would be to do something for Lin Yang, or rather, to fulfill the responsibility that should have been his.

I turned the car around and called my mom…

"Are you home yet?" my mom asked with concern.

"Not yet…"

"Don't run around, these few days…"

I immediately interrupted her and told her directly, "Lin Yang's mom is gone."

"Dead?"

"Yeah, just now, he asked me to go over and help."

"It's up to you, go if you want to. How could it be so fast?" My mom's tone was filled with shock.

"Yeah, are you and Old Wang going?"

"What would we go for?"

"Okay, I'm hanging up."

I didn't know why I thought of telling my mom. My instinctive first reaction was that after so many years of grievances, her death finally brought it all to a close.

When I arrived at the hospital, Lin Hai was preparing to send the body directly to the funeral home. There were very few people there, probably because Lin Hai hadn't notified everyone yet. The only one who was there was Lin Yang's aunt, who was crying sadly.

I watched all of this in silence. The body was covered with a white cloth, and I couldn't see her face at all. I stood a little further away. Lin Hai turned around and saw me, immediately walked over and said, "Why didn't you say you were here? Isn't Shi Yu coming?"

Today was a bad day for me. First there was Pei Shi Yu, and now this scene seemed to be deliberately confirming that today was destined to be a day of mourning, using this way to express my misfortune.

I didn't answer Lin Hai's question, but simply asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"The doctor is issuing the death certificate. Take it to the funeral home later. I'll leave everything there to you."

"Didn't they say she had half a year?"

"It deteriorated. She ate her fill last night, so I waited for you guys so long this morning. After I called you, the hospital told me directly that she wouldn't make it. She closed her eyes shortly after I got here."

I didn't respond. She probably couldn't get past Lin Yang's death. I continued to stand there, watching Lin Hai busy himself. I suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Was this the consequence of being unfaithful to the family? He had to handle the funerals of his closest relatives one after another in such a short period of time.

An hour later, I took the death certificate straight to the funeral home. Driven by the environment, I actually took on all the preparations for the aftermath. By the time the body was delivered, I had already been waiting there for half an hour. People from her family's side gradually arrived. When I saw the people who came, they were all direct relatives. I didn't want to get involved.

When Lin Hai passed by me, I immediately stepped forward and grabbed him, saying, "I'm going back now."

Lin Hai looked at me with a bit of hesitation. His eyes seemed to not want me to leave, but he was also considerate of my feelings, and hesitated a bit before replying, "Okay, go back then. I originally wanted you to ask Shi Yu to come together and send her off one last time."

"Pei Shi Yu and I broke up."

"Why?" Lin Hai asked in surprise, loudly.

"She wanted to break up, and I had no reason to disagree."

"Weren't you preparing to get married?"

Lin Hai pulled me aside in surprise, and then kept looking at me, as if he didn't quite believe what I said…

"We just broke up today, really broke up, there's no room for negotiation."

"Then the stone company is useless too?"

"Probably, but if she calls you, then do as she says. If she doesn't call you, then continue to run it yourself. If you do a good job, it should still have a future. From what I know about Pei Shi Yu, she probably won't want this land, she'll find another place."

"What about you?"

"I might go abroad to study. You continue to run things well, and we'll talk again when I come back."

"Is this your mom's idea?"

"Yeah, they gave me the suggestion, and I think it's pretty good too."

This time it was Lin Hai's turn to be silent. It seemed that everything had happened so suddenly, catching him off guard, causing him to not speak for a long time.

"Feeling very disappointed, aren't you?" I asked, lighting a cigarette.

"It's not about disappointment. Our family seems to have a deep connection with her, but in the end, we were still not meant to be. This is good too. Going abroad can also help me learn some things, and I'll have more experience when I come back to work."

"Okay, I'm leaving grandpa to you."

"When are you going?"

"It should still take some time."

At this moment, a cry suddenly came. Lin Hai and I immediately looked towards the mourning hall. It should be Lin Yang's maternal grandmother…