Ding Yun harbored no ill will towards her former father-in-law, even feeling a pang of sympathy for his misfortune.
Thus, upon receiving the white envelope notifying her of his passing, she naturally attended the funeral.
She even contributed a thousand yuan as a condolence gift.
However, as she had no intention of playing the role of a dutiful daughter-in-law for Gu Jianguo, she took her leave after paying her respects and a brief tour of the burial site, skipping the lunch and departing promptly.
After all, Ding Yun was already divorced from Gu Jianguo.
Her presence at the funeral could be seen as filial piety, but her departure raised no eyebrows.
The fact that her divorce from Gu Jianguo hadn't been widely publicized meant that many less intimate relatives, upon noticing Ding Yun's brief appearance and swift exit, inquired further out of curiosity.
It was then that they learned of their divorce.
A few, with ample free time, even dissected the events leading up to the divorce and the old man's specific cause of death, discovering that Gu Jianguo's drinking was to blame.
When the funeral feast began,
Upon seeing Gu Jianguo still guzzling alcohol, anyone with a functioning mind, even if they said nothing, likely scoffed inwardly, thinking "serves him right."
Those who had previously felt Ding Yun’s divorce was a mistake were now speechless.
After all, anyone who caused their own father's death through drinking would surely vow to quit. To continue drinking in such circumstances, to such an extent, was beyond salvageable.
As the guests departed after the feast and discussed the events, spreading the word, Gu Jianguo's reputation outside the family suffered significantly.
While not utterly ruined, it certainly wasn't good.
...
Night fell in apartment 703, Donghe Residential Area.
The moment he stepped inside, Xu Haibin sighed in exasperation, "Mingxia, your father's words are like wind. I remember the last time I saw him, he swore by your grandfather's body that he'd quit drinking. How come he's still drinking today... and not just drinking, but drunk, crying, and making a scene. Oh, it's utterly embarrassing..."
"Sigh, it's not the first time he's vowed to quit. He's made such vows countless times before. He'd say he'd quit in the morning and be drinking by night. I truly thought his grandfather's passing might make him have a change of heart and truly attempt to quit! I didn't expect him to be the same. I feel like he's gotten worse. When my mother was around, she'd constantly nag him to drink less, and he might have exercised some restraint. Now that my mother is divorced from him, there's no one to tell him off. What can we children say? I'm really afraid he'll drink himself to death one day."
Those who don't drink can never truly understand the thoughts and motivations of those who do.
Gu Mingxia was in a foul mood.
Thus, she echoed her husband's frustrations and dissatisfaction.
"For some reason, I have a premonition that your father might truly become a complete alcoholic, someone who drinks three or four meals a day. Some things in this world gravitate towards extremes. A normal person in your father's situation, having caused their father's death and their wife's divorce through their own drinking, would face two extremes: either quit drinking entirely and change themselves, or, like your father, continue drinking, perhaps even more severely and excessively. More reckless, drinking himself to death... Your father is currently in the second scenario!"
Xu Haibin's analysis was surprisingly coherent and even seemed plausible.
But Gu Mingxia responded with continued helplessness.
"Even if everything you say is true, we can't do anything about it. After all, we can't send him to a rehabilitation center, nor can we assign someone to stay with him and ensure he doesn't drink. My mother couldn't control him. No, even his own mother, my grandmother, couldn't control him. What power do we, his children, have? Besides, I'm a daughter, so theoretically, I'm not responsible for his financial support. If anything, it would be more appropriate to support my mother. So, please don't worry yourself. Your father, this drunkard, won't implicate you."
"Mingxia, I'm not worried about him implicating me. I'm mainly concerned about your father's well-being. If he continues drinking like this, it won't just be about alcoholic liver disease or even liver cancer in the future. He could very well drink himself to death... And who will pick him up when he gets drunk again?"
As Xu Haibin finished speaking, Gu Mingxia's phone rang. It was her aunt, calling to ask her to pick up her father, Gu Jianguo, as there was no place for him to sleep at the funeral site. Furthermore, everyone knew that the last person who took the drunk Gu Jianguo home had passed away unexpectedly, and no one was willing to risk their life transporting him. Even his own siblings were reluctant. Thus, the call had to go to Gu Jianguo's children.
At this moment, Xu Haibin pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders, lamenting the accuracy of his prediction.
Gu Mingxia, with a dark expression, inquired, "Aunt, where's Haomiao? Why don't you call Haomiao to pick him up? Isn't he closer to Dad's place?"
"Haomiao said his wife might be pregnant and he's taking her to the hospital for check-ups. He's really busy. Your mother blocked me directly and said not to bother her with anything related to Gu Jianguo anymore; she now considers him a dead man. So, I can only call you. He's your father, after all. We're genuinely unable to help, and no one can take him home. You and Xiao Xu, please come and pick him up. You don't have to bring him to your place. Just take him to his own home... Uh... he probably won't die from drinking, it'll be fine!"
After saying this, Aunt Gu hung up the phone, not giving Gu Mingxia a chance to refuse.
"You're really a jinx..."
Giving her husband a sideways glance, Gu Mingxia could only turn around, put her shoes back on, and prepare to fetch her father. What else could she do? Could she truly abandon him? If she did, what would relatives and friends say about her?
"If you don't want to go, how about we find a delivery person? Pay them extra, and ask them to help take him back. I reckon a hundred yuan would be more than enough. It's not that far, just transporting a person!"
Seeing his wife in a bad mood, Xu Haibin quickly offered what seemed like a not-so-terrible idea.
"Find a delivery person? Forget it. Let's not implicate the delivery guy. We can just treat it as an experience. I've never picked up a drunk him before; my mother always did. This is a good chance for me to experience how hard Mom worked!"
After a few seconds of deliberation, Gu Mingxia rejected her husband's suggestion. She decided to pick him up once to observe the process and assess its difficulty. Then she would consider whether to continue doing so in the future.
Xu Haibin readily agreed and followed her.