"Ji Fangyun, aren't you leaving?" a coworker called out with a smile from ahead.
"What's the good news? You seem so happy."
The smile in Ji Fangyun's eyes was impossible to hide. She waved her hand and said, "You all go ahead. I need to call my kids right away."
With that, she immediately called Ji Zhaoxi. She was so excited that her hands were trembling nonstop.
God bless her. Ji Fangyun had been unlucky her whole life, but now that she was older, her luck had finally turned.
When the call connected, Ji Fangyun shouted, "Xixi, you two pack up and head back to the village right now. I'll call your teacher to ask for leave."
On the other end, Ji Zhaoxi was totally confused: "Why, Mom?"
Ji Fangyun hid in a corner, covering her mouth as she laughed: "Your dad is dead!"
Ji Zhaoxi exchanged a glance with her brother Ji Huaichuan, neither of them fully processing it yet.
Ji Fangyun clapped her hands, her voice barely containing her glee: "He's really dead, really dead! The insurance company just called me, and so did the police. The three of us can finally live a good life."
She glanced at someone passing by and lowered her voice: "Pack up quickly. This time, Mom is going to rake in the funeral gift money."
She had to milk Jiang Dayong's death for all it was worth—otherwise, wouldn't his dying have been a waste?
After hanging up, Ji Zhaoxi's eyes lit up. She was about to smile when Ji Huaichuan suddenly grabbed her shoulders and shook her wildly, nearly making her dizzy.
Ji Huaichuan kept hooting like a monkey in joy, doing high kicks as he shouted.
"Money, come! Money, come! Money, come!"
Shouting himself hoarse, he dropped straight to his knees on the bed and clasped his hands together: "Heaven has finally shown mercy to us three."
Furious, Ji Zhaoxi shoved him hard: "Get off, this is my bed!"
Ji Huaichuan didn't budge an inch, his eyes closed in prayer.
Ji Zhaoxi wanted to hit him. Ji Huaichuan started screeching again, messing up her hair into a bird's nest while doing high kicks as he hopped out of the room.
"Ji Huaichuan, you're never stepping foot in my room again!"
Ji Huaichuan answered her with an enthusiastic monkey call.
The factory was filled with the smell of shampoo and body wash. Ji Fangyun couldn't wait any longer and started packing her things right away, humming a tune as she worked, her mood elated.
Her phone rang. Ji Fangyun picked up and said in a loud voice: "Little sis, what's up?"
Ji Cuiyun's voice came through, mixed with a baby's crying: "Sis, they brought brother-in-law back from the hospital; he's in the house now."
Ji Fangyun speeded up her packing: "Alright, I told Xixi and Huaichuan to head back. Little sis, keep an eye on things for me. I'll grab a train as soon as I pack up."
"Don't mention it. Just come back quickly, sis."
"Got it, got it."
Her dormmates watched Ji Fangyun on the phone and teased, "You're so happy. The only time I'm this happy is when my man kicks the bucket."
The other workers burst into laughter at that.
Ji Fangyun put down her things and smiled: "Li Junhua, you hit the nail on the head. This time I'm going back because my man really is dead."
The room went quiet. The others exchanged awkward glances, not knowing what to say.
Should they offer condolences? But Ji Fangyun looked so delighted.
Should they congratulate her? Well, her husband had just died, so that didn't seem right either...
Outside the factory, it was pitch black. The area was remote, with no shops nearby, and hardly anyone came out after dark.
Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Ji Fangyun lugged her bags onto the bus: "Take me to the train station."
The driver was surprised: "At this hour?"
Ji Fangyun wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled: "There's a happy event at home. I need to get back quickly."
Soon she arrived at the station, which was filled with the mixed smells of cigarette smoke, instant noodle seasoning, and body odor.
Ji Fangyun bought a ticket for the next available train and boarded shortly after.
She hugged her bag tightly, the permanent frown on her face finally relaxing.
Leaning back in her seat, her eyes suddenly turned red.
She had come here crying, but now she was going back laughing.
The colorful neon lights flickered, and the smell of barbecue from downstairs drifted into the room. Ji Huaichuan sang a self-made mountain song as he packed.
Ji Zhaoxi was halfway through packing when she suddenly remembered she'd forgotten about Zhou Chiye.
She quickly called him. As soon as she dialed, he picked up on the first ring.
Hearing his breathing on the other end, Ji Zhaoxi cleared her throat: "Zhou Chiye, I can't come visit you for the next few days."
"Why?!" Zhou Chiye sat bolt upright in his hospital bed.
"You said you'd visit me every day."
Zhou Chiye jabbed at the plush toy's face angrily. His mother in the room watched him with a helpless look.
She really thought her son had hit his head too hard—he'd suddenly developed a childlike side, sleeping with that plushie every day.
He even insisted on taking that bear with him for every checkup.
"Because my dad died," Ji Zhaoxi said honestly.
A moment of silence.
"Cond... condolences," Zhou Chiye stammered. "Don't be too sad."
What a jerk he was.
Ji Zhaoxi snickered: "I'm not sad at all. I'm really happy."
Hearing that, Zhou Chiye's mind went blank for a second.
But then he quickly realized Ji Zhaoxi probably didn't have a good relationship with her father.
After all, he'd raised her so poorly.
"I'll come see you when I get back, okay?" Ji Zhaoxi said seriously. She thought for a moment: "The funeral should be done in about three days."
Zhou Chiye suddenly spoke: "Then I'll go with you."
Now it was Ji Zhaoxi's turn to fall silent.
...What was he coming for?
Zhou Chiye coughed: "Your mom hasn't come back yet, has she? I'm worried about you being alone."
"I'm not alone. My brother and my aunt are with me," Ji Zhaoxi explained.
Zhou Chiye didn't listen to her explanation at all. He was determined to go.
"Um, I'll come pick you up later. Send me the address."
After hanging up, Zhou Chiye hugged the plush toy and looked seriously at his mother: "Mom, have the butler come over. I'm going to attend her father's funeral."
Zhou's mother stared at him in disbelief: "Why are you going to their family funeral? Just give the money and be done with it."
Zhou Chiye frowned deeply: "This is exactly the kind of situation where I need to help out. There's so much to do."
Zhou's mother was stunned. Had her son been possessed by something unclean?
The next second, Zhou Chiye had already thrown off the covers and was getting out of bed to change clothes.
Zhou's mother watched him, wanting to say something but holding back.
Did he actually think of himself as their son-in-law already...
The train rocked and clattered along. Passengers were eating all around, and the various food smells mixed together. Ji Fangyun had left in a hurry and hadn't brought anything.
Smelling the instant noodles beside her, she suddenly felt a craving.
Back when she had no money, she never let herself crave such things—she always thought buying food on the train was a waste. Now that she had money, she wanted to treat herself a little.
Beer, soft drinks, mineral water, peanuts, sunflower seeds, eight-treasure congee... The train attendant pushed her cart past.
Ji Fangyun quickly called out to her: "Attendant, one instant noodles, please."
In truth, the instant noodles in front of her were no different from the ones she’d had before, but Ji Fangyun felt they were somehow special.
As she ate the noodles, she called the homeroom teacher of Ji Zhaoxi and Ji Huaichuan to ask for leave.
"Hey, teacher, it's like this... I just want to take a few days off for them."
Ji Fangyun ate with great relish, even finishing the broth. She wiped her mouth and said, "Yes, yes, it’s about today’s matter. Sorry for the trouble."
Meanwhile, back at the factory, people were also discussing Ji Fangyun’s situation.
The dormitory was damp. A woman drying her hair asked, "Ji Fangyun said her husband died. Is that true or false?"
Another woman, lying in bed with her eyes closed, spoke up: "She was laughing so happily—how could it be false?"
"Who wouldn’t be happy when their husband dies?"
At those words, the dormitory burst into laughter.
