After finishing with the photographs, Ji Huaichuan and the two drivers sat around the fire to warm themselves.
The driver smiled and said, "The people in your village are really optimistic. I see them cheerful all the time."
He felt he should learn from them.
He always thought of himself as pitiful...
Pitiful for having no money and no love as a child, pitiful for living in a shantytown before—just constantly feeling sorry for himself.
But since coming to this village, he had been deeply moved by the locals.
They laughed no matter what, joked around all the time, ate and drank freely, and truly treated a funeral like a celebration.
Wasn't this exactly what modern people should be pursuing?
Looking at the visibly touched driver, Ji Huaichuan stared at him, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
Could it be that his father was just so horrible that everyone was actually this happy?
The driver wiped away a tear and looked at Ji Huaichuan: "Whatever scale you want for the event, we'll help out."
Ji Huaichuan replied hesitantly, "Keep it as simple as possible. Just collect the cash gifts—there's no point in making it big and wasting money."
The driver laughed out loud hearing this: "Are all the people in your village this humorous?"
He really needed to learn from them.
Ji Huaichuan, who had been unexpectedly praised for his humor: ...
City folks sure had a strong imagination.
Meanwhile, in a corner, someone was sneaking off.
He was clumsily blowing on a suona. If he kept pretending, he'd definitely be caught. At least he needed to know how to play it.
He thought about the tune, tested the notes, and then started practicing seriously.
The villagers, woken by the sound of the suona: ...
The Ji family had hired such an awful suona player. She hadn't heard such terrible music in her entire life.
But she couldn't very well tell him to shut up. She pulled the covers over her head and went back to sleep.
The night outside kept rushing past, bringing gusts of cool wind and sour odors.
The people in the car sat in silence. The old woman was in the back row, vomiting into a plastic bag, while Ji Fangyun quietly cracked open the window.
The man sitting beside the other one had handed the old woman a bag and then ignored her, scrolling through his phone.
Her hand trembled as she held the bag, her face pale as a ghost.
Ji Fangyun pulled an orange from her bag, turned around, and handed it to the old woman: "Auntie, have an orange. It’ll help you feel better."
The old woman gave her a weak smile and took the orange: "Thank you."
When they reached a gas station, the old woman clumsily got out of the car and threw the bag into the trash can.
The driver smoked a cigarette and chatted loudly with the attendant. Ji Fangyun could hear everything clearly.
She wondered how things were at home, but she'd definitely make it back for the funeral feast.
After filling up, the driver spat on the ground and got back in the car.
His gaze lingered on the old woman in the rearview mirror.
"Ma'am, you need to fasten your seatbelt."
The old woman couldn't hear clearly and leaned closer to the seat. The driver shouted, "Put on your seatbelt!"
She finally understood and smiled: "Ah, the seatbelt."
She moved slowly, tugging at the belt, but whether it was because she lacked strength or didn’t know how, she struggled for ages and couldn’t get it on.
Ji Fangyun frowned deeply and said, "Help your mother with the seatbelt—she can’t manage it on her own!"
The man next to her yanked the seatbelt impatiently and roughly fastened it for the old woman.
"This is always such a hassle! I told you to remember, but you never do."
The old woman stammered, "The strap... I can't pull it out. Every time I try, it won’t come out..."
The man grew more irritated: "What’s there to pull? Just yank it hard. You just want someone to serve you—you’re just lazy!"
The old woman’s eyes immediately reddened, and she wiped her tears.
Not content with scolding her, the man then complained to the others in the car: "Last time she didn’t fasten it, the traffic cops caught us, and I got fined two hundred bucks!"
"Two hundred bucks!"
The angrier he got: "I brought you to the city to help watch the kids, but you just pile pressure on me."
The old woman didn’t dare say a word.
Ji Fangyun shot him a look: "Your mom watching the kids saves you a lot more than two hundred bucks."
The driver laughed: "Hey, you’ve got someone to help. Our family doesn’t have any elder to watch the kids."
Seeing that no one was on his side, the man’s face soured, and he fell silent.
Ji Fangyun lowered her gaze to the scenery outside the window. Living too long was no good—dying with a snap was the best way.
After Jiang Dayong’s funeral, she still hadn’t decided whether to stay home and take care of the kids.
It was true she had been forced to leave, but once she got out into the world, she realized there were so many ways to live.
Her two kids were well-behaved and had never caused her trouble since they were little, but still...
Ji Cuiyun had called Ji Fangyun today and said things were good now, that the three of them—mother and children—could be reunited and never part again.
Ji Fangyun really did want to live with her children. She missed them a lot, too. But she also couldn’t forget the days she spent at the factory—that felt like her true self.
The next day, Zhou Chiye woke up especially early.
The snoring from the next room was still going, and dawn had just broken.
He felt refreshed from the good night’s sleep.
Maybe it was a case of dreaming about what you think about. Last night, he dreamed that Ji Zhaoxi secretly kissed him.
And he rudely asked her why she did it. Her face turned completely red, and he couldn’t bear to see her struggle, so he told her he agreed to date her, and her eyes sparkled again.
Even though it was just a dream, it still made him incredibly happy.
He stared at the sleeping Ji Zhaoxi, quietly took the teddy bear out of his bag, and carefully tucked it into her arms.
Ji Zhaoxi felt the familiar touch and automatically rubbed against it, finding the coziest position, hugging the bear tightly.
Zhou Chiye watched the whole scene expressionlessly, but his hands couldn’t stop trembling.
Adorable...
He secretly took a photo of the moment, then leaned over and took a three-person selfie. Afterward, he quickly stuffed the phone into his pocket.
After taking the pictures, Zhou Chiye tried to pull the bear out of her arms, but she was holding it so tightly he couldn’t get it out. He grew panicked.
After a lot of effort, he finally managed to pull the bear out and quickly stuffed the blanket into her arms instead.
Zhou Chiye breathed a sigh of relief and put the bear back into his bag.
The sky grew brighter, and early in the morning, Ji Cuiyun arrived with a child in her arms.
She came to see if there was anything she could help with.
But when she got there, she found that the Butler had arranged everything. Not a single detail had been overlooked—he’d even hired fake mourners.
"You must have decades of experience," Ji Cuiyun remarked.
The Butler smiled. He did have decades of work experience, but not in the funeral business.
