Chapter 199: Some Words to Say to Huai’an

“Auntie, with what happened to Second Uncle, you must be very upset.

But Auntie, you still have us. The three of us will definitely be filial to you from now on.

Auntie, you must try to let go a little!” Chang Sheng said with heart felt emotion.

Ye Xin Ran was at a loss for words.

“I…”

She never expected that the first thing the three children would think about was her.

“If you’re sad, it’s okay to cry. You don’t have to be so understanding. Auntie won’t leave you.”

Ye Xin Ran comforted them.

Chang Sheng continued, “Auntie, Second Uncle told us that tears can be shed when no one is watching, but men should be stronger. We need to live well, so that those who are close don’t suffer and those who dislike us don’t rejoice!”

“Auntie, don’t be afraid. We’ll protect you from now on!” Chang An said.

“Yes, Auntie can rely on us!” Chang Ping added.

“Good, with the three of you, Auntie won’t be scared!”

At that moment, Ye Xin Ran recalled what the village head had said, so she continued:

“Your Grandpa Li Zheng said,”

She paused briefly and then added, “He bought a coffin and, this afternoon, they directly placed him in it.

Huai’an’s body was burned beyond recognition, and they didn’t want you to see him for the last time.”

“We’re not afraid!” Chang An said resolutely, “No matter what Second Uncle looks like, we won’t be scared.”

“I know, in your hearts, Second Uncle will always be the best. But Second Uncle definitely wouldn’t want you to see him like this.”

Chang An wanted to persist, but Chang Sheng stopped his brother and agreed with Ye Xin Ran’s words, “We should listen to Auntie.”

“The burial will be in three days. Huai’an didn’t have children of his own, so you…”

“We are Second Uncle and Auntie’s children.” Chang Sheng quickly responded.

“Auntie, I won’t go to the academy for the next few days. In fact, I don’t want to go anymore.”

“Why?” Ye Xin Ran asked, surprised.

“I don’t want Auntie to be too tired. Besides, I can study on my own now. I’ll stay home to help Auntie.”

The three children had always been somewhat unaware of the family business. Even with the soap, Chang Sheng only knew the selling price but didn’t understand the profit margin.

He always felt that Auntie earned money through hard work, and from now on, he didn’t want her to be so exhausted.

“That won’t do!” Ye Xin Ran said.

“Although your Second Uncle is no longer with us, I can’t let you all lower the quality of your lives because of this. You not only need to go to school, but you must do even better than before.”

“We’ll stay home to take care of Auntie!”

Chang An and Chang Ping stood by their brother’s side.

Ye Xin Ran’s expression suddenly turned cold.

She said sternly, “Your Second Uncle just passed, and now you’re not going to listen to me?”

The three children immediately fell silent.

Chang An nudged Chang Ping, and Chang Ping nudged Chang Sheng.

Finally, Chang Sheng spoke up, “Auntie, we will listen to you.”

“Good!” Ye Xin Ran said, feeling a sense of relief. “That’s what good children do. Come on, let’s go check on Grandmother!”

With that, she led the three children to Leng Qing Yu’s room.

Lu Chang Qing was already inside, and when he saw Ye Xin Ran, he quickly moved aside from the bedside.

“Sister…”

Chang Qing wanted to say a few comforting words, but before he could, Ye Xin Ran held up her finger, signaling for silence.

“How is Mother?” she asked.

“She hasn’t woken up yet,” Lu Chang Qing replied.

As they were talking, Leng Qing Yu’s fingers, which had been outside the blanket, suddenly moved. She woke up.

When Leng Qing Yu first woke up, she looked a bit dazed.

She glanced around the room at everyone and then suddenly became emotional when she saw Ye Xin Ran.

She quickly sat up and grabbed Ye Xin Ran’s hand. “Xin Ran, you’re alright. It’s such a relief to see you’re okay! I thought you…”

“Thought I was going to do something foolish?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

Leng Qing Yu nodded.

“Mother, I wouldn’t do that! The children know not to let the loved ones suffer while our enemies rejoice. How could I do something so foolish!” Ye Xin Ran lowered her eyes.

“That’s good, that’s good!” Leng Qing Yu said as she patted her chest.

It turned out that when Leng Qing Yu heard about Xiao Huai’an’s incident at home, she hurried to the old house.

Before she could get there, she heard that Ye Xin Ran had tried to rush into the flames to save him and was struck by falling debris.

With the double blow, Leng Qing Yu couldn’t hold it anymore and fainted on the spot.

Now, seeing Ye Xin Ran unharmed, the tense string in her mind finally loosened.

“Mother was really scared earlier, worried that you might do something reckless.”

“I won’t do anything foolish,” Ye Xin Ran repeated.

Seeing Ye Xin Ran calm, Leng Qing Yu’s worry only deepened.

When a person is deeply sorrowful, they may find themselves unable to cry.

Now, the calmer Ye Xin Ran appeared, the more it meant that she was struggling with pain deep inside.

Leng Qing Yu tightly grasped Ye Xin Ran’s hand. “Child, if you want to cry, just cry it out. You’re worrying me, acting like this!”

“Mother, I’m really fine,” Ye Xin Ran reassured her, though she knew her current expression must look dreadful.

That night, Chen Shi brought over a lot of food.

When she saw Ye Xin Ran’s condition, she believed Ye Xin Ran was simply overwhelmed with grief, causing her to appear disoriented.

“Chang Sheng, keep an eye on Auntie, understand?” she instructed the three children.

The children immediately responded nervously.

Seeing that everyone thought the same way, Ye Xin Ran decided not to waste any more energy on it.

Her mind was moving slowly.

She couldn’t absorb much of what others said.

The village chief knew how she was feeling.

He had to discuss with Leng Qing Yu and arrange for someone to inspect the burial site and calculate the time for the burial.

Three days later, the person the village chief arranged for arrived early in the morning to help.

Without needing to be told, the village chief had already organized everything.

Ye Xin Ran numbly followed the funeral procession.

She watched as the three children stood at the front of the line, wearing mourning clothes and tossing paper money.

It wasn’t until the shovels of earth fell onto the dark coffin, making a faint clattering sound, that Ye Xin Ran finally came to her senses.

Her vision suddenly became blurry.

She knew it was fake, yet she couldn’t stop the sourness welling up inside her.

Her mind was filled with memories of the moments she shared with Xiao Huai’an.

From the first meeting to growing close, from initially disregarding him to eventually being drawn to him.

It’s easy to fall in love, but hard to stay together.

Now that this man was gone, not only was there no return date, but she didn’t even know if he would ever come back.

Perhaps this mound of earth was all he had left for himself in the end.

After the last shovel of earth was placed, Ye Xin Ran turned and thanked everyone.

“Thank you all for today. You’ve all worked hard.”

The villagers looked at her, her lips pressed together, eyes wide open, as if all the vitality had been drained from her. They felt even more pity for this young woman.

“Ye Madam, please take care of yourself.”

“Please take care of yourself, Ye Madam. Life must move forward, and there are still children who need you. Don’t give up hope.”

“I will. You all go back first. I have a few words I want to say to Huai’an,” Ye Xin Ran said.