Chapter 26: Replacement
The funeral was held in Qingchuan, starting at nine in the morning. Due to the suddenness of the event, many people couldn’t make it in time. The turnout was not large. Besides close relatives, most were friends and classmates of the deceased from Qingchuan.
The master of ceremonies, dressed in a sharp suit and with a solemn expression, stood on the stage of the farewell hall, waiting for the family and friends of the deceased to arrive one by one. The funeral home was of a high standard, and the best master of ceremonies had been hired to preside over this funeral. From the announcement of the death to the current process, everything had been carried out in an orderly manner.
Lu Siyuan and a few other classmates who were relatively close to Su Yu had all come together. They were accompanied by a few friends who had met Su Yu in the Youth Association. Everyone’s expression was a little dazed. A person who had been alive and well a few days ago was now separated by life and death.
The few of them looked at each other and were silent for a long time. In the end, they could only sigh and say, “Sigh… he was fine. How did he get into a car accident?”
Nie Hong twitched her nose and took two pieces of paper from Da Zhuang’s hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t have much contact with Su Yu. The play had really won a trophy for the Youth Association at the art festival. It was still in the display case of the activity room. Life is unpredictable. This was supposed to be a happy thing, but in the blink of an eye…
Tang Xin, a girl who liked to write, was mostly sentimental. She was not on bad terms with Su Xi. In the stuffy and oppressive atmosphere, she couldn’t say a word and just lay on Lu Siyuan’s shoulder and cried endlessly. Half of her clothes were wet, and she couldn’t stop.
“Did you not let An Zhi know about this?”
Lu Siyuan patted Tang Xin’s shoulder and comforted her a few times, then asked about An Zhi in a low voice.
“No. An Zhi seems to have a thing for Su Yu… and she’s sick. So I haven’t told her yet.” Nie Hong shook her head. She turned her gaze to the increasingly noisy hall. The number of people who had come to pay their respects seemed to have suddenly increased. A middle-aged man was holding a eulogy and silently reciting it on the stage. His features were somewhat similar to Su Yu’s.
“It’s better not to tell her. We can talk about it when we have a chance. Then… where is she? We’re all here. Will An Zhi find out something?”
“She’s in the hospital. She’ll be discharged in the afternoon. After the funeral, we can go and pick her up together.”
Xia Qiange had been standing in a corner. She had just hung up a call from Chen Kai and walked over. Chen Kai had been very upset that he couldn’t come to the funeral in person, and his voice was a little choked.
She was wearing a black coat and long pants. Her already pale face, combined with the heavy black of the funeral, made her look even paler and more sickly, with an almost morbid whiteness.
Her voice was very soft, and she kept her eyes lowered. Her thick eyelashes were drooping, hiding her dark pupils, and the emotions that were swirling in the darkness could not be seen. But it still made people feel a strong sense of sadness.
…
“My condolences, my condolences…”
Father He held his crying wife and nodded at Father Su. They had received the news of the death and had driven from home to Qingchuan overnight, hiding it from He Mu Qing. They were covered in dust that had not yet settled.
“I watched that child grow up. He said he missed my cola chicken wings during the New Year. It’s only been a short while. How could he just… just…”
The news of the death had come too suddenly. Mother He still couldn’t accept this fact. She had not been in good health back then and couldn’t take the strain. She had exhausted all her energy giving birth to He Mu Qing. Even though she hadn’t had a son, Father He had never mentioned having another child.
But this was still a regret. She remembered how the little guy had slowly grown into that big boy in front of her. He had a good personality and was good-looking. She had always treated him as her own son…
“Didn’t Fang Yan come either?”
“Hmm? Fang Yan, she… she…”
The eulogy in Father Su’s hand was wrinkled, and the lead ink was stained with sweat, creating a faint mark. He stood in a daze, stiff and frightening, repeatedly murmuring a few lines of the eulogy, his eyes not blinking, a blood-red patch.
“Xiao Xi also had an accident that day. Su Yu seems to have been in a car accident on his way to find her. Fang Yan thinks she killed Su Yu. She cried all night yesterday, and her mental state is very poor. I asked her to stay and take care of Xiao Xi.”
“Then who organized this funeral?”
“I don’t know either. It seems to be someone Xiao Yu knew. After I came to Qingchuan, I was busy at the police station, trying to understand what had happened. It was a very serious car accident. He died on the spot. I couldn’t bear to look at the photos. When I was notified, the result had already been determined. After I agreed, the body was immediately sent for cremation.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry for Xiao Yu. I’ve been busy with business all this time. I was thinking of compensating him more in the future.”
Father Su was choking, and he couldn’t speak for a long time.
“Why are all these people so unfamiliar? Are they family?”
“I don’t know them.” Father Su shook his head. He really couldn’t spare any thought. He had received a call from the funeral home yesterday to verify some information, and he had rushed over in a daze.
The master of ceremonies on the stage received a message in his earpiece, coughed twice, and tested the microphone. It seemed that the last relative had arrived, and the funeral was about to begin.
The woman was a little late, almost on time. The stage was quiet. Father Su felt that the unfamiliar faces were all bright, and they were all rushing to the door.
This funeral was not ostentatious, but after all, it was the highest-standard funeral home in Qingchuan. Many industry giants had held funerals here. These local snakes were all very shrewd. This was a funeral that had been inserted into the schedule under the name of the Gu family. They had all changed into mourning clothes and wanted to come and show their faces.
The tall woman looked up and scanned the venue. She had a high nose bridge, and her long, upturned eyes were slightly raised. A dark red mole was dotted under the corner of her eye. Her face, which should have been alluring with every smile and frown, was now full of sorrow. Her eyelashes were drooping, her features were dim, and her expression was solemn and sad.
She saw Father Su on the stage at a glance and quickened her pace to walk over. The crowd made way for her. She walked up to Father Su and lowered her head slightly. Her seaweed-like, dark and smooth long hair fell on both sides of her neck.
The pendant that usually hung on her earlobe had been taken off by Gu Zhi early on. Her fingers were slender and long, without any decoration. She was wearing a plain and low-key ladies’ suit, a solemn and restrained black.
“Hello, uncle. I don’t know if Xiao Yu has ever mentioned me. My name is Gu Zhi…”
“Gu Zhi…”, the wrinkles on Father Su’s forehead became more and more dense. He thought for a moment and did feel that the name was familiar. His memory finally stopped at Su Yu’s childhood diary. “Oh, you’re Su Yu’s elementary school… the teacher who tutored Xiao Yu? You even brought him home once.”
“It seems you still remember me, uncle. I didn’t expect to meet Xiao Yu in Qingchuan either…” Gu Zhi smiled, but it quickly faded. Her expression was sad. “I didn’t expect such a thing to happen so suddenly. Uncle… my condolences.”
“Thank you so much for your trouble this time. Otherwise, our family is unfamiliar with this place in Qingchuan. I really don’t know what to do…”
“I’ve always liked Xiao Yu very much, as my own younger brother. This is what I should do.”
Gu Zhi shook her head. “There are still some of Xiao Yu’s belongings in the car. I’ve packed them all up. You can take them back and keep them well later, uncle. You don’t have to worry about the funeral.”
“Okay… okay, I know.”
Father Su was stunned and said thank you repeatedly, choking and unable to say anything else.
No matter how sad and reluctant people were, the funeral still had to proceed according to the black and white process, to send away the last bit of the deceased’s thoughts in this world. After the burial, he would be completely gone from this world.
Halfway through the funeral, relatives and friends went up to mourn at the portrait one by one. Gu Zhi stood silently in a corner, her expression blank as she watched those people crying their hearts out in front of the wooden box containing the ashes.
She lowered her eyes, and the long, thin corners of her eyes were slightly upturned. The alluring charm was hidden under her long and beautiful eyelashes, leaving only a small, dark shadow.
From this moment on, the Su Yu they knew was completely dead.
The one who was still alive was just… her Xiao Chan.
