It was finally the day of the funeral. The sky was filled with dark clouds and it was gloomy all over.
The men who attended the funeral were all dressed in black suits. The ladies that accompanied their husbands were either in black dresses or pantsuits. However, all of them only had light makeup on.
Today, there were a lot more people. In fact, the crowd was at least double the size of Cheng Yuxiu’s funeral.
There were so many flower wreaths that they spilled onto the road. Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao were dressed in all black and standing at the hall entrance, greeting the guests who came to pay their respects.
“Please accept our sincerest condolences.” Li Jing and Wen Qing arrived together and entered the hall. When they saw Lin Xinyan looking pale, they pulled her aside and reminded, “Both of you have to take care of yourselves too.’
Lin Xinyan replied, “We will.”
She didn’t have makeup on while her hair was tied into a simple bun. The only accessory she wore was a white flower above her left ear. Together, she and Zong Jinghao bowed towards them in respect. Li Jing sighed softly and followed Wen Qing in. Inside, they were greeted by a massive hall that was grand yet solemn.
They walked towards the center of the hall and paid their respects.
With the smell of incense in the background, Wen Qing looked at the black and white picture in front of the coffin. Suddenly, he felt a rush of emotions as he recalled the day Zong Qifeng and his sister were married. Zong Qifeng was dressed in a sharp black suit and stood in the front of the wedding hall. He looked tall, dashing, and reserved. Beside his sister, both of them looked amazing together. It was unfortunate that fate had other plans.
In a blink of an eye, time flew by.
Now, the thing he regretted the most was getting his sister to marry Zong Qifeng. He had destroyed both their lives and almost did the same to the next generation.
Staring at the picture, he said solemnly in this heart. “Qifeng, I’m sorry for everything. Now that you’re gone, I shouldn’t be too far behind. When we see each other again, I will repent for all the mistakes that I have committed.”
After knowing the truth, his health was never the same again. All he could do was rely on Li Jing’s attentive care.
“Alright, let’s go,” Li Jing reminded Wen Qing softly as a long queue formed behind them.
Wen Qing nodded. After bowing and offering some incense, he whispered, “Please rest in peace.”
“The dead are well worth remembered by the living.” Mr. Tang arrived with Li Qirui.
Li Qirui who was usually dressed flamboyantly was in a black suit today, which was a rare sight indeed.
Both of them offered their condolences to the couple.
When noon arrived, Zong Yungan came to pay his respects. Beside him was the lady Lin Xinyan addressed as Aunt. As it was crowded today, they didn’t dare to do anything brazen and kept a low profile.
Finally, at two, the memorial service ended. Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao had been greeting the guests since the morning. Qin Ya quickly came by with two glasses of water as she knew that they hadn’t had a drop to drink, let alone eat.
At 3.10 p.m., Zong Qifeng was to be buried.
All the black cars lined up as if they were a black snake. Heading out of the city, they drove slowly towards the outskirts.
When they arrived at the cemetery, everyone stopped their cars by the side.
Those that were going to accompany the deceased on the last leg of the journey got out of their cars one by one.
Zong Jinghao took the lead while holding Zong Qifeng’s photo in his hand. The two children stood beside him, one on each side. Lin Xinyan’s position was beside her daughter. The rest of them followed behind as the group walked slowly to the cemetery.
Along the way, a gentle breeze blew past, causing the pine and cypress trees to rustle. The air was filled with a faint fragrance of chrysanthemum flowers, accentuating the solemn atmosphere.
When they arrived at the burial ground after walking along a cobblestone path, the tombstone had been changed. Now, there were two small pictures on it with two names inscribed beside them. On the left in black it was written: Zong Qifeng’s grave, while on the right, the words were inscribed in red: Wife, Cheng Yuxiu.
At that moment, the gloomy sky began to drizzle.
They recalled that it also rained during Cheng Yuxiu’s funeral. The rain then was significantly heavier.
Zong Jinghao’s expression was solemn. After leaning forward to place the deceased’s picture in front of the tombstone, he bowed toward it. The next moment, everyone bowed three times to show their respect.
“Yanchen, Yanxi, bow towards Grandpa and Grandma.” Lin Xinyan instructed the children softly.
Both the kids stepped forward as they whimpered softly. After wiping off their tears, they knelt in front of the grave.
“Grandpa, when you see Grandma, please send our regards to her. Tell her that we miss her and we also miss you too,” After he spoke, Zong Yanchen bowed his head to the ground.
“Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma are no longer with us.” Zong Yanxi hugged his leg as she sobbed softly.
Zong Jinghao knelt down and helped her wipe off her tears. He hugged her first before pulling his son into his embrace. In a raspy voice, he consoled them, “Don’t cry, Grandpa and Grandma will worry when they see you like that.”
As the kids were still filled with tears, they quickly wiped them off after hearing Zong Jinghao’s words. They didn’t want Grandpa and Grandma to worry.
As it was a cloudy day, the sky was already dark before five.
Once the burial was complete, the funeral came to an end.
As the other guests gradually went home, only Zong Jinghao, Lin Xinyan, and their two children were left.
They continued to bow towards the tomb under the light drizzle. That was their final goodbye.
Suddenly, Shen Peichuan who was waiting outside the cemetery ran over. After glancing at Lin Xinyan, he whispered in Zong Jinghao’s ear, “The baby is gone.”
Zong Jinghao looked up with fury in his eyes, “What happened?”
According to tradition, pregnant ladies and children who were less than a month old were forbidden from attending the funeral. Babies’ eyes were believed to be pure. Unlike adults, they might see things that others couldn’t. In the event they saw Zong Qifeng, he might be reluctant to leave.
As for pregnant ladies, it would be bad luck for them to attend a funeral. Hence, Sang Yu stayed at home to care for the baby.
After she went downstairs to get some water, the baby was gone.
