DF Chapter 120

Chapter 120: This Time, She Doesn’t Want to Betray That Trust Either

Sheng Jia looked through the glass of the resting room into the funeral parlor.

Song Ji’an was wearing a white isolation suit, her hair completely tucked into a hairnet, and a blue mask covered her face, leaving only her focused eyes visible.

Perhaps because she had done makeup for too many corpses in recent years, she had learned to face them calmly and composedly, no matter how great the waves in her heart.

Her hands were steady as she held various cosmetics, her movements smooth and fluid, and she meticulously rearranged everything from the face to the stiff arms and thighs.

The resting room was equally quiet. The sound of a door opening broke the silence, and Sheng Jia heard footsteps approaching her from behind. The faint reflection on the glass revealed Li Meng’s figure.

Then, Sheng Jia heard her softly say, “Ms. Sheng Jia, Ms. Wang Huiqiu has left you 70% of her estate.”

Sheng Jia said, “I know.”

Li Meng continued, “And 5% of the estate is left to Ms. Song Ji’an.”

Hearing this, Sheng Jia glanced at the figure on the other side of the glass without turning her head, her voice firm, almost without any hesitation. “She won’t want it.”

“Ms. Wang Huiqiu said before her death that this was one of her last wishes. Please ensure that you and Ms. Song Ningqiu fulfill it.” Li Meng said sincerely, “She said that Ms. Song Ji’an might refuse, but you two must have a way to make her accept it.”

“That’s a smart old woman,” Sheng Jia smiled. Her tone was somewhat complex. “Ms. Song Ningqiu and I will work hard to make it happen.”

“She also has a message for you,” Li Meng hesitated. She had known Sheng Jia for three years and understood her to some extent. She knew that Sheng Jia’s true nature was definitely not as proper and gentle as she appeared to be.

“You can say it directly.” Sheng Jia saw her hesitation and said frankly, “Whatever she left me before her death, I won’t be angry.”

Because she was perhaps the first to know that beneath Wang Huiqiu’s serious and meticulous exterior was a heart that yearned for freedom and unrestraint.

She never minded Wang Huiqiu’s playful jokes.

“She told you to be more sincere and less calculating when dealing with people in the future, or it will be too late for regrets.” Li Meng quickly lowered her head after speaking.

Sheng Jia couldn’t help but laugh.

She lowered her eyes and looked at her hand, her eyes slightly moist. After Wang Huiqiu’s death, she rarely felt any soreness in her eyes, similar to Song Ningqiu, because she hadn’t fully gotten used to the other person’s passing.

She almost murmured, “I know.”

She already knew that there were many things she regretted in her heart.

But when she heard Wang Huiqiu leave such a message, she had a more concrete feeling about the old woman’s departure. If Wang Huiqiu were still alive, she probably wouldn’t have said these words.

She always felt that some experiences had to be realized, learned, and experienced by the younger generation themselves. Only in this way would they know what to do at what time.

She always felt that the older generation could talk until they were blue in the face, but young people probably wouldn’t listen. Just like she would never argue with Song Ningqiu about how to handle their mother-daughter relationship when she was alive, because she knew that Song Ningqiu wouldn’t listen.

Both Sheng Jia and Song Ningqiu were very self-centered people. Once they were convinced of something, it was difficult for them to listen to others.

From some perspectives, the mother and daughter were exactly the same.

But Wang Huiqiu was dying, and if these words weren’t said, it would be too late.

So she wanted to advise Song Ningqiu to be sincere and also to advise Sheng Jia to be sincere. She was afraid that they would miss the people they didn’t want to miss because of their stubbornness, and regret it for the rest of their lives.

However, when her words fell into the ears of Sheng Jia and Song Ningqiu, it was so coincidental that they had both reached a point where they could listen.

Because their stubbornness had already led them to hit a wall.

Sheng Jia raised her hand and placed it on the glass. Her fingertip was positioned to perfectly cover Song Ji’an’s small head. In an instant, she raised her hand again, and those focused eyes reappeared before her.

When Song Ji’an finally finished handling Wang Huiqiu’s remains, Song Ningqiu and Fu Minglang walked into the resting room as if they had timed it perfectly.

Then, Cheng Fangyang poked her head in at the door and said softly, “Please, family members, go to the memorial hall.”

Sheng Jia’s gaze fell on Song Ji’an, who was still sitting in the funeral parlor. Song Ningqiu, standing behind her, was also looking at her, but not as openly as Sheng Jia. She only glanced lightly, as if afraid that her gaze would disturb the person inside. But the emotions revealed in her eyes were greed.

Song Ningqiu hadn’t seen Song Ji’an in too long.

Before this, when she and Song Ji’an were still mother and daughter, they had countless late-night talks, discussing what kind of person Song Ji’an would become when she grew up.

But Song Ji’an’s appearance after growing up was something they had never imagined.

It took a lot of physical strength to prepare bodies for burial, and every minute and every second required dedicated focus. Song Ji’an had been making up the body for two entire hours. The people in the resting room had left one after another. She sat in the chair, her head hanging low, and even those focused eyes were now obscured by stray hairs.

Song Ningqiu pinched her palm hard with her fingertips. She took a deep breath before turning her head to say to the others in the room, “Let’s go.”

Sheng Jia didn’t move. She only replied slowly, “You all go first. I’ll be there in a while.”

Song Ningqiu patted her shoulder and led the others out.

The one-way glass prevented Song Ji’an from seeing the scene in the resting room, but Sheng Jia could clearly see the hidden pain and exhaustion in her eyes as she worked.

In these five years, she had not dared to approach anyone, dared not acknowledge her past. Now, she could only see the remains of even the relatives she had spent eighteen years with.

Perhaps personally preparing Wang Huiqiu for burial was Wang Huiqiu’s last gentle act of consideration for Song Ji’an’s feelings, so that she wouldn’t be left with any regrets.

But regrets would still arise, like the current Song Ji’an, who couldn’t hold on any longer. She collapsed beneath the workbench, crawled a few steps to the cabinet, and tremblingly took out a bottle of milk from inside.

Sheng Jia stood by the window, quietly gazing at her, without moving.

Song Ji’an leaned against the wall and gasped for breath, took off her mask and hairnet, her eyes were red, raised her hand and bit her knuckles, but in the end she did not shed tears.

After regaining some strength, she leaned on the wall and stood up, slowly walking out.

Sheng Jia turned around and left the resting room.

She did not intend to approach Song Ji’an at this moment. She went to the memorial hall.

It had already been arranged, filled with flowers. A row of photos of Wang Huiqiu climbing Mount Everest was placed in front of her portrait, showing her smiling brightly. The usually solemn memorial hall was decorated with vitality this time.

This was what Wang Huiqiu wanted. She didn’t want to spend her whole life in a solemn atmosphere, and she didn’t want her farewell ceremony to cause too much sadness.

Xiao Zhou had already begun to read the eulogy on the stage. Sheng Jia walked to Fu Minglang’s side. Fu Minglang handed her a white flower. Sheng Jia took it and pinned it to the left side of her suit.

More people came today than expected.

Wang Huiqiu had a very high reputation within Song’s Heavy Industry during her lifetime. Her death even made the news a few days ago, appearing alongside the names of those who died on Mount Everest. They were not qualified to organize others to come to mourn, and Wang Huiqiu herself had not made any requests for the memorial service.

Former colleagues, students she had taught in Song’s Heavy Industry, some had resigned, some had risen step by step in the group, and some were still in their original positions, but they all came.

Wang Huiqiu believed that she had been lonely all her life and was unwilling to have deep relationships with people. But in her life, for those who had benefited from her, she was like a spring breeze, unforgettable.

She was a fierce teacher, but also a sincere teacher, never hiding anything.

Sheng Jia quietly listened to Xiao Zhou’s gentle words as she recounted Li Meng’s prepared biography. She also quietly listened to Li Meng go on stage to announce Wang Huiqiu’s will and property distribution. After a long time, she whispered to Fu Minglang beside her, “Ms. Fu, I have a favor to ask of you, is that okay?”

Fu Minglang asked, “What is it?”

“Something I need your help with.” Sheng Jia sighed.

The memorial service soon came to an end. Cheng Fangyang and several newly hired porters pushed Wang Huiqiu’s remains toward the crematorium. Sheng Jia stood in the front row of the team. She turned her head and saw Song Ji’an’s lonely figure next to the stacks of memorial wreaths.

Song Ji’an’s gaze seemed to be fixed on her for a long time. The two looked at each other across a distance.

Song Ningqiu, who was following Cheng Fangyang to the interior, quickly walked out holding Wang Huiqiu’s ashes. The people following behind Song Ningqiu took the initiative to leave a space, which was Sheng Jia’s position.

Sheng Jia walked into the team. When they were about to pass through the memorial hall, she suddenly stopped.

“Song Ji’an,” she turned her head, looked at Song Ji’an again across the crowd, and said loudly, “You can come over.”

Song Ji’an was slightly stunned, or rather, the entire team was stunned, and even Song Ningqiu was full of surprise.

Song Ji’an raised her eyes and fell silent.

Walking over was simple, but the meaning it represented was completely different.

It was Sheng Jia extending an olive branch to her, and it was also a smooth road for her to return to Song Ningqiu.

But she—

had spent so many years getting used to living alone, had spent so much time accepting the reality that she might never be able to approach her mother again in this life, she still couldn’t repay the eighteen years that Sheng Jia had been replaced, and lived with guilt every day. Taking this step meant overturning everything she had forced herself to accept in the past.

Song Ji’an saw Song Ningqiu’s tearful but expectant eyes, and she also saw Sheng Jia’s calm and encouraging eyes. She had never thought that Sheng Jia would make such a choice on such an occasion.

“Song Ji’an, come over.”

Sheng Jia’s voice was heard again in her ears.

She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only uttered a light question, “Do… do I really have the right?”

The crowd was so far away that Sheng Jia couldn’t hear her voice. But behind her, another warm hand pushed her back, causing her to take two steps forward.

“Go.” Fu Minglang’s voice rang in her ears.

“Whether it’s Wang Huiqiu or Song Ningqiu, they both want you to walk in the front row,” she said slowly and firmly, “You have the right. Sheng Jia also said so.”

Song Ji’an turned her head to look at her, at those tired and gentle eyes. She saw the owner of those eyes say, “Child, go quickly, don’t let Wang Huiqiu wait too long.”

Don’t let Wang Huiqiu wait too long. She was already a wandering soul, perhaps watching you in the sky, watching the missed opportunities, watching the misunderstandings, watching you who couldn’t get rid of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, she was waiting for you to move forward.

Waiting for you, Song Ji’an, to move forward.

As her words fell, the song created from Wang Huiqiu’s ashes in her will began to play in the hall. It was an extremely melodious piece of music, as if it was echoing Fu Minglang’s words, urging Song Ji’an to move forward with a high-pitched tone.

Song Ji’an bit her lip, and the tears she had been holding back in the funeral parlor finally fell at this moment. She suddenly felt a long-lost courage in the encouraging gazes of everyone. She strode forward until she reached Song Ningqiu and Sheng Jia.

After five years, this was the first time the three of them faced each other. Song Ningqiu grabbed her hand tightly. She didn’t say anything for a moment, but the tears in her eyes betrayed her.

“Ji’an,” she whispered Song Ji’an’s name, “Come with us.”

Song Ji’an nodded. She withdrew her hand and instead supported her arm. She lowered her head and said softly, “Let’s go.”

She met the eyes of Sheng Jia, who was supporting Song Ningqiu’s other arm. Neither of them spoke.

The funeral procession moved forward again, all the way to the airport.

Wang Huiqiu had chosen Yunze as her burial place. Her ashes would also be sent to Yunze, and Sheng Jia and Song Ningqiu would travel together on a private plane.

Song Ji’an stood in front of the airport. She did not choose to follow any further. She was content that she could accompany Sheng Jia and Song Ningqiu on this final journey to bid farewell to Wang Huiqiu.

This was her choice, and neither Sheng Jia nor Song Ningqiu forced her any further.

She lowered her head and sent a message to Sheng Jia.

And on the private plane, Sheng Jia and Song Ningqiu sat silently facing each other.

Not to mention that Song Ji’an was caught off guard by this sudden invitation, even Song Ningqiu was at a loss.

Because she didn’t know what Sheng Jia meant.

Even though Fu Minglang told her not to speculate about what Sheng Jia was thinking every moment, the habits of the past few years still made her subconsciously do so.

But remembering the latter part of Fu Minglang’s words, Song Ningqiu closed her eyes and took the initiative to say, “Jiajia, thank you.”

“Why do you want to thank me?” Sheng Jia did not look at her, but was looking at the clouds passing by outside the window.

“It was you who made it so that Aunt Wang and I didn’t have any regrets,” she said, “Why are you willing to let Ji’an come over?”

“Mom isn’t questioning you, it’s just that Mom seems to have never treated you correctly in these past few years, and has never given you what you really wanted. My self-righteous thoughts can’t make you truly happy, but Mom wants to learn now,” she stared at Sheng Jia’s profile, “Please teach me how to gain your trust and reliance.”

At this moment, she was still clumsy, but as Fu Minglang said, there would be no more wrong choices. But if she remained unchanged, it was destined to make the mother and daughter drift further and further apart.

Hearing this, Sheng Jia took a deep breath and answered truthfully, “I don’t know.”

Song Ningqiu was slightly stunned.

Sheng Jia said somewhat helplessly, “Mom, I don’t know how to live with you like ordinary mothers and daughters, and I don’t know how to achieve the level you want to achieve.”

This was the first time Sheng Jia had shown weakness in front of her. In the past, the most Sheng Jia said to her was “It’s okay,” “I can,” “I will accomplish this perfectly.” Even if there were mistakes, she never showed any weakness, and would only calmly answer, “Please give me some time to make up for it,” “This is my problem, but I can solve it.” She seemed to be born with a calm and rational mind, which was also one of the reasons why Song Ningqiu didn’t know where to start.

Sheng Jia never wanted Song Ningqiu to see any of her negative emotions, as if she was a precise instrument that could always operate perfectly.

But it turned out that Sheng Jia could also say helplessly that she didn’t know what to do.

She suddenly touched a bit of Sheng Jia’s authenticity.

“Then, how about we explore together?” Song Ningqiu said, “Since we don’t know what the correct approach is, then we’ll try to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. We’ll find out together what our mother-daughter relationship really needs, okay?”

This time, it was Sheng Jia’s turn to be slightly stunned.

She had never thought that Song Ningqiu would say such a thing.

Those souls with faint cracks seemed to be gently stroked by her words. Song Ningqiu was a mother like water. She was strong enough to accept everything about Sheng Jia, whether good or bad. She could also let Sheng Jia have an always strong backing.

She also had the adaptability of water. She was always incredibly quick when she completely discovered the problem. Even if the other person was a child, she was willing to patiently seek a solution and would not create any pressure.

Sheng Jia had never had such intimate moments with Song Ningqiu. This was not a simple mother-daughter intimacy like sending flowers, nor was it a simple emotional release, but it was the first time they had revealed each other’s helplessness, more deeply than the last heart-to-heart talk.

This even made Sheng Jia feel a little awkward. She still didn’t turn her head, only nodded lightly, “Okay.”

Song Ningqiu showed the first smile she had had in a long time, with relief and excitement.

She didn’t ask Sheng Jia why she was willing to let Song Ji’an come to their side, but the answer seemed to be self-evident.

When the plane landed in Yunze, Sheng Jia finally received Song Ji’an’s message of thanks.

It was a simple “Thank you,” without any other content.

Sheng Jia typed a few words on the screen before striding after Song Ningqiu.

—I am the person you trust most now. So, you’re welcome.

A statement.

There were cameras in the funeral parlor. The screen in front of the undertaker showed the monitoring of the resting room, so that the undertaker could pay attention to the reaction of the deceased’s family during the work process, make changes in time, and reduce the complaint rate.

But the screen was very hidden, not very big, and not many people knew about it. Sheng Jia knew about it because she accidentally saw it when she entered the funeral parlor to find Song Ji’an last time.

Song Ji’an saw Song Ningqiu, saw Fu Minglang, and also saw Sheng Jia through the screen.

She didn’t dare to show her exhaustion in front of them, and didn’t dare to show any abnormality. It wasn’t until everyone left and only Sheng Jia remained that she finally dared to safely release her exhaustion and fall to the ground, unable to support herself any longer.

Sheng Jia looked at her through the glass, and she looked at Sheng Jia through the monitor.

Sheng Jia was the only person she could let her guard down with now. She was no longer afraid of Sheng Jia seeing any of her weaknesses and embarrassments, and could only let Sheng Jia see all of this.

She had already made an agreement with Song Ji’an to let Song Ji’an trust her. Even if Song Ji’an never said it directly, the trust she showed from her body and heart was enough to show that she had once again made a bold choice.

This time, Sheng Jia didn’t want to betray this trust, and didn’t want to let Song Ji’an lose again.