Chapter 98: Whispers of Village Grief

Xu Zhiquan and Li Rui each finished a cigarette before heading together to the Old Xie Family Residence.

In the courtyard, the funeral troupe had just played a tune and were now sitting on benches, taking a break.

The string instrument leader saw Xu Zhiquan enter and quickly stood up, calling out, “Boss Xu.”

In the yard, a group of brothers were still busy setting up, and upon seeing “President Xu” arrive, they cleared a path for him.

They all knew that this President Xu was “Xu Chen’s” father and also “Li Rui’s” current boss.

And all of this in front of them was arranged by President Xu.

Xu Zhiquan strode quickly into the mourning hall.

Xie Bingran, still in mourning clothes, knelt on the ground, with Xu Chen and a few brothers keeping watch.

Seeing Xu Zhiquan enter, Xie Bingran swayed slightly and pushed herself up from the ground.

She smoothed back the messy hair on her forehead, bowed at the waist to Xu Zhiquan, and said in a hoarse voice:

“Thank you, Uncle Xu…”

Li Rui stood behind Xu Zhiquan without speaking, but signaled to the brothers in front with a glance.

They quickly chimed in:

“Thank you, President Xu!”

Right after, the twenty or so brothers still working in the courtyard stopped what they were doing and turned to Xu Zhiquan, saying:

“Thank you, President Xu!”

This sudden chorus startled the older members of the funeral troupe.

Xu Zhiquan paused, looking up at Xu Chen.

Father and son exchanged a glance, and Xu Zhiquan smiled helplessly.

He walked over to Xie Bingran and steadied her arms:

“It’s alright, girl…

If you have any troubles, tell Xu Chen or tell me—either way!

Whether now or later!”

Xie Bingran kept her head slightly lowered.

She bit her lip…

Tears streaming down her face.

…

…

Suona horns and strings blared together, and wreaths lined the street.

More and more villagers came to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering, their faces showing surprise.

They never imagined that the Old Xie Family Residence, which had produced a convict, could host such an elaborate funeral.

After all, that poor old woman and the young girl were people they had always looked down on.

Xu Zhiquan wandered outside the courtyard with a cigarette in his mouth, while Li Rui stayed close by.

Earlier, Xu Zhiquan had taken two packs of cigarettes from the car and handed them out to Xie Bingran and Li Rui’s brothers.

After hearing about “Bing Ge” and these brothers’ past, Xu Zhiquan realized they weren’t truly “bad kids”—deep down, they were honest and kind.

Xu Chen went out to the car to grab a few bottles of water, returned to the mourning hall, twisted one open, and handed it to Xie Bingran, who was kneeling in vigil.

Xie Bingran took it and sipped lightly, glancing at Xu Chen with tear-filled eyes that looked pitiful.

This wasn’t the Bing Ge of old—it was the skinny, hungry classmate from their school days.

“I’ll go check on my dad,” Xu Chen said.

Xie Bingran didn’t speak, just nodded slightly.

…

Outside the courtyard, Xu Zhiquan sat on a bench resting.

Li Rui stood nearby, still helping two brothers arrange the wreaths.

Xu Chen walked over, handed Xu Zhiquan a bottle of water, and sat down next to his father.

“Dad, thanks!”

Xu Zhiquan chuckled:

“Why be formal with your old man?”

He twisted open the bottle and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

“I’ve got everything sorted—meals and the burial this afternoon.

This funeral troupe is from the nearby village; they’ll handle it all.”

He took a drag from his cigarette and sighed:

“Your middle school classmate is really going through it—her grandma’s funeral with no relatives to help.

Good thing Li Rui and his crew showed up.”

Xu Chen put an arm around his father’s shoulder:

“And good thing President Xu came!”

Xu Zhiquan laughed and reached out to pinch Xu Chen’s cheek.

…

Just then, noise erupted from a distance.

Xu Chen looked over and saw a few villagers talking with Li Rui and his group.

It seemed like an argument was brewing.

Xu Zhiquan glanced up, frowning slightly.

“Let’s check it out.”

With that, father and son got up and headed over.

There were seven or eight people there, including the Women’s Committee Head, Aunt Zhao.

Besides her, there were a few middle-aged men, clearly locals from the village.

Aunt Zhao saw Xu Zhiquan approaching from afar and said:

“You’re the one in charge here, right? This is our village chief.”

She pointed to a middle-aged man beside her in a loose white shirt with a dark complexion.

The village chief sized up Xu Zhiquan and asked:

“Who are you people? Relatives of the Xie family?”

Xu Zhiquan put on a warm smile and replied:

“My son and the Xie girl are classmates, and these kids here today are also classmates.

She’s in a tough spot with no one to handle the funeral, so we’re just lending a hand…”

The village chief eyed Xu Zhiquan up and down, lost in thought.

Xu Zhiquan smiled, pulled out a business card, and handed it over.

“I run a business in town. Xie Bingran went to middle school there too—she was in the same class as my boy.”

The village chief took the card and held it at arm’s length, squinting through his reading glasses.

Xu Zhiquan, in his baggy suit and shiny leather shoes, had the air of a small-town entrepreneur.

The village chief examined the card closely and said:

“In our village, we don’t allow extravagant funerals—keep them simple!

This racket with drums and music is out of hand.

Get rid of that band and don’t put wreaths out on the street!

You’ve got too many people here—keep it inside your own yard…”

Xu Zhiquan offered a cigarette to the village chief.

But the village chief waved it off: “I don’t smoke.”

Xu Zhiquan smiled and lit one for himself.

He knew the village chief was just here to cause trouble for some reason.

After wandering around the village all morning, Xu Zhiquan had overheard neighbors talking—most families went all out for funerals, comparing extravagantly.

Even two months ago, when the village chief’s own father passed, it was a grand affair.

Xu Zhiquan had caught bits of that gossip.

So why was it suddenly “keep it simple” for the Xie family—and not even let it spill outside?

Besides, Xu Zhiquan’s arrangements weren’t overly flashy.

It was just that the Old Xie Family Residence courtyard was too small, so some wreaths ended up outside.

In these town and village settings, funerals were usually like that anyway…

Xu Zhiquan kept his face calm and smiled as he said:

“This isn’t really extravagant—we’re all from around here and know the customs.

Besides, with just a young girl left and your village committee not helping much, a quiet burial would be too sad.

Who has a funeral that’s completely silent and contained?

This is just making things hard on them…”

As he spoke, he smiled gently, his tone mild, but his words were firm.

Because President Xu was genuinely getting angry.

Not just over the village chief’s dismissal, but also from the villagers’ gossip he’d heard all morning.

In the past, Xie Bingran and her grandmother had faced so much disdain and indifference in this village…”