Chapter 95: A Simple Farewell in South River Village

Li Rui started the car. Xu Chen and his father climbed into the back seat, and they set off southward.

Xu Chen clenched his phone, wanting to text Xie Bingran but unsure what to say.

Perhaps concern had made him flustered—usually steady Xu Chen showed a hint of panic.

Xie Bingran’s biological father never came home; since her birth she’d barely seen him.

Later he ran into trouble and went to prison for several years. Rumor had it he was released this year, but no one knew where he was.

Xie Bingran’s mother remarried when she was seven or eight, then never looked back at her daughter.

All these years, Xie Bingran had depended on her elderly grandmother alone.

One can only imagine the depth of pain Xie Bingran felt when her grandmother passed away…

Xu Zhiquan glanced at his son, noticing how much he cared about this “classmate.”

“High school classmate?” Xu Zhiquan asked.

Xu Chen paused.

“Dad, do you remember my middle school deskmate?

That girl, Xie Bingran.”

Xu Zhiquan thought for a moment.

“I remember now. You mentioned her several times, said her family was so poor they sometimes had nothing to eat.

I even told you to bring her lunch.”

Xu Chen said,

“She went to the same high school as me and knows Li Rui well, too.”

Xu Zhiquan nodded. “I see.

A girl so young and all alone—that’s truly sad…”

Xu Zhiquan reflected on the name “Xie Bingran” and suddenly recalled the trademarks Xu Chen had him register—

“Ran Bing” and “Ice Power.”

He’d begun to suspect that Xie Bingran was not only important to Xu Chen personally but also to their family business.

…

…

Southeast of Tiancheng flowed a winding little river.

The village by its bank was called South River Village—the birthplace of Xie Bingran.

The car rattled along the country road, passing fields until it neared the bend in the river.

All four windows were rolled down, letting the fresh river breeze drift inside.

A bus stop stood at the village entrance. Beyond it, only dirt roads stretched inward.

The black Accord jostled over the bumps as it crept deeper.

Under a large banyan tree, a dozen elders sat chatting.

Li Rui parked, then hurried out of the car.

“Excuse me, how do we get to the Xie family?”

“Which Xie family? There are two or three households named Xie.”

Li Rui said, “Their elder just passed away—they should be holding a wake.”

“Oh… the family with the ex-con. Go down this road, take the third alley on the left. It’s the worst house there.”

“No one’s really holding a proper wake. It’s just a lonely girl…”

“Why are you young folks going there? Their son went to prison and someone just died. Don’t catch bad luck.”

…

Li Rui’s face darkened, but he swallowed his anger and returned to the car.

Xu Chen and his father heard the villagers’ words too, their expressions souring.

It was clear that Xie Bingran and her grandmother faced cold stares and gossip here.

Country folk aren’t all simple and kind. Some are cold, selfish, and cunning…

They drove along the main village road but couldn’t turn into the narrow alley.

Li Rui found a patch of ground and parked. The three of them got out.

They walked three or four hundred meters down the alley and reached a dilapidated brick house.

As the elders said, it wasn’t hard to find. Their old blue brick home stood in stark contrast to the freshly tiled neighbors.

Nearby, a few households had gathered a dozen villagers at their doorsteps.

From afar they pointed and whispered, not bothering to hide their gossip.

“Who are they? Any relatives?”

“No real relatives. They’d’ve stayed away if they existed…

With an ex-con in the family, who’d want to be associated?”

“They came in a car—I bet they’re debt collectors or revenge seekers!

I hear that ex-con son has plenty of enemies!”

“Keep your voice down. These three don’t seem ordinary!”

Their whispers drifted to Xu Chen, Li Rui, and Xu Zhiquan, all frowning.

The narrow wooden door creaked open to reveal a fat middle-aged woman seated at a table.

She stood, puzzled, as they entered.

“Are you relatives…?”

A tall teenager rushed out—Fang Tao, with his close-cropped hair.

“Chen-ge, Rui-ge!”

Li Rui asked, “Where’s Bing-ge?”

Fang Tao replied, “He’s at the spirit hall keeping watch.”

Fang Tao looked at the plump woman and introduced,

“This is Aunt Feng, the Village Committee’s women’s representative. She’s here to help.”

Aunt Feng sat back down and said,

“This household only has a little girl. No one to manage the funeral rites.

The committee sent me to keep an eye on things.”

Seeing her impatience, the trio said nothing more.

Xu Zhiquan looked around, frowned, and asked,

“Director Feng, no funeral arrangements have been made yet, right?”

“Oh… there’s no one left. The son’s been away for years, the daughter-in-law remarried long ago.

Only the granddaughter, a high schooler who hasn’t graduated yet…

No relatives will come to pay respects, so it’ll be a simple funeral.”

Xu Zhiquan nodded without comment.

The courtyard was rundown and empty, but kept tidy.

The main room’s door stood wide open, inside a battered table served as a makeshift spirit hall.

Xu Chen stepped inside and saw Xie Bingran again.

She knelt before the altar in white linen mourning clothes, her back bent.

Xu Chen said nothing, walked to her side, and crouched down.

Xie Bingran wavered, lifting her head slightly.

Her untidy short hair hung over her face, eyes red and wet.

“It’s okay. I’m here to help…”

Li Rui slipped in quietly and softly called, “Bing-ge.”

Xu Zhiquan entered slowly, surveyed the shabby room, his expression somber.

Xu Chen remained crouched and whispered,

“This is my dad. He’s here to help.”

Xu Zhiquan bent down and patted Xie Bingran’s shoulder.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll take care of the arrangements.”

Xie Bingran wavered again, brushing damp hair from her forehead, and in a hoarse voice said,

“Thank you, Uncle Xu…”

Xu Chen supported her arm and softly said,

“It’s nothing…”

Fang Tao stepped to the spirit table, lit incense, and handed it to Xu Zhiquan, Xu Chen, and Li Rui.

After the offering, Xu Zhiquan looked around and said,

“Fang Tao, you’re from this village, right? Come with me to get some supplies.”

Fang Tao nodded, replying in a deep voice.

Li Rui said,

“President Xu, a few of our brothers are on their way. If you need help, they’ll arrive soon.”