Chapter 796 - 425: Let Time Give Us the Answer (Part 3)

Second Uncle was casually chatting with Father about Mother’s affairs after her passing. It wasn’t until Li Qiyuan reminded him that he snapped out of his trance, snatched the death certificate, and drove Grandfather away from the hospital.

At a funeral for the elderly, their spouse is absolutely not allowed to participate.

Handling a spouse’s funeral is a form of torture. Even though Li Qiyuan had no experience, he instinctively wanted his elderly father to avoid it.

Even he just took one look at his mother’s face and then averted his eyes, trembling slightly.

As Li Peifeng was the grandmother’s most favored grandson in her life, he and his aunt dressed Grandmother in the prepared burial clothes. Being young and strong, Mr. Li carried her from the hospital bed to the car and brought her home.

Coffin laying, temple offering, mourning rituals, setting up the funeral hall, feasting, keeping vigil, cremation...

Li Peifeng participated in every part and personally carried the coffin to send Grandmother into the funeral home’s hearse, finally following his father to place the urn in the funeral home’s depository.

Throughout the process, Li Peifeng did not shed a tear, nor did he feel grief,

he just felt that Grandmother’s body was heavy, so heavy, and the path from the ward to the car was difficult to walk.

Even though lifting 200 kilograms felt like a game to Li Peifeng at the time, carrying Grandmother that less than 100 meters almost made him lose his grip several times.

It wasn’t due to a fear of the corpse but rather an unexpected realization of how close death was to him, leaving him in disarray.

That night after handling all of Grandmother’s affairs, the family of three drank some wine. Li Qiyuan talked a lot with Yu Huizhi and, mildly tipsy, confided in Li Peifeng.

"The death of parents divides a child’s life in two. No matter how old a person is, as long as their parents are alive, they remain children. When there is no one standing between them and death, children suddenly realize how short life truly is, the randomness and meaninglessness of life, and that being happy in the moment is the most important truth."

"Fengfeng, I hope you won’t be like your mother and me, realizing this truth only at this age. You must perceive early that death is chasing you; don’t think everything can be done in time. Only by maintaining a sense of urgency can you clarify your life’s goals and what truly makes you happy."

"That is real and untainted by any utilitarian color. It’s the answer to why we live. Once you’ve thought it through, act boldly without hesitation, for death is coldly watching you from behind."

Since then, the couple traveled more frequently, seeking to explore the green mountains before growing old, appreciating the scenery here.

Li Peifeng tried to make more female friends, seeking to feast on meat, drink wine, and indulge in love and debauchery.

After all, time is the most unexpected thing.

The wind blows the white sun, and time swiftly flows west.

Finally, the day of departure arrived on the second day. After packing their luggage, Li Peifeng and the others picked up Wu Wenyue and drove to the Capital. According to the initial plan, Mr. Li would drop Zhao Qingge at her home, then meet with Xu Manning, and the five would fly together from the Capital to Hangzhou.

Once the matters were handled, Li Peifeng would take the two elders back to the Capital to meet Zhao Qingge’s parents, have a meal, and connect the two families emotionally.

According to Li Peifeng’s plan, this would take the greatest care of Zhao Qingge’s feelings without delaying the original trip to Hangzhou. After he proposed this plan, Zhao Duoduo agreed without any objections.

However, just before he and his parents and the two ladies Wu and Xu boarded the plane to Hangzhou, Old Zhao sent a WeChat message that made his heart skip a beat.

"We travel on this ancient life’s journey, running amid hardships, rebirthing through tribulations, with worries covering us, and suffering scattered all over. We are tired, yet unable to rest; we are in pain, yet unable to avoid it."

Li Peifeng: "Wife, don’t scare me with ’One Hundred Years of Solitude.’ I’m afraid; we were talking so well yesterday... Just tell me if you have any new thoughts. I’m all ears."

Zhao Qingge: "You won’t listen. You think you’ve successfully completed the emotional challenge, but you overlook life’s unavoidable trials. They are sure to shock you at an unexpected but reasonable moment... I’d like to see what you would do then. Do you have an answer?"

"..."

"Looks like you don’t either. Then I’ll wait and see."

Li Peifeng fell into silence, and Zhao Qingge unexpectedly seemed a bit carefree: "Let’s let time provide us with the answers."