Back To The 80s: President's Doted Wife Chapter 1946 - 1948: Attending a Funeral

In just a few days, Cheng Su received a phone call from Deng Weixia reporting a death: Auntie had passed.

Auntie was Qi Taiguo’s only real aunt. Now that she was gone and the call had come, both emotionally and logically they had to go for the funeral. Right then, Qi Fenglian also got the news and called her; the two agreed to go together.

Qi Fenglian was going alone without her husband and kids, so Cheng Su also went by herself, leaving Qi Xiaoqi at home with her parents watching him; she could be back the next day.

"...I really didn’t expect it. I thought she could hang on a few more years. How long has it been and she’s gone already." Sitting in the bus, Qi Fenglian sighed. "Auntie’s not that much older than Mom, but she just... ai!"

Cheng Su said, "Everyone has their own fate. To be honest, now that she’s gone, it’s actually a kind of release. Otherwise, just lying there like that, unable to talk or move, having to be taken care of..."

Yes, being alive like that really was stifling and miserable; leaving was, in fact, a relief.

Qi Fenglian exchanged a look with Cheng Su and said, "It sounds harsh, but you’re right. Going like this, whether for Weixia and them or for Auntie, it’s a kind of release."

If the family had money and plenty of hands to help take care of her, then of course they’d try to let her live as long as possible.

But Deng Weixia’s family was no rich household.

So saying that Auntie’s passing now was a relief was not going too far.

The ride was long; the two chatted for a bit, then stopped talking and closed their eyes to rest.

Cheng Su had never been to the village where Auntie lived. Qi Fenglian had, but that was years ago. Luckily, in these years, apart from the road being improved, not much had changed, so it wasn’t hard to find.

They got off in town, found a shop selling ingot paper, candles and such offerings, bought what was needed for the rites, then took a small three-wheeler all the way into the village.

"Development’s better now, and the road is easier to travel. I remember it used to be awful; you had to walk in," Qi Fenglian said. "Nothing like now, you can ride right in."

Cheng Su said, "If you want to get rich, build roads first. If the road’s bad, even going out is a hassle, let alone talking about getting rich."

"That’s true!"

Cheng Su looked outside. There were mountains on both sides, the scenery beautiful. At the foot of the hills were some terraced fields. It was already close to April; the fields were planted, all lush and green.

The little three-wheeler drove for about half an hour and reached the village where Weixia’s family lived. With Qi Fenglian leading the way, the two walked one after the other toward Deng Weixia’s house.

As they entered the alley, they saw a tile-roofed house with mud-gray walls and a white banner hanging out front. There were quite a few people in the alley, with long benches set out, and people sitting in small groups on them.

Cheng Su took one look. The house was already showing its age. There were faint sounds of crying coming from inside; this must be Deng Weixia’s place.

There was a gong set by the door. Seeing the incense and candles in their hands, someone struck it a few times to signal that people had come to mourn.

There was also a table at the entrance. A middle-aged man with graying hair and sleeve protectors was holding a pen, writing something on white paper. Qi Fenglian went up and reported her and Cheng Su’s names; the man wrote down their names and what they had brought.

"In a bit, just follow my lead and cry a couple of times," once inside, Qi Fenglian said softly to Cheng Su.

Cheng Su was taken aback and hadn’t answered yet when they had already passed the kitchen that doubled as the stove room and come to the hall entrance.