Chapter 93 His Funeral

  Lu Dongqi's funeral was held in the best cemetery in C City, and all who attended were close relatives. The media, who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, were strictly blocked outside.

  In the sweltering heat of July, a gentle drizzle fell inexplicably in the morning. The cool breeze rustled through the willow branches, and the leaves whispered softly, as if sharing secrets or sobbing quietly. It seemed that heaven was empathizing with human emotions, mourning the untimely passing of an outstanding young man in this way.

  Xia Xi stood among Lu Dongqi's relatives and friends, wearing a plain white dress, her face pale. The rain had stopped, but the lingering dampness filled the air, making her eyes misty.

  The smiling face of Lu Dongqi on the tombstone is still gentle, but his time has been forever frozen in that moment.

  Xia Xi struggled to recall her last phone call with Lu Dongqi, trying to find some special words to carve into her heart as a special memorial for him. However, no matter how many times she replayed the conversation in her mind, she still couldn't remember the last sentence Lu Dongqi had said.

  What did he say, goodbye or goodnight?

  There wasn't even a residual impression left in her mind, facing his death, she was powerless, and couldn't even recall the last words he said to her. Xia XiXi was filled with regret.

  The surrounding was filled with low sobbing sounds, and at this time, the words that came from behind, carrying a hint of joy, sounded particularly jarring. Xi Xi turned her head back in displeasure to find the source of the sound, only to see Lu Dong Qi's mother, Qi Yun.

  She was supported by a middle-aged woman who looked three-tenths similar to her, pushing through the crowd, without a hint of sadness on her face, and with a joyful tone in her voice: "So many people have come."

  Qī Yún saw Xià Xīxī standing beside her, walked up to her and smiled as usual: "Xīxī, you're here too. By the way, Auntie hasn't asked you yet, how was your Gaokao?"

  "What's with the 'gaokao'?" XiXi looked at her in confusion, unsure of what Qi Yun meant.

  "Yes, we came to congratulate Dong Qi for becoming the provincial champion, didn't you?" Qi Yun's mouth curved upwards, her eyes shining with happiness, as if she was talking about the happiest thing in the world. Beside her, Qi Yu pulled on her sleeve, but was brushed off impatiently, "Qi Yu, I'm fine, why do you always have to hold onto me? Hurry up and help me go inside to see Dong Qi, so many people have arrived already, how come he still hasn't come out?"

  Qī Yǔ beside him nodded slightly, biting her lips tightly and turning her head away, not letting anyone see the red rims of her eyes.

  Qī Yún's words suddenly tore open the deep-seated pain that Xī Xī had tried so hard to bury, and it was laid bare before her eyes. She couldn't help but burst into tears, using her hands to cover her mouth in an attempt to stifle her awkward sobs. Choking back tears, she said: "Auntie... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have made you..."

  Qī Yún saw Xī Xī's sudden emotional outburst, stunned on the spot, with a wooden expression on his face, as if he didn't know what had happened.

  Before Xi Xi could finish speaking, she was pulled to one side by a pair of strong hands. She covered her face and suppressed her sobbing to the minimum, her shoulders shaking as she crouched on the ground, curled up into a small ball.

  After calming down a bit, Xi Xi rubbed her bright red eyes and stood up. The person who had helped her leave was still standing beside her, and next to him was the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Sunny, whose eyes were also swollen from crying. When she saw Xi Xi stand up, she came forward and gave her a hug.

  "Don't cry, he's gone to heaven." Compared to the last time they met, Sunny's Chinese had improved a lot. She tried to comfort XiXi, but as soon as she said this sentence, even she herself couldn't help but tear up again.

  The young man standing beside them silently watched the two embracing and crying, took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over, "Witnessing the passing is to teach people to cherish what's in front of them. Sunny, wipe away your tears and be stronger."

  Sunny heard this and took over the handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face, and then carefully helped XiXi wipe her face.

  A handkerchief stained with tears and dust, crumpled into a ball, was handed back to Qi Hong by Sunny, who forced out a smile: "Thanks, bro."

  Xixi gazed at Sunny, and the young man in front of her had a calmness similar to Lu Dongqi's. However, Lu Dongqi's calmness was a gentle warmth that flowed from his eyebrows and eyes, whereas the calmness of the person in front of her was clearly mixed with maturity and sophistication.

  She remembered that Lü Dong's uncle had an older brother who was 9 years older than him, and the person in front of her must be the young talent from the Qī family. Xi Xi nodded slightly to him, feeling a little embarrassed about losing control of her emotions just now. She didn't have time to investigate the person in front of her, and she hurriedly searched for Lü Dong's mother's voice in the crowd.

  Qī Yún had started out chatting and laughing, but now she was completely wooden, standing in the crowd with her head down and her shoulders hunched, a sight that once again pierced Xī Xī's heart.

  Losing a child in middle age is the greatest punishment for a mother. Although Xi Xi was heartbroken over Dong Qi's passing, this pain still can't compare to one ten-thousandth of what Qi Yun suffered.

  She couldn't accept the reality of her son's death, and put herself in an imagined situation - this wasn't a funeral, it was a celebration banquet after Dongqi's high school graduation, he had finally achieved his long-held wish.

  She stands out from the crowd's sorrow, drowning alone in happiness.

  It was a very simple funeral, although there were many officials from the government in attendance, it was still conducted in a low-key manner.

  When Dong Qi's ashes were finally buried in the ground, a mournful cry burst out from the crowd. Qi Yun used all her strength to rush forward and hugged the tombstone, wailing in grief. When she finally woke up from her own woven dream, she found that her son's departure was a fact, and could only cry, unable to say a complete sentence due to her overwhelming sorrow.

  Lu Yan tried to pull her up, but the frail Qi Yun, in the midst of all his sorrow, had an astonishing surge of strength. He could only squat down, embracing his wife, holding back her emotions from getting out of control and behaving excessively.

  This usually calm and collected municipal official in City C had a look of unbearable pain on his face, and for the first time, he was just a helpless father facing the loss of his son.

  "Qī yún, stand up. The sons and daughters of the Qī family never easily shed tears." The speaker was an old man wearing a Zhongshan suit, his temples already gray, but his voice was loud and clear, his tone stern, with an air of dignity about him.

  This is Lu Dongqi's maternal grandfather, a retired former central government official.

  The inhumane command unexpectedly calmed down Qi Yun's emotions, Lu Yan helped her up and sat her down on the side, gently patting her back.

  Dong Qi's grandfather walked to the front of the tombstone, and the original noise and sobbing in the crowd suddenly subsided, waiting quietly for the old man to speak.

  Xi Xi saw the old man with an air of dignity, gently stroking the photo on the tombstone. A flash of pain crossed his eyes, and in a low, aged voice, he said: "Dong Qi, my child, Grandpa won't let you die in vain." You can search for "冤家校草不易解?哈十八" on Baidu to find the latest updates of this book!