My Life with Narration

Chapter 577 - 568: Not Leaving

Accompanied by the cries from the ICU, Su Qing, Wang Xing, and Qin Wei bowed in gratitude to the medical staff, thanking them for their hard work.

The medical staff naturally felt unworthy of such gratitude, as the patient could not be saved. Their faces were full of guilt, though they were accustomed to life and death and often wrested people from the hands of death. Even the best doctors lose more often than they succeed in this battle.

With the medical staff leaving, the three stood silently at the door, while Ding Qiang went in to comfort his mother.

At that moment, the three felt that their classmate Ding Qiang had suddenly matured a lot, but at the same time, his posture wasn’t as straight as before.

As the only man in the family, he now has to be strong. His mother is already aged, and if he still acts like a child, the family would fall apart.

The excellent qualities of the Chinese people were evident at this moment. Whenever disaster strikes, someone always steps up to take responsibility, whether on the scale of a nation or a family.

The recklessness of youth seemed to disappear from him in an instant; he visibly became more silent.

Even with his father passing right in front of him, he didn’t cry out loud like his mother. Instead, he clenched his molars, trying to appear strong.

At times like this, Ding Qiang doesn’t need comfort; he just needs time to process.

"Qingzi... let’s..." Wang Xing started to speak, then stopped.

Su Qing shook his head: "Let them stay together for a little longer. Xigou, you just wait here. Old A, you come with me to get the paperwork done. Even though Da Qiang seems calm, his mind is probably blank right now. Let’s help out with what we can!"

Hearing this, the two nodded.

"Don’t worry, I’ll contact you guys once Da Qiang comes out," Qin Wei said.

Upon hearing this, Su Qing took a deep breath, then took Wang Xing downstairs to handle the paperwork. Since the person was gone, there had to be some handover at the hospital. Soon they would need to take the body, contact a hearse, head back to Ding Qiang’s hometown, and arrange a funeral.

The rest of the matters weren’t their concern, as Ding Qiang’s family still had relatives, but they needed to help with the current situation at the hospital.

There really wasn’t much to do in total; the two of them were almost done in half an hour. When they returned, the crying inside had subsided significantly.

Then, the three of them stood outside for another half hour until Ding Qiang finally emerged from the ward, his eyes red with tears.

Seeing the three, he hoarsely spoke: "Thanks, brothers!"

Noticing his state, Su Qing felt relieved instead, guessing that Ding Qiang might have cried in secret. In these situations, it’s the people who can’t cry that are more worrying.

Of course, some people genuinely can’t cry, nor do they feel much, but that’s due to the brain’s self-protection mechanism. When someone suffers a significant blow, the brain shields them from the sensation, creating an illusion, simply put making them subconsciously disbelieve that their loved one is gone.

Such grief usually erupts at some moment in later days, maybe triggered by a piece of clothing or a meal.

Fortunately, Ding Qiang was able to cry, which indicated that he was still okay.

Hearing this, the three went forward together and hugged Ding Qiang tightly.

Su Qing said, "It’s what we should do. We’ve finished the hospital procedures, so you don’t have to worry. I’ve also arranged the car. Once Auntie feels a bit better, let’s take Uncle home, shall we?"

Wang Xing added, "Don’t worry, we’ve got your back; we may not be other brothers, but we’ll give it our all to help."

Qin Wei said, "Da Qiang, I won’t offer meaningless comfort. Uncle’s arrangements are the priority."

Listening to his friends, Ding Qiang felt like he finally had a support system, his heart settling a little.

He then nodded heavily, and Ding Qiang, along with the three of them, entered the ward and saw Ding Qiang’s mother slumped by the bedside.

On the operating table was a pale, ordinary-looking middle-aged man with wrinkles on his face and spots of blood around, but his chest no longer rose and fell.

This wasn’t the first time Su Qing had seen a body, and he seemed less afraid now. Observing this, he realized he too was changing.

"Mom... there’s still a son at home, let’s take Dad home," Ding Qiang stepped forward, holding his mother’s shoulder as he spoke.

Hearing this, the woman hugged her son for a long time before nodding heavily.

At that time, both mother and son were in a bad state, their minds somewhat muddled. Still, the woman took out her phone and began calling relatives to inform them of the passing.

She asked some relatives to come over and requested that they prepare the necessary funeral items at home.

It was the second day of the Lunar New Year; honestly, the timing couldn’t be worse, as it was a time for family reunions. A funeral out of the blue put everyone in a hard place.

But while happy occasions could be postponed, funerals could not. Even if it was the second day of the New Year, the news had to be shared.

Soon, the car arranged by Su Qing arrived, and everyone helped to lift the body into the vehicle for the journey back to Xining.

Xining was a county town near Jiang City, not far at all from Jiangcheng City; otherwise, Ding Qiang wouldn’t have come here for high school.

The mother and son got into the hearse, while Su Qing and Wang Xing drove their car, bringing Qin Wei along as they followed behind.

It was already six in the evening, and though it was dark, they still had to return home. According to local customs, the deceased must spend a night at their old home before being taken to the crematorium the next day.

This timing also allows relatives and friends to pay their respects.

Two hours later, the group finally arrived in Xining. By the time they reached the county town, some of Ding Qiang’s relatives had already arrived.

Afterwards, the young quartet didn’t have to take the lead, as the older generation had their own set of rules, and the elders in the family would guide them on what to do.

Although the Ding Qiang family had borrowed money during this period, relatives and friends might have their own thoughts, the saying goes, the deceased takes precedence in domestic customs.

With the person gone, as relatives, it’s natural to help out; this has been the social norm resulting from years of exchanges among the older generation.

The Ding family lived in a rural area outside of Xining County. The reason Ding Qiang originally came to study in Jiang City was that the couple worked in Jiangcheng City at the time.

By the time the group drove back to Ding Qiang’s old home, it was nearly ten at night. The courtyard already had a simple mourning hall set up; it was makeshift but enough given the short time.

The Ding family’s rural old house has a small courtyard, and at this time, there weren’t many people in it. Besides the three of them, they were all exceptionally close relatives; otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to help so late at night.

Inside the house, the elders were calling to notify relatives and friends to come to mourn the next day. Outside the courtyard, Ding Qiang, already in mourning clothes, knelt in front of the mourning table burning paper.

Someone had to be present all night for the vigil, and given the mother’s current condition, Ding Qiang had to take on this responsibility alone.

Su Qing and the other two kept him company by his side. Fortunately, due to winter, the funeral service providers had prepared a plastic canopy; otherwise, by morning, those heading to the crematorium might not be the only ones.

"Qingzi... if you three want to go inside, it’s warmer in there. I can stay here on my own," Ding Qiang said while adding paper to the brazier.

Hearing this, Su Qing, after replying to some messages from home and Shen Yi, said, "No need; we’re fine here. We don’t know anyone inside. If you get tired, we three can take turns with you. You have a lot to do tomorrow."

Every place has different customs; some don’t allow substitution, while others do. As long as there’s always someone in front of the altar for the night, it’s fine.

But here, offering to keep vigil signifies a significant relationship.

To this, Ding Qiang chuckled and didn’t refuse. In his heart, he wanted to talk to someone, but he couldn’t speak to the older generation, so the three behind him seemed more appropriate.

"Ding, I transferred fifty thousand yuan to you. Use it first; the family can’t be without money to handle affairs." Wang Xing spoke up.

Qin Wei added from the side, "I also transferred twenty thousand. Don’t think it’s too little, brother; let’s get through this first."

"I can’t... you..." Ding Qiang instinctively refused upon hearing this, but before he finished speaking, Su Qing interrupted him:

"Don’t refuse; it’s a gesture from all of us brothers. Tomorrow, after everything is over, you and Aunty can calculate how much debt is outside; let me cover it for you first. After all, it’s just debt, better to owe us. It’s just generosity to us. If you owe others, the debt is the same, but you have to offer too many favors. You know I don’t mind this bit of money. To deal with that scoundrel Zhang Heng, I won’t skip on spending money. It’s akin to throwing it away, just to vent. You don’t need to worry about this."

Hearing this, Ding Qiang’s shoulder shook slightly. He didn’t verbally agree, but he accepted the transfers from Wang Xing and Qin Wei, "Thanks, brothers. I... will pay this back."

Handling funeral affairs, no matter how simple, requires money, and Ding Qiang understood this point. At the moment, their family didn’t have a penny to spare. Truthfully, without Su Qing finding the hearse, they’d have to rely on relatives to help.

Knowing his situation, the three naturally extended their assistance without letting him feel distressed.

"It’s fine; I don’t need it for now. After all, I made this money with Qingzi, and I didn’t put in the hard work, so no rush!" Wang Xing laughed heartily, indicating he wasn’t in a hurry.

Though Qin Wei earned a bit less, he chimed in agreement.

The three young ones, those with more helped more, those with less did what they could. It was all sincerity, regardless of the amount.

After a long silence, Ding Qiang took a deep breath, looked at his father’s altar, and said with a soft chuckle:

"Brothers, honestly, there was a time I believed I could achieve great things when I grew up, thinking highly of myself, striving hard to surmount mountain after mountain.

But after graduating from college, I realized there are too many like me. My nights, claimed by the boss’s overtime, could not even produce enough money to save my dad. It was then I woke up and realized I wasn’t meant for great deeds, just a marginal figure, a nobody.

It’s only at this point I understand that true maturity is accepting your ordinary self. Now that I think about it, the light boat has sailed past tens of thousands of mountains; everyone’s talking about where Langlang Mountain isn’t. But now I tell myself, where my parents are, is home.

I just... won’t leave!"

Hearing this, Su Qing thought for a moment, then smiled, "Alright, then don’t leave. Stay here at home with me and old a, saves us from hardly meeting all year."

People always say that everyone has a purpose, but who knows what they’re born for?

What if you’re just a piece of scrap? There must be someone willing to embrace ordinariness in this world; why can’t that person be me?

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