Chapter Fifty-Nine: An Unexpected Turn of Events

However, before Chen Xin could come up with a solution, the situation suddenly changed.

Yan Chunhua received a phone call from home, telling her that her cousin had passed away in the hospital. At that moment, Yan Chunhua collapsed onto a seat, unable to shed a single tear for a long while.

Her cousin had led a pitiful life, and whenever Yan Chunhua had time, she would go and lend a hand, so she felt a genuine tenderness for this little brother whose mind was like that of a two- or three-year-old child. Over the years, she had scrimped and saved, putting money aside to buy him clothes and candies for the New Year. Now, to hear that he was suddenly gone was something she simply could not accept.

The call was received at the village chief’s house. When Yan Chunhua slumped down, the chief’s wife was so alarmed she thought something catastrophic had happened in Yan Chunhua’s family. She quickly sent her son to fetch the Zhang family.

Chen Xin was packing her luggage, planning to leave with Zhang Zhang within the next day or two, when she heard that Yan Chunhua nearly fainted after a phone call. She guessed that her elder cousin must have passed away.

Upon asking, she found out it was just as she thought. Yan Chunhua’s mother explained that, since her cousin had died young, according to their local customs, a child of that age could not have a tombstone. He would simply be buried in a random spot on the hillside near home, and except for the family burning incense for seven days, no funeral could be held; otherwise, it would bring misfortune to the family.

Yan Chunhua’s mother called not only to inform her, but also to ask the Zhang family to persuade Yan Chunhua not to rush back home. She didn’t want her daughter to blame her in the future for not telling her.

“She’s his cousin and an unmarried young woman—there’s no reason for her to hurry back for the funeral. Her uncle feels the same. No one from the family is going; a simple burial is best.”

“What about my aunt? What did she say?” Yan Chunhua suddenly grabbed the phone from Chen Xin, pressing her mother with questions. Her aunt’s love for her eldest son was the deepest in the family. The boy’s death had nearly taken her life as well; if not for her younger daughter, she might have followed her son in death.

“Chunhua, don’t come back, do you hear me? If you return now, what will your uncle’s family do? They want to handle everything while your aunt is still in the hospital. If you show up and your aunt gets upset, your grandparents will have something to say again.

They’d already blamed their youngest daughter-in-law because of this grandson, and over the years, spent more time living with their eldest son’s and daughters’ families. Now that the burden is finally gone, if you stir things up, they won’t be so forgiving.”

“Are my grandparents really so heartless?” Yan Chunhua choked, hardly able to speak. “He was their grandson too—can’t they at least let my little brother be buried near the ancestral graves?”

Her mother hung up on her, leaving Yan Chunhua to cry bitterly.

“To be honest, children who die young truly can’t be buried in the ancestral grave,” the village chief’s wife, who had been listening all along, couldn’t help but interject. “You girls may not care, but you need to think about your brothers. If something goes wrong, who’s going to take responsibility?”

Yan Chunhua pressed her lips together, wanting to argue, but then she fell silent, lowering her head in grievance and sorrow before steadying herself on the door and stepping outside.

Zhang Debing was still up on the slope tending to the bamboo rats, unaware that Yan Chunhua was weeping inside. The second sister was heavily pregnant—due in just over half a month. Her legs were swollen, leaving deep impressions when pressed, so she could only walk a little in the courtyard, leaning by the door as she waited for them to return.

When she saw Yan Chunhua come back with red eyes, the second sister wanted to ask what had happened but was silenced by a look from Chen Xin.

“Chunhua, try to get some rest. Don’t overthink things. What happened has happened. If you look at it another way, maybe it’s a release for him—less pain in this life, and perhaps he’ll be reborn into a happier fate next time.”

Yan Chunhua nodded absently, saying she wanted to be alone for a while.

Chen Xin fetched a towel to wipe her face, quietly closed the door, and then slipped out to the courtyard to speak softly to the second sister.

“You mean her little brother is gone? He was fine—how could he just be gone?”

Chen Xin quietly told her what she knew, as well as her classmate’s suspicion: that a group of village children, playing without restraint, had caused Yan Chunhua’s brother to fall down the hillside.

“How could those children be so cruel?” The second sister, her heart especially tender in pregnancy, couldn’t fathom how anyone could bully a disabled child so viciously.

Chen Xin agreed the children had gone too far. More importantly, they seemed not to realize the gravity of their actions—a life lost because of their recklessness. Who knew if they would ever feel even a twinge of remorse?

An hour later, Zhang Dage returned. When he didn’t see Yan Chunhua, he casually asked about her. Learning what had happened, he furrowed his brow, debating whether to try and offer some comfort.

Before he could decide, Yan Chunhua pulled open the door.

“I’m sorry, but I want to leave early,” she said, her luggage already packed. She sniffed, her voice hoarse. “No matter what, I should be there to see my brother off. Once his seven-day memorial is over, if you still need my help, I’ll come back.”

“Will you be able to get a ticket now?” the second sister asked, not concerned with anything else, only worried Yan Chunhua might not be able to buy a train ticket.

“I should still be able to get one. If not, I’ll just board and pay for a ticket later.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll ask Sister Jia if she can help you get one.”

There was a ticket agency in town, right next to the government offices. Sister Jia only had to walk a few steps to ask for her. As it turned out, there were only standing tickets left, but Yan Chunhua bought one without hesitation, asking Sister Jia to pay for her first and promising to pay her back when she collected the ticket on her way down the mountain.

“If you’re going, you’d better hurry. There’s no farm vehicle going down the mountain today, so you’ll have to walk to the foot of the hill to catch a ride—that’s more than half an hour’s walk. You still need to get your ticket, then go to the county train station. Time is tight.”

The second sister quickly packed some dry food and pickled vegetables for Yan Chunhua, so she’d have something to eat for two meals on the road.

“When you’ve finished everything on your end, give us a call. Aside from our farm, the Xiao family in Linshan Village nearby also wants to start one—they just talked to me yesterday, saying if their loan is approved, they’ll ask you to help them as well. So don’t overthink it, we’re all waiting for you here.”

She didn’t offer any other words of comfort, only reminded her to come back soon.

Zhang Dage intended to see her off, but the farm couldn’t do without him. In the past, he could swap shifts with Yan Chunhua, but now with the second sister so heavily pregnant and Chen Xin unskilled at the work, only he and Grandpa Zhang were available—there was simply no way for him to leave.

“Don’t worry, it’s not my first time traveling alone. I’ve walked this road several times—it’ll be fine.”

“Alright, when you get to Sister Jia’s, give me a call. I won’t keep you any longer—go quickly.”