Xiang Linlin and I got into the funeral home's car, and the two of us will send my aunt on her last ride.

In the car, I saw Xiang Linlin's emotions gradually calming down, and she sat opposite me, looking at the back of the car all the time.

The underside of the car was empty, like a large trunk containing the remains of my aunt.

"Linlin, why don't you notify your brother-in-law?"

When the car left the county seat and started to drive to the funeral home in the suburbs, I asked.

Xiang Linlin said oh, she said that she didn't expect this layer to come, and she didn't shy away from it in front of me, Xiang Linlin took out her mobile phone and made a call out.

The phone was quickly connected, and Xiang Linlin's tone was surprisingly flat: "My mother just passed away, I am sending my mother to the funeral home with Chu Siqi now, if you want to come back to see your mother for the last time, we will wait for you; If you don't see it, don't wait. ”

I was a little surprised by Xiang Linlin's tone, thinking that she would definitely cry when she called her sister-in-law, after all, her mother died, and Xiang Linlin should cry to her father to express her grievances and sadness.

I didn't expect Xiang Linlin to be so calm, and I also heard that she didn't have to let her brother-in-law come back.

"That's it, it's okay, it's better to miss when you meet, well, I know, the money is enough, you take care of yourself outside, then I'll hang up."

That's it, Xiang Linlin finished speaking, then hung up the phone and told me that her father didn't want to come back.

I wanted to ask Xiang Linlin what she was thinking, but after all, I couldn't help it, maybe my sister-in-law didn't dare to come back, after all, he was hiding in the field; Or, the sister-in-law really doesn't want to see his wife for the last time, and seeing it can only increase the pain.

In short, I understand that my sister-in-law has a reason not to come back, and I also understand that Xiang Linlin should have guessed her sister-in-law's decision a long time ago, so she would be so calm.

Along the way, the two of us didn't say much, Xiang Linlin gradually accepted the reality, her eyes have completely returned to normal, when the car arrived at the funeral home, Xiang Linlin got out of the car, and smiled at me, she said that she was connected, and her mother definitely wanted her to be happy.

I also smiled and said yes, my aunt must be watching the two of us from heaven, and she would like to see us both happy.

Xiang Linlin snorted.

A few minutes later, we completed the relevant procedures, selected an urn from Linlin, and got the items that my aunt had left before her death, and she finally left nothing and put the relics next to my aunt's body.

The staff suggested that Xiang Linlin leave that part of the cash, saying that she could bless the descendants of the hair, but Xiang Linlin refused, she said that the dust is to the dust, the earth is to the earth, if you don't bring it in life, if you don't take it in death, take it away!

Eventually, Auntie's body was sent to the crematorium, and then a raging fire would burn Auntie's body to the ground.

At five o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, the cremation of my aunt's body was completed, and the ashes were put into the urn, covered with red cloth.

In the cemetery, Xiang Linlin spent a lot of money, chose a feng shui treasure land near the mountains and rivers, buried the ashes of her aunt, and then according to the tradition of worship, the two of us knelt in front of the tombstone wearing linen and filial piety.

Burn incense and paper, set off firecrackers.

Xiang Linlin knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times, she didn't say a word, the whole burial and worship, Xiang Linlin didn't shed a single tear, and when she cried and cried in the hospital, she was like two people.

I also kowtowed three times, glanced at the tombstone, which was engraved with the surname of my aunt and other information, the seal carver only had the name of Xiang Linlin, there was no sister-in-law, I was a nephew who could not be engraved on it.

Originally, I wanted to engrave my name, but Xiang Linlin didn't agree, she said that the tombstones were all children or children's spouses, as for why I didn't engrave the name of my sister-in-law, I didn't dare to ask.

When the dust had settled and the sky had darkened, I had time to take out my phone and see that it was past six o'clock in the afternoon.

I immediately realized that there was another thing that I had forgotten after my aunt passed away, that is, today was Su Yun'er's seventeenth birthday, and she held a birthday party at the Garden Hotel, inviting me to come over immediately after school.

And now, nearly half an hour has passed since the end of school.

"Are you going to Su Yun'er's birthday party?"

Xiang Linlin bowed three more times to her aunt's tomb, she began to walk outside the cemetery, asked coldly on the way, and added that many students in the second middle school knew about Su Yuner's death, because many boys rushed to give Su Yun'er birthday gifts.

I couldn't lie to her, so I said yes.

I looked at the sky, looked back at my aunt's tomb, and said, "I'll accompany you today, Su Yun'er, I won't go." ”

I said it lightly, but it was very difficult for me to make a choice, if it wasn't for my aunt's death today, I promised Su Yun'er, even if there are knives in the sky, I will definitely accompany Su Yun'er.

But when my aunt died, you can imagine how sad Xiang Linlin was without a father and no relatives, the more she calmed down in the process of burying her aunt, the more uncomfortable I felt she was, but Xiang Linlin promised me to be strong, she didn't want to suffer in front of me, she was afraid that I would suffer.

I can even imagine that once Xiang Linlin was alone, she returned home, and when she left the house at noon, her mother was still alive, but when she went back at night, her mother never came back.

Seeing things and thinking about people, Xiang Linlin will definitely cry miserably, she is alone at home, I don't know what kind of mental torture and suffering she will suffer, I don't worry about her being alone, so I have to accompany her.

"No, you saw it too, I'm fine." Xiang Linlin smiled at me, and while taking off the Ma Xiao's clothes, she said to me: "You go to celebrate Su Yun'er's birthday, she needs your blessing more, if you are not there, Su Yun'er will not be happy." ”

It was rare to hear Xiang Linlin put herself in Su Yun'er's shoes, and I was slightly moved, but it also strengthened my choice.

Someone is dead, someone is alive for a birthday, and the dead are greater!

Therefore, I believe that as long as I explain to Su Yun'er as soon as possible, Su Yun'er will definitely not blame me, on the contrary, she is very likely to think about Xiang Linlin like Xiang Linlin.

At the moment, I said that Su Yuner has a birthday every year, and I will accompany her next year.

Xiang Linlin saw that I insisted, and no longer persuaded me, she asked me to also extend the Ma filial piety clothes, and when I went out of the cemetery area, Xiang Linlin said to me with a grateful face: "Today, I remember your kindness, and I will report it again in the future!" ”

I was busy saying silly girl, this is all what I should do, we are a family.

Family!

Hearing these three words, Xiang Linlin's eyes turned red, but she didn't cry, smiled gratefully at me, looked up at the dim sky, and whispered, "Mom, I went home with Chu Siqi." ”

I also looked up at the sky and said Auntie, we are gone, you must bless us.

On the way back to the county seat, I sent a message to Su Yun'er about my aunt's death.

Su Yun'er called me back directly, she asked me about the situation worriedly, and when I said that I was still on the way back to the county seat from the cemetery area, Su Yun'er said that she felt sorry for me, and she felt sorry for Xiang Linlin.

She is really generous, one yard to one yard, Su Yuner took the initiative to let me accompany Xiang Linlin, she said: "Although you are not by my side, I am a little lost, but compared to Xiang Linlin, I am happy, today I am accompanied by so many friends, and she, only you are left." Therefore, you have to accompany Xiang Linlin well and let her spend this time without her mother. ”

I said thank you for your understanding, and Su Yun'er said yes, she asked me not to go home tonight, and she would come to me to talk to me in person tomorrow as soon as possible.

At the end, she also asked me if Xiang Linlin was beside me, I glanced sideways at Xiang Linlin, who was sitting next to me, nodded and said yes.

"Give the phone to Xiang Linlin, and I'll say a few words to her."

never thought that Su Yun'er would have to talk to Xiang Linlin.

I had to ask Xiang Linlin if she was willing, Xiang Linlin nodded, and took the phone directly, she has been talking for about a few minutes, and finally said thank you.

I don't know what Su Yun'er said to Xiang Linlin, but I noticed that after Xiang Linlin answered the phone, her eyes began to turn red again, and she estimated that Su Yun'er's words of persuasion should have touched the softest place in Xiang Linlin's heart.

Returning to the county seat from the cemetery area, Xiang Linlin didn't go home first, she said she was hungry and asked me to accompany her to eat something.

I followed Xiang Linlin to the vicinity of the primary school where she studied, a small alley that has not been demolished until now, there is a decades-old shop here that operates Malatang.

The customers here are basically people who have graduated from this elementary school, and they miss the taste of eating spicy tang in elementary school, so they often take care of business when they grow up.

Therefore, don't look at the bias here, and the old store environment is not very good, but there are still many customers who come.

When I was a child, I followed Xiang Linlin to this old store once, and there were still two of us mothers at that time.

But now, things are not people, the table and chair where the four of us were sitting at the beginning were empty, and Xiang Linlin walked directly over and sat down, and the position where she sat was the position she had sat in that year.

I sat opposite, next to it empty, that was my mother's place, and opposite was empty, which was where my aunt was sitting.

Suddenly, I found that there was a bitter taste in my heart, and the days when the four of us got along in the past will never happen again.

"Linlin, eat something, I'll order it."

I saw that Xiang Linlin's expression was also starting to become bitter, and I hurriedly asked.

Xiang Linlin said casually, so I hurriedly went to get some dishes skewered with bamboo skewers, and then handed them to the boss to help cook them.

The boss quickly put the dishes into the pot, and still uses honeycomb coal to cook Malatang, and it is this nostalgic cooking method that makes customers very nostalgic for the past, and the guests come to eat not food, but taste feelings.

Sitting back down, I found that Xiang Linlin was holding a cigarette at some point, which surprised me a little, because as far as I know, Xiang Linlin doesn't smoke, and I don't know where she got this cigarette from.

"I asked for it from the big brother next door." Xiang Linlin pointed to a couple dining next door, and the eldest brother smiled at me and asked me if I needed one.

I thanked and said I didn't smoke, and looked at the cigarette on the corner of Xiang Linlin's mouth, she didn't inhale it at all, she just held it.

Then, she said to me word by word: "Suddenly I feel bitter, I remember that your mother used to smoke too, and there are some things that I can't go back to......"