The late summer morning came very early, the scenery was very similar to the dusk, the sun was still hidden under the horizon, and the light had already burned all over every layer of clouds in the sky, golden and yellow. The farther away from the rising sun, the clearer the sky becomes, and in the center of the firmament, there is only a transparent pale blue, open and high. A yellow and blue taxi stopped at the edge of a quiet country road, and after a while, it slowly disappeared into the dense mountain forest, and in the fine dust raised, stood Shi Jiaojiao in a black dress.

To go to the old people's home, there is a very steep slope, the roadbed is very narrow stone road, the chartered driver is reluctant to drive up, the destination is within sight, he persuaded the guests to get off the bus in advance, and Shi Jiaojiao happened to be unwilling to say more. In the distance, she saw a loquat tree growing bare in the open space at the entrance of the nursing home, which in early summer might have borne many golden fruits, but now they were gone, and only the brown leaves of the tree trembled in the morning breeze.

When the dean called, my grandfather had already died. She told Shi Jiaojiao that she didn't expect the old man to leave so suddenly, although he lingered on the sickbed all year round, he gave people the illusion that he would never leave. In late spring, Zhang Kun's grandfather was sent to the hospital by Zhang Kun due to fainting, and he was secretly treated for a period of time, and after his condition improved and stabilized, he was just taken back to the hospital in early summer.

When the weather was the hottest and most difficult, the old man seemed to be getting healthier day by day, who would have thought that after finally ushering in the cool beginning of autumn, he suddenly said goodbye to this world, without even a little warning. The night he left was very peaceful, and he drank a few sips of warm water more than usual before going to bed, and fell asleep very quickly. The nurse was surprised to hear the old man's peaceful and even breathing, and closed the door and ran to make a special report to the dean.

The dean remembered that Zhang Kun was always busy, and he was always worried and tired when he visited recently. She thought that every little improvement of the old man at this time could be regarded as a kind of good news! I hurriedly called him. Zhang Kun was really happy after hearing this, and even heard the smile in his tone, and he specially instructed the old man to take more careful care.

While the call was going on, the old man was slowly exhaling the last shred of life from his nose. He seemed to have had a very beautiful dream, in which he said goodbye to the burden that could not be lifted in this life, away from all the pain that could not be poured out, and walked to the land of bliss with ease.

The lines of the old man's brow were stretched, and all the traces of age escaped the lifting of life, slowly relaxing. All the remnants of vitality, leaving a downward arc at the corner of the old man's mouth, are the last footnotes he has drawn on his own life.

"Jiaojiao, you come over to see off the old gentleman for the last ride." The dean pleaded with tears on the phone at that time, "He didn't have time to leave a word, you came to see him, it must be what the old man wants to see." Shi Jiaojiao held the phone, hiding in the dark and shivering, and the place where she could see was the back of Tang Jianyu seriously holding the steering wheel.

Tears fell by herself, but Shi Jiaojiao couldn't express her grief, she couldn't help choking, and said very calmly that she couldn't attend the old man's funeral. Because Zhang Kun, as a grandson, must preside over the funeral, and he said to her word by word that no matter what the reason, he is not allowed to appear in front of him, otherwise......

But Shi Jiaojiao still appeared here, and there was no way to avoid it after thinking about it. The old man's kind face, the attentive and sad eyes when they read together, and even the book he gave to Shi Jiaojiao at the end, which was in a black box, stood on her bookshelf, and never opened it...... They didn't have much contact, but they left so many real and delicate memories. For Shi Jiaojiao, this old man has the meaning of independence from Zhang Kun. So, she is coming to see her grandfather off for the last time.

Originally, all the funerals in Shi Jiaojiao's memory were gloomy weather, and almost all of them were carried out in the rain. When the old man in the village died, Grandma Chen braved the rain to take her and Chen Li, two little girls, to eat tofu rice. Under a black umbrella, Shi Jiaojiao stretched out her little hand to catch the thick water droplets dripping from the edge of the umbrella, and asked the old man in a milky voice, "Grandma, why is it raining today?" Grandma Chen hugged her favorite little girl, and her voice was suspended in the rain, "Because God is also sad for the deceased." ”

Why didn't God feel sorry for this old man, could it be that death was a joy for him?

Shi Jiaojiao looked at the sky high through the gaps in the leaves, and could feel the sunny temperature when she closed her eyes, "It's so sunny......" she murmured, "Grandpa, it's a sunny day today, you're happy to see it." The sun shines on your way back, and it's easier to walk than on a rainy day, isn't it? Shi Jiaojiao opened her eyes, and the accumulated tears rushed out of her open eyelids. She threw her satchel on the rocks, wiped the water marks with both hands, and stared intently at the gate of the old people's home.

Because the dean's call was too sudden, she refused decisively, and did not ask for any details of the funeral and the specific time of the funeral. Afterwards, Shi Jiaojiao vaguely inquired with the people in City B she knew, and according to local customs, it was most likely to send the old man's ashes to the cemetery before noon. She was going to hide in the same place, which was the only way out of the sanatorium, and when the funeral procession passed, she followed not far behind, and when the people left the cemetery, she said goodbye to the old man alone.

Soon, a figure flickered inside the iron gate, and Shi Jiaojiao hurriedly took her bag and walked deep into the woods away from the path, hiding by the grass that would not be easily noticed. After getting the figure flashed, it took a long time before people gathered together one after another, all dressed in deep clothes. Because it was too far away, Shi Jiaojiao couldn't identify them one by one, but Zhang Kun's figure was too eye-catching to be recognized without taking a second look. It took about ten minutes for people to walk from the sanatorium.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Kun, the giant of the shopping mall, and his grandfather's funeral would be so shabby. There is no solemn guard of honor, no mourning, not even basic paper. When passing through the section where Shi Jiaojiao was hiding, she only saw a team of less than ten people: the dean who followed Zhang Kun, the old man who was still able to move on his own in the hospital, and the caregiver of the old man before his death. The eldest sister of the nurse is relatively young, and she walks at the end, sending the elderly at the same time as helping to take care of the other elderly people who see them off.

At the front of the line, naturally, the only relatives left in this world by the old man. Zhang Kun held the dark red urn and walked sonorously. For a moment, Shi Jiaojiao was so close to him, but she couldn't see his sadness at all, or even any emotion, she only felt that his whole person was cold.

The old man's death seemed to drain the little warmth that was already left in his heart.

The collective cemetery planned by the local government is not far from the old people's home, and it took nearly an hour to walk. The newly built cemetery was not so tall cedars, and the rows of neat tombstones were not enough to cover anything, so Shi Jiaojiao had to watch Zhang Kun and his party from a distance around a cemetery to hold a final farewell ceremony. Shi Jiaojiao couldn't hear what they were saying or what they were doing.

She saw Zhang Kun standing in front of the tombstone for a long, long time, as heavy as a stone statue, and as calm as a stone statue.