Fate decreed that his journey home was destined to go through several more vicissitudes.
As Yun Ge galloped towards Pingchang Prefecture, Su Lang’s team had already carried a coffin up the Taihang Mountain.
However, they did not go directly to the Liang family.
This was... the result of Liang Zhichen’s deep contemplation.
He took Su Lang to the other side of the mountain, where there were many graves, and one of them was Father Liang’s resting place.
Perhaps the greatest sorrow comes from a heart that has ceased to care, as Dong Huiying stood foolishly under a tree, staring blankly. Under Liang Zhichen’s arrangements, Su Lang and his men dug a hole, then sank the coffin into it.
Liang Zhichen walked slowly towards the grave. The first handful of earth to be cast during the burial was also a matter of great significance.
According to the customs of Taihang Mountain, this handful of soil must be scattered by the deceased’s closest kin.
He picked up a handful of yellow earth and gently sprinkled it over the coffin.
He was silent by the edge of the pit for a long while. When he tried to stand, his vision blackened, and his body swayed, almost causing him to collapse to the ground.
Su Lang watched Liang Zhichen nervously and quickly extended a hand to steady him when he saw Liang Zhichen’s form wobble. But a small figure was even quicker.
Dong Huiying rushed over, looping one arm around Liang Zhichen’s waist and propping up his arm, allowing him to lean his full weight on her.
"Hold on a bit," she said as she guided him to the side.
Liang Zhichen paused for a while longer before he began to feel much better. He looked toward the grave and clenched her hand tightly.
"Baobao... do you blame me?"
A hint of red tinged the corners of his eyes, and his voice was weary, "I can’t, I can’t lose... any one of them again! If the matter with Shujun is known by Shu Yu, Haoming, Yue Ning, Yixuan... If they come to know."
He seemed unable to continue, his adam’s apple laboriously turning a full circle. "If Shu Yu learns of it, he will surely blame himself. He’s already of an extreme temperament, and if he seeks a drastic escape for this... Haoming might be a simple man, but when it comes to matters of right and wrong, he never hesitates. He will surely seek justice for Shujun! And Yue Ning... he’s impulsive and rash; if he knew about it, he would definitely rush to He Mansion to settle scores with the He family. As for Yixuan..."
Liang Zhichen looked up at the gloomy, dust-laden sky, "You had already left a letter and gone away once, and Yixuan took it hard. If he learns what happened to Shujun, he will inevitably take on all the blame himself."
"We brothers have always been , joyful news we share but hide the sorrow. Each has his own pain, his own secrets, kept hidden. But... if one has never experienced it, one cannot know how desperate it can feel. And I... truly, cannot lose any one of them again..."
Dong Huiying turned to look at the grave. Su Lang was standing by the side, just waiting for Liang Zhichen to give the order to cover the grave with earth.
After this event, she seemed to have matured a lot.
That was the first thing she said.
And the second, "Let me do it!"
With slow but resolute steps, she walked toward the grave.
She jumped down, gently stroked the coffin, and then bent down for a tender embrace, but it reminded her of Shujun’s body warmth, of the way he used to cling to her side...
She scooped up a handful of soil and let it fall, her heart seeming to rip slowly apart.
With a loud thunderclap, the sky erupted, clouds gathered, and a torrential downpour fell from the heavens.