Guardian Chapter 10: Visiting the Graves

 

Chapter 10 Visiting the Graves

After settling matters, He Long hurried off to the law firm to meet up with Ling Chun.

Yu Shulin sat in his hotel room for a while, lost in thought. After some deliberation, he pulled out his phone and, after much hesitation, sent Liang Zhou a text message.

‘I'm staying at a hotel now. The flat's being sold, and my landline's about to be disconnected. If you need to reach me, use this number.’ After a pause, he added, ‘Is there anything you fancy?’

This chap had done him so many favours, and they'd likely be spending a lot of time together going forward. He'd given him a mobile phone, so surely... he ought to reciprocate somehow.

The text went unanswered, like a stone sinking into the sea. He waited and waited, but no reply came. Finally, he picked up his rucksack, stuffed the loose change and passbook left by He Long inside, and headed out.

The passbook held sixty-two thousand yuan—all the assets left by his mother. He had no idea when Ling Chun had retrieved them. Previously, these papers had been firmly held by Yu Xiu and Lawyer Zhou; he’d never even seen them.

He first went to the bank, withdrew two thousand yuan, then hailed a cab to the suburban cemetery.

Mrs Yu had been a stylist, quite skilled at her craft, favoured by the wealthy ladies of W City. She often worked as a consultant at various beauty salons.

On the day of the incident, she had been invited to host a promotional event for sunscreen and had left home very early. The event was large-scale, held in a small open-air square. The client's daughter had been clamouring for ice cream, but the client was busy with a product demonstration and couldn't leave immediately. Seeing this, Mrs Yu kindly offered to take the child to buy ice cream.

At that moment, scaffolding on a building undergoing façade renovation across the street had been improperly secured and suddenly collapsed. Mrs Yu happened to be walking past with the little girl. Seeing there was no time to dodge, she decisively pushed the child out of harm's way, only to be struck directly herself.

Such a woman who had always cherished her appearance met a most tragic end. Fearing it would traumatise him, the adults refused to let him see his mother one last time. That sleepy morning kiss became his final memory of her.

Outside the cemetery, he bought some incense, candles, and joss paper. Neatening his clothes, he walked inside. His mother’s plot lay in a secluded corner, yet seclusion had its own quiet beauty—peaceful and undisturbed.

Upon reaching the spot, he placed the offerings, crouched down, and gathered his courage for a long moment before lifting his gaze to the photograph on the headstone.

The woman in the picture wore a bright smile, her lips curved gently, her eyes soft.

“Mother, you're still so beautiful,” he murmured, forcing a smile. His hand brushed the gravestone as his eyes reddened. “Look at me now, becoming more useless by the day... I'm fine, Mother. Do you miss me?”

A breeze swept through, carrying the fresh scent of grass and foliage.

“Mom... the truth is, I'm not fine... I miss you terribly.”

The sunlight grew fiercer, making the gravestone gleam faintly white.

He lowered his eyes, burned the joss paper, placed the incense, then knelt before the grave and bowed his head several times with solemn reverence. Rising, he carefully wiped the gravestone clean.

“From my past life to this one, it must be nearly seven or eight years since I last came to see you, Mom. I've been such an unfilial son.” He murmured, every emotion within him crystallising into a sense of grievance. His tone unwittingly took on a hint of accusation and petulance. “I was so foolish in my past life, but Uncle was so cruel. Mom, you must avenge me.”

The woman in the photograph still smiled, her gaze as forgiving and gentle as ever.

…

“Never mind. Mom, you should reincarnate soon. I'll look after myself properly this lifetime. Don't worry.”

After wiping the gravestone, he stood lost in thought for a while before leaning against it and sitting down. His mind was a jumble, filled with memories from both past and present lives.

“Was I being too foolish…”

“Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…”

……

He wiped the sweat from his brow, cleared his slightly hoarse throat, and dabbed at his stinging eyes. After a long silence, he finally exhaled deeply, rose to his feet, brushed his trousers, and turned to the headstone with a smile. “Mom, I'm off then.” Reborn once more, this life he would live well—for himself.

“I'll visit again when I can.” He waved, cast one last lingering glance at the photograph on the headstone, then turned and walked away.

Since his rebirth, his mind had been consumed by memories of his past life, nearly overwhelmed by dark, negative emotions. Now that he possessed a different future, he refused to let his feelings wallow in the mire any longer.

He must strive to become a person like his mother.

Ling Chun and He Long vanished into thin air once they got busy. After hastily finishing his lunch and taking a short nap, Yu Shulin headed off to W City's largest shopping mall, feeling refreshed and full of energy. All signs pointed to his stepbrother being quite wealthy, so this gift couldn't be cheap.

Full of ambition, he dashed into the mall. After a cursory browse, Yu Shulin wilted—there was simply too much choice, and he knew too little about Liang Zhou. He had absolutely no idea what to buy.

He pulled out his phone and glanced at it. The text he’d sent that morning still hadn’t elicited a reply. He found the other man’s number, his finger hovering over the dial button, yet hesitated to press it.

Why did he suddenly feel awkward? Would calling him now disturb him...

This hesitation stretched until dusk. After receiving He Long’s dinner reminder call, he gritted his teeth and dashed into the nearest shop—Oh well, just pick something random. If it’s not right, I’ll get him something else later.

At dinner, Yu Shulin pushed two small boxes towards Ling Chun and He Long, saying somewhat sheepishly, “Thank you both for looking after me these past few days. Well, these are for you.”

Ling Chun and He Long exchanged glances, surprise evident on both their faces. After a moment, Ling Chun reached out first, took the box, and opened it to look inside: “Key rings?”

“I didn't know what you'd like, so I took the sales assistant's advice and chose these,” he said, eyes downcast, poking at the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks. After all these years out of touch with society, he felt rather unsure about his gift selection.

Ling Chun, ever perceptive, immediately detected the unease beneath his calm exterior. He chuckled, nudging the dumbfounded He Long with his elbow. With a smile, he produced a set of keys, attached the new keyring, discarded the old one, gave it a shake, and declared, “Xiao Yu has excellent taste. I like it very much. Thank you.”

He Long finally snapped back to reality, hastily taking the box meant for him. Mimicking Ling Chun’s actions, he attached the new keyring, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at his lips. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Yu Shulin exhaled softly, offering them a brief smile before lowering his head to hastily finish the rice in his bowl. After bidding his farewells, he returned to his room.

Watching the youth's retreating figure, Ling Chun's smile faded. He gave the plain keyring in his hand a shake and sighed. “Seeing how prickly he was around Yu Xiu earlier, I thought this lad was a little hedgehog. But after spending these past few days with him, he seems as docile as a rabbit. I've misjudged him.”

He Long stuffed the keyring into his pocket, shot him a glance, and said nothing. To dare call the boss's younger brother a rabbit was practically asking for trouble.

Ling Chun was infuriated by his stubborn silence. He glared at him, picked up his own box from the table, and began tapping away at his phone with a satisfying click-clack.

‘Having examined the matter, this grand master finds your younger brother to be of a simple and honest disposition, well-mannered and worthy of nurturing. I urge you, sir, to guide him carefully and not let him go astray. P.S. I absolutely adore the gift Xiao Yu sent—he’s such a thoughtful little darling. A pity there wasn’t one for you, ha ha ha.’

 

 

I was keen on re-reading this novel and since the original first 10 chapters have disappeared I decided to post my own for anyone else looking to enjoy~

Chapters 11 and onward have been translated by another group, linked to the arrow below!

 

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