The grandeur of the scene is often a kind of show-off, also enviable.
Including funerals.
But not for the Fang Family.
Before the old man could finish speaking, sobs from women beside him were heard.
"Is this just a spectacle? Is this just a spectacle?" they cried out.
The elder felt somewhat puzzled.
Hiring hundreds of people for the funeral, such a grand scene - what else could it be but a spectacle?
"When someone dies, what's there to see?" a woman said, her eyes red.
"But when people died before and we held funerals, everyone watched it as a spectacle," the elder said, spreading his hands.
Finding these women hard to understand.
"But this is the Young Master," another woman cried, covering her face.
Though not amongst the funeral procession, her grief was no less than those people.
"Yes, the Young Master was so young."
"The Young Master was so kind-hearted."
"The Young Master was so good-looking."
More women voiced their sorrow, each with a mournful expression.
The early death of a youth, the fallen flowers, are always pitied by sentimental women, yet the elder didn't argue with them further but also didn't share their sadness. Having witnessed much life and death, he had become numb.
"It's not just about the Young Master's youth," a man beside sighed, his expression also tinged with sadness, "It's about the inevitability of fate."
Ah, fate.
The elder looked toward the funeral procession.
"Didn't expect to see another funeral from the Fang Family this soon," the man said, "With enemies punished, illnesses cured, the Young Master of the Fang Family was living splendidly, but then..."
He shook his head here, reluctant to continue.
Unexpectedly, the young life ended abruptly - a child regarded as dead since five years old still couldn't live to an old age, dying in youthful years.
The curse... it seems it wasn't lifted, it still came true.
Fate, indeed.
All are unable to escape.
No matter how much effort.
It's truly a sad and desperate thing.
The elder sighed deeply, his eyes slightly red, looking at the seemingly endless funeral procession.
.......
........
"The Young Master is gone, and so is De Sheng Chang."
Manager Gao said chokingly, looking at the woman who had just dismounted.
Miss Jun took off the veil, despite her spirit in her eyes, her face was completely covered with wind and sand from traveling day and night, though it was concealed by the bamboo hat and face veil.
"He's gone, what does this have to do with De Sheng Chang?" she frowned and said.
"Because De Sheng Chang is out of money," Fang Yuxiu's voice spoke from behind.
Miss Jun didn't hesitate to move forward, uttering an "Oh."
"De Sheng Chang lost money in business some time ago, accounts turned upside down, so my younger brother was eager to meet a big merchant and managed to get a large sum of money," Fang Yuxiu followed unhurriedly and said.
"What about the money?" Miss Jun asked.
"Because a fire burned down half a street," Manager Gao followed a few steps, bowed his head and said, "The Young Master ordered compensation to those families, houses rebuilt, the deceased buried, the injured cared for, so much of the money was spent."
Thus the money business funds are insufficient again.
"I didn't say I wouldn't lend to him," Fang Yuxiu said, "It was him who secretly called all the shopkeepers of the money business, returned the money and settled the accounts, smoothing out the money business."
She spread her hands as she spoke.
"Then he just closed his eyes and left, what could we do?"
Miss Jun glanced at her.
"As for the shopkeepers and workers of De Sheng Chang, whether they scattered or not, it's normal for me to ... ask some to join us," Fang Yuxiu spread her hands again.
Miss Jun turned to look at Manager Gao.
Manager Gao, embarrassed, lowered his head further.
Arriving at the main courtyard, Fang Chengyu had been buried, but the mourning shed in the courtyard had not been removed, everywhere was draped in white, and the passing maidservants and servant boys were still wiping their eyes and shedding tears, incense burned in the mourning hall.
Miss Jun stood watching the mourning hall, beside her the maidservants and girls had already prepared praying mats and brocade handkerchiefs waiting for her to cry loudly, after a moment she turned and walked away.
Fang Yuxiu and Manager Gao did not stop her, watching her stride outwards.
.....
.......
The Fang Family's ancestral tombs are in Shandong, but since they fell out with Shandong, the Grand Old Master and Old Master Fang built tombs in Yangcheng.
Now, Fang Chengyu naturally had to be buried here.
Looking from the hillside, this whole area was covered in white, countless filial sons and daughters knelt and prayed, the sound of drums and suona mournful.
Sitting on the hillside grazing cattle, the boy was enthralled, oblivious to the cow chewing the grass circle on his head.
"Is it beautiful?"
A voice asked, while a hand took the grass circle from the ox's mouth, patting its head, the ox slowly turned away unfazed.
"Beautiful," the boy turned around, smiling at Miss Jun standing behind him.
Radiant, his bright eyes and white teeth glowed under the sunlight.
"I personally arranged this funeral; even those white flags were made by the best craftsmen from Shanxi I hired," he said proudly, raising his brows, "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Miss Jun looked down the hill.
"What's beautiful or not about dead things, a heavy rain tonight and it'll all be gone tomorrow," she said.
"I'm talking about now," the boy laughed, "Now, this moment, this instant, beautiful, that's enough, why care about the future."
Miss Jun didn't say anything, seemingly lost in watching the scene below the hill.
"Stop it," she suddenly said, slightly lifting her foot.
The young man chuckled as he withdrew his hand, releasing the hem of her pleated skirt.
"Saying that De Sheng Chang is unable to operate due to insufficient funds, are you underestimating yourself?" Miss Jun said as she looked down at him.
From those descriptions, it was evident that he intended to squander De Sheng Chang's wealth and to ensure the complete disappearance of this money business.
"Gongzhu, De Sheng Chang was never meant to exist," Fang Chengyu said seriously, putting away his smile, "My grandfather, my father, my grandmother, they couldn't do it. I'm a ruthless person, so let me end it."
De Sheng Chang was originally a tool used by Prince Qi to amass wealth and plot rebellion.
This was something the emperor admitted personally when he was berating the Empress Dowager.
As for whether the Old Master Fang knew back then, or how much Old Lady Fang knew, Miss Jun didn't ask the emperor, nor did she plan to investigate further now.
As Fang Chengyu said, De Sheng Chang shouldn't exist; now that it has disappeared, let it be.
No matter what, ever since she arrived, the money from De Sheng Chang had been under her control and at her disposal as well.
"The money business can cease to exist, but why do you want to fake your death?" Miss Jun looked at him and asked, "Is it because you feel wronged and want to bury and end the past this way?"
Wronged.
Just because he was born a Fang, he had to endure illness and suffering, and toil for the Fang Family's business.
"Not at all." Fang Chengyu asserted righteously.
Miss Jun looked at him without speaking.
Fang Chengyu chuckled.
"Alright, maybe a little," he said, scratching his nose, "That's why I worked hard."
Worked hard then destroyed it.
"You can't really say destroyed, for the Fang Family, it's a rebirth," Fang Chengyu said. "The sisters' money business, from now on, will be clean and serious in conducting business; everything will start anew."
He said this as he stood up and clapped his hands.
"I am reborn too," he said, turning to look at Miss Jun, his eyes sparkling, "Gongzhu, I have so many things I want to do, you remember, don't you? I read a lot of books back then, and I thought once I get better, I'd go and see those places and customs written in the books, see the landscapes and people that are different from Yangcheng. Also, do you know what I actually wanted to become?"
Miss Jun looked at him.
"What?" she asked.
"A blacksmith," Fang Chengyu said.
Miss Jun couldn't help but laugh as she looked at his fair skin, which made girls jealous.
"Hey, I'm really strong now," Fang Chengyu said with some grievance, raising his arm, "Feel it."
Miss Jun laughed heartily.
Fang Chengyu, being laughed at by her, became more indignant, grabbing her hand and pressing it onto his arm.
"See," he said.
Miss Jun patted his arm, seriously.
"Yes, very strong," she said.
Only then did Fang Chengyu release her hand with a smile.
"To be honest, I am indeed cold-hearted, for my own rebirth, for the life I wanted, I abandoned everything," he said, "Second sister must still be scolding me for having a black heart; knowing I left grandmother and mother to them, she should have asked for more money back then."
Then he looked at Miss Jun again.
"Also, at this time, Gongzhu, you shouldn't have left the capital, I should have kept the news from you."
Now, with the emperor newly ill, the Crown Prince's decree was being doubted, and the court was in turmoil with undercurrents flowing.
Yet Miss Jun rushed back from the capital to Yangcheng, day and night, without hesitation, upon hearing the news.
Miss Jun looked at him without speaking.
Fang Chengyu also looked at her.
"Alright, alright, I didn't really want to hide the news, even knowing now isn't suitable, and what you have to do is very important, but I still wanted to tell you," he said, "I just wanted to see if you'd drop everything to come see me."
Miss Jun looked at him.
"And then?" she said.
Fang Chengyu looked at her.
"Need a hug," he said.
......
......
At this time, he arranged for an extravagant funeral, causing a stir, simultaneously delivering the message to the capital at the first moment.
During this time, she experienced an unsuccessful assassination in the palace, narrowly surviving while the emperor finally fell ill, anticipating and planning laboriously to this point, finally reaching the crucial moment of calm.
He said he was dying, and she dropped everything and rushed over without hesitation.
In fact, he could have said nothing and gone to the capital to tell her in person.
In fact, she need not return at all because she knew he wouldn't really die, and she knew that even if she didn't return, he would completely understand.
But he said it, and she returned as well.
Both did the most inappropriate thing at the most inappropriate time.
And now that it's done, what's next?
Then, does he just want a hug?
Miss Jun looked at Fang Chengyu, smiled slightly, took a step forward, and embraced him.
Fang Chengyu was now taller than her, so she could only hug his waist; he couldn't rest his head on her shoulder like a child but rather fit better with her head resting on his shoulder.
Watching the two embrace on the hillside, Manager Gao, standing not far away, averted his gaze, but Fang Yuxiu continued to watch intently.
"Really stupid," she commented.
This hug could have waited for a more appropriate time to request it.
Insisting on doing something so meaningless at such a time.
"However," Fang Yuxiu withdrew her gaze and smiled slightly, "Being too smart and overly concerned with meaning would make life indeed too dull."
She turned around, leisurely stepping on the thick paper money scattered all over the ground as she walked away.
In this light, life still seemed interesting, which is why one must strive to live no matter how bitter or difficult it may be.
Because it's worth it.
...
....
(Once it's written, it's released, nearing the end, not particular about meaning or rules anymore, suddenly reluctant to part with you all, wanting you guys to kiss and hug and lift me high...)