Chapter 10: The Sinner and the Will (Part 1)

  At 6:00 pm on June 9th, the sky was still bright and there was no nightfall yet. In southern summers, it's usually after 8:00 pm that the sky turns dark.

  Xue Zong invited Long Bao to his home, ready to have a good chat and talk, the war had ended, and they could put down their hanging hearts and relax their tense minds.

  Xue Bingying and Mrs. Xue were busy in the kitchen, while Mr. Xue and Long Bao were smoking and drinking tea in the study, chatting and laughing together whenever they talked about the details of this war. Looking at Long Bao's youthful and mature face, Mr. Xue couldn't help but think of the scene when they first met last August, wondering to himself: if he had missed him back then, what would be the situation now? What would this child be doing somewhere else?...

  Xue Zong remembered that Qian Lao had mentioned to him on the eve of his departure for Hong Kong that there was a superior person in the poem who hinted that Long Bao was Qian Lao's lucky star. He couldn't help but wonder: Was it also destined by heaven that Qian Lao would meet Long Bao, and Long Bao would help Qian Lao resolve this crisis?

  But how is this possible? One is a 70-year-old recluse living in Hong Kong, and the other is a 17-year-old rural child from mainland China who was forced to flee after committing a crime. The two people's identities, social status, background, age, and location are so vastly different, how could it be that they were destined to have this encounter?

  He remembered that Qian Lao had secretly told him that he had already recognized Long Bao as his godson, and wanted Long Bao to be his godson. The profound meaning of this is self-evident. It seems that Long Bao has been decided by Qian Lao as the successor, and has become the heir to this hundreds of billions of yuan industrial group.

  Qian Lao chose the right person! This child is full of talent, morally upright, talented and handsome, wise beyond his years. What's most valuable is that he has a humble and modest demeanor, a calm and composed attitude in times of crisis, and a diligent and responsible work ethic. The old man indeed chose the right person! As long as he is properly trained, the future prospects of Li Heng under his leadership will be boundless!

  What a pity! Such an excellent young man is not her son-in-law. Her daughter Bingying doesn't have that good fortune.

  ……

  Long Bao found that Xue Zong was not listening to his words, but was thinking about other things and walking away. He chuckled twice, bowed forward, opened the small electric stove, boiled water, and prepared to re-steep another pot of tea.

  Xue Zong looked at Long Bao's clumsy appearance while making tea and smiled: "You, you're usually so quick and capable, how come when it comes to making tea, you become so clumsy?"

  Long Bao just smiled and replied: "Director Xue, this is like when I learned to speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English. If you can't learn it, no matter how hard you try, you just don't have the cells for it!"

  At this time, Xue Bingying came in with a spring breeze on her face. She had been following her mother to learn how to cook today, just to show off her elegant side in front of Long Bao and reshape her image in his mind. Xue Bingying deliberately tied an apron around her waist as she entered. She happened to overhear the conversation between the two and chimed in with a gentle tone: "Long Bao, if you can't learn it properly, then don't bother learning at all. It's not worth torturing yourself. I'll make tea for you from now on!"

  Long Bao was a clever person, and he understood the meaning behind Xue Bingying's words. In front of Director Xue, he was at a loss for how to respond, so he just smiled foolishly a few times and said to Xue Bingying: "Hehe, is it time to eat?" Coincidentally, Long Bao's phone rang at this moment, and he apologized with a smile: "Sorry, I'll answer the call first."

  Look at the number, hey, it's Shi Wei's!

  Long Bao pressed the answer key on his phone and got up to walk to the window, saying: "Hello, Third Brother, it's me, Liu Six."

  Shi Wei's voice on the phone didn't seem very clear: "Oh, oh, nothing's up, just idle and bored, making a call, making a call to chat with you, chat with you, hehe."

  Long Bao couldn't help but wonder why Shi Wei, who was usually eloquent, was speaking hesitantly today. So Long Bao jokingly asked: "Old Three, is it that Du Ji sister has given you a hard time again? You're stuttering."

  Shi Wei surprisingly didn't immediately refute it, instead still stammering on the phone: "This and that, ah, no such thing, our relationship is good."

  "Oh, okay then, I'll go eat first and call you guys later."

  Shi Wei hesitated, seemingly taking a while before saying: "Alright then, call me after you've finished eating." Before Long Bao could react, Shi Wei had already hung up the phone.

  Long Bao smiled and shook his head, turned around and grinned at Mr. Xue and Xue Bingying for a moment, then Mr. Xue saw that Long Bao had finished the call and gestured to go to the dining hall for dinner.

  Long Bao had just sat down at the dinner table when his phone rang again, still Shi Wei. Long Bao lowered his voice and said into the phone, "Third Brother, is there something urgent?"

  Shi Wei's voice on the phone was still unclear: "No, no, nothing big! Hehe, you go eat, go eat!"

  "Nothing urgent?" Long Bao continued to ask.

  "It's really not, it's not! It's your birthday coming up, I should congratulate you first." Shi Wei replied very affirmatively this time.

  Long Bao paused for a moment and said: "Hehe, thank you. I'll hang up the phone first and talk to you later?"

  Shi Wei was getting anxious: "Don't hang up, don't hang up, you can't hang up! If you hang up, Hai Lao Da will beat me up! I lost the bet and he forced me to make this call!"

  Long Bao found Shi Wei's words very strange, feeling that Shi Wei was somewhat abnormal today, and something big must have happened. With this in mind, he immediately stood up and walked towards the hall, asking Shi Wei: "What bet? Why did he want to force you to make this call? What's the big deal?"

  Shi Wei was even more tongue-tied by this string of questions: "No, no, yes, yes... nothing, nothing, you eat first, eat first, talk after eating, talk after eating."

  Something is off, really off! Long Bao insisted that Shi Wei tell him what's going on right away, but Shi Wei still hesitated and didn't dare to speak the truth.

  At this time, Long Bao clearly heard the phone transmitting Hai Tao's scolding: "You stupid pig! If you don't speak up now, it will be too late!" Long Bao immediately said into the phone: "Shi Wei, let me talk to Old Hai, I want to talk to him!"

  After a while, Haitao's voice finally came from the phone. Longbiao got straight to the point and said: "Boss, what's going on? What is it that can't be said later?"

  "Uh... oh... you should eat first!"

  Long Bao was deeply disturbed by these unusual events and felt an urgent need to know the truth, so he pressed on with a heavier tone.

  The voice on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, and Haitao finally gritted his teeth and said: "...... Really, if you don't say it now, it will be too late! Lao Liu, De Lao, your grandfather is in the hospital now, and his condition has worsened a bit. You'd better hurry back!"

  Long Bao's heart was shocked! He tried his best to calm down but couldn't control the trembling of his voice and asked: "Grandfather... what kind of illness did you get?"

  Haitao paused for a moment before saying in a low voice: "I don't know."

  Long Bao felt as if his heart was suddenly grasped by an invisible giant hand, ruthlessly squeezing it. He trembled and asked: "When did you get infected?"

  "May 20th, symptoms were discovered and he was sent to Changhan Hospital. By the 28th, he had already been admitted to an isolation ward."

  "Long Bao angrily shouted: 'Why, why didn't you tell me earlier?! Ah?!'"

  "Haitao didn't dare to respond and remained silent for a moment before saying, 'Calm down, okay? I'll rush back soon, let's talk when we meet.'"

  Long Bao stood stupidly in the hall, woodenly holding the phone and listening to the dial tone, looking out the window. The night curtain had once again descended over the city, but this was only the beginning of a dull and heavy darkness! This night still had a long way to go, and it wouldn't be until tomorrow morning that the sky would brighten up. He suddenly felt wave after wave of chilliness wash over him like ocean waves.

  The next day, June 10th at 10 am, Zhou Jing drove with Long Bao to the Third People's Hospital of Changhan City. His grandfather was being isolated and treated there, and Shi Wei and others were already waiting there.

  As soon as the car arrived at the hospital entrance, Long Bao saw Shi Weihai Tao and Qiu Ya waiting there wearing masks. He took a deep breath, got out of the car and walked up to them.

  Qiu Ya had already seen him and almost rushed into his arms, tears of emotion streaming down her face. Long Bao didn't care about these anymore, and asked Hai Tao Shi Wei urgently as he approached: "Where's Grandpa? How is he now?"

  Shi Wei awkwardly handed a new mask to Long Bao, and muffled through the mask covering his own mouth and nose, "Slow down, slow down, you put on a mask first, this is an extremely dangerous area!"

  Long Bao pushed open the autumn leaf in his arms and said: "I don't wear it! Take me to see Grandpa quickly!"

  Haitao remembered what De Lao had entrusted him with, and said somewhat anxiously: "Now they are all isolated and can't be seen. The doctor said on the phone this morning that the patient has turned for the better!"

  Under Longbiao's insistence, Shi Wei had no choice but to take Longbiao to a familiar doctor and enter the hospital. Then, pointing to the buildings in front that were cordoned off with isolation tape and guarded by armed police, he said: "Grandpa De is inside, it's all right, there are more than ten patients like him inside, one of whom was discharged today after recovering! The TV station just interviewed them! The building next door is for observing suspected cases, haha."

  Helpless, Longbiao had to follow them to eat something to fill his stomach. Under Qiuya's gentle persuasion, he casually scooped up a bowl of rice and began to think about how he could see his grandfather. Longbiao learned from Shiwei that De Lao had strictly ordered not to tell him about his condition, saying that now his grandfather had difficulty speaking and was wearing an oxygen mask, with no strength in his body, having to lie in bed all day, even going to the bathroom in bed, belonging to a critically ill patient, Shiwei's doctor friend had entrusted those doctors to take special care of his grandfather.

  Long Bao wanted to call De Lao, so with the help of Shi Wei's doctor friend, the nurse put the already connected mobile phone to De Lao's ear, who was bedridden and unable to get up. When De Lao heard his grandson Long Bao's concerned voice coming from inside, he couldn't help but shed tears.

  De Lao can no longer speak, but Long Biao knows that De Lao is listening. He hopes to encourage De Lao's will to fight against the disease through his own words. Long Biao first tells De Lao that Li Heng Group has won in the counter-sniper battle against Jiao Rong Sen, and repeatedly says that it can be treated well, don't bear the burden in your heart. Finally, he tells De Lao that he firmly believes that De Lao will definitely recover and leave the hospital.

  Long Bao spoke on the phone, tears streaming down his face. He talked for over half an hour before finally hanging up. A torrent of unbearable self-reproach surged into his heart, and the once bright world was again shrouded in a layer of gloom, as if dark clouds had invaded the sky of his soul.

  Long Bao had long known that doctors taking red envelopes from patients were more shameless than any industry, and that taking rebates on medicines was more upright and honest. Long Bao found the hospital director and proposed making a charitable donation of 100,000 yuan to the hospital. The director immediately became extremely polite to the unexpected guest Long Bao.

  "Director, my donation also comes with conditions. My grandfather is a critically ill patient being treated in your hospital. The condition for my 100,000 yuan donation is that I want to wear protective gear to visit my grandfather and have a laptop with a camera and internet access via mobile phone placed in his ward."

  The dean hesitated and said, "Dragon boss, you can compromise on putting the computer in, I have the power to approve this, but the computer will have to be destroyed afterwards. However..."

  Long Bao Dao: "Director, what is it?"

  "The ward is not allowed to be entered by non-specialized doctors, this is a rule and cannot be violated."

  "Didn't some journalists go in?" Long Bao asked skeptically.

  The director showed a smile of understanding and said, "Dragon boss, ordinary people are usually afraid of **patients like venomous snakes and beasts, avoiding them as if they were afraid of not being able to escape, who would risk their lives to visit?"

  Long Bao's mouth was firm and resolute, saying: "I only have one grandfather, I want to stand in front of him and tell him that I've come to see him! Director, you arrange it!"

  The dean decided to take a risk, and Long Bao promised to add another 500,000 yuan in donations. The dean thought that with this 1.5 million yuan in donations, he could write off a large invoice.

  So that night, Long Bing dodged Shi Wei and others, secretly put on protective clothing, and with the cooperation of the doctor on duty, Long Bing came to De Lao's room.

  What was reflected in Long Biao's eyes was a scene that made him extremely sad: the hospital room filled with medical equipment, where De Lao lay weakly on the bed, his body reduced to just skin and bones, with an oxygen tube inserted into his mouth and an oxygen tank placed beside the bed.

  De Lao heard someone coming in and thought it was the doctor who came to check, so he slightly opened his eyes and tried hard to turn his head from the pillow to see which doctor it was.

  Long Bao made a great effort to restrain himself from rushing up to hug him, and instead pretended to be a doctor examining De Lao's pale face. Since his grandfather was still in critical condition and had symptoms of heart failure, he didn't dare make any noise or reveal his identity for fear that the sudden shock might cause some unexpected consequences. Standing beside his grandfather's bed, he could only signal to the nurse to begin the pre-planned gradual conversation.

  The doctor on duty took the big red envelope and began to take his job seriously. He started speaking: "Old man, I'll start asking you questions now. If you think it's okay or good, just blink once; if not, or if you're unwilling, blink twice or close your eyes, okay?"

  De Lao thought that the physique of this unfamiliar big doctor next to the familiar doctor was a bit like his grandson Longbiao, but he couldn't see very clearly with his slightly open eyes.

  The old man nodded after hearing the doctor's words and blinked his eyes to indicate "good".

  The doctor asked again: "Old man, how are you feeling now?"

  The old man blinked once, then twice, meaning "good" and "not good".

  But the doctor was puzzled and asked again: "Were you good or bad just now?"

  The old man still blinked once, and then twice again.

  The doctor was confused, he thought this old man must have been confused by his body temperature, how could he answer questions like that!

  But Long Bao understood with sorrow, and the tears hidden behind his goggles suddenly burst out! The body wearing thick protective clothing couldn't help but tremble. Long Bao looked into De Lao's eyes, pointed to the position of his heart with his right hand, then immediately raised his thumb, and then pointed to his body again, shaking his head with difficulty.

  The doctor also understood and immediately asked the smiling old man, "Sir, do you mean that mentally you feel very good but physically you don't?"

  The old man blinked!

  The doctor sighed secretly: No wonder the grandson is connected! He continued to ask according to Long Bo's request, "I heard that your grandson called you today, right?"

  The old man's eyes showed a pleased smile, and then blinked.

  The doctor continued to ask: "Then do you want your grandson Longbiao to come here and visit you?"

  This sentence stunned De Lao, and after a good while, he blinked once, then twice, and then closed his eyes tightly. Long Bao clearly saw two turbid old tears rolling down from the corners of De Lao's eyes.

  Long Bao felt his heart was being scorched by the fires of hell, and this doctor still wanted to ask more questions. Long Bao quietly tugged on his hand, signaling him to move on to the next question.

  The doctor forgot what he wanted to ask, and hurriedly picked up the medical record in his hand to take a look at the questions written by Longbiao on it. He continued: "Old man, your grandson hopes you get better soon. He will call you every day to listen to you. What do you say?"

  The old man blinked his eyes.

  The doctor asked again: "He asked you why you didn't inform your uncle to come, is it that you don't want your uncle to know?"

  The old man blinked his eyes.

  The doctor asked again: "Your grandson said that he will be by your side every moment, waiting for you to recover and leave the hospital. Are you willing?"

  The old man blinked twice, indicating his unwillingness.

  The doctor asked again: "Then he will apply to the hospital tomorrow to come and visit you once, is that okay?"

  The old man closed his eyes.

  The doctor glanced at Longbiao, who trembled with both hands as he touched De Lao's right hand, which was only wrapped in a layer of skin over the bones. Tears evaporated and fogged up his goggles.

  Long Bao restrained himself, nodding to the doctor to continue. The doctor said again: "Your grandson says that he has already understood what is called wisdom and wants to tell you in person, okay?"

  De Lao slowly opened his eyes, staring at Long Bao tightly, and with great difficulty, he slightly raised his right hand towards him, only to weakly drop it again.

  De Lao finally guessed that the person dressed as a doctor touching his arm was actually Long Biao!

  De Lao used his eyes to tell Long Biao: Leave as soon as possible, do not stay. Long Biao had no choice but to say a string of encouraging words to De Lao, then put the new laptop under the bed and left. Long Biao had already told De Lao that he would visit him through online video at 9 am tomorrow morning.

  After repeated disinfections, Long Bao quietly left the hospital and rushed back to the hotel. At this time, Zhou Qing told Long Bao a shocking news: Qian Lao was also hospitalized on the same day, and his condition was said to be very serious! Xue Zong hopes that Long Bao will handle the documents for going to Hong Kong as soon as possible to visit Qian Lao.

  Long Wan was pushed to such a dilemma, his maternal grandfather was seriously ill in bed, and his father's brother Qian Lao was also seriously ill in Hong Kong. He didn't want to leave Chang Han for a moment, hoping to stay in the city so that he could be closer to his maternal grandfather; but Qian Lao was his most important benefactor, just like his maternal grandfather, and he had to guard him by his side.

  He can't tell what's more important and what's less important, he hates that he can't split himself in two, but is it possible?

  Long Bao immediately dialed Xue's mobile phone number used in Hong Kong.

  Xue Zong is currently in Hong Kong and has just returned home after visiting Qian Lao. After receiving a call from Long Bao, he first asked about De Lao's condition and then told Long Bao: "Qian Lao mainly suffered from excessive physical exhaustion during this war, coupled with the family scandals spread by Jiao Rongsen, which made him worried. After the victory of the war, the tense nerves relaxed, resulting in this stroke, but fortunately, it is not too serious."

  Long Wan slightly put his mind at ease and continued: "Director Xue, can you help me get a pass? I'll come to Hong Kong tomorrow to visit Chairman Qian."

  Xue Zong hesitated for a moment before responding, "Qian Lao said that you shouldn't worry about him, he's fine. You should stay in Changhan and take care of your grandfather first!"

  ……

  Long Bao sat in the hotel room with a pale face, Qiu Ya accompanied him dully. Long Bao's sadness and solemnity, as well as his neglect of her today, made her inexplicably feel a sense of alienation, anxiety, and fear.

  Long Bo had been video chatting with De Lao in the hotel, and over the next few days, it seemed that De Lao was starting to get a little better. On June 13th, De Lao was already able to lie in bed and make a victory gesture towards Long Bo on the computer screen. The doctor also told Long Bo that with this progress, the patient should have a chance to recover. Long Bo then called Qian Lao again, and his situation was also good, so he could finally feel a little relieved.

  At noon, everyone went downstairs to eat at the small restaurant across the street. In the private room of the restaurant, everyone had already taken their seats and waited for Long Bao to sit down before the waiter brought in the dishes.

  Long Bao was puzzled and said: "Why did you guys make so many dishes today?"

  Shi Wei smiled mysteriously: "Dear Old Six, this riddle is for you to guess."

  Long Wan smiled faintly and said: "What mystery can this be? Is it to celebrate the expected recovery of my maternal grandfather?"

  Shi Wei burst out laughing and said: "You really can't fool you! But there's another important reason, guess again."

  Long Bao didn't respond to Shi Wei, but instead picked up his teacup and took a sip of water, looking at the people sitting around the table: Hai Tao, Wu Qingfen, Wen Xuan, Qiu Qin, Du Ci, Jing Er, Zhou Qing, and Autumn Ya who was sitting beside him. Hmm, almost all familiar old friends have arrived.

  Shi Wei suddenly said in a tone that was somewhat resentful: "No energy! Love or not, no energy!"

  Qiu Ya busily pulled the sleeve of Long Bao's clothes with her fingers, and whispered in his ear: "You've forgotten your birthday two days ago. At that time, your grandfather's body hadn't recovered yet, and everyone didn't dare to tell you, so today is actually a make-up for your 18th birthday!"

  It was like that! Long Bao only then remembered that he had unknowingly turned 18 years old! Thinking back to the scene of his 15th birthday celebration three years ago, it seemed like just a moment ago, and now three years have passed!

  Shi Wei laughed and was about to pour beer into Long Bao's cup, but Long Bao covered the mouth of the cup with his hand, indicating that he couldn't drink. He felt that he had no reason to drink, as two very important elderly people were still lying in the hospital. What reason did he have to drink? Wine was only for joyful celebrations, not for numbing sorrow, that's what he thought.

  Just as the two were arguing, Long Bao's phone rang, and surprisingly it was Jing Er's grandfather who called!

  "Grandfather Qing asked De Lao about his physical condition today, and after a moment of contemplation, he said in a hoarse voice: 'What is life? What is death? What is existence? What is extinction? What is the Tao? And what is impermanence? Child, have you ever thought about it?'"

  Long Bao remembered that he had thought about this philosophical problem before, but at that time he was purely daydreaming and couldn't put it on the table. For these ultimate significance topics that countless philosophers and writers have debated for thousands of years, each with their own views, Long Bao suddenly didn't know how to answer.

  Grandpa Jìng perhaps sensed it on the other end of the phone, and let out a soft sigh, his voice distant as he said: "A hundred years of parting is imminent, where there's no death, there's life? Kid, be more open-minded!"

  Long Bao felt a faint sense of fear as the old man's distant words crept into his mind, and he muttered to himself: "No death, no birth? No death, no birth? No death, no birth?... Isn't that just 'with life comes death'? Is he hinting at me..."

  Long Bao murmured something that everyone present heard, and Jing Er immediately reacted that this must be Grandpa hinting that Long Bao De Lao might...

  Long Bao's heart suddenly contracted into a ball, struggling to jump, not letting a single drop of blood flow in or out, as if it was slowly starting to petrify. He couldn't feel even half a point of warmth from his heartbeat. The fear that his grandfather was about to bid farewell to the world spread rapidly from the icy coldness of his heart. Under the blowing air conditioning in this private room, he involuntarily shuddered with a chill!

  Qiu Ya found that Long Bao's expression was not quite right, his face was a bit pale, and he asked with concern: "Bao, what's wrong with you?"

  Long Bao didn't answer, he just slightly shook his head, and after a few clicks of his teeth, he spoke to everyone in an abnormal tone: "Sorry, you guys eat first, I'll go back to my room and take a look." After finishing speaking, he didn't care about everyone's reaction, he got up and left.

  Long Bao's worries and Jing Er's grandfather's hints have finally arrived unstoppable!

  In the face of fate, the wheel of life turns with such difficulty and powerlessness. No matter how much reluctance, attachment, or strong will to live you have, it cannot overcome the exhaustion of the body's physical functions. Life does not transcend its physical existence due to spirit; life has a time limit.

  Long Bao watched his grandfather lying in the hospital bed through the computer screen, he ran back from the restaurant and kept talking to his grandfather non-stop. His grandfather also responded with winks from time to time. In these two hours, Long Bao tried his best to show a cheerful smile like a child, telling his grandfather about the stories of Xiongshan, describing the interesting things that happened when he was a teenager, and even painting a picture of their future life after his grandfather's recovery. He also found some elegant jokes on the internet and told them to his grandfather, reciting some beautiful ancient essays for him.

  Grandfather was always smiling, through the video on the internet, Longbiao clearly saw that Grandfather was smiling, he knew that Grandfather was enduring great physical pain but still smiling at him. However, just as Longbiao was reciting Qu Yuan's poem "Nine Chapters: Thinking of a Beautiful Person" which says "The spirit of Gao Xin is strong and prosperous, yet it encounters the mysterious bird and is destroyed. I want to change my principles to follow the customs, but I am ashamed to abandon my original intentions and compromise my will. Alone, I have gone through the years and feel sad and desolate, my heart still not changed. Is it better to hide in seclusion and live a long life? Why should I change and become something else?" At that moment, Longbiao suddenly saw a painful expression on Grandfather's face!

  He saw his grandfather struggling to raise his right hand, pointing at his own heart, then at him on the computer screen, and finally slowly lifting it up with all his might, his index finger seeming to point at the sky, a painful smile on his face, before his right hand suddenly fell and froze.

  Quietly, quietly solidified, all quiet solidification.

  Long Bao couldn't see any movement from his grandfather, he was extremely anxious but remained motionless, staring blankly at the computer on the hotel desk, calling out in a low and mournful tone: "Grandfather, Grandfather, Grandfather..."

  The doctor on duty arrived.

  The doctor walked into the ward and found that the heart monitor displayed a straight line. They immediately checked the patient's pupils, listened to the neck with a stethoscope, checked the oxygen tank and ventilator, whispered to each other for a few sentences, and then one of them walked over to the computer screen and said: "Sorry, the patient's vital signs have disappeared. Sorry, we did our best."

  Longbo still only stupidly staring at the computer placed on the hotel desk, dazed and low, shouting: "Grandpa, grandpa, grandpa..."

  Non-stop, non-stop, calling like this, calling like this.

  The house of the German old man in Changhan University is still sealed off with warning tapes, and no one is allowed to enter without permission. Although it has been disinfected several times, it is still necessary to ensure that there are no surviving viruses that can spread further.

  It is said that De Lao wrote three separate wills after entering the hospital. The first one was written for Changhan University, stating that if his treatment was ineffective, all his savings, including book copyrights and house property rights, would be donated to the school's foundation to help some struggling university students. The second will was written for Longbiao's family, telling them about the existence of their nephew Longbiao, but instructing them not to contact him in order to avoid putting psychological pressure on him.

  The last will was written for Long Bo, and after strict disinfection and inspection, it was handed over to Long Bo together with the ashes box.

  It is said that this is De Lao's ashes, and now the exquisite box containing the ashes is placed on the table in front of the hotel along with his will.

  The urn is exquisite and small, not like the heavy coffin on Bear Mountain where the old man slept, which required eight strong men to lift. Similarly, they are both holding the remains of the deceased, but this urn seems to weigh less than three kilograms, light and airy, yet also represents the last bit of material legacy of life.

  The will was just a piece of paper, with only three or four short sentences, which didn't resemble the lengthy treatises the old man had written in his lifetime, recording his thoughts and ideas. Now, all that was left to leave to his grandson Longbiao was this final piece of paper, these last few words. Yet, this was the old man's eternal, ultimate thought.

  Coin

  My grandfather is already seventy years old, if this time he has reached the end of his life, it is also a natural law. Since ancient times, great men have not been afraid to speak about life and death. Although my grandfather is not a great man or a sage, he understands that birth, aging, illness, and death are all part of the cycle of nature.

  Child, you are walking on the path you are currently on, yet thinking about what wisdom is? Wisdom is the heart, it's all hearts, it's the heart that contains all hearts from ancient times to the present.

  Good child, don't be childish. Hehe, actually Grandpa didn't die, but obtained the permanent right to peace.

  Grandfather Wen Shende June 4th, 2003

  Poor Long Bao has not shown his face since his uncle arrived in Changhan on June 16th from the US to handle the funeral. No one can find him, his cell phone is turned off, and he only contacts people by landline, forbidding anyone from suggesting that he return for the farewell ceremony and burial. He also warns friends not to reveal any information about him to his uncle, let alone allow them to trick him into talking to his uncle on the phone.

  The leadership of Chang'an University, out of respect for De Lao, set up a memorial hall in the old-age activity center and planned to hold a farewell ceremony on June 18.

  Long Bao Tian had already sneaked into the rooftop of a building before dawn, from where he could see the mourning hall and the people entering and exiting it without being noticed.

  When the mournful dirge mixed with the wind came from afar, Long Bao almost couldn't hold onto his binoculars. He strained to lean forward, as if that could bring the ancestral hall closer. His body, leaning forward on the rooftop, was blown by the scorching summer wind, causing him to shiver all over and feel a chill throughout his body.

  He saw his uncle, aunt and cousin whom he had only met once, as well as classmates and friends like Shi Wei and Hai Tao. He also saw Qiu Ya, Jing Er and Wen Li, and many teachers and professors. Even Jin Zong and Xue Zong, who were entrusted by Lao Qian to attend the ceremony, were there.

  Wreaths, flower baskets and mourning banners were piled up all the way to the outside of the funeral hall. Long Bao held his breath and listened intently to the sound of eulogies coming from the funeral hall, he wanted to remember everything.

  ……

  He learned from the phone call to Shi Wei that his uncle wanted to see him very much and wanted him to attend this final farewell, but he wouldn't give his uncle this opportunity, he couldn't give it, absolutely couldn't give it.

  He knew that after the farewell ceremony, his uncle would bury his grandfather's ashes in a public cemetery, together with his grandmother. Then, his uncle and family would take an international flight back to the United States at 6 pm. He had to wait, hide and wait until he was sure his uncle and family were on the plane before showing up. Then he would go to his grandfather's grave to repent.

  Long Bao quietly followed everyone to the Changhan City Gu Zhong Shan Cemetery, where he knelt behind a tree on another small hill and watched as his grandfather's ashes were buried. He saw everyone bowing in front of the tombstone, and through binoculars, he even spotted a few white chrysanthemums placed in front of the tombstone.

  Long Bao suddenly became worried about Qian Lao and involuntarily dialed the phone of Qian Lao's bodyguard, Kang Dingzhuang, asking in a low voice: "Brother Kang, I'm Long Bao. How is Chairman's health?"

  Kangding Village was worried that he couldn't get through to Longbo's phone, and he hastily said: "You! The chairman wants me to find you, come on, come on, you talk to the chairman yourself."

  Qian Lao's gentle voice suddenly gave Long Biao a warm comfort at this moment. Long Biao felt that Qian Lao's voice on the phone was old but not weak and sickly. Qian Lao tried to console Long Biao, who was filled with infinite sadness and self-blame: "Child, don't be sad, people can't come back to life after they die, it's not your fault, it's the virus, it brought disaster to the world..."

  Ke Lung Bo said in a low, hoarse voice: "No, Chairman Qian, it's my fault, I'm the sinner..."