NFBE Chapter 130 Alone
Chapter 130 Alone
Upon receiving the devastating message from Jian Zheng, seeing the heartbreaking words "Grandpa is gone," Wang Jie fell into a deep daze. His thoughts lingered on the edge of dreams and reality, scenes from the past, both blurry and clear, playing slowly in his mind like an old movie, each frame carrying unspeakable sorrow and deep longing. He had just adapted to his new life, learning to accept and prepare to cherish everything so closely connected to him, but this realization came too late; Grandpa was gone forever, leaving him with endless regret and an irreparable void.
Upon learning the news, Zhou Yanruo buried her face in her hands and wept silently.
She was so upset, how much more so was Wang Jie? With that thought in mind, she could only adjust her own emotions and wholeheartedly accompany and comfort Wang Jie.
Thanks to her presence, Wang Jie was able to find a glimmer of warmth and support amidst this immense desolation.
Around noon, the train arrived at Haicheng Station on time. Wang Jie and Zhou Yanruo dragged their heavy steps off the train and walked through the bustling, crowded exit.
As soon as I exited the station, I saw a person holding a sign that read "Pick Up the Person" standing in a prominent position at the exit. The sign clearly showed the names of the two people.
Zhou Yanruo went up to greet the person who was picking her up: "Are you Senior Brother Yan? I'm Zhou Yanruo."
“Yes, I am Yan Shao. You are Professor Yang’s daughter, Zhou Yanruo? I met you when you were little. If you hadn’t come over to say hello, I definitely wouldn’t have recognized you.”
"Senior Brother Yan, this is Wang Jie," Zhou Yanruo introduced.
Wang Jie forced a smile and said to the person who was picking him up, "Thank you for your help."
Yan Shao: "You're welcome. The car is up ahead, let's go."
Zhou Yanruo thought she should contact Jian Zheng to ask about the current situation. "Senior Brother Yan, let's find a public phone first. I want to send a message to a friend."
"You guys get in the car first, I have a cell phone."
Yan Shao took out a mobile phone from his bag, turned it on, and handed it to Zhou Yanruo.
"Thank you." Zhou Yanruo dialed the paging number. "...Please leave a message. We have arrived in Haicheng and are expected to arrive in Xichuan in two hours."
Driving towards Xichuan, Wang Jie hadn't gone far when he received a reply from Jian Zheng: "I'm waiting for you at Wang Jie's house on Yangxi Road."
……
Upon entering the house and smelling the familiar scent of Chinese medicine, Wang Jie's eyes were already red. Zhou Yanruo followed behind and couldn't help but start sobbing.
Jian Zheng was sitting at a square table near the door, pinning a small red woolen flower to his black armband. Seeing Wang Jie finally return, Jian Zheng stood up and said in a low voice, "You're back. We need a photo to make for your funeral portrait. Go and choose one."
Wang Jie put down his luggage, turned around and rummaged through the cabinet his grandfather usually used, only finding his grandfather's "disability retirement certificate," a red plastic cover containing a one-inch photo. He handed it to Jian Zheng, "This is all I found."
Jian Zheng took it, glanced at it, and replied, "Okay, I'll have someone film it tomorrow."
Zhou Yanruo sat down in the spot where Jian Zheng had been sitting and silently adjusted her black armband.
Wang Jie stood in the center of the room, bewildered and at a loss.
Jian Zheng patted him on the shoulder, and Wang Jie snapped out of his daze, asking, "Where is Grandpa now? When he left...?"
“I came to visit you as usual the morning before yesterday. Grandpa had just finished breakfast and was listening to the news on the radio. We chatted for a while, and he mentioned that you would be back on Sunday and that he was doing well, so there was no need for me to come and see him every day.”
“In the afternoon, I received a call from the hospital saying that Grandpa had been brought to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital, Grandpa was still conscious. He told me that if I came back, he would give me the box he had put by his bedside. I could keep it if I wanted to keep it as a memento, but I should throw away the rest.”
Jian Zheng paused for two seconds, then suddenly stared into Wang Jie's eyes and asked abruptly, "Wang Jie? Who are you?"
Wang Jie looked blank, then lowered his eyelids and remained silent.
Zhou Yanruo asked in surprise, "Jian Zheng, what are you talking about? Are you confused?"
After a moment, Wang Jie calmly said, "You guys go back first, I'll stay here by myself for a while. Jian Zheng, help me take Ruoruo home."
Jian Zheng didn't say much, just nodded, "Okay, we'll come tomorrow, and Zhang Qian will come to help tomorrow too. Don't be too sad, Grandpa is gone, he no longer has to suffer from the pain, now you can rest easy."
Zhou Yanruo remained seated, displeased by Jian Zheng's lukewarm words. She looked up at him and said, "Jian Zheng, why are you talking like that? You should leave first; I'll stay here with him for a while."
Jian Zheng sighed, "Ask him."
Wang Jie said to Zhou Yanruo, "Ruoruo, you should go back first. Professor Yang must have told Grandma that you went back to Xichuan today. If you go back too late, Grandma will worry. I promised Grandma that I would never let her rest easy again, so please don't make me break my promise."
Zhou Yanruo knew that when Wang Jie said "don't let him break his promise again," he was referring to the fact that he had already broken his promise regarding his grandfather, hence the use of the word "again."
At this point, if she insisted, it would be tantamount to arguing with him, and she couldn't bear to hurt him any further. So, Zhou Yanruo obediently stood up and said to Jian Zheng, "Let's go, let him be alone for a while."
Zhou Yanruo and Jian Zheng left, leaving Wang Jie alone in the room. He stood there blankly for a few seconds until he could no longer hear the footsteps outside the door. He picked up a red woolen flower armband from the table and put it on his arm.
Wang Jie was his grandfather's only remaining relative in the world. The two had depended on each other for many years, but now only Wang Jie remained. This finally made Wang Jie empathize with Shang Yibo's past loneliness.
While tidying up his grandfather's belongings, Wang Jie remembered his grandfather's instructions and took out the box that his grandfather had placed by the bedside.
The rattan trunk had been used for a long time; the lock on the trunk was broken, and the latch was secured with wire.
Upon opening the box, the first thing I saw was a neatly folded, slightly faded blue work uniform. This must have been Grandpa's old work uniform, which he never had the chance to wear again after retiring due to illness.
Beneath the work clothes, two thick dictionaries were stacked side by side.
It was what his grandfather told Jianzheng on his deathbed, a memento he left for him.
The dictionary, which was already quite thick, became even thicker due to frequent use.
Wang Jie took out a dictionary, turned to a page, and saw a 50-yuan bill tucked inside. He continued to turn the pages, and found bills tucked inside almost every page, some with several on a single page. There were 10-yuan bills, 50-yuan bills, and 5-yuan bills, some new and some old.
He looked at the two dictionaries and seemed to see his grandfather sitting on the edge of the bed, first smoothing the banknotes on his lap, and then carefully tucking them into the dictionaries.
Wang Jie's vision blurred. He lowered his head, rested his forehead on the thick dictionary, closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he couldn't help but cry out in sorrow.
It was dark, the time when most families were having dinner, and the streets were nearly deserted. Wang Jie stepped out of his house. He had deliberately chosen this time to avoid running into anyone he knew. The pitying looks and well-meaning words of comfort from his neighbors would only leave him feeling awkward and confused.
He wandered aimlessly through the streets, seeing alleys that were both strange and familiar. A sense of loneliness and bewilderment weighed heavily on his heart, a peculiar feeling that was both sad and clear-headed.