flstandardbreds Chapter 265 Funeral
Chapter 265 Funeral
Bai Li followed Luo Nan up the steps, where white chrysanthemums were placed on both sides of the white marble steps, trembling gently in the morning breeze.
After turning the corner, a simple tombstone came into view.
The moment Bai Li saw the tombstone, her heart sank.
Although it was a sunny day with a gentle breeze and excellent weather, the weather was perfect.
But even the brightest sunshine cannot warm this cold stone tablet.
Figures moved about in front of the grave, and several people dressed in plain clothes were carefully arranging bouquets.
“Dad.” Luo Nan approached with Bai Li.
One of the men, dressed in a dark suit, turned around immediately upon hearing the sound.
The moment he saw the two of them, he immediately put down what he was holding and strode forward.
Luo Nan introduced, "Sister Bai, this is my dad."
The man in front of me looked extremely thin, and his loose sleeves swayed in the wind as he walked. Although he was still middle-aged, his temples were already covered with white hair.
This also led to Bai Li almost not recognizing her.
Bai Li had met Luo's father before, but she only saw him in Luo Nan's memories.
In my memory, the spirited Director Luo, the renowned doctor who once spoke eloquently at academic forums, and the CEO who calmly raised his glass at business banquets, aged more than ten years overnight.
“Miss Bai, thank you for your help. This time, really, without you, we…” Before he could finish speaking, Mr. Luo’s throat tightened. He didn’t say anything more, but simply bowed deeply.
Bai Li hurriedly reached out to help.
This was the first time Luo's father had met his savior.
After his release, he learned that a benefactor had helped him turn the case around, so he immediately contacted Bai Li through Luo Nan to express his gratitude.
Actually, rather than expressing his gratitude online, he wanted to visit in person to express his thanks more formally.
But at that time, the case had not been completely overturned.
Bai Li is still operating in the shadows, helping Zhou Chengjing gather evidence and deal with some "cockroaches," while avoiding too much interaction with the Luo family.
Therefore, in the end, Mr. Luo could only express his gratitude online.
After the case was settled, the Luo family's assets were unfrozen, and Luo's father immediately returned all the money Bai Li had spent to support Luo Nan.
Bai Li couldn't remember exactly how much money she had spent helping Luo Nan, but the amount transferred by Luo's father definitely exceeded the original amount.
Although she didn't care about money, she helped Luo Nan not for any monetary reward.
But Luo's attitude was very firm.
This contains the heartfelt gratitude of the entire family.
There was a feeling that if they didn't harvest the white pears, their family would never be able to face their ancestors again.
In the end, Bai Li had no choice but to accept the amount, which far exceeded the original amount.
However, it was precisely because of this that Luo Shi once again refreshed Bai Li's understanding, and she developed even more goodwill towards this "scholarly family".
When Luo Nan asked her if it would be convenient for her to attend his mother's funeral, she agreed without hesitation.
In fact, Luo Nan's mother's funeral had already been held.
At that time, the entire Luo family was in dire straits, and only Luo Nan struggled to keep going. In his impoverished circumstances, he could only scrape together money to hold a very rough and hasty funeral for his mother.
Now that the injustice has been redressed and those who deserved punishment have received their due retribution, they moved Luo Nan's mother's grave to a better cemetery and held a formal funeral.
After Bai Li hurriedly helped Luo's father up, she noticed that not many people had come to the funeral today.
People came forward to pay their respects.
The frail old housekeeper held a faded photo album, several cousins hugged old silk scarves and wept silently, and a few old friends with haggard faces whispered about the past in front of the tombstone.
The once bustling Luo family now only invited these close relatives and friends who have stood by them through thick and thin.
Bai Li could understand the Luo family's feelings at this moment.
Having experienced the dramatic fall from grace, especially the betrayal by their closest friends, they have come to see the true nature of humanity.
All those toasts and social niceties are of no use when hardship strikes.
At this moment, Luo had completely lost interest in the so-called world of fame and fortune.
Fortunately, the traitor has been punished by law, and the person who betrayed them has been imprisoned.
Bai Li accepted the incense offered by Luo Nan and stepped forward to bow respectfully.
The top of the monument in front of us is carved with lily patterns, and a photograph is embedded next to the black and gold inscription.
The woman in the photo is wearing a light blue cheongsam with a gentle smile on her lips. Her eyes and brows exude a sense of tranquility and peace, and even her gaze seems to be enveloped in a spring breeze.
Bai Li could easily imagine how elegant and charming this lady must have been during her lifetime.
Smoke curled from the incense burner in front of the tombstone, and the three sticks of sandalwood incense burned to the middle, their ashes falling softly into the celadon plate.
Bai Li felt a surge of emotion.
Even if revenge is achieved, some wounds will never heal.
For example, Luo Nan's mother's eyes could never be opened again.
For example, the old man from the Luo family is still in the ICU and cannot attend.
After the funeral, Luo Nan escorted Bai Li to the entrance of the cemetery.
"Sister Bai, thank you for coming today." Luo Nan's eyes were a little red.
"No need for that." Bai Li patted his arm, a silent comfort, and asked before leaving, "What are your plans for the future? Do you want to continue your studies?"
The sudden accident disrupted the boy's studies, but Bai Li remembered that the boy's grades were excellent.
Luo Nan looked up at the wisps of white smoke rising from the distant hillside, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he spoke: "I want to take a year off from school first."
"The company has just been restructured, and it's too hard for Dad to manage everything on his own, not to mention Grandpa's health..."
Luo Nan didn't continue, but Bai Li knew the situation was probably not good.
Although academic studies are important and the boy's grades are excellent, he probably has no interest in studying at this special time.
Bai Li nodded in understanding: "Taking a year off from school is fine. If you need any help, just let me know. Don't hesitate to ask."
The boy twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled as he agreed.
Bai Li guessed that he probably still had a lot to say to his mother, so she took her leave first.
Back in the car, watching the cemetery gradually shrink, Bai Li withdrew her gaze.
The funeral was short, and Bai Li guessed it only lasted about an hour from start to finish.
It was a short time, but it left a deep impression on her.
This was her first time attending a funeral, as she had no relatives.
The swaying white chrysanthemums, the falling ashes, and Luo's father's trembling sleeves in the cemetery all transformed into fine needles, gently pricking her heart.
The pretense hidden beneath toasts and drinking parties crumbled to dust in the face of disaster; but true concern, like the gnarled roots of an old tree, stubbornly grew in the ruins.
The Luo family's current "quietness" is actually a result of their profound understanding after being tempered. When the hustle and bustle fades away, they choose to protect their purest emotions with the simplest rituals.
Like old friends whispering before tombstones, faded photo albums, and steadfast old housekeepers, these warm presences carry far more weight than a hundred banquets filled with clinking glasses.
Bai Li gently pressed her brow and suddenly felt that those goals she once thought she had to pursue had become blurred.
What this funeral taught her was not reverence for death, but the answer to how life should be treated with utmost respect.
"Let's go home," Bai Li said softly. "Ah Hu."
Ah Hu glanced at the rearview mirror with some confusion. They were heading home. Despite his doubts, he replied, "Yes, Miss."