Without Zhong Guanyu even knowing what was going on, she was dressed in mourning clothes by a servant so she would be able to hurry over to the hall to help Jing Yi holding the vigil as soon as she woke up.
When she finally did … she had no idea what was going on. Looking around, she realized that she was back home. How was that possible?! These people! She really wanted to get her hands on them and then have her husband teach them a lesson. They deserved to suffer for treating her like this!
She already wanted to call out to get an explanation from the servants of her family's estate but no sound came out. Guanyu stared dumbly for a moment and then raised her hands to her throat when still nothing came out after trying for a second time.
In her panic, Guanyu shot to her feet and then stumbled out of bed. The sound startled Mi Fang who was in the room next door and made her rush over.
"Guanyu! What's the matter?"
Zhong Guanyu tightly furrowed her brows at her mother's sight. She hadn't returned home at all after leaving the capital city with Xiao Li that day. Now, the impact of seeing her own mother who had originally been a very well-maintained lady seemingly suddenly aged by more than a decade was quite heavy. Was this the fate she herself had to expect? She didn't want to!
Mi Fang's gaze softened when she saw her daughter like this. "Ah, Xiao Yu, you must also be inconsolable now that you've heard what happened to your auntie. It's alright to be flustered. Just make sure you calm down before going over to the hall to pay your respects." She patted her daughter's shoulder, feeling that even though she hadn't seen her for a long time, her little girl had unexpectedly grown up.
Before this, Guanyu had always been willful and mostly thought of herself, ignoring other's feelings. Now, though, she was actually this distraught over her aunt's death. Seeing that really made Mi Fan happy. Well, of course, she wasn't happy that her daughter was distraught but she was happy that she had matured so much over the past decade. It would have been great if they had seen each other more often but seeing that being married and living on her own had helped her this much, she was feeling a bit better. Maybe the separation had been worth it.
"Alright, let me bring you over to the hall. I'm sure you don't want to waste any more time just waiting. Jing Yi is already over there. Ah, the poor boy! He already lost his father so early and now, his mother also left. It must be really difficult for him."
Guanyu furrowed her brows at that. Jing Yi was only a year younger than she was. At this age, was he really not able to take it that his mother wasn't with him anymore? Anyway, wasn't he already married as well? He should just focus on his husband if that was the case. What was the use of staying with his mother all the time? Unfortunately — or maybe it was actually a fortunate thing — she wasn't able to say any of that and could only silently follow her mother to the hall.
When the two of them arrived, Guanyu stopped in her tracks as if she had been struck by lightning. Living in the Hei Dian Sect and being married to Xiao Li, she had also seen what it meant to be a cultivator. Not aging at all … She had thought that that would be in her future as well. But as a mortal, it hadn't worked out.
Now, she had thought that her cousin wouldn't be any different. After all, she couldn't believe that he was just like her husband. After all, hadn't he been a normal child when he originally came to the capital city? But now, the person that was kneeling in front of the casket looked like he was in his early twenties at most. And the man that was sitting next to him only seemed to be a few years older, still being just as handsome as he had been back then when she saw him for the first time.
This … it was too unfair.
She shot Jing Yi a dark look but he was completely absorbed in his sorrow and didn't even notice. Qiu Ling realized that somebody had come in though and glanced over his shoulder to take a look at who it was. Seeing that Zhong Guanyu had finally woken up and that her mother had brought her over, his eyes narrowed slightly.
That girl … He was afraid he'd have to keep a close eye on her or she might ruin this last farewell from his mother for his beloved. Jing Yi still had a hard time accepting his mother's death even though it had already been a few days since it had happened. Naturally, he couldn't let this girl make things even more difficult for him. What kind of lover would he be in that case?
Mi Fang didn't notice what was going on and just patted her daughter's shoulder. "You should kneel down and properly pay respects to your aunt. I will go and tend to other matters."
Zhong Guanyu watched her mother leave the room and then once again turned to Jing Yi. She opened her mouth to give him the greeting he deserved but, still, no sound came out.
Seeing her like this, Qiu Ling's lips curved up. It looked like Fu Min and Fu Heng had done really well. He should praise the two of them when this was over.
Having made sure that she couldn't bother Jing Yi, he turned back to the front, joining his beloved in holding the vigil again. Anyway, other people weren't important right now. The only important ones were his beloved and his mother-in-law.