Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 272 Zhao Family

Chapter 272: Chapter 272 Zhao Family

Zhao Xuerong’s family lived in Bin Hai Ronghua District.

This district is an old neighborhood that is nearly thirty years old, with outdated facilities, speckled walls, and buildings that are only seven stories high. The entire district comprises just five buildings.

Yet, these seemingly dilapidated houses revealed an unexpected inner complexity once you entered them.

The decorations might have been old, but back in the eighties and nineties, they were definitely the height of fashion. The interior space exceeded 130 square meters and felt even larger since there were no shared/common areas.

Of course, the key point was that her family did not spend a penny on this house, as it was a welfare home provided by the government.

Zhao Xuerong’s father, Zhao Xuyang, worked in the Transportation Bureau, and her mother, Qian Sihui, was in the Audit Bureau.

And this Ronghua District was exactly the welfare housing supplied by the Transportation Bureau.

So, Zhao Xuerong had never experienced any hardship from her childhood to adulthood, pampered by her entire family, she was a true princess.

They were also among the first to own refrigerators and washing machines.

After all, Bin Hai is a coastal city, which, during the seventies and eighties, had a lot of smuggled goods and entered the technological era earlier than the inland areas.

Therefore, those old electrical appliances at Zhao Xuerong’s home were once big foreign brands.

But in this family, the person Zhao Xuerong got along with best was her younger brother, Zhao Yongjun.

It’s uncertain whether Zhao Xuerong’s parents favored girls over boys or just believed in the philosophy of raising boys with more frugality.

Nonetheless, while they were extremely accommodating to Zhao Xuerong from childhood, they were strict with Zhao Yongjun, enforcing discipline with a strong hand.

Zhao Yongjun was no fool; understanding that his sister had influence in the family, he would always seek out Zhao Xuerong whenever he got into trouble or faced issues. All in all, his sister was his talisman.

And Zhao Xuerong, with the nature of a big sister, naturally had a lot to say. She’d always think of her younger brother first when it came to delicious food or fun things to do. With such a caring sister, the siblings shared a close and loving bond.

Therefore, the person most devastated by Zhao Xuerong’s passing was Zhao Yongjun.

The originally lively and cheerful Zhao Yongjun became silent and introverted, his personality turning gloomy and volatile. In the few short months since her death, he had already had several altercations with others.

Zhao Xuerong walked toward the balcony; her mother was again sitting there, staring blankly at the street below.

She knew why her mother did this.

Since she was young, her mother had watched her playing with friends downstairs, going to and from school, returning from other places, and going to work every day...

As a result, Zhao Xuerong formed a habit of always looking up at the window whenever she left or returned home, followed by a wave.

So Qian Sihui stared downstairs, hoping that one day her daughter would suddenly appear, smile again, and excitedly wave her hand at her.

But...

Hopes are only hopes, not reality.

Staring downstairs had become her habit.

"Sihui, I’m going down to buy some groceries. Are you coming with me?" Zhao Xuyang walked out of the kitchen.

The old man seemed completely unruffled by the sorrow, as if his daughter had never passed away, going about his daily activities as usual.

Zhao Xuerong felt somewhat angry as she clenched her fist. She wanted them to grieve her death but also didn’t want them to suffer because of it. In short, she was quite conflicted and perplexed...

Zhao Xuyang didn’t receive an answer from his wife and didn’t mind it; he simply took a plastic bag from the shoe cabinet and went downstairs.

Zhao Xuerong decided to follow him and left the house as well.

Zhao Xuerong, apart from her beauty, wasn’t particularly good at anything else.

When she was young, she tried her hand at painting, ballet, piano, swimming, chess...

But she never excelled at any of these, including her studies. Essentially, she was a rather ordinary girl.

Yet this ordinary girl was the apple of her parents’ eyes. From childhood, her father, her mother, grandparents, and maternal grandparents doted on her. She grew up spoiled, to put it bluntly.

And the various extracurricular classes she attended were all courtesy of her father, Zhao Xuyang’s chauffeuring.

He works at the Traffic Bureau, but that never stops him from dropping her off and picking her up from various extracurricular classes every day, those who know understand.

First, he carried her, then led her by hand, eventually trailing behind her, and finally just followed behind...

Due to the old district having no elevator, they had to go down each step one by one.

Being held in his arms, Zhao Xuerong, hugging her father’s neck, always felt that the staircase was so long, so imposing...

As she grew, her father always held her hand tightly, constantly cautioning her to watch her steps...

And then later, he would remind her to take the stairs one at a time, not to bounce or jump, life is long, there’s no need to rush...

Later on, she walked ahead, and he followed behind, silently descending the stairs, walking the path...

...

Zhao Xuerong, imitating Zhao Xuyang, follows behind with hands clasped behind her back.

People don’t appreciate what they have until it’s gone, and only regret after death.

She regrets now, regrets why she didn’t talk more with him back then, why she didn’t walk arm in arm with him...

She’s somewhat conflicted about whether to reveal her presence, but then she’s afraid of scaring him.

His heart is not well, and they’re in the stairwell, if she really startled him, it would be too late for regrets.

So Zhao Xuerong followed him down the stairs, and followed him out of the district.

"Old Zhao, going to buy groceries..."

"Old Zhao, come play a game later..."

"Old Zhao, where’s your wife? Sigh, you should take her out for a walk, staying at home all the time isn’t good..."

"Old Zhao, come out for a drink tonight..."

"Old Zhao, didn’t you ask me to find a match for your son last time? When should we plan a meeting..."

...

The whole way is filled with acquaintances, Zhao Xuyang either stops or waves, responding to each one.

Zhao Xuerong realizes she’s never really understood her dad.

In the past, she always impatiently urged him to walk faster, never realizing how many people he knew.

Zhao Xuyang, carrying a plastic bag, enters the vegetable market.

The nearby market has also been around for many years, and though it has been refurbished, it still appears dim and cramped. The stalls are close together, crowded, and the air is permeated with a fishy smell.

If it had been before, she would never come here, as she would always go to the supermarket in the mall to buy her groceries.

Zhao Xuyang stopped for quite a while at the fish stall, asking the price, inquiring if it was fresh, and finally, whether it was farmed or wild. In short, a lot of questions, but in the end, he didn’t buy any.

"The fish look good, but no one at home likes to eat them," he said at last.

He’s wrong, it’s not that no one at home likes fish, it’s just that the person who loves fish is no longer there, Zhao Xuerong really likes to eat fish, especially Qian Sihui’s braised fish.

Zhao Xuyang wandered around the market for a long time but only bought three dishes, one meat and two vegetables, before again clasping his hands behind his back, and leisurely headed home.

The sunlight fell upon his back, the backbone in her memory once erect, has unknowingly become hunched, the hair that was once dark and lush is now gray and thin...

In his memories, his father was tall and robust, she always had to look up at him, but now she suddenly realizes how small and frail he actually is...

It is now past noon, and the way back is quiet, very few people around. Zhao Xuyang, holding the bag, walks the road alone, looking especially lonely.

When he enters the district, it seems Zhao Xuyang remembers something, and he instinctively looks up.

Sure enough, he sees Qian Sihui still sitting on the balcony, watching downstairs.

Zhao Xuyang just thought to raise his hand in greeting when his arm was embraced from behind...

PS: Still owe one Chapter~

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