The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 734 - 733: Qin Jinlian Passes Away

Chapter 734: Chapter 733: Qin Jinlian Passes Away

By the time Shen Mingzhu got dressed and came downstairs to Qin Jinlian’s room, it was already filled with crying.

Qin Jinlian lay rigid on the Kang bed, her face tinged with blue-grey, her expression calm and serene.

Shen Jianguo sat at the head of the Kang bed, his eyes red as he clutched one of Qin Jinlian’s hands; his body hunched as if he had aged twenty years.

Shen Chaobei and Shen Xiangnan, the two brothers, knelt side by side on the Kang bed, leaning over Qin Jinlian’s body, sobbing and wailing.

Du Juan stood by the head of the Kang bed, her expression wooden, glancing at Shen Mingzhu when she came in.

Jia Yuemei and the children were nowhere to be seen; probably because of traditional taboos, they were not allowed in.

Mom.

Shen Mingzhu opened her mouth but no sound came out, as if her throat was clogged with cotton.

She turned to Pei Yang and asked, "Did you call 120?"

Pei Yang nodded then added in a low voice, "The doctor from the clinic came earlier, told us to prepare for the funeral."

Shen Mingzhu’s heart sank.

After standing for a while, unable to bear the mournful atmosphere in the room, she turned and went back upstairs.

Jia Yuemei was indeed observant, gathering all the children in her room and locking the door.

Through the window, Shen Mingzhu instructed Pei Ziheng to make sure the siblings didn’t wander off before heading downstairs again.

Just then, the 120 ambulance arrived.

After a professional and thorough examination, they pronounced her dead.

"Mom, Mom—"

Shen Chaobei’s cry of agony tore through the silent night.

According to the customs of Shenjiagou, the deceased must be sent back to the countryside for burial, symbolizing "fallen leaves returning to the roots."

But now it was too late; the outside was dark and cold, so they could only wait until early the next morning.

Qin Jinlian’s sudden death caught the whole family off guard.

Fortunately, Pei Yang was experienced and quickly took charge of the arrangements.

He called the familiar funeral home, handed over the entire funeral to them to manage, and then took Shen Chaobei and Shen Xiangnan to buy incense, paper money, candles, and white cloth.

Shen Mingzhu and Du Juan stayed in the living room.

Du Juan recounted to Shen Mingzhu the events leading up to and following the discovery of Qin Jinlian’s accident.

After Shen Mingzhu took her daughter upstairs, Du Juan, and Jia Yuemei each took their children back to their rooms.

Du Juan, not used to the bed, stayed awake after putting her son to sleep and went downstairs to continue watching TV.

Shen Jianguo, along with Pei Yang and the Shen brothers, gathered around a table to play Golden Flower poker.

Shen Jianguo was lucky and won a lot of money. When he went back to the room, he couldn’t help but chat with Qin Jinlian, hoping she would share in his joy.

But after talking for a while and not hearing a peep from Qin Jinlian, who wouldn’t wake up no matter how much he shouted, he realized something was wrong and hurried to call the doctor from the clinic.

After the doctor’s examination, there was no heartbeat or pulse, and her pupils had dilated. By experience, it was surmised to be a sudden myocardial infarction.

Du Juan, rueful yet grateful, tears welling up in her eyes, "Thank goodness I brought Dandan back with me to let her see her one last time, otherwise, your big brother would probably resent me for a lifetime."

Shen Chaobei was a man of filial piety and had always been striving outside the family home, feeling indebted to his elderly parents.

Qin Jinlian had longed to see her grandson for so many years; had she not seen him before dying, leaving her eyes unclosed in death, Shen Chaobei would probably have gone mad.

Du Juan continued, "Actually, coming back this time, I was unwilling. I always remember how she used to treat our family. I traveled so far to bring Dandan back to her, yet she heartlessly wanted to take Dandan away; I truly opposed this, I wished she would never see Dandan for the rest of her life."

"But now that she’s gone, I suddenly feel that all these years of resentment are actually meaningless. She is the children’s grandmother, what difference does it make to indulge her a little?"

Seeing her regret and self-reproach, Shen Mingzhu comforted, "Life is unpredictable, no one can foresee what will happen tomorrow."

Du Juan looked at her, "You don’t seem very upset."

It was one thing for her and Jia Yuemei, after all, they were outsiders, but Shen Mingzhu was her own daughter, yet not a single tear had she shed.

For Shen Mingzhu, Qin Jinlian’s death provoked a tangle of complex emotions.

To say there were absolutely no feelings towards Qin Jinlian would be false, after all, she had called her "mom" for eight years.

But it was not a sorrow that brought her to tears, rather a deeper sense of loss.

It was like losing an old friend whom she had known for many years.

...

Around three in the morning, Pei Yang and his two brothers returned.

Following a barrage of firecrackers, the entire street was awakened. People opened their windows, saw the Shen family home brightly lit and draped in white, and realized something had happened. They quickly dressed and came over to help.

This was also a custom in Fengcheng: after the death of an elderly person, a string of firecrackers would be set off to announce the death.

At five in the morning, the staff from the funeral home arrived and used a ceremonial vehicle to bring Qin Jinlian back to Shenjiagou.

When they arrived at Shenjiagou, it was still dark.

The funeral home staff busily set up the mourning hall and prepared Qin Jinlian’s body.

Shen Chaobei and Shen Xiangnan put on mourning clothes and prepared to go inform the relatives.

In the countryside where phones were scarce, news had to be delivered in person from door to door.

Before they left, Du Juan stopped Shen Chaobei: "Take Dandan with you."

Qin Jinlian had always wanted to show off her eldest grandson Shen Zilong before she died; by taking his son with him, Shen Chaobei would fulfill Qin Jinlian’s final wish.

Shen Chaobei, his eyes red, picked up his son and went out the door.

As the dirge began, news of Qin Jinlian’s death spread throughout the village like a gust of wind.

...

After some time spent recuperating, Liu Cuihua’s health had improved considerably.

Although she still couldn’t get out of bed and walk, she could now sit up and speak slowly.

Woken up by the knocking and hammering, she called her son Shen Hao: "What’s happening outside?"

"It’s Uncle Jianguo’s place."

"What’s going on with their house? Making such a racket early in the morning."

The chaotic clang and performance of opera drowned out the funeral music, leading Liu Cuihua to mistakenly think that Qin Jinlian was up to her usual antics.

"Mom, Aunt Jinlian is gone. They say it happened last night, around dawn."

Liu Cuihua paused for a long while before saying, "Good riddance."

Yet there was no joy or schadenfreude on her face, instead she seemed to zone out, murmuring to herself.

...

Qin Jinlian’s funeral was carried out smoothly, but it cast a shadow over the spring festival.

"The desire to care for aging parents, and their absence," is perhaps the most helpless form of sorrow and pain that comes with middle age.

After the funeral concluded, the New Year was also nearly over.

The three siblings sat together, discussing Shen Jianguo’s caregiving arrangements.

Shen Jianguo’s health was fine, but Qin Jinlian’s passing had dealt him a severe blow, leaving his spirits crushed. The siblings were worried about leaving him alone, fearing he wouldn’t be properly looked after.

After some discussion, they decided to let Shen Jianguo choose for himself whom he wanted to stay with, while the other two families would cover the caregiving expenses.

"I’m not following anyone, I’ll just live by myself."

Though his siblings tried to persuade him, Shen Jianguo insisted on staying in the town, "I’ll stay in town. I will also continue to run your mother’s snack shop. If you have filial piety, just bring the kids to visit me when you can."

With no other options, the three of them decided to arrange for a reliable helper for Shen Jianguo.

Qin Jinlian’s death had the greatest impact on Shen Chaobei.

On the evening of the burial, he sought out Shen Mingzhu, expressing his wish not to wander anymore. He wanted to return to Fengcheng to settle down and live a contented life.