The three of them, like a family of three, cried for a long time holding the little person.
After a long while, Chen Dongyang was the first to calm down and gently stroked Zeng Hui's hair.
"Be good. Push him in first. We'll get the papers done and leave here."
"Only by getting the papers can we send him to a warmer place. If you truly care about him, let's move faster, okay?"
Zeng Hui wasn't truly going mad. She knew that lingering here was just meaningless delay. The child was gone, and no matter how reluctant she was, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.
After calming down, both of them, along with the staff, pushed Dou Bao into the morgue.
The moment the door closed, Zeng Hui threw herself into Chen Dongyang's arms again, weeping heartbrokenly.
In short, it was a very sad day.
Zeng Hui's tears hadn't stopped from morning till night.
Chen Dongyang completed the hospital procedures and accompanied the vehicle to the funeral home for cremation.
In the afternoon, he and Zeng Hui walked out of the funeral home holding a small urn.
There weren't many relatives or friends in this city, and the incident happened so suddenly that no one else knew. They were the only ones present throughout.
At such a time, it inevitably reminded Zeng Hui of when Dou Bao's father passed away, when Dou Bao was born, and how she and Chen Dongyang relied on each other.
They couldn't even get a taxi. Seeing Zeng Hui crying and exhausted, on the verge of fainting, Chen Dongyang hired a car from the funeral home staff and took her to Dou Ya's rented apartment.
Dou Ya wasn't off work yet, so the apartment was empty. Chen Dongyang placed the urn, tidied up the bed he used to sleep in, and let Zeng Hui rest.
"Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."
Zeng Hui no longer wanted to cry. Her eyes were hollow, staring at the ground.
Hearing his words, she quickly grabbed his arm, afraid he would leave.
"I'm not hungry, I won't eat. Don't go."
Seeing her fear, Chen Dongyang understood her feelings and patted her hand.
"Okay, I won't go. Don't worry. But not eating isn't an option. I'll whip up something simple for you."
"No, I won't eat. You're not allowed to leave."
Chen Dongyang had no choice but to stay. "Then you rest for a while. I know you're tired. I'll watch you from nearby."
Zeng Hui was so afraid that he would leave if she fell asleep. She dared not sleep.
"I won't sleep. Don't go. Chen Dongyang, please don't abandon me, okay?"
"I won't. I promise you, I will never leave you."
"Then sleep with me. You sleep inside."
Chen Dongyang knew that she was feeling insecure right now, and he had no intention of leaving anyway, so he lay down inside as she asked.
Zeng Hui lay down beside him, her face pressed against his chest, but still felt uneasy.
"What if you leave after I fall asleep?"
Chen Dongyang promised again, "I won't. I said I wouldn't leave, and I won't. If you don't believe me, tie me up."
Zeng Hui actually believed him.
Propping herself up with her arms, she slowly sat up and scanned the room, spotting a worn-out towel.
She brought the towel over, bit it open with her teeth, tore it in half, and tied it into a long rope. One end was tied to Chen Dongyang's arm, and the other end was tied to her own wrist.
Chen Dongyang remained like a puppet throughout, letting her do as she pleased.
Once it was tied, Zeng Hui felt relieved and closed her eyes again, leaning against him.
"When we wake up, can we go back to our hometown? I really like a tree on the mountain in our hometown. I used to sit on it and play when I was little. How carefree it was. I want to place Dou Bao there. Let it always get sunlight, always be carefree."
Chen Dongyang agreed and gently patted her with his free hand. "Sleep."
Perhaps Zeng Hui was too tired, or perhaps Chen Dongyang gave her enough security, but she soon fell asleep.
Chen Dongyang, however, could not sleep.
His mind was like a revolving lantern, replaying sweet voices over and over.
"Chen Dongyang, let's break up..."
He felt his heart was shattered into pieces, with wind blowing in from everywhere.
He could feel nothing but desolation and powerlessness.
He kept his eyes open, lost in thought, until Dou Ya returned from work and pushed open the door. First, he saw two pairs of shoes on the floor and was surprised. Then, he looked at the bed and saw Chen Dongyang and Zeng Hui lying together.
The scene was too bizarre. He opened his mouth to scream, but Chen Dongyang made a shushing gesture at him.
Dou Ya, with a look of surprise and gossip, tiptoed closer.
"Brother Chen, you guys are..."
Chen Dongyang said softly with his eyes closed, "You should go out and stay somewhere else tonight. I don't want to talk right now. We'll talk another day."
When he was in a bad mood, his aura was quite intimidating. It was clear that he and Zeng Hui were not in an ambiguous relationship.
Although Dou Ya was very curious about what had happened, he dared not ask more. He nodded and quietly tiptoed out again.
Zeng Hui drifted in and out of sleep, often calling out Dou Bao's and Chen Dongyang's names in her dreams. Chen Dongyang gently patted her, coaxing her back to sleep again and again, finally enduring until dawn.
Zeng Hui opened her eyes. First, she saw his stubble, then his dark circles, and then she looked at his bound hand.
"I'm awake. Have you been awake all night?"
Chen Dongyang didn't want to say more.
Having remained in this position for over ten hours without moving, his entire body ached in addition to his heartache.
"Didn't we say we were going back to our hometown? Let's get up now that you're awake."
They took turns using the bathroom and tidied themselves up a bit. Chen Dongyang found a backpack and put Dou Bao's urn inside. Then, he and Zeng Hui went downstairs.
Perhaps she had accepted reality, or perhaps the grief of yesterday had drained too much of her energy, but Zeng Hui had recovered quite well today. She even proactively asked Chen Dongyang if he wanted to eat anything.
Chen Dongyang had no appetite, but seeing that her complexion had improved slightly, he didn't want to dampen her spirits and nodded.
Zeng Hui smiled and asked the owner for two bowls of douhua and five yuan worth of fried dough sticks.
Although the smile was stiff and unattractive, it at least represented that she was looking forward, right?
They mechanically ate their breakfast, and Chen Dongyang took her to the train station.
On the train, Zeng Hui leaned on his shoulder, looking at the scenery flashing by outside the window, and murmured about her past.
How she studied alone from her mountain village to the county town, how she went out to study alone, how she boarded a plane to the United States alone.
"I was so happy back then, thinking my future was bright and full of confidence. But now, after going in circles, I'm still the same penniless me."
Chen Dongyang listened, looking at the scenery outside, and thought, hadn't he been the same?
Four years ago, he was still a carefree, foul-mouthed, and vibrant scoundrel in the United States.
In just four years, he felt like he was already a dying man.