"You're right, you're right," Li Guoan repeated in a low voice before looking up at Zhang Jin'an. "Jin'an, you really are something. You have your own way of thinking. No wonder Yangyang and Yanlan both praised you. You've resolved the very thing I've been brooding over in just a few words."
"You flatter me, Uncle," Zhang Jin'an said. "I've heard Siyang mention Auntie Jiang several times. Every time he talks about her, he looks so happy. He said she taught him a lot about how to conduct himself in the world. Now I see that his integrity was inherited from you."
"When Yangyang was little, I wasn't around much because of work. The household was looked after by my father, my mother, and Yanlan. After my mother passed away, the pressure fell entirely on Yanlan. Fortunately, Siyang was sensible from a young age and never gave us cause for worry," Li Guoan let out a long sigh. "Now that he's grown, he doesn't need me to look after him anymore. He should have his own life. Hearing what you said today makes me even more certain that my choice yesterday was the right one. You truly are a good man."
"Uncle, to be honest, I wrote a short script for this meeting, but looking at things now, there’s absolutely no need to recite it," Zhang Jin'an smiled. "Whether it's you, Siyang, or Auntie Jiang, you are all wonderful people."
"A script? I didn't expect you to be so serious as to write a script," Li Guoan flicked his ash into the ashtray. "If this matter goes public, have you both considered the consequences?"
"We know, but we believe that if we haven't done anything wrong, we shouldn't fear what people say," Zhang Jin'an replied. "I imagine when you were with Auntie back then, you wouldn't have chosen to hide it, would you?"
"You rascal, now that we've gotten familiar, you're already throwing playful jabs at me," Li Guoan said with a laugh, showing no sign of irritation. He even answered the question: "Does that even need an answer? Of course. Of course I had to tell everyone. Otherwise, what kind of man would I be?"
"That's exactly what I think," Zhang Jin'an said. "I've met such a wonderful person; why shouldn't I tell everyone?"
" I only hope this isn't just a momentary impulse of youth. If it is, you can still pull back now. Otherwise, in the future, no one will have it easy," Li Guoan warned.
"The fact that I'm here today means I am sincere," Zhang Jin'an said earnestly.
Li Guoan studied Zhang Jin'an.
Zhang Jin'an was wearing a white sweater over a shirt, paired with cargo pants. Dressed like this, he didn't have the sense of distance one saw on television; instead, he looked like a resident you might run into eight times a day while walking their dog in the park.
Li Guoan wanted to see if this man was acting, but all he could see was the steadiness in his gaze.
After the various questions he had asked, Li Guoan already had his answer. He took one last drag of his cigarette and stubbed it out.
"Tell me, what is it you like about our Yangyang?" Li Guoan asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"If I were to use words to describe him, they would seem inadequate," Zhang Jin'an replied with a smile. "I believe you must understand that feeling, Uncle."
Li Guoan paused, then nodded. "Yes, I do understand..."
Li Guoan stood up and patted Zhang Jin'an on the shoulder.
"Jin'an, today's conversation stays between us. Don't tell Siyang," Li Guoan said mysteriously.
"Alright," Zhang Jin'an agreed.
"Let's go." Li Guoan stopped in his tracks, and Zhang Jin'an stopped as well.
Li Guoan turned back to Zhang Jin'an and said, "Once you step out of this room, stop calling me 'Uncle.' It makes me sound old."
"Then what should I call you?" Zhang Jin'an asked.
Li Guoan gave him a smile. "Just call me 'Dad.'"
Zhang Jin'an was momentarily stunned, then his lips curled into a wide smile. He said solemnly, "Alright, Dad."
Jiang Siyang wasn't worried at all that the two in the bedroom would argue or fight. He knew his father's personality, and he knew Zhang Jin'an's.
"They're definitely hitting it off like old friends," Jiang Siyang muttered to himself while watching TV.
After a few minutes, the two emerged from the bedroom. Jiang Siyang had guessed correctly; they were talking and laughing.
"So, you're going to the cemetery this afternoon to pay your respects?"
"Yes, but I don't know what kind of flowers Auntie... I mean, Mom likes," Zhang Jin'an quickly corrected himself under Li Guoan's gaze.
Li Guoan nodded in satisfaction. "Yanlan liked roses. Just buy roses. Siyang."
"Coming," Jiang Siyang stood up immediately upon hearing the call. "What is it?"
Li Guoan: "Buy some desserts on the way, the kind your mother liked."
"Okay, I got it," Jiang Siyang said.
Li Guoan: "What time are you leaving?"
Jiang Siyang replied, "In a bit."
"Do you want me to drop you off?" Li Guoan began putting on his coat.
Jiang Siyang and Zhang Jin'an hurried to stop him. Jiang Siyang took the heavy coat and said, "Dad, you stay home. It's cold outside. We'll be back for dinner."
"Fine then," Li Guoan took the coat back from Jiang Siyang and put it on again. "I'm going over to your Uncle Lin's to play chess."
Jiang Siyang and Zhang Jin'an exchanged a look and laughed.
All three of them left the house. Li Guoan headed toward the opposite building, while Zhang Jin'an and Jiang Siyang walked out of the community. After buying the flowers and desserts, they hailed a car and arranged with the driver for a round trip. Both of them sat in the back. Zhang Jin'an shared an earbud with Jiang Siyang, and they listened to music together.
After driving for half an hour, snow actually began to fall. Flakes drifted in through the crack in the car window, landing on Jiang Siyang's pants.
Jiang Siyang looked out at the white-shrouded sky and remarked, "It's actually starting to snow in Shanghai."
"Snow is good. Isn't winter supposed to have snow?" Zhang Jin'an said.
"Shanghai isn't like Beijing. Sometimes it only snows once every few years," Jiang Siyang said.
"The south is like that. It only snows once every few years in Xiao Nanshan, too. I've always felt that a winter without snow has no soul," Zhang Jin'an said with a smile.
"True," Jiang Siyang agreed wholeheartedly.
After another ten minutes of driving, they reached their destination.
"Thank you, Master. We'll only be a few minutes," Jiang Siyang said to the driver.
"No problem. I could use a break anyway. Take your time," the driver replied.
The two got out of the car. Jiang Siyang held the fresh flowers, while Zhang Jin'an carried the desserts. They passed rows of tombstones until they arrived at Jiang Yanlan's grave.
The inscription on Jiang Yanlan's headstone was different from others that read "Father of so-and-so, Mother of so-and-so." It bore only three large characters: "Jiang Yanlan." Beside them, smaller text read: "Born in 1965, passed away in 2010, but forever twenty years old. No arguments allowed."
Jiang Siyang slowly crouched down and gently placed the flowers on top.
"These words..." Zhang Jin'an asked.
"My mom drafted the text herself before she passed. She made us write it exactly like this," Jiang Siyang said.
Zhang Jin'an looked at it again and sighed with genuine admiration. "Mom was truly a free spirit."
"She certainly was. We were all crying when she left, but she was the only one smiling. She didn't like crying; she felt that being happy was the most important thing in life," Jiang Siyang said.
Zhang Jin'an set the desserts down, took off his hat, and pressed his palms together in a respectful bow.
Snowflakes fell slowly, and the cemetery was silent, save for the slight rustle of leaves in the wind.
Zhang Jin'an suddenly wondered if, when his time came, he could be as carefree as Ms. Jiang Yanlan.
He feared he couldn't.
He had too many people and things to worry about.
So, just how strong must a heart be to view death so lightly?
Jiang Siyang had mentioned Jiang Yanlan many times, and Zhang Jin'an already knew about sixty or seventy percent of her life story.
Jiang Siyang's maternal grandparents were people who favored sons over daughters. They poured all their energy into his uncle, Jiang Huotian. Jiang Huotian's clothes were always the newest and warmest, while Jiang Yanlan never had enough to eat or wear. She was also frequently bullied by Jiang Huotian and suffered through several illnesses that left her with lingering health issues—the very source of her final, fatal illness.
