The elderly place great importance on falling leaves returning to their roots. Though Madam Xiao had passed away in London, her funeral was held in Singapore. Xiao Fengtai stood beside the grave with Xiao Zhizhong, silently watching as the casket was gradually buried beneath the earth. Madam Xiao’s plot was directly adjacent to Xiao Heling’s. One face marked by the withered skin and crane-white hair of age, the other a blooming visage of youth; in their smiling portraits, the resemblance between the two was striking.
She could finally accompany her daughter for all eternity.
As the funeral concluded, friends and relatives departed in small groups, eventually leaving only the father and son, Xiao Fengtai and Xiao Zhizhong.
"When I was young, I hated your grandmother," Xiao Zhizhong spoke suddenly. "It was only in recent years that I realized the one I should have hated was my younger self."
"It’s all in the past," Xiao Fengtai said, being the first to turn and walk away.
"Kenneth!" Xiao Zhizhong called out from behind him. "Do you have nothing to say to me?"
Xiao Fengtai turned back. Father and son looked at each other in silence; the son saw the question in his father’s eyes, but he also saw the answer.
"I’m sorry," Xiao Fengtai finally said. "I... I am a selfish person."
He braced himself for Xiao Zhizhong’s fury, but it never came. The man who, in his youth, would smash a vase in a fit of pique over a trifle, merely offered a soft sigh when faced with the most severe act of rebellion in his son's life.
"You’ve grown up. You have your own ideas, and I can’t interfere," Xiao Zhizhong looked more exhausted than ever before. "Just understand that as an adult, you must pay the price for your own choices."
"Have you thought it through?" He added awkwardly, his face set in a stern expression. "This time, even if you regret it later, there will be no one left to clean up your mess."
Xiao Fengtai smiled. "Thank you for the advice. As for what comes next, I am prepared."
Whether good or bad, triumphant or wretched, it was his own life. He finally possessed enough courage to face his destiny, second by second, step by step, alongside the person who had taught him everything.
After bidding farewell to Xiao Zhizhong, Xiao Fengtai walked down the hill to the cemetery entrance, where Jiang Tong was leaning against the car waiting for him.
Jiang Tong was resting half against the vehicle, head bowed as he smoked. His expression was shrouded in the blue haze, appearing somewhat somber. Hearing footsteps, he stubbed out the cigarette and smiled at Xiao Fengtai. That faint, lingering melancholy in his eyes dissipated instantly—yet it did not vanish entirely. Like the trail of a passing swallow, no matter how well hidden, it remained visible to those closest to him.
"Where to next?" Xiao Fengtai ignored the man’s rare display of sentimentality and climbed into the passenger seat. "Back to your place? Or are we picking up Dennis?"
"Dennis’s flight is delayed. We might as well head to my place first."
The two remained silent for the rest of the drive. Jiang Tong appeared focused on the road, but his eyes kept darting toward Xiao Fengtai, looking as though he were hesitating to speak.
It was Xiao Fengtai who broke the deadlock. "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Reasonably, I shouldn't say much..." Jiang Tong chose his words carefully. "Your father, this time..."
Xiao Fengtai burst out laughing. "If my father really wanted to do something, would you even see me coming down that hill?"
The last trace of gloom finally vanished from Jiang Tong’s eyes.
"Let’s stop by the supermarket before we get Dennis," Xiao Fengtai suggested. "Wasn't he clamoring to eat Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish the other day?"
For some reason, Jiang Tong felt a twinge of jealousy. "He’s been getting cavities lately; he should eat less sugar. Don't keep spoiling him."
"If I don't spoil him, am I supposed to spoil you?" Xiao Fengtai rolled his eyes at Jiang Tong. "It’s settled. We’ll go to the supermarket first. You can prep everything at home, and I’ll go to the airport."
"Fine..."
...
The car wound its way down the mountain road, their quiet chatter drifting into the wind until it gradually faded away. Amidst the trifles of life and the mundane breath of the world, between the long struggles of the past and the perilous uncertainties of the future, this moment of trivial, ordinary happiness seemed as though it might evaporate or falter at any time. Yet, second by second, it held firm, grounding them in the here and now.
