"Mom, where did you hear all this from? You don't think they're making it up, do you?"
Wang Youchuan had never thought of actively inquiring about Zhang Xinlan, so he instinctively assumed these were just fabricated lies.
"Sigh, I thought they were making it up at first too, but Xueyan's parents told me all of this! Their kids have already checked around and asked about it."
"So? What's the attitude of the father-in-law and mother-in-law?"
Hearing Jin Xiulian's explanation, Wang Shouchuan felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.
"Their stance isn't clear, but Xueyan's family members made their position very clear: they can reduce the compensation, but nothing else is up for negotiation."
"Shouchuan, look... maybe we should just..."
"Mom, stop. Don't talk for a second." Wang Shouchuan quickly cut Jin Xiulian off.
"Mom, do you think they're pitiful?"
"Well, yes. Life hasn't been easy for that family."
"What about Xueyan?" Wang Shouchuan's eyes were red, his expression somewhat fierce, his voice hoarse.
"Wasn't she pitiful? That's my wife, your daughter-in-law, the mother of my children!"
"She was supposed to live a good life. She hasn't lived enough yet. I haven't spent enough time with her yet."
Wang Shouchuan's emotions grew increasingly agitated, but he managed to keep his voice down—after all, they were still in a hospital.
We were the ones who suffered, Xueyan was the one who lost her life—shouldn't someone have to pay the price?
How is this fair? Why should we, the victims, have to understand their reasons?
Do victims deserve what happens to them?
We aren't saints, and we refuse to be saints. Those holier-than-thou people are the scum of society.
We are just ordinary people trying to get justice for our family.
Jin Xiulian broke down, sobbing uncontrollably, burying her face in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks.
How could she not grieve for Wang Xueyan's death?
Wang Youchuan didn't know what to do. Comforting him felt wrong, and saying nothing felt wrong.
So, he decided to go use the restroom first, practically fleeing the room.
With a click of the bathroom door locking, Wang Shouchuan's mood slowly settled, though his heaving chest still betrayed the lingering resentment in his heart.
"We can drop the lawsuit, but everything else stays. Not a single thing can be reduced."
After careful deliberation, Wang Shouchuan stated his decision—and his bottom line.
Zeng Fan was already dead, so pursuing it further didn't hold much meaning.
Besides, when he looked at that little girl Zeng Xiaoyu, she felt vaguely familiar, though he couldn't quite remember why.
Deciding not to press charges was partly to spare the little girl from future gossip and ostracism, and partly to save some face for that mother.
Jin Xiulian was stunned for a moment. Truth be told, she hadn't been asking her son to compromise on anything; she had just felt that the mother and daughter's plight was tragic.
Now that Wang Shouchuan had made his thoughts clear, she didn't quite know how to respond.
"Fine. I'll go talk to Xueyan's family."
"Come on, Shouchuan, eat something. Mom made this for you."
Jin Xiulian choked back tears as she wiped her face and placed the meal on the small table over the hospital bed.
Wang Shouchuan looked at the busy Jin Xiulian with complicated eyes, suddenly feeling as though she were a stranger.
"Mom."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Mom, tell me the truth. Have you ever truly regarded Xueyan as part of our family?"
Jin Xiulian's movements froze. Her eyes flicked away instinctively, and she almost dropped her chopsticks.
"Of course I have. She's always been part of our family."
Her mother's actions, her expression, and the hesitant rhythm of her reply gave Wang Shouchuan his answer, vague though it was.
How should he put it? It was both laughable and pathetic.
The atmosphere grew heavy again.
Wang Shouchuan ate in silence, having no heart to taste the food. Jin Xiulian stared blankly at the television, mindlessly flipping through channels without settling on anything.
Until Wang Youchuan came out of the restroom.
"Oh! Mom's cooking smells so good! I could smell it from the bathroom!"
"No, I didn't make that. You made it yourself."
"Ahem!" That remark nearly made Wang Shouchuan choke.
"Mom!" Wang Youchuan was usually quite quick-witted, but every time he heard her roundabout sarcasm, his brain just failed to process it in time.
Too lazy to argue with his old lady, he picked up a small stool with an indignant look, held his portion of dinner, and dug in with gusto.
After Wang Wanhe and Wang Qianjiang finished eating, they stayed in the hospital room for a while before leaving together with Jin Xiulian.
They needed to head back and get some rest early; they had to go to the crematorium late at night.
Wang Youchuan had also been in the ward for quite a while. He traded shifts with Wang Rongnv and went home to rest as well.
***
Late at night, outside the crematorium.
Everyone arrived as agreed.
Wang Xueyan's parents and brothers, along with Jin Xiulian and her three children's families.
They were all gathered here now.
Wang Shouchuan wasn't on an IV drip anymore; the doctor had said his current condition allowed him to stop for a while.
Mostly, Wang Shouchuan's physical recovery had exceeded the doctors' and nurses' expectations.
Wang Xueyan's remains had been brought over ahead of time.
The staff member took the death certificate and cremation application form, casually glanced through them, and asked, "Will you be accompanying the cremation?"
Perhaps afraid they wouldn't understand, the staff member rephrased it.
"Ah, I mean, do you need to watch the cremation process?"
"Yes!" Wang Shouchuan answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Alright! Family members who wish to come, please follow me. Everyone else wait outside."
With that, he turned and started to walk away.
"The kids should all stay here. Don't go in."
Wang Shouchuan exchanged a glance with the elders and gave the instruction.
"Dad, I want to go!"
Meeting Wang Wanhe's complicated gaze, Wang Shouchuan found himself unable to refuse.
"Fine, let's go. The other children don't need to follow."
With no further objections, the group followed the staff member's lead.
Cao Xiaayu didn't go along; someone had to stay behind to look after the kids. Fortunately, the youngsters were old enough not to throw tantrums, so watching them alone was manageable.
"During the entire cremation process, family members can only watch remotely from here. Close-up viewing is strictly prohibited by regulations."
"In the preparation phase, the family also needs to choose an urn for the deceased."
Accepting the catalog handed over by the staff member, Wang Shouchuan pointed to an urn on the page.
"Let's go with this one. The pine wood."
"Xiaochuan, there's no need for that. Pine is the most expensive one."
Her daughter's passing had dealt her a heavy blow, but she didn't want Wang Shouchuan wasting hard-earned money. She didn't think it was necessary to pick such an expensive urn.
What mattered was that someone kept her in their heart.
"It's fine, Mom. Xueyan deserves it."
"She didn't get to enjoy much happiness with me while she was alive; I can't treat her poorly now that she's gone."
"We're getting this one!"
Upon receiving a definitive answer, the staff member said "Please wait a moment" and walked away.
When he returned a moment later, his hands were empty.
"The urn is ready. Once the cremation is complete, the ashes will be placed inside. Now, the cremation is about to begin."
On the surveillance monitor, multiple angles of the cremation chamber were visible.
Flames surged inside the furnace, the blinding orange-yellow light dancing wildly.
Through the screen, Wang Xueyan's body was slowly pushed into the incinerator.
Barely half a minute later, a crackling sound echoed from inside—the death knell of body fat.
However, no sound could be heard through the remote surveillance feed.
Over the course of nearly an hour, Wang Xueyan's body gradually dissolved.
Skin and muscle carbonized one after another; her skull cracked into several pieces during the process, and finally, everything vanished alongside her skeleton.
To ensure complete combustion, the staff member went in to stir the remaining material during the last ten minutes.
"Family members may now come forward to collect the remains."
The group walked around to the back of the incinerator, where Wang Xueyan's cremated ashes lay.
Next, they followed the staff member every step of the way as the ashes were carefully swept into the urn.
Some bone fragments were mixed in; the larger ones were picked out by the staff member, smashed with a hammer, and stuffed right into the urn alongside the rest.
After signing the cremation certificate, all the procedures were complete.
Holding the urn with both hands, Wang Shouchuan remained silent, but an unshakeable exhaustion and weariness settled deep within his eyes.
It was now two in the morning.
Outside, only Cao Xiaayu and Guo Tianrui remained. The others had been too exhausted and were taken to the car to sleep first.
Wang Wanhe followed closely behind Wang Shouchuan, step for step, as they got into the vehicle.
Wang Shouchuan opened the front passenger door, preparing to place the urn on the seat.
The elders always said that an urn should be placed in the trunk, otherwise it was bad luck.
He didn't know where such a ridiculous rule came from, and he didn't care about this nonsense. He simply didn't care.
"Dad, let me hold Mom, okay?"
Right. He himself had made the exact same request once before.
A moment later, Wang Shouchuan solemnly handed the urn over to Wang Wanhe.
"Son, hold it tight. Be careful!"
"Got it!"
All the way home, Wang Wanhe held the urn tightly in his arms, refusing to let go, letting his tears fall and pool on the surface of the pine wood.
The tears trickled down the carved grooves, tracing the deep longing a young Wang Wanhe once held for his own mother.