Time To Show Up

Three days passed quickly.

Old Nie's funeral went on as scheduled, at Pingzhuang Cemetery in Qingyang County.

The news of his departure had been very sudden, and many relatives and friends had rushed over to attend the memorial and funeral in succession in the past three days.

A white wreath was placed in front of the tombstone, and a white couplet blew in the wind.

Faint mournful music rose into the air.

The atmosphere at the funeral was solemn and sorrowful.

A group of people stood there, all here to attend the funeral. They were Old Nie's friends or distant relatives.

A simple white flower hung on his chest, and they lined up one by one to go to the tombstone to mourn.

Nie Xing stood at the side with a solemn expression, returning the gifts to these people. His eyes were a little red and swollen, and he was in a bad state.

For the past three days, he had closed his eyes every day. It was the scene of his father lying on the hospital bed and asking him, "Why haven't you come to see me in the past three years?"

Before his father left, he did not answer and could not even come up with an excuse.

It had always been a sore spot in his heart, and he could not sleep well.

At that moment... Old Wang carried a bottle of wine and walked to Old Nie's tombstone. He sat down.

He poured two glasses of wine, one for himself and the other for Old Nie.

"I didn't expect you to leave so quickly. You didn't even touch a single glass of wine in the six months before you left. You must be craving it, right?

"That's true. You just love listening to your son. You're willing to do whatever he says!

"Now that you're in the ground, he can't control you anymore. Let's have a good drink!"

...

Old Wang looked at the photo and sat next to the tombstone, muttering to himself.

It was as if Old Nie was sitting next to him, listening to him.

He drank the wine in his hand in one gulp.

The other glass of wine was spilled in front of the tombstone.

As they saw Old Wang sitting next to the tombstone and talking, the Nie family elders quietly wiped their tears.

"Dad!"

Little Wang's expression changed slightly, wanting to dissuade his father.

Who would sit next to a tombstone and drink wine?

Just as he was about to step forward to stop him, he was stopped by a relative of the Nie family:

"Don't go, let him be!"

As he finished his sentence...

Little Wang was a little dumbfounded. Talk?

Talk about what?

Some of the older people at the side explained to him.

"Children don't understand. In the past, when we were burying or sweeping the grave, we would sit by the gravestone and talk like this. We would also offer a pot of wine to express our grief.

"At that time, I remember eating in front of the gravestone. It was as if the deceased had not left yet. We would pour out our heartfelt feelings to them. Sometimes, we would sit there for an entire morning.

"That's right. How could a person like this sweep the grave and have no feelings? They would casually burn some paper, pour some wine, and then leave.

"Time has changed. Perhaps people's funerals will be simpler in the future."

"Sigh!"

...

The words of the people around made the atmosphere of the entire funeral once again feel a little stifling.

"Old Nie, you must be hiding something from me! I saw it before you left. Those few experts who came to consult you had medals of merit hanging on their shoulders!

"It's strange. Everyone says that you're popular and have many friends! I really didn't expect you to be able to get in touch with those big shots!

"I, Old Wang, admire you for this, truly!"

Old Wang just sat beside the tombstone. After a few drinks, he was already drunk with a red face.

The words from his mouth were a little rough.

Tears kept falling.

He was trying hard to suppress his crying.

At that moment, he did not know what he was saying, but he just wanted to ramble more in front of Old Nie's tombstone.

Sorrow came from the heart, and along with the wine in his mouth, it was bitter and painful.

Taking advantage of the fact that he had not completely lost his composure, Little Wang felt a little heartache.

He quickly went forward to support him, helped him stand up, and walked to the side.

"Dad, don't get so down. Uncle Nie definitely doesn't want to see you like this down there!"

Perhaps it was due to the effects of the alcohol, Old Wang couldn't stop his tears from flowing down. He stood there with his head lowered, crying softly.

His body was slightly trembling.

He, who had always hated his son for comforting him like this, nodded at that moment. Tears continued to fall uncontrollably.

Seeing Old Wang like this, everyone present felt a wave of sadness in their hearts.

Many people's eyes were slightly red.

Besides relatives and friends, there were also some neighbors who came to attend the memorial.

In the hearts of everyone, Old Nie had always been a kind and warm-hearted good man. No matter who he spoke to, he always carried himself with sincerity and honesty.

Without such a good man, there was a void in their hearts.

Nie Xing stood in front of the Tombstone and looked at his father's portrait. He wanted to cry but had no tears left.

He could only kowtow twice heavily.

He could not get up.

Seeing this, some of his friends around him began to sigh/

"Sigh, what a good person. He disappeared just like that!"

"People are fragile. They can't withstand suffering. This Old Nie has worked hard all his life. He suffered before he left."

"Yeah, I heard that Old Nie's illness had lasted for more than a year. His life was very tough. He had to undergo two or three surgeries before he left!"

"More than a year? No wonder I felt that his condition was getting worse and worse this year! I didn't even notice it at that time."

"He had been ill for a long time without a filial son. Although this Nie Xing was picked up by him, looking at him now, how could he be a filial child!"

Some of the neighbors who knew about the Nie family's situation couldn't help but lower their voices when they heard this.

"What do you know? This Nie Xing only came back three days ago. His father has been ill for more than a year. Before he left, he only came back to take a look!"

"What, he just only came back?"

"Yeah, he's been gone for three years!"

"Three years!!? Did he not care for his sick father?"

"Damn, he said he was busy with work. Old Nie called him a lot, and I heard that he couldn't get through to him in the end. Old Nie even hid the truth from others, not letting others know about the kid's situation. He was protecting him!"

"What kind of work can keep him away from home for three years? Who does he think he is? Which Company's CEO? If he leaves, would people die? I didn't expect this kid to be such a person. I'm so disappointed. I thought he was a filial son!"

"Speaking of which, Old Nie has been stubborn his whole life. He insisted on having such an adopted son! How many times have I tried to dissuade him? In the end, wasn't he the one who suffered in the end? However, I have heard those who went to the hospital to see Old Nie said that Old Nie's identity is not ordinary, the hospital's director personally appeared, with more than a dozen military experts jointly for his consultation!"

"Is there such a thing? Impossible, Old Nie is just an ordinary worker like us, how could he have the opportunity to get in touch with such big shots?"

"I don't know. Didn't you hear what Wang said when he was drunk? Those consultants had medals on their shoulders!"

"He was drunk and spouting nonsense. Do you really believe him?"

"Don't think too much about it. This kind of thing spreads like wildfire. How can it be true?"

At the same time, Su Chen's figure was standing not far away, watching Nie Yugang's entire funeral process. He lowered his head and looked at his watch.

Time's up!

It was time to go on stage...