"Boss, I found it," said Zhou Yao. His work ability was outstanding and he had found the information Su Li wanted in just a few days.
"Cinnabar... it really is your mother," Zhou Yao had already looked over the information earlier, and now felt somewhat reluctant to say it out loud.
Su Li took the documents. What met his eyes was an old, faded photo. He didn't know who took it. She was leaning against a Chinese parasol tree, wearing a goose-yellow skirt. Her belly was very round and she was smiling gently.
It was that face.
Su Li suddenly felt his eyes brim with tears.
It really was that face.
That was mom.
Su Li repeatedly caressed the photo, unable to hold back a hint of a smile.
He had seen her too, spent time with her, acted coquettishly in her arms.
Zhou Yao stood to the side, somewhat unwilling to read out the information he had found.
"Did you find out anything else?" Su Li asked.
"Your aunt really loved you. I found the doctor then in charge of her, Doctor Liu. Doctor Liu said she was always very obedient, carefully asking many questions about how to take good care of the baby. She looked very happy," Zhou Yao said.
"She really did love me a lot," Su Li said without any hesitation.
"Additionally, following your aunt's clues, I also discovered the identity of your father," Zhou Yao turned a page and handed him another photo.
A youth with scarred eyebrows, skinny and fierce, glared at the camera lens. He wore prisoner's garb and handcuffs.
"This is from the Nanjiang City Prison. Your father is called Xiao Jun. He was imprisoned for gang-related crimes and died not long after in a prison fight," Zhou Yao closed his eyes.
"Investigate," Su Li said without any hesitation.
His father could not possibly be that kind of person. He was very content staying with mother in a small courtyard. There's no way he would do something like this.
"It's been investigated," Zhou Yao said. "I contacted the officer who originally captured Mr. Xiao. The officer said there were too many dubious points in this case. He had always suspected that Mr. Xiao was taking the fall for someone, but before he could investigate clearly, that prison fight occurred."
"Investigate further, from why he was imprisoned to the truth behind the fight. Find out everything," Su Li said.
Zhou Yao left.
Su Li placed the two photos side by side.
The unruly youth, the gentle and beautiful girl.
This was his only family portrait.
The new house was located not far from the skatepark, with a small yard. Very nice.
Zhou Yao had invited a very skilled carpenter master, said to be the disciple of an old carpenter master. Gentle and honest, and very meticulous with his woodwork.
The carpenter's surname was Li. He had thick brows and large eyes. Su Li showed him the drawings he had made, carefully explaining while Li scrutinized them, trying his best to recreate the scene from Su Li's memories.
Although Carpenter Li was naive when it came to the ways of the world, he had inspiration when it came to carpentry. After listening for a while, he thumped his chest, "Don't worry Boss, I will definitely make it like what you want. These aren't difficult, I just really admire the style and ideas behind it."
Su Li smiled slightly. "I won't be stingy with money or time. As long as you can recreate this effect, that's good enough."
"No problem. Have you selected a renovation team on your end? I'll coordinate with their plans on what to work on first."
Su Li shook his head. "Still looking."
"If you don't mind, I can introduce one to you. They do meticulous work. To be honest, your house needs to be completely redone. Many of the wood planks have rotted," Li Carpenter said.
"Bring their team lead to meet me another day," Su Li nodded slightly.
"No problem. Then I'll get going boss," Li Carpenter happily left.
Su Li sat in a rocking chair in the yard looking at the sky. He remembered that mother really liked doing this. Father even said that they had moved the rocking chair from the house three times.
When Zhou Yao returned, he seemed a little worried.
He made a call to Su Li's only good friend. "Hello? Wenyu? When are you coming back? Boss is scaring me with how he's acting."
It was the middle of the night over there. Zhou Wenyu had originally been sleepy but was jolted awake by Zhou Yao's words. "What's going on?"
Zhou Yao told him about Su Li's recent condition, "The main thing is he's not sad at all. He would even sit there revealing a reminiscent smile, saying strange things, acting as if he had grown up with his parents before."
Zhou Yao's expression turned fearful. "But his mother died in childbirth, and his father had already passed before he was born!"
"I suspect something might be wrong with him mentally."
"I'm booking the earliest flight back." Zhou Wenyu said before abruptly hanging up.
When Zhou Yao returned, it was to give an update.
"Boss, I found out. Your father went in to take the fall for money. He wanted to back out but the gang members in prison got wind of it and informed the outside. The purpose of that prison fight was to silence him."
Su Li was not surprised at all. He had guessed this from the start.
Su Li gripped the small wood carving Li Carpenter had casually gifted him, clenching and relaxing. "What about their remains?"
"All in the public cemetery."
"Buy a cemetery plot. I want to handle their funeral affairs properly."
"Alright."
...
On a day with sunny and glorious weather, Su Li went to collect his parents' ashes from the public cemetery.
They were even in the same cemetery, one on the left and one on the right, separated by seas of other people's graves.
Su Li looked at the tombstones, simple with only their names and years of birth and death.
He respectfully kneeled and kowtowed three times, hugged his mother's urn as he went before his father's tombstone, kowtowing three more times. The urns were both small and he hugged them tightly.
"Your son has been unfilial, only coming to bring father and mother home after so many years. You must be stricter to me in the next life."
As Su Li spoke, he found a small, flower-filled slope next to a blossoming tree. Hugging the two urns, he said, "Zhou Yao, take a photo for me."
"Ah?" Zhou Yao was stunned for a moment.
"Take a photo for me," Su Li patiently repeated.
He smiled slightly for the camera.
It was a family portrait.
Zhou Yao couldn't bear to see it. Head lowered, he wiped his tears. "Boss, let's go. We shouldn't delay the auspicious timing."
Su Li gave an "mm" sound and slowly made his way downhill.
The newly purchased cemetery plot was wide and spacious, surrounded by flowers, grass and trees. As Su Li set the urns down, he silently recited in his heart.
"I made this place to mother's liking. Father, you loved mother so much, you'll definitely like it too right? If there's anything unsatisfactory, send me a dream."
"When I was small, I resented not having parents. But I don't think that anymore. I know you both loved me very much."
"I'm doing very well now, and the years have been good too. Don't worry about me. Be my parents again in the next life, alright?"
"I miss you both."
Zhou Yao cried harder than Su Li. Su Li had been smiling the entire time, not shedding a single tear.
"Why are you crying so hard?" He looked at Zhou Yao with some amusement.
"I... I'm sad, boss. If you're sad then cry it out, don't keep it bottled up," Zhou Yao was a mess of tissues.
"I'm not sad," Su Li said. "I used to feel sad because I thought they neglected me, abandoned me. But now I know they didn't wrong me at all. They loved me a lot."
Su Li sat by the gravestone, leaning against the side with Ding Sha's name. "The empty space in my heart has been filled."
"Boss!" Zhou Yao was even more of a wreck. Su Li looked as if he was ready to pass on without any lingering attachments.
Just then, Su Li's phone rang. He picked up. "Wenyu? Why the sudden call?"
"I'm about to board the plane!" Zhou Wenyu said. "Remember to come pick me up!"
Su Li helplessly glanced at Zhou Yao. "Did you call him? Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."
Zhou Wenyu didn't believe him and insisted on returning.
Su Li had no choice. "Change your flight to Nanjiang City Airport. I'll come get you."
Two days later, Zhou Wenyu landed.
"Come with me to see a psychologist."
