1081 [Bonus chapter] People Have To Go
"Are you adding back luck on this happy day?"
Shui Koshing looked up when he heard Mu Chenyan's voice and frowned, "Who is adding back luck?"
"You are, Shing Ge," said Mu Chenyan. "Why are you shedding tears? Are you marrying off your daughter? No! That's me! Do you see me crying? No! It's your son who is getting married. Do you have to cry about that?"
"First of all, it's an engagement," reminded Shui Koshing. "Secondly, I'm not crying because of that."
"Then why are you shedding tears here sitting alone in this corner?"
Shui Koshing took a deep breath, "I am missing my wife. Am I not allowed to do so? Is it so wrong to miss my wife on this day? And since I miss her, of course, a few tears will come out. Do you think it's embarrassing that an old man like me is crying? Well, guess what? I don't feel embarrassed at all!"
Mu Chenyan didn't expect this outburst from the usually easygoing Shui Koshing but considering what he just said, she understood why he acted this way. She sighed heavily and sat down beside him. She even took out a tissue and offered it to him.
"What now? Are you offering pity or your shoulder to cry on?"
"I can offer both if you want me to," said Mu Chenyan. "But for now, I'm offering my silent support." As Shui Koshing wiped his tears, Mu Chenyan's hand patted his back, "Ge, you can cry if you want to. Don't take my previous words seriously. But just a reminder that your wife wouldn't have wanted to see you cry."
"I know," he replied. "But can I help it? If she didn't want me to cry then she should have been here."
"It's not like she could control the fate," said Mu Chenyan.
"I know that too," he responded. "I was holding back since this morning. But when her lawyer came and told me that she actually planned far ahead as if she knew she wasn't gonna be around, it really made me hurt even more. Why did she have to leave?"
"Ge, people have to leave," Mu Chenyan's expression turned heavy. "You know I didn't feel much when my parents died. After all, I was young at that time and didn't understand death that clearly. And also because my godmother gave me so much love that I didn't feel their absence. However, when my godmother died, I bawled my eyes out. She wasn't sick or anything but all of a sudden, things went wrong, and to save Raelle, she got hurt." She took a brief pause and added, "I actually do understand what you're feeling right now. But when my godmother left, she placed a small baby into my arms as if she was giving me a reason to live again. Your wife left you two children too. You have to remember that she was able to peacefully close her eyes because she knew you'd be there for your children."
"Chenyan, I'm older than you."
"But that doesn't mean you need some pep talk once in a while," was Mu Chenyan's response. "I understand that whatever I said, you already knew it. But knowing it and someone reminding you of it are two separate things. You needed a reminder of why you're here." She offered him a comforting smile, "And the reason why she isn't here is that her journey on this earth wasn't supposed to be so long."
Shui Koshing slowly calmed down while Mu Chenyan accompanied him in silence. As she said, she was offering silent support. She knew how lonely Shui Koshing had been. And that was the reason why Raelle even told her to invite Shui Koshing over to Xiang Manor often for meals or just for a chat. Because it wasn't good for Shui Koshing to always stay alone.
But this man really isolated himself from the world after his wife's death.
He was the groomed heir of the Shui family. Things were too hard on him since he was young and his biggest happiness in life was when he managed to woo Qian Yin. He looked like he won the lottery. So to say that the happiest time of Shui Koshing's life was spent with Qian Yin wouldn't be wrong.
That's why it was obvious why he missed her so much.
"You know she left letters for Raelle and Xian," mentioned Shui Koshing. "But she didn't leave anything for me."
Mu Chenyan chuckled, "Are you crying because you didn't get any present? Ge, when did you get so childish? How can you even be jealous of two kids?"
"Well, I am jealous! So what? My wife didn't leave me a letter! Shouldn't I be jealous?"
Mu Chenyan laughed, "Okay. Then how about we visit her one of these days and you can complain to her all you want."
"Of course, I will," he said. "I won't let this go. How can she actually forget me?"
Mu Chenyan shook her head at him and said, "Shing Ge, you're cute."
"Chenyan."
"Yes?"
"Stop laughing."
"I can't."
"You're dressed so beautifully today. Don't ruin your image by laughing like this."
"I never gave a damn about the so called image."
Shui Koshing sighed and stood up, "Whatever! Why did you come here?"
"I was looking for you," said Mu Chenyan. "I completely forgot. Elder Xiang sent me to get you. He said to start the function already. Also, you have guests who are looking for you. Don't hide here. It's your son's engagement. You have to take the stage."
"It's my son's engagement. Why do I have to take the stage?"
"Because you're the groom's one and only father!"
"Do people have more than one father?"
"Yes!" responded Mu Chenyan seriously. "I have. One is my biological father. The other raised me. It's just that I don't call him father. But he definitely takes the role of a father in my life."
Shui Koshing understood that she was talking about Elder Xiang so he didn't comment on it. He went back to the hall with her while she kept on chattering in his ear. He knew she was trying to distract him from depressing thoughts but he was only getting annoyed by her constant chatter.