My Life with Narration

Chapter 546 - 537: Death Is Not the End

"Ah, such a nice girl, why couldn’t she think it through? Just look at Du Qiang, you can tell he’s already moved past it. With her sick mother gone, as long as she lived well with Du Qiang, the future would have been bright, what a pity!"

By the paper-burning stove in the crematorium, as they lit the paper money sent by their police colleagues, Li Zijun muttered.

She also couldn’t quite understand why Jiang Yu was so determined to leave, not even leaving herself a way out.

But after these days of investigation, they learned that Jiang Yu’s mother had been seriously ill. They didn’t know much else because no one filed a report for them to investigate. In fact, it was something they accidentally learned from her landlord.

Hearing this, Su Qing used a hook to flip the burning paper money, making it burn more thoroughly.

"Do you think the work this girl did might have something to do with her mother’s illness?" Su Qing spoke.

Upon hearing this, Li Zijun was shocked: "Are you saying..."

But Su Qing didn’t explain, instead, he raised a new question: "Do you think Jiang Yu’s mother chose to give up on life herself because she didn’t want to burden her daughter?"

Li Zijun was shocked for the second time, but before she could respond, Su Qing continued:

"Didn’t Qiangzi say that he and Jiang Yu had a great chat a few days ago? Maybe Jiang Yu’s mother saw this and felt she was a stumbling block to her daughter’s happiness?"

Li Zijun was shocked for the third time.

These weren’t exactly secret pieces of information to him, but Li Zijun and the others were completely in the dark. After all, without a report, the police don’t intervene in investigations, so naturally, they wouldn’t know.

Cops aren’t just doing nothing; who would spend the effort analyzing someone else’s family matters when it’s not a case?

"Oh my God, is it really possible? If that’s the case, wouldn’t the girl be... No, even if that’s so, she wouldn’t go as far as to commit suicide, right?" Li Zijun was first shocked and then questioned.

"Alright, now what’s the point of saying all this? She’s not here anymore, and what if I’m wrong? After all, everyone’s experiences are different, and so is their emotional resilience. For us, life might be fine, but for some, it might really be unbearable, and leaving might be a form of relief."

While saying this, Su Qing scattered the paper money. Luckily, there wasn’t much, so it burned out quickly.

Actually, he knew through narration about Jiang Yu’s thoughts when she leaped into the river, but he chose not to tell Du Qiang.

Jiang Yu felt tainted herself; perhaps only the waters of the Green River could wash her clean, so she could be pure in the next life.

Many things have signs, but with someone like Du Qiang, it’s better just left unsaid. He was afraid that if he revealed everything he knew, Qiangzi wouldn’t be able to handle it. There’s no need to stab his heart at this time.

He knew too much, which is why he was pained; sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Compared to the three of them, other families came in large groups. To someone unaware, it might even look like the three were just extras.

Fortunately, an hour later, when the two saw Du Qiang again, he was holding a small, delicate ceramic urn.

"Is everything done?" Su Qing spoke.

Du Qiang nodded: "She didn’t have any relatives come by, so it’s just the three of us, keeping it simple means there’s less to do."

Hearing this, the two nodded, and then Li Zijun spoke: "So what are you going to do with these ashes? Buy a burial plot?"

"Forget it, I’m planning to go to her hometown and send her and her mom back. She said she missed home." Du Qiang said, touching the urn in his hands.

In just an hour, from being a person, she was now reduced to ashes, how can that not make one reflect?

Death extinguishes like a lamp; in a flash, her presence is wiped away. Su Qing and Li Zijun were slightly better; after all, they didn’t have deep impressions of Jiang Yu. But it was different for Du Qiang. At least they were high school classmates for three years; there must have been many beautiful memories, but now they’re just memories.

Seeing their expressions, Du Qiang chuckled and raised his voice: "I’m fine, you two don’t worry. Just look at my name, Du Qiang; it means strong."

Su Qing: "Ah, right, right, right!"

Li Zijun: "Du Qiang, strong little Qiang!"

Du Qiang: "I am the uncrushable little Qiang too!"

Li Zijun: "Ah, right, right, right!"

Du Qiang: ...

The narrator was right, death is never the end; forgetting is. With Du Qiang around, he’ll probably remember her for a long time, right?

After cremation, things became much simpler. Du Qiang took the ashes of the mother and daughter to Jiang Yu’s hometown. This time, the two didn’t follow; as for what to do, they didn’t know. But they knew Du Qiang was in a decent state; at least on the surface, he didn’t look like he did yesterday.

Of course, this might be what Li Zijun referred to as Du Qiang’s strength. Even if he hasn’t completely moved on, it won’t affect his life. At least he’s doing better than him.

East City Public Security Bureau, inside the office.

Zhao Minghui and Lin Chengcai both took a deep drag of their cigarettes after hearing their report. The drag was so intense that it almost matched Yu Qian, taking the smoke straight to the tips of their nerves.

"Ah~~ This kid, he should be fine, right? Old Lin, why don’t you and little Su try to talk to him again?" Zhao Minghui, this veteran, was extremely distressed; dealing with daily cases was already overwhelming, and now he had to worry about his apprentice’s psychological issues, it was tough!

"Old Zhao, stop worrying blindly. I see that Du Qiang is probably fine. Besides, how can others advise him on this kind of thing? Should we tell him to ’let go of the old to make way for the new’? Or advise him to ’mourn’? We all know the reasoning, and so does he. Being sad is normal, advice is useless. Leave it to time; it’ll get better in time." Lin Chengcai flicked his cigarette ash, smiling.

To this, Zhao Minghui was also helpless: "How I wish I didn’t know this. I’m just afraid this kid might have psychological issues, especially since it happened right in front of him."

"Come on, little Su He and little Li were there too. Don’t worry about identity issues. We’ve encountered such things before; give it some time, and it’ll be fine. If his emotional strength is just that, then perhaps he’s not fit to be a cop, at least not in criminal investigation!"

Lin Chengcai made a direct assessment of Du Qiang, leaving old Zhao with nothing much to say.

"By the way, little Su, if you’re not busy lately, come by the bureau a few more times; we’ll rely on you to guide Qiangzi!" Zhao Minghui said.

Hearing this, Su Qing looked puzzled: "Captain Zhao, isn’t it almost New Year? Why would we need to come often, isn’t Qiangzi taking a holiday?"

"In our kind of establishment, the holidays are when we are busiest. If you want to take a leave, it has to be done in shifts. What are you thinking!" Li Zijun rolled his eyes at him from the side.

To this, Su Qing suddenly realized but soon was on guard:

"You’re not planning to make me work over the holidays, are you?"

Everyone else: ...

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