For a long time to come.
Su Qing's life remained as calm as the waters of a windless lake.
Perhaps there would be occasional ripples, but never any waves.
Life was always calm, uninteresting, and fulfilling.
This was the mortal world, this was human life.
Just like this... decades passed in the blink of an eye.
Decades passed.
Many familiar faces from back then had now vanished.
Even the funerals of many were organized by Su Qing and Su Qianxue.
And many who were once young now had graying temples and stooped bodies.
Those who were once children had long become parents.
Even their children were already sixteen or seventeen years old.
Even Su Qing's Wang Chuan Tang had now become Huai County's most famous old funeral parlor.
It had become the most professional establishment in the hearts of Huai County residents...
No matter who was arranging a funeral, they would more or less rely on Wang Chuan Tang.
Either coming here to buy coffins, or to purchase paper money, incense, candles, and other sacrificial items.
Or directly asking people from Wang Chuan Tang to help organize the funeral.
Over the decades, although Wang Chuan Tang had become an old established brand,
it was not without changes.
Su Qing, being 'old,' no longer sat in the shop every day.
And Su Qianxue was also quite old, and additionally, she couldn't see.
So, like Su Qing, she returned home to rest.
Wang Chuan Tang was now managed by Liu Chunian's two granddaughters.
Unless necessary, Su Qing usually wouldn't show up.
As for why Liu Chunian's granddaughters were managing Wang Chuan Tang, that story goes back more than ten years.
More than ten years ago.
Liu Chunian's family suffered a great calamity.
Liu Chunian, his wife, and children all died tragically, leaving behind only two young granddaughters.
Upon learning that their parents and grandparents had all tragically died in the disaster,
his granddaughters, following ancestral instructions, found Su Qing with the scale she had left behind years ago.
They hoped Su Qing could save their lives.
Su Qing naturally wouldn't forget her promise from back then.
So, after clarifying the cause and effect, she kept Liu Chunian's pair of granddaughters by her side...
At the same time, to avoid trouble, she also had the granddaughters change their names.
The elder changed her name to Su Lian, and the younger to Su Yu.
And she had them pretend to be her relatives' granddaughters, staying at Wang Chuan Tang to help.
Although having his granddaughters change their surname and given names might suggest cutting off the Liu family's lineage...
Su Qing had only promised to help, but hadn't specified how.
By saving his two granddaughters in this way, she had done her utmost.
She had already repaid the kindness shown by his ancestors back then.
Now, more than ten years later, Su Lian and Su Yu have both grown into adults...
And they have become the second-in-command at Wang Chuan Tang.
They will eventually inherit Wang Chuan Tang in the future...
So, these two girls haven't been treated unfairly.
Moreover... their names were taken from Li Er's daughter, Li Lianyu, specifically the characters 'Lian' and 'Yu'.
Speaking of which, could this be considered not breaking the lineage in some sense?
In any case, with Su Lian and Su Yu managing Wang Chuan Tang now,
Su Qing no longer needs to worry much about it.
It was autumn.
Su Qing's residence.
Su Qianxue, with a head full of white hair, sat in the courtyard basking in the sun.
Decades had passed, and Su Qianxue had also grown old.
Her hair had long turned white, her facial skin was no longer firm, becoming loose and wrinkled.
Her hands were no longer nimble; the handicrafts she used to do became increasingly strenuous.
Even her mind had become muddled; thinking was always incredibly difficult.
Occasionally, she would sit in one spot, lost in thought for a long time...
As if suddenly dreaming back to decades ago.
Su Qing sat beside her.
Looking at Su Qianxue's heavily wrinkled face, she couldn't help but sigh softly.
Su Qing could always roughly see how much lifespan others had left.
Looking at Su Qianxue now, she naturally saw that Su Qianxue probably didn't have much longer to live.
Su Qing looked at the falling leaves and couldn't help but lament.
It felt like not much time had passed,
yet unknowingly, she was about to accompany Su Qianxue through the rest of her life.
It felt so fast.
It was as if she had met Su Qianxue just yesterday, and today she was already old and frail, with not long to live.
"This is probably the difference between humans and demons, isn't it?"
Su Qing gently shook her head.
She was still young now, but Su Qianxue had already entered the final stage of her life.
A few decades might be short for Su Qing...
But for Su Qianxue, it was a lifetime.
"Sister..."
As Su Qing was thinking, she suddenly heard Su Qianxue beside her call out to her.
She composed herself and asked, "What is it? Are you hungry for something?"
Su Qianxue slowly turned her head, her pale eyes looking at Su Qing.
She smiled, "I'm not like those Little Meatballs, how could I be that delicious!"
"......"
"Sister... I feel like I don't have many days left to live," Su Qianxue said.
"Don't say such inauspicious things."
"Sister... we work in this business, can you still be superstitious about such words?"
Su Qianxue's wrinkled face bore a smile, seemingly indifferent to her own life and death.
Or rather, she had accepted the reality that she would die.
"I just hope... that when I die, Sister can help me arrange a funeral that isn't too sad. It would be best if you could send me off joyfully!"
"......"
Su Qing smiled helplessly and said:
"What? For your funeral, I have to treat it like a joyous occasion?"
"If Sister wants to treat it as a joyous occasion, I naturally have no objection. Just consider it Sister marrying me!"
"You're already so old, why do you still like to crack such jokes...?"
Su Qing pursed her lips, looked at the falling leaves, and said:
"After you die, how your funeral is handled is my business. Can you still control it?"
Hearing this, Su Qianxue paused slightly and nodded involuntarily.
"Indeed, I can't control it..."
"But, as long as you're not sad then, Sister, I'll be satisfied."
As she spoke, Su Qianxue couldn't help but smile, as if recalling something amusing.
"When I was young, I often worried if I would arrange Sister's funeral."
"But I never imagined that in the end, it would be just as Sister said: it wouldn't be me arranging Sister's funeral, but Sister arranging mine."
"Sister is clearly older than me, yet she can outlast me!"
Su Qing shook her head helplessly. How many people in this world could outlast her?
Perhaps only those who, like herself, transcended time could do so?
"Qianxue... aren't you afraid of death at all?" Su Qing couldn't help but ask.
Hearing this, Su Qianxue shook her head.
"This life has been without regrets, so why fear death?"
"People always die... Sister and I have helped arrange so many funerals for others, I've long understood this truth."
"I only hope that after I die, Sister won't be too sad."
"And I hope... Sister can live many more years."
Su Qing sighed, "Don't worry! My life is still long! Even sending off those two girls won't be a problem."
"Sister still likes to joke so much..."
Su Qianxue heard this and couldn't help but smile slightly, saying:
"But, seeing Sister so spirited, I am relieved."
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