Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 985 - 981: Farewell

"Aunt, Duoduo bullied me and snatched my things."

Dou Dou eventually didn’t catch up with Duoduo and came over to Taozi to tearfully complain.

The little one’s expression was so wronged that it tugged at people’s hearts.

But everyone knew, this little mischief-maker was no innocent lamb.

So Taozi didn’t really want to get involved. After all, for Dou Dou, a day without causing some trouble just wasn’t complete.

However, Taozi wouldn’t reject him outright because that might hurt the child’s feelings, so she pretended to be curious and asked, "How did Duoduo bully you?"

Then Taozi went on and on about it.

Once she finished talking, Taozi immediately asked, "Where did you pick the foxtail grass, how much did you pick, is it big, is it long..."

This interruption did the trick; the little one completely forgot about Duoduo’s matter.

He started to chatter away again, but this time with a hint of pride.

Ruan Hongzhuang closed her notebook with a slight amusement. She was traveling but never forgot about work, always setting aside time each day to handle some company affairs promptly.

"Si Yuan, I’m afraid I need to go back for a bit. There’s something at the company that requires my personal attention."

Shen Siyuan, who was "resting with his eyes closed," slowly opened his eyes.

"When do you want to go back? I’ll have Duoduo take you." Shen Siyuan said.

"Tonight, I suppose."

While talking to Dou Dou, Taozi suddenly said, "I’ll go back with you."

"Why do you want to go back? There’s nothing for you to do, and besides, if you leave, who will drive?" Ruan Hongzhuang said in a bad-tempered manner.

"So I’m just a driver, then?"

"What else did you expect?"

Ruan Hongzhuang gave her a look, then turned to Shen Siyuan and said, "Make sure you don’t fool around when I’m not here."

Shen Siyuan glared at her in response, then turned to Taozi and said, "You should go back with Hongzhuang."

"If I leave, who will drive you all? Are you going to have Sister Mao drive?"

"I want Sister Mao to take Tang Tang back to Bin Hai as well. I’m supposed to be on a spiritual journey, but it feels like I’ve turned it completely into a vacation," Shen Siyuan said.

Though this trip was also meant to be a honeymoon, it now felt like travel had taken over as the main agenda, and spiritual cultivation was being neglected, which couldn’t continue.

"It was always supposed to be a trip."

Ruan Hongzhuang muttered softly to herself, then gestured to Mao Sanmei to come over.

Since Mao Sanmei couldn’t hear, only Shen Siyuan could communicate with her.

So Shen Siyuan instructed her to take Tang Tang and Xiao Ya back to Bin Hai tonight, and Mao Sanmei naturally nodded in agreement.

"This time home, I’ll talk to Fourth Aunt about coming back to be the live-in nanny again, and Teacher Xiao Jing..."

This had been discussed earlier; Fourth Aunt used to be Ruan Hongzhuang’s nanny, an excellent cook, diligent, and most importantly, of good moral character. She was specifically brought in by Jiang Yingxue to care for Ruan Hongzhuang.

Later on, when Ruan Hongzhuang moved to live with Shen Siyuan, she didn’t bring her along. Fourth Aunt continued to take care of the empty house Ruan Hongzhuang used to live in, except for Jiang Yingxue occasionally staying over. It was essentially unoccupied, which left her quite idle.

Now they’ll bring her over to share the household responsibilities with Mao Sanmei.

And Teacher Xiao Jing has always been Tang Tang’s sign language teacher and she is not hearing-impaired herself. She has a regular teacher’s certification.

So it would be perfect for her to teach Xiao Ya and Tang Tang some basic knowledge, benefiting both parties.

The night descended like a gentle black velvet over the old alley of Xinmin Road.

The RV was parked at the alley’s entrance, and the car lights cast two long shadows on the flagstone road, intertwined with the alley’s dim streetlights.

Liu Yuqin and her son, along with Shan Lihui, stood by the car, the air lingering with a faint sense of parting sorrow.

Shan Wenbo clutched Shan Lihui’s hand tightly, his small face tense and his eyes red, but he held back his tears.

Shan Lihui took a deep breath, squatted down, and hugged his son once more.

"Wenbo, listen to your mother from now on, study hard, and take care of your mother."

His voice carried a hint of an almost imperceptible tremble, his hand gently stroking his son’s back, savoring this long-lost warmth.

"Daddy can’t always be with you, but I’ll be watching you from the sky, watching you grow up, watching you grow."

"Daddy..."

Shan Wenbo could no longer hold back; tears streamed out as he clung tightly to Shan Lihui’s neck, choking with sobs.

"I will, I’ll study hard, I’ll take care of Mom, can you not leave?"

Shan Lihui’s heart ached like it was being pricked by a needle. He tried to hold back the tears in his eyes and gently patted his son’s back: "Silly child, Daddy doesn’t want to leave either, but people and ghosts travel different paths. I have places I must go. Once the insurance claim is settled, you and Mom will move to a new place to live. There, you’ll find a spacious house and a beautiful school, where you can grow up worry-free, just like other kids."

He turned his gaze to Liu Yuqin, his eyes filled with reluctance and longing.

"Yu Qin, after I leave, you must take good care of yourself. Don’t work too hard, take a rest when you need to, and don’t always scrimp and save at the expense of yourself and our child."

He reached up and gently wiped the tears from Liu Yuqin’s face.

"Mr. Shen will arrange everything for you. You must bravely move forward and not live in the past."

Liu Yuqin nodded, but the tears fell like a broken string of pearls.

"I know, don’t worry." She choked out.

"I’ll live well with Wenbo. I’ll ensure he becomes a person of worth and won’t disappoint you or Mr. Shen."​

"Also, regarding the insurance claim, Mr. Shen has helped us make the necessary contacts. You just need to follow his instructions and prepare the relevant documents, don’t worry about trouble."

Shan Lihui instructed, "That money is the last thing I can do for you both. I hope it makes your life better."

"I understand, I will." Liu Yuqin tightly held Shan Lihui’s hand, as if trying to hold onto the last warmth.​​

Shan Lihui stood up and gave Shen Siyuan a deep bow: "Mr. Shen, thank you for letting me see my family again, thank you for helping me fulfill my wish. This kindness, I shall never forget."

"No need to thank me. Meeting mother and son was destiny." Shen Siyuan waved his hand.​​

Shan Lihui then looked at Ruan Hongzhuang, Taozi, and others, expressing gratitude to each: "Thank you all, thank you for helping and taking care of them."​​

"You’re welcome, safe travels."

Ruan Hongzhuang said, her tone tinged with a bit of melancholy.

Shan Lihui took one last look at his wife and child, his eyes filled with reluctance, knowing the moment of parting had arrived.

His body began to become transparent, gradually fading away into the night.

"Yu Qin, Wenbo, goodbye..." his voice grew softer until it vanished completely into the air.

"Daddy!" Shan Wenbo cried out to the air, reaching out his small hand trying to grab something, only to grasp at emptiness.

He couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears.​​

Liu Yuqin also cried out in anguish; she crouched down, wanting to hug her son, but she had no arms, silently and tearlessly weeping, soaking her clothes.​​

"Wenbo, don’t cry. Daddy will always be watching us."

She choked out, unable to stop her tears.

Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi looked at Shen Siyuan with bewilderment, not understanding why Shen Siyuan didn’t keep Shan Lihui behind when the mother and son were already so miserable.