"Who's short on that thousand yuan for living expenses you're offering? If you're giving, make it a substantial amount—that's what feels satisfying. What's with this trickle of yours? Setting up drip irrigation for crops or something?" Within a few days, the nephew said, "Uncle, our household is short-handed now. I work during the day, and your niece-in-law has to go out to earn money—otherwise, what would we eat and drink? The child still has to go to school, so there's no one to look after you during the day."
The old man replied, "I don't need you to look after me. I can help with buying groceries and cooking."
The nephew said, "That's not the point. How can we let you do the shopping and cooking for us? Here's an idea, Uncle—you pay for a hired helper. That way, we can leave you at home during the day with peace of mind."
The old man thought to himself, "My pension is just over five thousand a month, and hiring a helper would cost three thousand. You're basically trying to drive me away."
When the old man returned to his own home, his daughter-in-law, Little White Sable, said, "When I married your son back then, I didn't ask for anything. The wedding room was just an old, dilapidated factory unit—we never bought a new place. Now that he's gone in a car accident, this house might have to be vacated anytime due to subsidence, and we could end up moving to the outskirts of Liushan. But I still have to work—I've rented a shop in the Trade Center, and it takes an hour by bus just to get there one way. If I were to move into the apartment you currently live in near the Trade Center, people would gossip about a father-in-law and daughter-in-law living together. How about this—let's swap apartments?"
The old man said, "Renting a place nearby isn't expensive. Why swap with me? Renting costs only a few hundred a month—can't you afford that?"
Little White Sable said, "I spent ten years with your son and gained nothing. My best years are behind me, and now I have to support myself alone. Isn't there anyone in your family who can step in? Besides, when you grow old one day, who will take care of you and handle your funeral arrangements? Is your nephew closer to you or your own son? Even though your son is gone, shouldn't your daughter-in-law still look after you? Who are you saving that apartment for anyway? Does it absolutely have to stay in your family name?"
The old man was also afraid—afraid that when that day came, no one would care for him. So he took his daughter-in-law to update the property deed. However, the old man still had two bank cards and one securities exchange account. One was his salary card, which he used for daily expenses. The other was a fixed savings card with two hundred thousand yuan in it. These three accounts, the old man kept tightly locked away—he hadn't told anyone about them.
After crying for three minutes, Little White Sable settled the funeral arrangements with Zhang Dexu, keeping everything simple. Then she called her lover and rushed to the bank with the hospital's death certificate to withdraw the money.
The bank teller said, "Do you have the password? If you do, you could withdraw the money directly from an ATM—no need to tell me. If you don't have the password, then having the death certificate and household register is useless. Besides, you two are on separate household registers. Even if you were on the same one, it wouldn't help. You need to go to the notary office or the court to get an inheritance certificate. You'll have to gather everyone in the family who has inheritance rights."
Little White Sable thought, "If I bring all those wolves and tigers in his family together, what chance would I have?" Just then, the hospital called and said, "Who exactly is in charge in your family? The deceased's brother and nephew are here. They want to take the old man's body to the funeral home, but you were the one who signed as the family member at admission. Hurry back—your family needs to decide among yourselves."Little White Sable rushed back to the hospital immediately, only to find her husband’s elder brother’s son, her husband’s younger brother, and her husband’s niece—the entire extended family—had all gathered there, insisting on arranging the old man’s funeral. The two groups stood off tensely at the emergency room entrance. Little White Sable said, "I’ve been the one taking care of the old man all along, right up to his final days. Why have you all suddenly shown up to handle the funeral?"
The eldest nephew retorted, "Don’t think I don’t know—my uncle’s payroll card has at least three hundred thousand in it, and you haven’t even mentioned it. All these years, we’ve done our filial duty too. We’ve looked after his daily needs—he ate, drank, and lived at our place, and I took care of everything. And don’t think we in the Lao Du family don’t know you’re seeing someone else. How can the Lao Du family’s money end up in an outsider’s pocket? Besides, you’ve already changed the name on the property deed, so what were you doing at the old house anyway?"
Little White Sable replied, "I was just bringing groceries to my dad."
The young niece sneered, "Who knows what you were really doing? The old man was lonely, and you went to cheer him up, didn’t you?"
Little White Sable shot back, "Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never had a moment’s happiness since I married into your Lao Du family."
The niece retorted, "What’s wrong with a daughter-in-law cheering up her father-in-law? What’s got you so worked up? You’re seeing someone else now, so stop acting like you’re still part of the Lao Du family—you’re not anymore."
Liu Zhengliang watched from the sidelines. Just then, Ai San walked over and said, "See this? Today’s deal will earn me enough for a car. Believe it or not?"
Of course, Liu Zhengliang didn’t believe it. This family clearly didn’t have much money—how could they possibly pay Ai San over three hundred thousand for a funeral? But Ai Chen, standing nearby, chuckled and said, "Don’t doubt it. My dad has been in this business for years—he knows how to snatch meat right out of the mouths of wolves. Look at these people’s eyes—they’re bloodshot, seeing money everywhere. After being poor most of their lives, they’ve suddenly come into unexpected wealth, and this is how they act."
After the father and daughter discussed for half a minute, Ai San pulled Little White Sable and her lover aside into a corner of the hospital. Ai San asked, "Do you know how much money your father-in-law had in total?"
Little White Sable said, "I’m not sure of the exact amount, but there’s about one hundred eighty to ninety thousand in his payroll card—the whole family knows that. There’s another three hundred thousand in a savings account—I only found out when I saw the deposit slip. And there’s a securities account opening form, but I don’t know what he bought or how much."
Ai San explained to her, "Why do they want to handle the funeral? Legally, you do have some inheritance rights, but haven’t his relatives been bringing rice, oil, and other supplies during holidays and visits? His nephews, nieces, and brother all have inheritance rights too—theirs are based on blood relations. If you take them to court, at most you’ll get one share, while the others will divide the rest among themselves."
Unsure if Ai San was right, Little White Sable glanced at her lover, who nodded and confirmed that Ai San’s explanation was in line with the law. Little White Sable then asked Ai San, "So what should I do?"Ai San said, "I don't give advice for free, but I won't extort money from you either—that's not my style. Listen to me: give the old man a grand funeral. Have sixty-four carriers of paper cattle and horses, a three-zhang-three tall pile of white paper, a twenty-one-member band playing for three days and three nights, a Phoebe wood cinerary casket, and a gravesite facing south with mountains to the left and a river to the right. The whole package will cost a hundred thousand. With such a lavish send-off, who could possibly object? People are all the same—they envy those who have and mock those who lack. Since you're spending the money, they can't stop you; it's not their money, so what right do they have to interfere? But you must make it clear: whoever handles the funeral arrangements decides how the money is spent."
Ai San then explained his plan to Little White Sable. Having been in this business for years, he'd seen off no fewer than eight thousand people. When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out—and when the light dies, people's hearts often darken too. He'd witnessed it all: whose desires were justified, whose weren't—it was impossible to judge, and he had no interest in judging.
Little White Sable gathered the whole family and declared, "I was the one who signed for Old Man Du's emergency hospital treatment, so I'll take charge of the funeral. Without my signature, who among you can claim the body? Since I'm in charge, here's my decision: after deducting funeral expenses from the old man's savings, the remainder will be split equally among all households."
Her young nephew immediately questioned, "What if the funeral director you hired takes kickbacks?"
Little White Sable replied, "You're welcome to check market prices. If the cost exceeds standard rates, I'll cover the difference out of my own pocket."
In the clamor of self-interest, everyone acquiesced once they learned they'd receive a share. Little White Sable brought the family to a notary office, where they signed a notarized authorization granting her full control over the funeral arrangements. Then she led them to the bank with Old Man Du's salary card to transfer the funds—revealing a balance of 180,000 yuan.
After securing the notarized document, Little White Sable gave 100,000 to Ai San for the funeral expenses. She distributed 25,000 to each household, keeping only 5,000 for herself. She explained that since she'd already inherited the old man's house, she would take less cash. The family, pacified by the money, resumed their facade of harmonious relations. Still, the young niece remained suspicious and investigated funeral pricing—discovering that the gravesite alone cost over 40,000. Concluding there was little profit to be gained, she felt content with her 25,000 share. The cousins even felt a twinge of guilt, sensing they'd taken advantage of their widowed sister-in-law.
The mourning shed stood vigil with white silk and black cloth, adorned with thirty-three wreaths lining the courtyard wall. For three full days, suona horns and erhu melodies filled the air, accompanied by the lively rhythms of Errenzhuan folk performances.
As the saying goes:
Ten years to master the flute, a century for the xiao,
But the erhu's voice soars higher than the sky.
A millennium for the pipa, ten thousand years for the zheng,
Yet only the suona can command life's final sigh.
At first, you misunderstand its mournful cry,
By the time you comprehend, in the coffin you lie.
Gongs and drums clamor through half a lifetime's strife,
One blast of the suona—the curtain falls on life.
The melody plays, the shroud is spread,
Kin young and old await the feast ahead.
Beer flows here, baijiu there,
They vomit, then return to their chairs.
On the day of the funeral procession, grandeur unfolded: seventeen black Audis followed the Great Lincoln hearse, circling the First Oil Refinery three times. Ai San stood through the sunroof of the lead car, chanting:
"The moon is bright, the stars are sparse, southward the magpies fly;
Three times they circle the tree—where shall they rely?
Mountains never tire of height, nor seas of depth;
Old Du returns to earth—let none weep with breath."Once the urn was placed in the tomb chamber, sealed with a marble slab, and closed, the gathering dispersed. Little White Sable settled the final payment with Ai San, who then told Ai Chen, "Drive your aunt to run some errands." Little White Siao went to the bank, produced her savings card and the notarized certificate, and transferred 200,000 yuan. Ai Chen thought the matter was concluded, but unexpectedly, Little White Sable then headed to the securities market. She emerged half an hour later, beaming with excitement, and exclaimed, "Your father is truly clever! Without his advice, I would have suffered a huge loss. Ah, my father-in-law—stingy his whole life—only today did I realize that the Kweichow Moutai stock he bought in 2005, if he'd given it to me earlier, I would have treated him even better!"
Ai Chen casually asked, "How much did the old man buy?"
Little White Sable didn’t answer directly. Instead, she took off her coat and changed the subject, saying, "It’s really getting hot. You can’t wear sable in spring—I’m sweating all over."
That evening, Ai Chen returned home and asked Ai San, "How could you let her get her hands on so much money herself?"
Ai San replied, "Do you think there’s a single decent person in their family? Anyone filial? Anyone with a shred of humanity? No. So, we used a salary card as bait to make them think the gain wasn’t that big, and with the funeral expenses to cover, what if the money fell short? Who would make up the difference? As long as there’s money to be had, no one wants extra trouble. Once that notarized certificate was signed, Little White Sable became the legal sole heir, and those relatives had no idea how much the old man really had. By doing this, your dad not only made some money but also kept the whole family happy. Even if people have poor character, you can’t just sentence them to death. In business, it’s about making the client comfortable while turning a profit—that’s enough. Think about it: that old man has such a fine gravesite and a beautiful tombstone, but will anyone ever visit his grave? Will anyone burn paper offerings for him on Qingming Festival? For most people, emotional ties last only three generations. Beyond that, you’ve never even met them—how can there be any feeling left? So, you and Liu Zhengliang need to hurry up. If necessary, just win him over, get pregnant, and have a child. For me, a grandson would do—someone to burn incense and tend my grave, so I’m remembered after I’m gone. Isn’t that better? Otherwise, look at us ordinary folks: we won’t make it into history books, we can’t sing or act in movies. If we leave nothing behind in this world, who will remember us besides our own children?"
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