Chapter 64: A House Full of Children and Grandchildren, A Peaceful Farewell

Time flowed like soft water, trickling through the dream year after year at a leisurely pace. There were no stormy waves, only the steady and warm flow of a long stream, brewing ordinary days into something mellow and sweet. After Grandmother passed away peacefully, the family tucked their deepest yearnings properly into their hearts, and life continued to move slowly forward toward a warm and bright direction.

His parents slowly aged with time; their bodies were no longer upright, and their legs were slightly slow, but their spirits remained vigorous, their brows filled with the tranquility and contentment of enjoying their twilight years. Every morning, the two elderly people would support each other as they walked slowly through the neighborhood, basking in the warmth of the rising sun. In the afternoon, they would sit in soft chairs on the balcony, flipping through thick stacks of family photos—from Chen Mo’s youthful appearance to little Anan’s clumsy toddler steps, and then to the smiling faces of the family reunion. Every photo held endless joy and peace of mind. The hardships of running around the fields for half their lives and the worries of being concerned for their children were all transformed into the most solid warmth in their hearts during these stable years of having plenty to eat and wear with children and grandchildren around them, with no trace of past fatigue or sorrow.

Chen Mo and Zhao Xiaoling also went from the high-spirited youths of those years to middle-aged partners with frost-touched temples. Time carved shallow fine lines at the corners of their eyes and wore thin calluses from life onto their palms, but the tacit understanding when they smiled at each other and the tenderness of their interlaced fingers never diminished by half due to the passage of time. From walking together bashfully on rural ridges to standing side by side in city high-rises; from doing their best as children to fulfill their filial duties to carefully nurturing as parents, they had weathered storms together for half their lives and spent every day and night as companions. They had long since carved each other into their bones and blood, becoming the most irreplaceable and inseparable support in their lives. On ordinary days, Chen Mo would return home early after work to help his wife manage household affairs and chat with his parents; Zhao Xiaoling kept the home warm and tidy and took meticulous care of the elderly. One house, two people, three meals, four seasons—it was plain but full of peace.

Little Anan, who was once a waddling, soft, and cute toddler, had long since grown into a tall, handsome, and elegant young man under the love and guidance of the whole family. He perfectly inherited Chen Mo’s steadiness and Zhao Xiaoling’s kindness and gentleness. After more than ten years of hard study, he did not fail the family’s expectations, completing his studies with excellent grades and successfully entering the workplace, growing into an upright, responsible, and grateful man. Once his job was stable, Anan happily brought back a gentle, sensible, and well-behaved girlfriend. The girl had clear eyes and treated people sincerely. As soon as she entered the house, she thoughtfully accompanied the elders in conversation and helped with small chores. When the family saw her, everyone was full of joy and recognized her as their future daughter-in-law from the bottom of their hearts.

Amidst sincere blessings and laughter, Anan held a grand wedding. On the wedding day, the decorations were simple yet warm, with red silk hanging lightly and auspicious “Double Happiness” characters on the doors. Close relatives and friends gathered together, and the room was filled with warmth. Chen Mo tightly held Zhao Xiaoling’s hand by his side, looking at his son in his formal suit and high spirits, and at his parents sitting in the seats of honor, unable to close their mouths from laughing. His eyes grew slightly hot, and an indescribable sense of relief and pride surged in his heart. He had finally fulfilled a parent’s most heavy wish, personally watching his child grow up, get married, and start a career, beginning his own happy life. His parents looked at their grandson who had established himself, their faces full of kindness and smiles. Their brows, which had labored for a lifetime, were now full of the fulfillment of sweetness after bitterness.

Not long after the wedding, the family welcomed a tiny life of the fourth generation. A crisp and loud cry broke the silence of the house, adding endless joy and hope to this home that was already full of laughter. Chen Mo and Zhao Xiaoling officially upgraded to grandfather and grandmother, and the elderly parents were also promoted to great-grandfather and great-grandmother. The happy scene of four generations under one roof filled every corner of the house. The bustling “fireworks of life” was the most moving sight in the world. Every day, the thing that made the parents happiest was holding their soft and cute great-grandson, gently teasing him. Hearing the child’s giggling, the wrinkles on the elders’ faces smoothed out, full of contentment and ease. Chen Mo and Zhao Xiaoling took turns looking after the grandson, and the whole family gathered around the tiny life in harmony, so warm that one was reluctant to look away.

In this way, amidst the happiness of children and grandchildren and family reunions, several more years passed steadily. His parents were advanced in age, but they remained free of illness and disaster, with a peaceful state of mind. On a warm afternoon with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze, the two elderly people leaned against each other in soft chairs, basking in the warm sun and listening to the laughter of the grandchildren in the house. They just closed their eyes peacefully and passed away naturally at the end of their long lives, leaving with dignity and serenity, without a trace of pain or a single lingering worry.

Chen Mo suppressed the reluctance and grief in his heart. Following the customs of his hometown, he personally escorted his parents’ coffins back to the rural village of his dreams, burying the two elders together with Grandmother under the lush Old Locust Tree at the village entrance. He let his parents, who had labored all their lives, return to their homeland like leaves returning to their roots, to be accompanied by the green mountains and clear waters and to stay with the land they had cared about all their lives. He knelt before the grave and bowed deeply. Although there was the pain of parting in his heart, there was no longer any regret—in reality, he hadn’t had time to let his parents enjoy a single day of comfort or fulfill even a bit of filial piety; but in this long and gentle dream, he had let the two elders live without worry, spend their later years in peace, see four generations under one roof, and pass away with smiles, fulfilling a child’s most complete and blameless filial duty.

Returning from the farewell to his parents, the afterglow of the setting sun gently spilled into the room, plating everything with a layer of warm gold. Chen Mo gently held Zhao Xiaoling’s hand, which was covered in fine lines but still warm. The two smiled at each other. Half a life of wind and rain, half a life of companionship—thousands of words need not be said.

In this life, from a poor and helpless village youth to the pillar of the whole family; from success in studies to a stable career; from marrying and staying together to raising a child into a talent; from fulfilling filial duties and seeing off elders to watching grandchildren grow up around him. All the wishes he hadn’t had time to realize in reality, all the regrets he couldn’t make up for even with half a lifetime’s effort, and all the unresolved regrets were all fulfilled and made complete one by one in this dream.

Reality Timeline

Inside the small house, the daylight was bright. The morning light gently covered the entire room, dispelling all the past gloom and sorrow, leaving only peace and relief in the room.

Chen Mo still lay there quietly. His breathing had already stopped, and his body was slightly cool, but the smile on his face was peaceful, gentle, and happy to the extreme from beginning to end, as if permanently frozen by time. It was the look of someone who had finished half a life of wind and rain, seen a house full of children and grandchildren, and seen off his parents in their old age, with not a single regret left in this life. It was, in a true sense, tranquility at the end of fulfillment.

His mother sat quietly by the bedside. She hadn’t slept all night, yet her expression was serene. She gently stroked her son’s soft hair, no more tears in her eyes, only complete relief and gratification. She knew very clearly that her child, in another world, had everything he had dreamed of—smooth studies, a stable career, complete love, a harmonious family, filial duty fulfilled, and bloodline passed on. He had finished the most complete, happiest, and most regret-free life.

His father stood at the doorway, looking at the clear and bright sky outside the window. He let out a long sigh of relief. His back, which had been tense for a lifetime, completely relaxed, and a long-absent peaceful smile appeared on his face. All the concerns, expectations, love, and pain of his life were finally all put down at this moment. His son had lived the way he most hoped—upright, stable, happy, and with a complete family.

The entire small house was extremely quiet. There was no sadness, no sighing, only peace, warmth, and complete ease of mind.

The life in reality quietly came to an end in the morning light, with no more lingering worries.

The life in the dream stayed eternally in time, peaceful year after year.

He once came with a body full of hardships and regrets,

Finally, he left with a heart full of warmth and fulfillment.

This life, no regrets.

This world, complete.