Love Me in Another Universe

Chapter 110. Alone Together (2)

March 17, 2002, Sunday Guan Xuchen and his mother went to the Guangzhou Crematorium to pay respects to his deceased father. Guan Xuchen was confused at first as to why they weren't waiting until the Qingming Festival. Mrs. Guan explained it was because of the traditional custom that a family member recently passed away had to be honored before the Qingming Festival.

With more than half a month still to go until Qingming, there were not many people at the crematorium to pay their respects, so Guan Xuchen and his mother quickly found an empty memorial table. Mrs. Guan told Guan Xuchen to fetch his father's urn from the columbarium, while she began laying out various offerings on the table: roasted pork, cakes, fresh fruit, and "sha weng", a type of Chinese style doughnuts.

After Guan Xuchen brought the urn back, Mrs. Guan told him to place it behind the incense burner on the memorial table and open the lid half-way. She then inserted lit incense sticks and candles into the incense burner and poured wine into the three plastic shot cups already arranged on the table.

When all the offerings were ready, Mrs. Guan clasped her hands together, bowed three times to her husband's urn, and murmured softly, "Ah Wei, Xuchen and I have come to see you. May your spirit in Heaven bless us with good health and smooth sailing in all things; bless Xuchen to graduate successfully, land a good job, and find a wonderful wife soon."

After finishing her prayer, Mrs. Guan said to Guan Xuchen, "You say a few words to Dad too, and ask for his blessings."

Guan Xuchen then clasped his hands together, bowed three times to his father's urn, and said, "Dad, please bless Mom and me with good health and all the best in everything we do. Most of all, please bless me to get high scores in my IELTS exam this month and my TEM-8 exam next month."

When they had both finished praying, Mrs. Guan told her son to pour the wine from the shot cups onto the ground, then refill them with fresh wine. They then sat down on the bench facing the memorial table, each taking a mandarin orange to eat as they chatted casually.

Mrs. Guan glanced at her husband's urn, then said to her son pointedly, "Xuchen, why did you only ask Dad to bless your exams? Why didn't you ask him to bless you with a good job after graduation?"

"There's still more than a year until I graduate..." Guan Xuchen explained. "Right now, exams are definitely the most important thing."

"That's true." Mrs. Guan said earnestly, "But you shouldn't only focus on your studies. You need to think about your personal life too. Hurry up and find a girlfriend to date."

Guan Xuchen replied with a quiet "Oh", then turned to stare at his father's urn, saying nothing.

"Xuchen, there are so many pretty girls in the School of Foreign Languages. Isn't there anyone you like?" Mrs. Guan pressed on with a hopeful smile, "Or do you already have a girlfriend and just haven't told me?"

Guan Xuchen turned back, gave an awkward smile, and replied, "Mom, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Guan looked a little disappointed. She glanced at her husband's urn and urged her son earnestly, "You really need to try harder. You have to work hard to answer the three questions Dad asked you before he passed away."

Guan Xuchen responded with another soft "Oh", then smiled and said, "Mom, but right now I just want to focus on acing the IELTS and the TEM-8."

Mrs. Guan nodded helplessly. After a moment, she seemed to think of something, a trace of worry crossing her face as she asked, "Xuchen, the IELTS is for studying abroad, isn't it? You're taking the IELTS—you're not planning to go abroad, are you?"

Guan Xuchen fell silent for two seconds, then forced a smile and replied, "No, Mom. A high IELTS score will also make it easier to find a good job."

"That's a relief." Mrs. Guan seemed to let out a long breath. She then sighed softly, gazing at her husband's urn as if speaking to herself, "If you're going to take the postgraduate entrance exam, Mom can tough it out for another two or three years. But if you're going abroad... I really don't have the means for that..."