Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

Zhao Si looked at his tearful, pitiful daughter-in-law, his heart filled with reluctance and pity. His blood-stained, trembling hands slowly lifted and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. Each touch seemed labored and cautious, as if he feared hurting her.

Zhao Si's voice was as weak as a candle in the wind, and he said intermittently: "Wife, don't be sad. Even if I am gone, we still have our son. He will take good care of you for me." After he finished speaking, his eyes revealed a hint of relief and assurance.

Upon hearing this, the fourth daughter-in-law shuddered violently, as if she had suddenly come to her senses. She murmured in a trembling voice, "Yes... yes, there's still... a son! I'll... go call him over and let him... see you for the last time." As she spoke, she struggled to stand up.

However, Zhao Si held his wife's hand tightly, refusing to let go. He panted and said, "Don't go. Just let me take a good look at you. I'm afraid... if you turn around and leave, I'll never see you again."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Si's wife froze in place as if struck by lightning. Instantly, a piercing pain shot through her body, instantly draining her of all strength. She covered her mouth with her right hand, and an uncontrollable sob escaped through her fingers. "Wu...wu..." Tears streamed out like a flood.

Zhao Siqiang endured the excruciating pain and used his last remaining strength to explain his final plans to his wife. His words were brief but filled with deep affection: "After I...I die...you...please don't suffer any injustice. If you meet the right person, you...just marry another one."

However, Zhao Si's wife desperately shook her head and cried, "No... I won't look for him anymore! There's... there's no one else in this world who can care about me more than you!"

Zhao Si's wife gazed at him affectionately and said softly, "My dear, you don't have to worry about me. Our son has grown up, and in a few years we will be able to marry him a virtuous wife! When his wife gives birth to children, I can live with them peacefully and help you protect this family. By then, we will have a son, a daughter-in-law, and lovely grandchildren in our family. The family will be lively and harmonious. How happy it will be!" As she spoke, a satisfied and longing smile appeared on her face.

Zhao Si listened quietly to his wife's touching words, feeling a surge of guilt. He sighed to himself, "Oh, I'm so old, how could I have become so cheesy?" However, this guilt was compounded by a deep love and gratitude for his wife.

On Thursday, sunlight streamed through the window, bringing a touch of warmth to the room. Zhao Si and his wife sat on the edge of the bed, chattering about family matters. They discussed their son's work, their future daughter-in-law, and how they would care for their children. Though the topics were mundane, every word was filled with a love for life and concern for each other.

But at this moment, Zhao Si suddenly felt something was wrong with his body. His hands, once quite strong, gradually lost their strength, and his breathing became rapid. He realized that his life force was slipping away bit by bit, and his body was gradually growing cold. Although he knew full well that he might soon die, Zhao Si still tried to hold his wife's hand tightly, as if trying to draw a last ray of warmth from that familiar hand.

Zhao Si's wife held her husband's hand tightly. She was horrified to find that the once warm palm was gradually losing its warmth and becoming colder and colder. She was extremely anxious and kept rubbing Zhao Si's body with both hands, trying to pass on the last bit of warmth she had to him, praying that he would not be invaded by the bone-chilling cold.

However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop Zhao Si's body temperature from dropping. Just when she was about to despair, a miracle seemed to happen. Under her daughter-in-law's persistent rubbing, Zhao Si's body trembled slightly, as if a glimmer of life had returned. Then, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, emitting a bright light that pointed directly behind Zhao Si's daughter-in-law.

“Wife…” Zhao Si’s voice was weak and gentle, as if it came from far away. “Don’t… worry… about… Mom and Dad coming… to pick me up… I’m… downstairs… I’ll be… fine… You… must… take… good… care… of… yourself… and… your son… Don’t… worry… about… me…”

Zhao Si's wife looked in the direction her husband pointed, but saw nothing. But when she heard his words, her heart sank into an ice cellar, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"No! No! Zhao Si, you can't leave! We agreed to grow old together!" Zhao Si's wife cried heartbreakingly, hugging Zhao Si's gradually stiffening body tightly, refusing to let go.

Zhao Si's wife hugged the now-warm Zhao Si tightly, as if she were holding the whole world. Meanwhile, I stood there, stunned, like a puppet whose soul had been lost. My body shivered with the cold, but my arms remained tightly wrapped around myself, unwilling to move. My mind was blank, and I just wanted to hold him like this, as if time could stop.

The trembling soldier beside him heard the grief-stricken cries of Zhao Si's wife and knew that Zhao Si might not be able to hold on any longer. However, the soldier watched for a long time, but Zhao Si's wife still stood there motionless like a statue.

Seeing this, the soldier who came to visit Zhao Si's condition slowly stepped forward and softly said to Zhao Si's wife, "Old sister-in-law, it's not a good idea for you to continue like this. Now that he's gone, he must be buried. You can't let him die without peace, right?"

When Zhao Si's wife heard the words "rest in peace", she seemed to be suddenly awakened from chaos and murmured to herself: "That's right... I can't let Zhao Si go without feeling at ease..."

Zhao Si's wife, looking anxious, went to the doctor in the first shop and borrowed a cart from him. Together with the kind soldier, she carefully lifted the seriously injured and unconscious Zhao Si onto the cart. They then found a worn but clean rag and gently covered Zhao Si with it.

The two of them slowly pushed the cart towards Zhao Si's house. Along the way, the soldier tirelessly helped Zhao Si's wife push the cart, while Zhao Si's wife followed closely beside him, occasionally reaching out to hold the car body to ensure that the car could move forward smoothly.

After a long and arduous journey, they finally arrived at Zhao Si's home. Without a word, the soldier bent down, steadily lifted Zhao Si's body from the cart, and carefully placed it on the removed door panel of the main house.

After everything was settled, Zhao Si's wife said to the soldier with a slightly hoarse voice, full of gratitude: "Thank you so much. Without your help, I really don't know what to do..." However, she was too sad at the moment. Even though her heart was full of gratitude, she could hardly cheer up. She just kept repeating the word "thank you".

Faced with the somewhat mechanical thanks from Zhao Si's wife, the soldier did not feel annoyed. Instead, he comforted her softly: "Sister-in-law, don't be too sad. Please accept my condolences. We will definitely catch those assassins as soon as possible and give an explanation to Brother Zhao Si!" After that, he took a deep look at Zhao Si's body, turned around and left the Zhao family, and went to the garrison to wait for further news.

Zhao Si's wife hurried into the house. When she saw the scene inside, she froze in place, as if struck by lightning. Her eyes widened in disbelief—her husband was dead! Uncontrollably, tears welled up in her eyes. She stumbled to the bedside, caressing the once familiar, now lifeless face, her heart aching.

Realizing the need to attend to the funeral, Zhao Si's wife, suppressing her grief, staggered toward her neighbor's house. She knocked gently on the door, and an elderly man in his seventies opened it. He was well-known in the neighborhood for his kindness, often helping his neighbors with weddings and funerals.

Zhao Si's wife said to the old man in a trembling voice: "Uncle, the head of my family...is gone. Can you help me and preside over the funeral for me?" As she spoke, tears couldn't stop flowing.

Upon hearing the tragic news, the old man's face was filled with shock. He couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Wasn't Zhao Si fine yesterday?"

Zhao Si's wife took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and answered with a sob: "He... he was stabbed. When we found out, it was too late and we couldn't save him." After that, she lowered her head, not wanting to mention it anymore.

Seeing how heartbroken Zhao Si's wife was, the old man didn't want to ask any more questions. He quickly replied, "Don't be too sad, child. Accept my condolences. Don't worry, I'll take care of this. I'll notify your relatives and friends to attend the funeral. And your son is at your mother's house now, right? I'll send someone to call him back."

Zhao Si's wife nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you so much, sir." Then, without further delay, she turned and hurried home. She was determined to spend as much time as possible with Zhao Si before he was buried, as if that would make up for the pain and regret of losing him.