Starting a new chapter in life

Her career had always been smooth sailing, but her love life hadn't progressed much. Later, she met Cheng Heng by chance. She was quite attracted to his looks, so she acquiesced when he got close to her. Although she never expected that the two of them would get married, things were actually quite good after they got married. At least, she never regretted it.

Even though his father is a terrible person, he's a decent grandfather. At least his son hasn't suffered much while living with them. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the family's darling.

I was busy filming, he was busy running his company, and his half-sister was busy having fun and spending money. Everyone had their own role, which was fine.

The pandemic came unexpectedly. It was my mother who reminded me to be prepared to be trapped. She prepared everything, including bringing Cheng Heng with her. But I never expected that my mother, who told me to be careful, would be the one to get infected and not survive the pandemic.

When the devastating news came, I had just video-chatted with my mother two or three days earlier. She had been coughing the whole time, and I thought she had just caught a cold. Little did I know that this would be the last time my mother and I would see each other.

Later, I wondered more than once why my mother wouldn't tell us her true physical condition when she was so unwell. But it wasn't until I became a grandmother that I seemed to understand my mother's thoughts.

She would rather her loved ones remember her than suffer with her, especially the guilt of not being able to be by her side. She didn't want us to bear that, so she chose to shoulder it alone. That's how great a mother's love is.

After Mom passed away, my brother and I were very worried about Dad. They were the people he had lived with the longest. We did consider finding him another companion, just like Mom said in her message.

I hope Dad won't be sad for too long. It would be good for him to have someone to keep him company. My brother and I wouldn't object, but Dad himself doesn't want to. Fortunately, there's Uncle Shen. He's been single his whole life, so he can keep Dad company in his old age, which is not bad.

The two old men travel together, become onlookers at film studios, and occasionally even act as extras. They live a pretty enjoyable life, but it's a bit complicated when others misunderstand their sexual orientation.

Fortunately, they don't mind, and we, as the younger generation, mind even less. We're all at this age; happiness is the most important thing. My brother and I will often go back to visit them when we have time, and occasionally we'll bring the children back to keep them entertained.

Surprisingly, the grandparents who doted on us when we were young don't like children. They even find them too noisy. When talking about our childhood, they said that because there were many children, we were mostly raised in a free-range manner.

They don't stay home much, so the house is relatively quiet. Well, since they don't want to be the kings of the kids, we try not to bring them back. But our two families' kids like to come to see their grandpa/grandpa. It's like fate; the more you don't want something, the more it comes to you. It's hard to say.

I originally thought that my father and Uncle Shen would at least see their children get married and have children, but things didn't go as planned. In just five years, Uncle Shen passed away, and less than a year later, my father also passed away, leaving my brother and me as orphans.

When we buried our parents together, my eyes were swollen from crying. My brother was better at hiding his emotions than I was, but his bloodshot eyes told me that all we had left was our small family. The family that had our parents was now broken up.

Later, my unreliable father-in-law passed away. My stepmother-in-law was very good to my son, so she kept him in the old house to take care of him. I never saw her cry when my father-in-law passed away, and her grief didn't last long.

I'm the kind of person who can't keep things to myself, and after holding back for a few times, I finally blurted out, "Auntie, aren't you sad? Cheng Heng is your father-in-law's ex-wife's child. Why are you so calm about accepting him back and even handing the company over to him?"

The mother-in-law laughed and said, "Throughout our lives, we've been more like business partners than husband and wife. What attracted me to him, besides his looks, was his work ability. I'm an only child, and like your sister, I have no talent for business."

If we were to marry, my family's company would eventually fall into my husband's hands, and I wouldn't be able to protect it. Whether I could live a peaceful life was uncertain. My father didn't want his life's work to benefit someone else, so he chose him because he was capable but lacked connections.

My dad said that although he is ambitious, he is also very capable. Among all the grassroots managers in our company, he is the most capable. Moreover, he is a person with a conscience. At least, he shouldn't do anything despicable that undermines our company.

See, my dad's judgment was right. He really wronged Cheng Heng's mother; abandoning one's wife and children is no good. But at least he didn't go to extremes to curry favor with my family. Actually, I knew about their existence.

But as the company's heir, I was selfish once. My family gave him compensation when he got divorced. Although it was immoral, who isn't selfish? So when I learned that my daughter wasn't talented enough to shoulder the burden of the entire group, this child was the one I thought of.

At that time, I really didn't know that his mother had passed away. When I took him home, I made my point clear as soon as possible. All I wanted was for him to guarantee that my daughter would live a wealthy and worry-free life for the rest of her life, and that the company name could not be changed. Everything else was up to him.

I'm not trying to whitewash myself here. I admit I'm not a good person, but I'm not malicious either. Cheng Heng has given and received; we have a mutually beneficial relationship, so there's no grudge between us.

"Your son is adorable. My own daughter is unreliable; I don't even know if she'll be able to have children in this lifetime. This child is my own grandson, and I won't mistreat him. You're both busy with work, so even after your father-in-law passes away, you can rest assured that I'll raise the child for you."

As someone from an ordinary family, I really don't understand the thinking of these rich people, but since it's actually beneficial to us, how could I refuse? With my doubts resolved, my interactions with her naturally became more harmonious afterward.

Before she passed away, she requested to be buried next to her parents. As for her father-in-law, she said she wanted to return him to Cheng Heng's mother so that the couple could be buried together. After all, in her heart, her father-in-law was just a legally employed man and not her husband.

Cheng Heng agreed, but judging from his expression, I think he was quite reluctant to have his parents buried together. Sure enough, my guess was right. Although the former couple were buried in the same cemetery, in adjacent graves, they were not buried together in the end.

Cheng Heng meant that it would be better for the two of them to remain neighbors and be buried together, as he was afraid it would defile his mother's path to reincarnation. I wholeheartedly agreed.

Cheng Heng's younger sister may be a bit domineering, but she's not a bad person at heart; she's just spoiled.

Perhaps because he had never experienced the hardship of being poor since childhood, he had no attachment to his maternal grandfather's company. As long as he didn't lack money, that was enough. Therefore, he and Cheng Heng had always had a good relationship.

However, this young lady had never seen the harsh realities of the world. After encountering several men who were either from humble backgrounds or lived off women, she lost her passion for love, though she didn't erase her inherent attraction to good looks.

Throughout my life, I've had serious relationships, and I've also kept some younger men as lovers. Well, I actually picked up a few of them at parties I attended.

However, as long as she doesn't do anything reckless, I can't interfere too much. I can only remind her to pay attention to hygiene and safety. Fortunately, this child listens to advice and has had a smooth life for most of her life.

Sometimes I can't help but advise her that if she doesn't want to get married, she could find someone with excellent genes for a short-lived romance where the father is removed but the child remains. But this young lady is afraid of pain and hardship, so she's unwilling. Pointing at my son, she says:

“It’s not bad to treat a nephew like a son. If we raise him well, he can inherit my brother’s company when he grows up. The shares I hold will be hers after I’m gone, and I won’t have to suffer that hardship.”

My son isn't one to be modest either, and he readily replied, "Auntie, don't worry, I'll take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die, and I'll take over the family business."

This teenager had quite the ambition, but since he was so confident in himself, starting at sixteen, his days of play and leisure were gone forever. His father made him work as an intern at a company.

Sometimes when he comes to me hesitantly and trying to be cute, I ask him, "Didn't you agree that your aunt shouldn't have children and that you would inherit the family business in the future? Since you made that promise, my dear son, you have to see it through to the end."

Fortunately, the young man lived up to expectations. He officially started taking over projects during his university years and took over the company after graduation. Cheng Heng finally retired honorably at the age of 63, while I had already retired long before that.

I officially retired around the age of fifty-three. After that, ignoring Cheng Heng's resentful, abandoned face, I wandered around with Xiao Xiao, who had long since retired from acting. Occasionally, I would go to the film set to check on things. Sometimes, when she felt like acting, Xiao Xiao would even make a cameo appearance as an empress dowager, grandmother, or old lady, and I would act as her assistant. Life was pretty good.

After my husband and I retired one after the other, our trip for two turned into a gathering of four. Throughout my life, I have many friends, but only Lu Xiaoxiao has been with me from beginning to end. This is a bond that has lasted since childhood.

The pace of social progress is too fast, and we are all falling behind the times. AI, robots, electronic brains... are being used more and more widely in production and manufacturing, replacing at least half of the workforce, and the younger generation has many more ideas.

Back then, marriage and divorce were quite common. Now, they're not even interested in marriage anymore. Talk about feelings? They'd rather talk about money. I don't understand, but I respect that. My son has also warned me about this.

"Mom, if I don't want to get married or have children, please don't pressure me to get married or have children. Even if you want to have grandchildren, I don't want to find someone to have children with."

Why does this sound so familiar? I remember now, I think I said the same thing to my mother back then. At that time, my mother just smiled at me and nodded: "Okay, Zhizhi doesn't have to get married if she doesn't want to, but if she meets someone she wants to marry, she must bring him home for us to check him out."

So I smiled gently and nodded: "Okay, if you don't want to get married, then don't. But if you meet a girl you want to marry, you must bring her back for your dad and me to check on. I don't want a troublemaker in the house. Although I won't live with you, I don't want to be annoyed by her."

Seeing my son's satisfied smile, I thought, "This is great. I don't have to worry or meddle, and my son isn't upset or frustrated. Everyone's at ease. Being a parent who can let go is such a happy thing!"

Cheng Heng completely abandoned the company, so we couldn't stay any longer and went back to Haishi to visit our hometown. Our home on Changxing Island was well-maintained; my third aunt lived there until she passed away, and then we rented it out.

He Jin'an gave me this house. The two-story house my mother left me had long been demolished as part of a government project, and we had no right to interfere. Given the option of taking the money or exchanging it for a new house, I chose the money.

I'm still struggling with what to do with this apartment. It's really old, so I ended up selling it through a real estate agent. The older generation is gone, and the place has long lost its former warmth. Keeping it would just be a waste of energy. I'll be living in Beijing permanently from now on, so I'll just get rid of it.

Afterwards, I went to Yangzhou to pay respects at the graves of my parents, Uncle Shen, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents. Over the years, the area around this hill has been renovated twice: once with the construction of a wall and once with the replacement of the main gate.

As I left, a breeze picked up in the cemetery. The gentle breeze brushed against my cheek, like my mother's hand softly stroking the stray hairs by my cheek. Tears that I hadn't shed in years suddenly welled up uncontrollably, and my nose stung. I turned back and looked at the tombstone again, meeting my mother's smiling eyes in her photo, gentle and loving.

I later returned to Beijing and occasionally went back to the Beijing Film Academy to give a few guest lectures. After all, my many years of directing experience could help the younger generation and help them avoid some detours.

Cheng Heng probably overworked himself in his early years and passed away at the age of seventy-eight. I buried him peacefully, placing him in the same cemetery as his mother. Of course, I bought a double grave, so I will be buried with him in the future.

It seems that once you reach a certain age, all you can talk about are things that will happen after death. But I don't feel too sad. After all, I've seen so many people around me pass away, and my ability to bear it has become much stronger.

On the contrary, my son was crying his eyes out. I felt disgusted just looking at him. "Alright, everyone gets old eventually. You can still cry for us now, but if you don't get married and have children, you might not even have anyone to cry for you when it's your turn. Have you thought it through?"

Son… “I’ve thought it through. When I can’t work anymore, I’ll sell the company, donate part of it, and keep the rest for my retirement. I don’t plan to hire a caregiver; I’ll just go straight to a high-class nursing home. As long as the money is right, life will be wonderful. As for when I die, they won’t let me rot away, will they?”

I admire his spirit; he didn't care about what happened after his death while he was alive, and he truly lived up to that.

“Your idea is fine, but don’t even think about sending your aunt and me to a nursing home.” I don’t want to chat with a bunch of old people.

"Don't worry, you have me. Someone will definitely take care of you until the very end," the son promised.

Of course, he did not break his promise. At least when I passed away, he was the one by my bedside. I closed my eyes with a smile. Well, what can one care about what happens after death? A peaceful return is the right path.