Chapter 41 – Visiting the Cemetery
Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Over a month later, it was Song Jin’s mother’s birthday. So, he went to the cemetery.
Before passing away, his mother told Song Jin that she never really celebrated her birthday while she was alive. She asked him to visit her on her birthday if he wanted to pay his respects, rather than on the anniversary of her death.
So, Song Jin only ever went to the cemetery on his mother’s birthday. The cemetery was on the other side of the mountain. His maternal grandparents were also buried there. Although it was a bit desolate, Song Jin knew his mother would be at peace there because her parents were close by.
This year, there seemed to be more rain than usual. The entire early spring had been wet and cold. Today was slightly better; it didn’t rain in the morning. Song Jin took an umbrella and some joss paper. He put them on his electric scooter and headed out.
The electric scooter was second-hand, bought from a villager not long ago for just a few hundred yuan. If it broke down, he wouldn’t feel bad about it. It was useful for occasional outings. The continuous cold rain often made his injured leg ache. But having the electric scooter made things more convenient.
In the past month since Song Xinglan left, people had come and gone at his place. They changed the air conditioner, the water heater, and even made a luxurious and warm cat house for Grapefruit. Eventually, Song Jin stopped letting people in, telling them to leave because he didn’t need their help.
He really didn’t need it. During the three years when Song Xinglan wasn’t around, he lived just fine on his own. Later, when the amnesiac Song Xinglan barged into his life, things got chaotic again once he regained his memory. Song Jin didn’t want to go through that mess again.
He had said everything he needed to say and made his stance clear. He really didn’t have the energy to continue this anymore.
As soon as he arrived at the cemetery, it started raining. Song Jin squatted in front of his mother’s grave, holding an umbrella, watching the burning flames. He noticed that others, when paying their respects, had a lot to say to the tombstone—things like how the family had been doing well recently, asking for blessings for the coming year, or even requesting a dream for the lottery…
Song Jin didn’t know what to say. His face felt a bit warm from the fire. Raindrops pounded on the umbrella. He looked at the black-and-white photo on the tombstone, remained silent for a while, and then said, “Mom, I’m doing okay now. Song Xinglan is doing well too. His company has gone public.”
“In a while, I’m planning to move back to the city. I will rent an apartment and focus on preparing for the exam. Once I pass, I’ll come back and tell you.”
“That day, I said a lot to him. I don’t even know why I said those things. It didn’t feel like me. But I felt I had to say it, to be decisive, to be clear, and to make Song Xinglan think things through.”
“If you knew about what happened between him and me… you’d probably scold me to death. I never dared to tell you before.”
“Song Xinglan is not a good brother. And I’m not a good brother either.” Song Jin paused. “How could a normal brother do such things with his own brother… I used to convince myself that they were not the same person. But thinking about it, even if he lost his memory, he was still my brother. I was indeed wrong.”
The rain fell harder and harder. The spreading water on the ground extinguished the flames, leaving only a hazy smoke. Song Jin stood up. The heavy rain blurred everything into a white haze, accompanied by the dense sound of raindrops. The sky was dark and coldness enveloped everything.
He thoroughly stamped out the ashes, then left by the small path, going down a small hill to where his electric scooter was parked.
Song Jin had expected that a second-hand electric scooter might not be very durable. But he hadn’t expected it to be this bad. After just a few minutes in the rain, it completely stopped working. He didn’t know if the battery got wet or if there was another issue, but it was definitely unusable.
There was still quite a distance from here to the foot of the hill and the path was all muddy. There was also a long way from the foot of this hill to the foot of the next hill. With the rain pouring so heavily, if he walked home, his leg would be ruined.
The umbrella trembled under the beating rain. Song Jin thought for a moment and then went back up the hill. There was a small pavilion where he could take shelter for a while.
The sky grew even darker, surrounded by towering trees, with the gloomy cemetery on the other side. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t afraid. Song Jin put away the umbrella, leaned against a pillar, and squatted down. He took out his phone, intending to ask a villager he was on good terms with to come and get him. But to his surprise, the phone had lost signal.
When one is unlucky, misfortunes never come singly. Song Jin sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. The rain grew even heavier. It blew through the pavilion, wetting his body and face. The wind was cold and the surroundings were filled with its howling. Song Jin buried his face in his knees. His shoes were already wet and his pant legs were wet too. They were clinging to his calves. It was cold and it was painfully piercing into his skin.
Forget it, Song Jin comforted himself. Compared to other things that had happened, this was just a small matter.
But just staying like this wasn’t a solution either. It was already late afternoon. If the rain kept going, he couldn’t possibly spend the night squatting here.
Song Jin slowly stood up. Having squatted for so long, his leg hurt. He took a few steps, struggling to open the umbrella. He had no choice but to walk back. Maybe he would come across a vehicle on the way, depending on his luck.
Leaving the pavilion, Song Jin carefully walked down the slope. The electric scooter was still there in the rain, looking very forlorn.
But Song Jin could barely take care of himself right now and had no time to worry about it.
He hadn’t walked far when his foot got caught on a thin vine, causing him to stumble and fall to one knee. One elbow hit the ground while his palm pressed onto some gravel. The umbrella was crushed and deformed.
Raindrops pounded down on him. Song Jin gasped and tried to stand up. But his knee hurt too much. He could only manage to get the umbrella upright first. At this point, he didn’t have the energy to lament his misfortune. Using one leg to support his body, he carefully stood up.
The wind suddenly picked up again, whistling through the trees and making eerie noises. The umbrella in Song Jin’s hand wobbled left and right. The sky seemed to grow darker, and a heavy sense of panic rose in his heart. Song Jin hobbled forward, forcing himself not to look around and to keep moving.
But once a thought takes hold, the more you try to suppress it, the harder it is to escape. Song Jin kept his head down, trying hard to control his gaze. But his peripheral vision kept catching glimpses of things—the swaying trees, indistinct dark shapes in the rain, and he even started to feel like something was following him.
The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him as he limped down the slope. He couldn’t keep the umbrella steady and he was getting soaked through. He didn’t dare stop, desperately trying to escape in his dishevelled state.
Just when his heart was pounding with fear, he heard the faint sound of a car approaching in the distance. His vision brightened as he turned his head and saw a car coming up the mountain road. The headlights were bright. The wheels were churning through the mud, heading straight toward him.
Although he couldn’t see the person inside the car, for some reason, Song Jin instinctively felt it was Song Xinglan.
Instantly, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Song Jin stood there as the Cayenne stopped two metres away. Its clean body now splattered with mud. The driver’s door opened and Song Xinglan stepped out. He opened a black umbrella and walked through the wet mud toward him.
In the dim light, Song Xinglan’s face took on a different quality. Even though this person had been his inner demon in the past, Song Jin had to admit that at this moment, his brother gave him a sense of security he had never felt before.
Song Jin had experienced a sense of security before, during simple moments like being with friends or cuddling with his cat, Grapefruit, in his room. But this was the first time he felt something similar coming from Song Xinglan.
For a brief moment, Song Jin remembered the night Grapefruit went missing, when Song Xinglan had walked toward him through the rain just like this.
Song Xinglan reached Song Jin, took the misshapen umbrella from his hand, and tossed it aside. Then he moved his own umbrella to cover Song Jin and looked at his foot, frowning slightly. “Did you fall?”
It seemed like a long time since Song Jin had heard his voice. He nodded, “Yes.”
“Get to the car.” Song Xinglan supported Song Jin’s shoulder and asked in a low voice, “Can you walk?”
“I can,” Song Jin said.
Song Xinglan held Song Jin’s arm, almost lifting him to reduce the pressure on his foot. They walked to the car together. Song Xinglan opened the back door and Song Jin looked at his muddy shoes and the messy path beneath him. “Your car…”
“Get in,” Song Xinglan said. “Don’t worry about the car.”
Song Jin was helped into the back seat by Song Xinglan, who then put away the umbrella and got into the driver’s seat. However, after starting the car, he found that the tires were stuck in the mud and couldn’t move.
Although both the car and the electric scooter were immobile, the car at least had a roof, allowing them to shelter from the rain.
After trying a few times and confirming that the car couldn’t get out, Song Xinglan got out and moved to the back seat. He picked up a bag nearby and said, “Change your clothes.”
Inside were a towel, a T-shirt, a sweater, a pair of pants, and a pair of socks.
With the car’s heater on, Song Jin used a tissue to wipe the water from his face and said, “It’s okay. I’ll be fine after sitting for a while.”
“Take them off,” Song Xinglan said, looking at him with a tone that brooked no argument. “Let’s see how bad the fall was.”
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*Author’s Note: Burning paper money was just for setting the mood. I hope no one criticises Song Jin for this… -McChicken
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*Translator’s Note: I’ve postponed watching dramas, playing games, and correcting my thesis to translate this novel. I’ve sacrificed so much but I have no regrets because I love what I’m doing. I hope the passion won’t die down any time soon. -K
Next update: -Daily-
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