After thanking Song Yao for driving her home, Wang Qiqi looped her arm through Han Tao's and strolled leisurely toward the bus stop. "It's cold. Want to take a cab? Your aunt just gave me a generous red envelope," Han Tao suggested, touching Wang Qiqi’s cheek and noticing how cool it felt.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "No, let's walk together. We’re not in a hurry, so why waste money?" It was rare that the two of them had no urgent matters, affording them the luxury of a slow walk. Wang Qiqi didn't want to rush back; besides, there was nothing pressing at home—her luggage was already packed. "How about we go see my parents?" A thought suddenly struck Wang Qiqi. Having taken Han Tao to meet her aunt and uncle today, she felt it was time he met her parents too. Although she had photos of her parents at home, and Han Tao always paid his respects with three bows whenever he visited her place, visiting the gravesite felt different.

"Good," Han Tao agreed without a second thought. "Let's buy some Joss paper and a bouquet of fresh flowers." He had a few words he wanted to share with his future in-laws as well.

The winter graveyard was desolate, especially in the afternoon. Even burials were usually scheduled for the morning, making the entire cemetery feel eerily grim. Han Tao, carrying the items and holding Wang Qiqi's hand, approached the grave of Wang Dajun and his wife with solemn reverence.

Since it wasn't the Qingming Festival yet, weeds choked the gravesite. Even in winter, the dead grass lay flattened on the ground. Wang Qiqi knew that domestic cemeteries were generally like this; one couldn't expect someone to constantly come by and weed. It was considered good enough if they managed to clear the weeds before Qingming and maintain a reasonable state through March and April.

The pair first went to the management office to borrow a sickle, naturally paying a small deposit. Stepping out of the office, Wang Qiqi stared at the sickle in her hand. "A sickle, and we had to sweet-talk them for half an hour just for this? Hmph." Wang Qiqi didn't know the exact cost of a sickle, but it certainly wasn't worth fifty yuan. "They’d best hope we don't return it. That way, they can pocket the fifty." Wang Qiqi doubted that if she truly failed to return the sickle, they would actually bother to purchase a new one to replace it or report the fifty yuan as lost income.

"We'll just return it to them," Han Tao said, equally annoyed. The staff at the office had incessantly muttered about how everyone borrowed sickles and no one returned them. What riled him more was how their words became increasingly rude. If he hadn't been mindful of burning the paper offerings and possibly starting a fire, and considering that this was essentially a tomb-sweeping day, they needed to clear the area. Han Tao truly despised their grasping looks. "Next time we come, we’ll bring our own sickle," he grumbled. Originally, the issue was about fifty yuan, involving extra walking to their office in this cold weather, which Han Tao found tiresome. But now, he refused to let those people get away with it scot-free.

"Let's hope so. I’m genuinely worried they’ll claim later they never received a deposit," Wang Qiqi mumbled. Given the fierce and greedy look of those staff members, she had zero confidence about getting the fifty back. However, the thought of a certain item in her bag gave her a slight reprieve, hoping that item was as effective as the seller claimed.

"If they refuse, we make a scene," Han Tao blinked. "They can't all be unreasonable, can they?" Han Tao had noticed the person huddled in the farthest corner hadn't spoken. His glance toward the most aggressive ones held clear disapproval. Han Tao mused that someone without status or connections wouldn't treat long-term employees that way.

Wang Qiqi pursed her lips. If someone truly stepped up to speak for them, would borrowing a sickle have been this difficult? "Alright, alright, let's hurry up," she sighed, wishing they hadn't bothered borrowing the tool at all.

They reached Wang Dajun's grave. "Mom, Dad, I brought Han Tao with me. How have you both been?" Wang Qiqi chattered while directing, taking out a rag to clean her parents’ tombstone, as Han Tao began tidying the gravesite with the sickle.

After they had cleaned the area and burned the paper offerings, Han Tao gently sprinkled the water he brought over the ashes. Even though it was winter, fire prevention was necessary. The two then huddled close, and Wang Qiqi spoke to her parents’ graves about her childhood. Wang Qiqi had thought that having lived two lifetimes, many memories would have faded, yet at this moment, she recalled them with startling clarity. Han Tao held her close, listening as she recounted her happy youth—how Uncle Wang and Auntie would take her to the park every holiday, how they took her on trips to other cities when she was older, and how her aunt always cooked delicious food for her.

"Sometimes I wonder if having too happy a childhood made Heaven take my parents away early..." Wang Qiqi murmured softly. In her previous life, this thought constantly plagued her: experiencing sweetness first and then bitterness made for the hardest life, trapping one in the present moment, unable to move on—just like her. Conversely, people like Han Tao, who experienced hardship first and then sweetness, often found their motivation growing stronger as life improved. "Luckily, I managed to stand up strong on my own; otherwise, Wang Rui’s life would have been mine..."

Although Wang Qiqi hated Wang Rui, believing she and her parents had ruined her past life, a saying held true: if she hadn't been strong enough to protect her parents' assets, what could they have possibly done to her? It was her own assumption that Wang Dagui was her uncle and would treat her well that led her to concede step-by-step under their smiling faces.

"She deserves no sympathy; she brought everything upon herself," Han Tao said. The thought of Wang Qiqi mentioning that Wang Rui had set her sights on him made him feel sick. Did Wang Rui truly think her reputation couldn't get any worse? "Her serious study now is just a means to leave this place, start fresh somewhere new, and find another rich man." Han Tao might not know Wang Rui perfectly, but he grasped the gist of it—she would definitely target a wealthy man. She had become obsessed, especially seeing how well Qiqi and Song Yao were doing now, with successful, respectable husbands. Wang Rui, ever image-conscious, would certainly try to turn her fortunes around by securing a rich spouse.

Wang Qiqi was completely certain of this. "Let her find whomever she wants; we’ll live our lives. If her life improves, she’ll only get jealous and boast about it. If her life doesn't go well, that’s none of our business either," Wang Qiqi addressed these words as much to her parents as to Han Tao.

Wang Qiqi fell silent after that, leaning against Han Tao, looking toward the tombstone, silently praying, "Mom, Dad, please rest assured. After two lifetimes, your precious daughter has finally found her happiness. You must continue to bless my health and that of your son-in-law from above." For Wang Qiqi, good health was the most vital thing.

Wang Qiqi suddenly turned around, noticing Han Tao's lips moving but hearing no sound. This piqued her curiosity. What exactly did Han Tao say to her parents? And what was discussed when her aunt called him over earlier? Wang Qiqi had been too preoccupied with buying supplies earlier to ask, and Han Tao hadn't hesitated when she suggested visiting the graves, leading her to believe it was related to his conversation with Wang Damei. She definitely needed to ask him later.

The sun always set early in winter, especially when the sound of birds chirping—even if they weren't crows—sent a chill down one's spine. "Let's go back; we still need to retrieve our luggage," Han Tao said, noticing the time approaching four o'clock.

Wang Qiqi murmured an assent, wiping away a tear. "Mom, Dad, we're leaving now. I’ll come back to see you during Qingming." Although the official holiday hadn't arrived yet, Wang Qiqi always chose a weekend near Qingming, taking the train back to Beijing on Friday evening and returning Saturday night, making it a crucial annual ritual for her to sweep their graves. Shi Man had once joked that if Wang Qiqi moved abroad, would she fly back just for the grave sweeping? Wang Qiqi hadn't known how to answer that—not because of the airfare, but because she worried about keeping up with foreign coursework, and traversing two continents in a single weekend was impossible. She decided that as long as she remained in the country, she would return every year around the Qingming Festival. But that was thinking too far ahead.

Fearing the office might be deserted, the pair descended the hill a bit faster. Reaching the office doorway, they both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the door was ajar. As Wang Qiqi and Han Tao's figures appeared inside, Wang Qiqi sensed the staff members inside collectively gasp.

Wang Qiqi realized they must have thought their chance for a windfall had passed, assuming they had left the mountain after staying so long, only to see them returning with the sickle in hand. "We’re done with the sickle. Can we have our fifty yuan deposit back now?"

The person on the other side was visibly surprised when Wang Qiqi spoke. "What? Fifty?" Hmph, trading fifty yuan for a sickle? they scoffed internally. They’re just kids. Even if they were adults, they'd still fall in line.

Wang Qiqi and Han Tao immediately knew the staff intended to renege on the deal. "Didn't you say fifty yuan deposit, and you'd give us the money back when we returned the sickle? Are you giving it back or not? I don't mind fetching your supervisor." Wang Qiqi thought to herself how fortunate she was to have brought that certain item.

The staff member was momentarily stunned that Wang Qiqi dared to mention calling a supervisor, but he quickly regained composure. "And what if the supervisor sees you?" he challenged. "You have no proof; let's see who suffers in the end."

A woman inside the office added coldly, "Even a brand-new sickle isn't worth fifty. Besides, the one you’re holding is old. Don't tell me you're here trying to cheat us out of money." She looked at Wang Qiqi with blatant disdain, clearly thinking these two young people were trying to scam them. "Don't think just because you dress decently, you’re an upstanding person."