Landlord in the Arctic

He’s grown up!

And gotten so much thinner!

...

On a winter day, a Mercedes-Benz business van rolled over mottled tree shadows on the asphalt road as it slowly pulled away from the North District Prison.

The iron-gray walls shrank in the rearview mirror, while the warmth steaming up the inside of the van felt thick enough to burst through the windows.

Hu Zi was leaning over between the front seats, and Black Hide was gripping the back of the passenger seat. The two of them crowded around Black Egg in the back, and even the pregnant Xiaohua was leaning over, her gaze full of concern.

Eight years behind high walls had left a clear mark on Black Egg.

Sitting in his seat, his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the fabric of his new track pants. Faced with a barrage of questions, a trace of bewilderment still lingered in his eyes.

When Xiaohua kept asking, "Did you sleep well inside? Did anyone bully you? Did you get the clothes we sent...?"

Black Egg’s Adam’s apple bobbed a few times before he could squeeze out an answer. A stiff smile, like a thin frost scattered by the wind, flickered on and off his face.

"Alright, everyone, calm down. Little Egg just got out; he hasn’t adjusted yet." Feng Mountain saw Black Egg’s discomfort in the rearview mirror, understanding his helplessness at being overwhelmed by the flood of emotions. He stopped Xiaohua from asking more questions. "First, let’s take Black Egg to try the Li Family’s big bone soup, and then we’ll all go for a hot bath."

The others in the car also noticed Black Egg’s tension and followed Brother Shan’s lead, starting to joke around.

Hu Zi slapped his thigh and clamored to add an order of braised pork knuckle, while Black Hide had already pulled out his phone to book a private room. This made Black Egg’s tense shoulders relax ever so slightly.

The street scene flew past the window, and the dense rows of glass curtain walls reflected the harsh sunlight.

Black Egg suddenly flinched at the sound of the GPS notification, only then noticing the animated 3D map on the vehicle’s display.

He stared at the intersecting red and blue lines, his throat tightening.

When he went to prison, phones still had keypads. Now, there were talking machines in cars.

Black Egg suddenly looked up, the welling tears in his eyes shattering into starlight in the sun.

"Brother, I... I want to go see... Ms. Hong!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the lively atmosphere in the van instantly turned cold.

In the long silence, only the hum of the car’s air conditioning sounded particularly harsh.

After a long moment, Feng Mountain’s gaze swept over the dark circles under Black Egg’s eyes and his sunken cheeks. He sighed silently and said to the driver, "Master Zhang, head to the South District Cemetery first."

"Yes, Mr. Feng!"

The driver’s response was brief. As he turned the steering wheel, the van vibrated as it rolled over a speed bump, much like the turbulent emotions of everyone inside.

The Mercedes-Benz business van wound its way up the mountain road and finally stopped in front of the South District Cemetery.

The winter wind, carrying a biting chill, swept through the rows of tombstones with a whimpering sound.

Black Egg’s fingers, clutching the hem of his clothes, trembled slightly. When he pushed the door open and got out, he staggered half a step, nearly tripping over his own shadow.

His face etched with sorrow, he walked straight to the flower shop at the cemetery entrance.

He took an envelope from his pocket and emptied out the money inside, a loose handful of large and small bills.

Before the shopkeeper could even ask, Black Egg shoved all the money in his hand at them.

"Give me as many flowers as this will buy!" Black Egg’s voice trembled, his eyes full of grief.

It was the first time the flower shop owner had ever seen someone buy flowers like that.

The money was a mix of large and small bills.

At a loss, the shopkeeper immediately looked toward Feng Mountain and the other three.

It was as if they were trying to confirm whether he was really there to buy flowers and not to cause trouble.

Feng Mountain gave a slight nod, his eyes showing understanding. "Go ahead and give them to him."

The shopkeeper quickly counted the money. It was 854.5 yuan in total. After counting, they immediately looked at Black Egg and asked politely,

"Sir, should I make an arrangement for you, or would you like to choose them yourself?"

"You choose. I don’t know anything about them." Black Egg stared blankly at the various flowers on display, his expression lost.

The shopkeeper began to skillfully arrange the flowers.

Flowers of all different colors came together in their hands.

Black Egg stood to the side, waiting quietly, the sorrow on his face never fading.

Feng Mountain and the others stood silently behind Black Egg, not speaking, simply keeping him company.

They knew Black Egg’s heart was incredibly heavy right now, and all they could do was be by his side to comfort him.

Soon, a large bundle of assorted flowers was selected.

Just as the shopkeeper was about to wrap them, Black Egg stepped forward, gathered the flowers into his arms, and strode quickly toward the cemetery gate.

Feng Mountain had been here a few days ago, so he quickly registered with the cemetery staff.

Hu Zi and Black Hide rented a set of cleaning tools, and the group walked into the cemetery together.

Inside the cemetery, several hills were covered in layer upon layer of graves stretching up the slopes. It was so quiet that only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.

Everyone followed Feng Mountain, walking in silence.

When they arrived at Ms. Hong’s grave, the red scarf was still hanging on the headstone.

Seeing Ms. Hong’s photo on the headstone, the emotions Black Egg had been suppressing the whole way there instantly erupted.

THUD. He fell to his knees before the grave, hugging the headstone and bursting into loud sobs.

"Sis, I’m here to see you... I’m so sorry, I left you all alone here for so long... I miss you..." Black Egg was sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face as he hugged the headstone tightly.

Watching Black Egg kneel and weep before the grave, the others felt a pain in their hearts as if they were being carved with a dull knife. Tears welled up in their eyes, impossible to hold back.

Among their group of friends from the orphanage, Black Egg was the youngest brother.

Everyone had always looked out for him.

Ms. Hong, especially, had treated him as the apple of her eye.

Whenever there were tasty snacks or new clothes, Ms. Hong always thought of him first.

To Black Egg, Ms. Hong wasn’t just his big sister; she was like a warm mother, giving him the care and affection he had always lacked.

Perhaps it was because of this deep bond.

The moment something happened to Ms. Hong, Black Egg had chased after them with a knife, heedless of the consequences.

Provoked by rage, he had gripped the knife and stabbed at those bastards, but in doing so, he also severed his own eight years of freedom.

Feng Mountain’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He reached out and gently placed a hand on Black Egg’s trembling shoulder.

Xiaohua was already sobbing, constantly wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. She didn’t forget to comfort Black Egg, "Little Egg, Ms. Hong knows how much you’re hurting. She wouldn’t blame you."

Hu Zi and Black Hide silently tidied up the area around the grave, clearing away the weeds and wiping the headstone clean. Only when they turned away did they secretly wipe at their reddened eyes.

The red scarf hanging on the headstone swayed gently in the wind.

It was as if Ms. Hong’s gentle presence had never left, silently witnessing this belated reunion.

A cemetery worker came down the stairs from the top of the hill. The moment he saw Feng Mountain, his face was instantly plastered with a fawning expression.

"Mr. Feng, you’re here again. The construction team for the new gravesite is working hard on it. It should be ready in another two days."

"Brother, what new gravesite?" Hu Zi didn’t understand what the worker meant and asked, his face full of confusion.

Feng Mountain looked at Black Egg, who was still weeping while hugging the headstone, then glanced up at the top of the cemetery hill. His eyes filled with nostalgia and sorrow as he said slowly, "Ms. Hong always wanted a big, spacious house. I want to move her to a new place, somewhere with a better environment."

"Exactly! Mr. Feng has excellent taste!"

The worker quickly jumped in, his face wreathed in smiles as he began his enthusiastic pitch.

"That plot is the best one in our Nanshan Cemetery. Not only is it south-facing, but we even had an expert assess its feng shui. It’s an absolutely prime location. Mr. Feng, you can rest assured, we’ll get it perfectly prepared..."

"Has the date been set?" Feng Mountain interrupted the worker’s endless babble. His gaze remained fixed on Ms. Hong’s headstone. Black Egg’s curled-up form looked like a withered blade of grass broken by the wind, a sight that pained his heart.

"It has! The day after tomorrow!" The worker pulled out a notebook. "It’s an auspicious day for rites, suitable for burial and encoffinment. Even the old master said it’s a good day!"

After a pause, the worker leaned closer to Feng Mountain with another sycophantic smile. "Mr. Feng, what do you think? Would you like to add a Han Baiyu Incense Burner? We also just got in some new Marble Tomb Bases. And we can arrange for a Daoist to perform rites..."

"Fine. Send me the details on WeChat later." Feng Mountain turned slightly to avoid the man’s spittle, then looked at Xiaohua and the other two. "Let Black Egg talk with Ms. Hong alone for a while. You three, come with me."

Before he had even finished speaking, Feng Mountain turned and started walking up the steps toward the top of the hill.

Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide were completely baffled. ’What new gravesite? What south-facing? What feng shui?’

But they knew Brother Shan must have his own plans. If he wasn’t talking, he had his reasons.

So, they all followed him.

...