As a doctor, it was impossible to watch a patient who had just undergone surgery eat plantains right before his eyes.
However, he didn't stop her. He walked out of the ward.
This might be the patient's last supper.
Su Yufan carefully peeled it open, pinched off a piece the size of a fingernail, flattened it between her fingertips, and fed it to her mother.
Her thought was that before her mother died, her sense of taste should be filled with the sweet flavor of plantains—her favorite fruit.
Her mother's tasteless mouth finally welcomed sweetness.
After eating it, she wanted more. Su Yufan felt conflicted. She only wanted to let her mother have a small taste; it couldn't affect the treatment.
What if... a miracle happened?
Before she could finish the thought, her mother suddenly began convulsing all over and intermittently uttered some final words.
"Mibao... I can't make it. Remember... I want to be cremated. Don't let outsiders see me in an unsightly state."
"I want to be buried beside your maternal grandparents' tombstones. Remember to have a stone tablet carved for me."
"Notify your father's side."
"You must live well. If you're tired, take a rest."
"Don't dance so desperately. Health is the most important thing. Also... don't forget your mother..."
These were her mother's last words.
Su Yufan was in a daze, hearing the mixed sounds of doctors and nurses shouting and administering emergency aid.
Her entire body collapsed to the floor, but she forced herself to stay conscious with her last bit of strength.
She watched with her own eyes as her mother closed her eyes, her hands falling powerlessly to the sides of the bed.
Yet she didn't have an ounce of strength left to hold her back, to cry out "Mother."
Not long after, she fainted.
When she woke, the entire room was a terrifying white.
She wondered if she had died and was together with her mother.
The doctor from yesterday interrupted her thoughts: "Su Yufan, you're awake? Is anywhere uncomfortable?"
"Where's my mother?"
Su Yufan had been given some glucose and had a bit of energy.
"In the morgue. The hospital is waiting for you to wake up to sign. Didn't you have surgery not long ago?
"The doctor who examined you said there's a fresh scar on your abdomen—the kind that usually appears from gynecological surgery."
She turned a deaf ear to the doctor's questions and didn't want to answer.
"Did my mother suffer when she passed?"
Su Yufan had already sat up straight, preparing to get out of bed and pull out the IV needle in her hand.
"She didn't suffer. By the time you fainted, she was already gone. Don't move, I'll remove it for you.
"Handle your mother's funeral affairs first, but your body needs timely treatment.
"My name is Duan Heng. I'm also from Dali. If you need treatment, come find me at the hospital anytime."
"I need to see my mother first!" Su Yufan completely disregarded the latter half of Duan Heng's words.
Extreme grief enveloped her body and soul.
Her voice carried an aggrieved anger—hating how time rushed by, furious at her own negligence.
Her mother was such a beautiful, kind person—how could she just die?
She had even fainted and failed to accompany her on her final journey.
Complex emotions intertwined, plunging her mood to freezing point.
"I'll accompany you. I know you're very sad. As your fan, I hope you can continue living well and stay strong. These were also your mother's last words."
Su Yufan wiped away the hot tears from the corners of her eyes and said nothing more.
She wasn't familiar with Duan Heng. Even if she had heaven-high resentment, it shouldn't spill onto him. If it weren't for the plantains he sent, her mother might have passed with even more regret.
Su Yufan looked at her mother's remains, gently lifted her darkened hand and held it tight, tears sliding down soundlessly.
"After signing, do I have to take my mother away?"
"According to procedure, yes. I can give you half a day. I have the funeral home's number here; they can accommodate any request. However, if you want to take her back to Dali for burial, it might be a bit troublesome.
"The cost might be higher. Don't you have any other family who can help? Your body is very weak; I suggest you contact relatives and friends to handle this together."
Su Yufan gently stroked her mother's face with cherishing care: "I want to stay alone with my mother for a while. Please give me a funeral home's number; I'll contact them later. Thank you."
After Duan Heng left the number and departed, Su Yufan gently danced a segment of the dance her mother loved most—the divine bird dance, the Kinnara.
Her movements were light and graceful, her steps elegant as she fluttered about.
This was the last time she would ever perform this dance; never again from this day forward.
Her mother loved beauty. She couldn't bear to let her mother leave wearing such clothes.
Since her mother wished to be cremated, she would let her take some cherished items along with her.
She stood quietly beside her mother, watching for a long, long time. Only in the afternoon did she reluctantly take a taxi home.
After much thought, she decided her mother's death shouldn't be handled so hastily, unknown to anyone.
She opened her mother's phone and flipped through her Moments. Most of them were photos of her dancing. Looking at them, she wept again.
Finally, she composed a few lines and posted: My late mother, Su Fengxia, passed away last night after medical treatment proved ineffective. She was 55 years old. Funeral arrangements will be kept simple; no memorial service will be held. Weeping notice from Su Yufan, daughter of Su Fengxia.
Then she turned off her mother's phone and called her father. Her contact name for him was Ada.
"Ada, my mother passed away from a heart attack last night. Before she left, she asked me to notify you."
A wail came from the other end. He said in non-standard Mandarin: "Xiao Fan, I'll book a flight right now. Are you in Kunming or Dali?"
"Kunming. You don't need to come. My mother will be cremated. It's been raining heavily in the Kunlun Mountains lately; go pick jade stones."
Su Yufan didn't give Ada a chance to continue speaking and powered off.
The last tear fell. She began sorting through her mother's belongings, selecting those she had loved most during her life.
When she saw the small elephant she had carved as a child, her tears fell like a curtain of rain.
Before she could sort out her grief, an urgent doorbell rang.
She hadn't wanted to open the door, yet feared missing something related to her mother. She randomly grabbed tissue to wipe her tears.
Red-rimmed eyes, her long, straight black hair in disarray, she opened the door.
The man at the door held a bouquet of pink roses, putting on a polite smile.
"Auntie, this time I brought you pink—"
The word "roses" hadn't left his mouth when he saw Su Yufan, her messy black hair lifted by the wind.
Su Yufan first saw the pink roses, then a string of sandalwood beads carved with patterns.
Then she looked up to see Xilibufa, with a buzz cut and an earring in his right ear.
"Sorry, I thought it was Auntie Su. I just came up from Jianchuan this morning. After going to Dounan, I stopped by to buy her flowers. Is she not home? You're her daughter, right?"
Su Yufan had never imagined her mother had such a young man bringing her flowers.
From Jianchuan?
It seemed reasonable enough. Everyone knew her mother loved flowers.
Her courtyard was cultivated with many flowers.
"My mother just passed away. I appreciate the flowers. Thank you." Su Yufan withdrew the half of her body that had protruded outside.
"Wait... your mother passed away?"
"It's like this. I'm here on behalf of my master He Wenkang to pay the rent. He Wenkang is your father; you should know I'm not lying. This is the rent. If you don't believe me, you can call him."
Su Yufan hesitated. Her mother and former stepfather's relationship had become so distant? She was still collecting rent from him?
"Take the money back for now. I'll be returning to Jianchuan in a while. Since you're my stepfather's disciple, give him a call to inform him of her passing. I still have many things to do, so I won't entertain you."
She tried to close the door again. Xilibufa stretched out his palm to block the gap.
"We're distant relatives. I can help you. I'll do whatever you need. I can drive, I can cook. I'm willing to help you."
Xilibufa was very anxious, afraid of being rejected, and blurted out a long string of words.
Her maternal grandmother's relatives? Then was he from Banna?
She pulled the door open again and carefully sized up the man before her. So fifteen years had already passed.
He had grown into someone she could no longer recognize.