Chapter 1205: Brother Lang is kind and compassionate.

Three days later, the sky was still a somber gray in the early morning.

The autumn wind, mixed with cold rain, slanted down, as if casting an unyielding shadow of grief over the memorial service.

Bai Mengfan's memorial service was held in the farewell hall of the funeral home in the suburbs.

On the electronic screen outside the hall, there was a picture of him smiling in a white shirt, his eyes bright and clear, just like the spirited class monitor in high school. But now that smile has become an eternal image.

The mournful music in the funeral hall was low and lingering, oppressive and seeping into everyone's ears, making their hearts clench.

The air was filled with the bittersweet scent of chrysanthemums and the faint smoke of incense, mixed with the suppressed sobs of family members, bringing the atmosphere of grief to its peak.

A long line of people came to pay their respects. Most of them were Bai Mengfan's colleagues, relatives, and classmates. Everyone had a solemn and sorrowful expression on their face and walked very lightly, as if afraid of disturbing the deceased.

A portrait of Bai Mengfan hangs on the wall, framed in black with a white background. His gaze remains gentle, but he can no longer respond to the world's mourning.

Wearing a black suit, Wang Dayong stood before Bai Mengfan's portrait, bowed respectfully, and said with tears in his eyes, "Squad leader, may you rest in peace!"

Zhang San, in charge of the funeral arrangements, approached Wang Dayong and comforted him with reddened eyes, saying, "Dayong, don't be too sad."

Wang Dayong said in a tearful voice, "Third Brother, may I pay my respects to the squad leader's remains?"

Zhang San said with some difficulty, "Don't look. The way the squad leader died after being struck by lightning is horribly ugly. Not looking at his remains will leave you with the best memories of him."

Wang Dayong took a deep breath, looked at Bai Mengfan's portrait, wiped away his tears, and said with great sadness, "When I was in high school, because I was the child of a martyr, the class monitor helped me a lot."

"Third Brother, is there anything I can do to help with the squad leader's memorial service and funeral?"

Zhang San sniffed and replied in a hoarse voice, "Da Yong, it's good that you have this thought. Brother Lang has already instructed me to set up a funeral committee for the squad leader, and everything has been arranged perfectly at a high standard."

Wang Dayong didn't say anything more and walked heavily toward the deceased's family.

Because Bai Mengfan's wife, Su Qing, was pregnant, attending the funeral would be considered "inauspicious" for both the deceased and the unborn child, a taboo that should be avoided in both cases. According to custom, one should not attend the funeral, so she did not appear at the memorial service.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Lang was seen bringing Zhou Mengyao, Ma Yili, and Han Zaiyin to Bai Mengfan's memorial service as his high school classmates.

The four people were all dressed in black formal attire. When they entered the mourning hall, they all took off the black sunglasses they were wearing.

Their black dresses made their faces appear even paler, but their eyes were all red, clearly indicating that they had been enduring their grief all the way.

They each held a bouquet of pure white chrysanthemums in their hands, the petals still glistening with fine raindrops, like undried tears.

Zhou Mengyao walked to Lin Lang's left, her arm gently linked with his, her fingertips applying slight pressure as if to silently comfort him.

Han Zaiyin was on the right, leaning slightly forward with her eyes lowered, looking at the blue bricks under her feet, unable to bear looking at the familiar face in the portrait.

Ma Yili walked half a step behind Lin Lang, holding chrysanthemums in her hands, her fingertips trembling slightly, and her breathing was tinged with barely perceptible sobs.

Lin Lang walked in the center, his posture still upright, yet he exuded an indescribable heaviness.

He was dressed in a black suit with a black tie at the collar. His usually sharp eyes were now as deep as a still pool, without any ripples, but hiding a surge of grief.

He didn't utter a word, but his gaze was fixed on the portrait in front of him. He walked very slowly, as if a thousand pounds were weighing him down.

That was his class monitor, whom he both respected and was close to in high school, a boy who was upright to the point of being stubborn. Now, he had become the first person in the class to leave, separated by life and death.

The four people walked to the altar and offered chrysanthemums in turn.

The white petals piled up beside the black coffin, making the scene even more solemn.

"Boss, you've arrived!" Zhang San greeted Lin Lang respectfully.

"The squad leader's memorial service was very well organized. Thank you for your hard work, Lao San." Lin Lang accepted three incense sticks from the staff.

Zhang San nodded slightly to Zhou Mengyao, Ma Yili, and Han Zaiyin, giving them a brief greeting.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Lang lit sandalwood incense over the candle flame, and after the flame stabilized, he gently blew it out. The smoke rose up and blurred his features.

He held incense sticks in both hands and bowed deeply three times, his movements precise and solemn. Each bow seemed to be a farewell to a departed friend and a tribute to that shared youth.

The bond between classmates is the purest connection from our youth.

The laughter and playfulness in the high school classroom, the shouts of encouragement at the sports meet, and the mutual encouragement during evening self-study—those images flooded into Lin Lang's mind like a tide, overlapping with the black and white portrait before him, adding to his grief.

The class monitor who always stood in front of the podium to organize discipline, patiently explained problems to classmates, and even the school bully had to give way to him, has left us forever. He will never appear at class reunions again, and we will never be able to call his name with a smile again.

Zhou Mengyao, Han Zaiyin, and Ma Yili followed suit, offering incense and bowing.

Women are emotional.

Their movements were trembling with restraint, and their eyes were all slightly red as they saw their class monitor, Bai Mengfan, off on his final journey with the best possible demeanor.

After the worship ceremony, Lin Lang, along with his three concubines, turned and walked towards the family quarters on the side.

Lin Lang did not speak during the worship ceremony, because he had already told Bai Mengfan everything he wanted to say.

Bai Mengfan's parents sat there, barely fifty years old, yet they seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

The father's hair was mostly white, his once straight back was now hunched, his hands were tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, his knuckles were white, his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and the wrinkles on his face were etched with grief.

Bai's mother leaned on her husband's shoulder, trembling with sobs. She covered her face with her hands, her suppressed cries coming in fits and starts, "My son... why did you leave us so soon..."

Tears streamed down her face, slipping through her fingers and soaking her clothes. It was the heart-wrenching pain of a parent outliving their child, a sight that would make anyone's heart ache.

Lin Lang stepped forward, his voice low and hoarse, carrying an unprecedented solemnity: "Uncle, Aunt, please accept my condolences."

Those few simple words exhausted all his restraint.

Looking at the two elderly people whose hair had turned white overnight, he recalled Bai Mengfan's sobs and reluctance before his death, and the sorrow in his heart grew even stronger.

As the bereaved parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bai were deeply grateful to see Lin Lang, a prominent figure who only appeared in the news, not only fund his son's funeral but also personally attend the ceremony to pay their respects.

Mr. Bai staggered to his feet, took Lin Lang's hand, and said, "Mr. Lin, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend Meng Fan's memorial service."

Lin Lang gripped Bai's father's hand tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle, you're too kind. Meng Fan and I are among the best of high school classmates. If you and Aunt have any difficulties in the future, you can contact me through Zhang San. I will do my best to help you both."

Mr. Bai was deeply moved upon hearing this, and he wept uncontrollably, barely able to utter a complete sentence.

Bai's mother said through tears, "It is the greatest blessing in my life for Meng Fan to have such good high school classmates as you. Thank you so much."

Zhou Mengyao gently comforted them, "Uncle, Aunt, please take care of yourselves! Although Meng Fan is gone, his wife is still carrying his child."

"Now that things have come to this, you two can only place your hopes and your will to live on your unborn grandson."

After hearing this, Mr. Bai wiped away his tears and asked in a sobbing voice, "Didn't my daughter-in-law say that the hospital doesn't tell you the gender during the ultrasound? How did you know in advance that Qingqing was having a boy?"

Lin Lang lied and said, "I was born into a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. I just met with Meng Fan's wife and talked to her about the fate of the fetus. I also took her pulse and confirmed that it was a male fetus."

Upon hearing this, Bai's parents wept with joy. Their only son had passed away unexpectedly, but the fact that they could leave behind an unborn grandson to continue the family line was the last bit of comfort for the traditional-minded parents of Xia.

With a nervous heart, Bai's mother tentatively asked, "What did Qingqing say? She's so young, is she willing to give birth to the child in her womb?"

Han Zaiyin said with a hint of sadness, "Su Qing has a deep affection for Meng Fan and has expressed her willingness to give birth to the child in her womb so that Meng Fan can have an heir."

"But her parents were firmly against it, saying that Su Qing was being foolish and that she could have a better life if she aborted the child. They absolutely refused to let Su Qing give birth to the child."

Upon hearing this, Bai's father felt as if the sky was about to fall, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to collapse to the ground. Fortunately, Lin Lang caught him.

Upon hearing this, Bai's mother was heartbroken and wept bitterly. It was truly a heartbreaking scene that would move anyone who heard or saw it to tears!

Ma Yili helped Bai's mother up and said, "Uncle, Aunt, don't be anxious or sad. Things are about to take a turn for the better."

Mother Bai asked urgently, "Is there any chance of a breakthrough? Is Su Qing willing to go against her parents' wishes and give birth to our grandson?"

Lin Lang said, "It's understandable that Meng Fan's father-in-law and mother-in-law don't want their daughter to give birth to the baby. After all, they are thinking about their daughter's happiness for the rest of her life."

“If you remarry with a son, your criteria and standards for choosing a partner will be lowered a lot, and it’s not realistic to remain a widow and a single mother forever.”

"But everything is negotiable. Su Qing's parents just want to give their daughter some security. I've already talked to them. They will give Su Qing three million yuan in one lump sum after she gives birth to the child."

“We will give the child 50,000 yuan a year for living expenses until the child turns 18, at which time we will pay 200,000 yuan for university tuition and living expenses in one lump sum.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Bai exchanged a bewildered glance, and their hearts sank.

Through his teary eyes, Mr. Bai sobbed, "My wife and I are just ordinary workers, where are we going to get so much money?"

Lin Lang helped Bai's father up and replied, "Uncle, you don't need to worry about the money. I will sponsor Su Qing to raise Meng Fan's child, and after graduating from university, he will be able to work for the Lin Group without taking an exam."

"The company will allocate an apartment for Meng Fan's son as his wedding home. When my nephew gets married, I will take care of all the arrangements for the wedding car, the dowry, and the bride's gold jewelry."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Bai was moved to tears and immediately wanted to kneel down to thank Lin Lang, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lin. Meng Fan is so fortunate to have such a good classmate like you, who is willing to spend money and effort to raise his son. His spirit in heaven can rest in peace!"

Lin Lang helped Bai's father up and comforted him, "Uncle, you're too kind. There's no need to be so formal."

Mother Bai excitedly grasped Lin Lang's hand, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Lin! Otherwise, our Bai family line would have ended. Our descendants will repay the great kindness of the Lin family for generations to come."

While patting and supporting Bai's mother's back to comfort her, Zhou Mengyao gently said, "Don't cry, Auntie. If you cry yourself sick, how will you take care of your grandson after your daughter-in-law gives birth?"

After hearing this, Bai's mother took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.

The bad news is that my son died unexpectedly.

The good news is that the daughter-in-law is willing to give birth to the child in her womb, so the Bai family will have an heir.