Bringing the Nation's Husband Home

Yang Sisi and Song Xiangsi walked into the cemetery in silence. On the way up, Yang Sisi spoke. ”Me and Xu Jiamu aren’t together anymore.”

Song Xiangsi stilled, remaining silent.

Yang Sisi kept her gaze forward, walking up the stairs step by step. ”It was today.”

Song Xiangsi followed behind her, keeping silent.

”I got him to design my signature, but he ended up filing the paper with ‘Song Xiangsi’, afterwards, he initiated the break up.”

Song Xiangsi’s throat tightened.

”Yesterday, he was dead drunk when he came home. When I helped him in, he kept pressing the wrong passcode. When I asked what it was, he told me it was 0513. When I tried to unlock his phone and laptop, the passcode was 0513 as well.”

As she spoke, she continued up the steps. She could feel her voice turning shaky, it was as though she was about to burst into tears at any moment. ”If I didn’t remember wrongly, Miss Song, your birthday is 05.13, right?”

Song Xiangsi froze, her steps stilling.

Yang Sisi didn’t stop, continuing up the mountain as she rambled. ”The first time I met Xu Jiamu, he brought me to Mushroom private kitchen saying that it was his favorite shop.”

Song Xiangsi continued forward after her, but inside, her heart was faltering.

She was the one who had introduced him to the shop, the very first time he was there, he found the food weird and had despised everything... When did it become his favorite?”

”Yesterday night when he laid on bed drunk, he kept babbling. He said ‘Sisi… Where can I find another you?”

”Sisi… Don’t go, stay...

”Sisi… You promised to stay with me, don’t leave me…”

Yang Sisi turned abruply to glance at the five meter distance between the both of them. ”I thought that he was calling me, but afterwards, I realized he was referring to Song Xiangsi...”

Yang Sisi turned to head up once more, pausing, she pointed to a tomb. ”We’re here, it’s here.”

Song Xiangsi glanced at her with confusion.

She pointed to the tombstone again. ”Go, take a look and you’ll understand.”

Song Xiangsi hesitated before walking forward.

It was late and the cemetery wasn’t lit up, so she couldn’t read the words. Reaching for her phone, she switched on its flashlight.

When she couldn’t find a photo on the tomb, she frowned. She turned to look at Yang Sisi, only to find her face drenched in tears.

Silently, she turned back to the tomb. Using the flashlight, she searched the tomb. At the bottom right hand corner, she found three words : Father Xu Jiamu.

At that instant, her heart clenched, sending her world in circles. Her mind went blank and her heart seemed to stop.

After three full minutes, she finally processed the meaning of the words.

Father Xu Jiamu.

Father Xu Jiamu.

Father Xu Jiamu.

Was this the tombstone he had made for the child he thought she aborted?