Beside the misty summer rain, on the edge of Qingshan's misty waters, four young people in the same style of black suits, holding black umbrellas, looked at the girl in front of them, all feeling a tightness in their hearts.

Around them, only the soft patter of small raindrops on the umbrellas could be heard, while the girl they faced was plainly dressed, with slightly red eyes, looking pitiful, yet the slightly bitten lips revealed a tinge of stubbornness.

The fine drizzle settled on the tips of her hair, forming glistening droplets, the strands of hair on her forehead and by her ears were clearly showing she'd been standing there for some time.

"Qingzi, she..." Daqiang turned his head to look at him.

Wang Xing and Qin Wei exchanged glances.

Being called by name by a stranger would surprise anyone.

But Su Qing quickly reacted, and from the narrative, he could pretty much guess the girl's identity. What he didn't expect was that San'er, aside from their group, had even touched a girl's heart, and even three years later, she still came to pay her respects.

Then he stepped forward and handed the umbrella he was holding over, softly saying, "A friend of San'er?"

The girl didn't take the umbrella, merely nodded.

"Hello, how should I address you?"

"Xu Yuezhen, his... female... classmate, university classmate!" the girl replied somewhat bitterly, then looked up at him, continuing with some trembling, "I know you, you were his best friends, he mentioned you many times, even showed me your photos, and said he would introduce you to me in the future. You... should have the videos he left behind, right? Could you show them to me?"

"Even though... even though I know it wasn't meant for me, I just want to see him again, I just want to..."

Halfway through, the girl was already sobbing uncontrollably, biting her lip hard, her shoulders shaking.

Hearing this, Wang Xing and the others stepped forward, the three of them tacitly extending their umbrellas to jointly shield the girl.

"Xigou, you have the video, right?" Su Qing turned and asked.

Qin Wei nodded, patting his backpack with a smile, "Don't worry, it's well-preserved, but it has a password. You three haven't forgotten, right?"

The three of them nodded simultaneously.

Back then, Meng Ziming gave each of the four of them separate farewell videos, where each of them, including Wang Xing, Daqiang, had a separate string of letters, while Qin Wei received an encrypted file.

And he told him that if all of them reunited after three years, then they should open it and have a look; if anyone was missing, just forget it.

They knew this back then, but no one mentioned opening the video. Everyone thought it was only three years, and they'd certainly gather again. Fortunately, they all kept their promise, coming back on this day, no matter where they were in the world.

Hearing this, Su Qing sighed, "That's good!"

Then he forcibly shoved the umbrella into Xu Yuezhen's hand, and then walked over to San'er's tombstone. Looking at the photo on it, he spat with a laugh:

"You rascal, still looking so cocky, haven't changed at all!"

In front of the tombstone, there were incense, fruits, and other offerings, obviously from San'er's parents and relatives, but the incense had already extinguished. The small rain wasn't heavy but enough to snuff out the incense fire.

"Daqiang, hold the umbrella, Old A, bring the stuff over!"

"Alright!"

"Understood!"

The two carried out their tasks, Old A handing over his umbrella to Daqiang, while he took out paper money, incense sticks, and other items.

Su Qing then squatted down and cleared the already extinguished paper money ashes with his hands, then threw in the paper money they'd brought, lighting it. Soon, a small flame was burning.

With the flame, he lit an incense stick, placed it in front of the tombstone, and laughed, "San'er, come collect the money, the guys are here to see you!"

As he spoke, he kept throwing paper money inside.

"This part is mine, all gold ingots, don't mention it," Old A laughed.

"This part is from your Brother Qiang, take it and buy some food, we ought to eat at restaurants daily over there too."

"San'er... this is mine, sorry for the rush coming here!"

They silently tossed paper money into the fire. Before coming, everyone thought they would have a lot to say, but when they got there, they realized there seemed to be nothing much to say.

No sense of unfamiliarity, as if the days of going to school together were just yesterday, and in front of them wasn't a cold tombstone, but San'er just standing there watching them.

"San'er, this is something I'm burning for myself, keep it for me first!" Su Qing threw in a large stack of paper money.

Upon hearing this, the other three were suddenly taken aback.

"Dammit, Qingzi, what are you up to? Who burns paper money for themselves? Have you lost it?" Da Qiang spat.

Even Wang Xing punched him on the back and said, "That's right. Don't you dare pocket the money meant for our buddy San'er!"

Although Qin Wei didn't speak, he was stunned for a moment. As for Xu Yuezhen, she just stared blankly at them, as if trying to see a certain someone's shadow in each of them.

In response, Su Qing chuckled and said, "You know, people need to learn to be proactive. What if I end up having an ungrateful child who won't burn paper money for me? I might end up poor in the afterlife.

I'm burning some for myself in advance because self-reliance is better. As long as I'm alive, I might as well burn more for myself, just in case. If you guys end up broke, don't expect me to lend you any."

Hearing this, the group was initially taken aback but then found it quite reasonable.

"In that case, I want in too. San'er, give me some money first, and hold it for me."

"Me too, me too."

"If you had told me earlier, I would have prepared cars, villas, beauties, and phones!" Wang Xing exclaimed, slapping his forehead in regret.

"Damn, don't rush, don't rush!"

"Hey, that's my share!"

And that's how these guys managed to become friends; it's not without reason.

If Meng Ziming truly had a soul watching from above, he'd probably want to kick over the offerings, scatter the paper money, and curse them for being greedy over dead people's stuff. How can they even call themselves human?

Watching how they still managed to bicker and tease each other even at a memorial, Xu Yuezhen couldn't help but remember how Meng Ziming would often describe his friends in front of her with a photograph in hand. She had to admit, he wasn't off the mark at all.

Most people coming to a memorial would put on a solemn face. After all, respecting the deceased is important. But since they were friends, there was no need for such seriousness even during a memorial. It's like meeting up with old pals, relaxed and casual.

This was why they chose this time to come. If they behaved like this in front of Meng Ziming's family, they'd surely receive an earful.

Then Su Qing picked up a bright red apple, wiped it on his shirt, took a big bite without hesitation, and muttered, "I told you before, if you ever left, I'd come and crazily munch on your offerings to get back at you for fooling us."

With that, he took a couple more fierce bites. Honestly, it was pretty sweet.

Soon, their already small pile of paper money was almost burnt out. Old A took out a manga, complete with its packaging, and tossed it into the fire.

"San'er, Naruto's ended. I've burned it for you. Skip Boruto, it would give you a stroke. One Piece is still a long way off, but I brought you the latest. Conan's still in elementary school; I feel like I won't see its end in my lifetime. I'll have my son burn it for you instead, okay?"

Da Qiang, pained, tossed a USB drive into the fire and lamented, "My dude, all my years of treasured collections are on this. You'd better cherish it. When I join you later, you'll owe me."

Upon hearing this, Old A's eyes widened. "Wait, is that your 128GB seed USB drive? Damn, make me a backup!"

He even attempted to retrieve it, to the bewilderment of the others, who would've punched him in front of San'er if Xu Yuezhen weren't there.

Skinny Dog Qin Wei, however, was much more sincere. He took out a can of yellow peach canned fruit from his bag, opened it, and placed it on the altar. "You used to say you were from the Northeast, and you probably liked this, right? They say peach preserves protect all kids wandering away from home. Live well over there."

Meng Ziming's parents weren't originally from Jiang City; they moved in three hours later. But due to their influence, he still retained a bit of a Northeast accent, which the group knew well.

Seeing this, Su Qing pulled out a long and slender object wrapped in plastic, over four feet long. Opening it revealed a straight wooden stick.

"I found the best one just yesterday on a stroll out in the suburbs. Lucky you,"

he said and tossed the stick into the fire.

Xu Yuezhen was puzzled, as she understood all the other gifts except the USB drive, but the stick just seemed pointless.

What surprised her even more was that the other three looked at the stick with envy. Though they remained calm, she could indeed sense it.

Watching this scene, she suddenly felt quite lucky to have such a group of friends.

She reached into her pocket and took out a Peace Talisman, tied with a blue silk cord, made out of longing as a letter. After a long look, she tossed it into the fire.

And murmured to herself:

"Three years ago, I prayed for your safety at Qingshan Temple. The world doesn't know, only me and the Bodhisattva know.

I only wish you... safety in every lifetime, even if we... never meet again!"

Light murmurs, though soft, but everyone heard them when a cool breeze flitted by, and the flames flickered.

To this, Su Qing patted the tombstone, sighed in his heart, and muttered, "Love letters to the mountain ghost, secrets to the western wind—pity those ghosts can't read, and the west wind blows east!"

...

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