Maybe her prayers were answered by G.o.d, she regained her strength and slowly tried to move up her hands. Trembling softly, but she gripped the hairpin tightly. When she put on the hairpin, she smiled happily.

Her job is done…

"Be happy, Ling-er…" After saying that, she lost all of her energy. She let go in content and her smile was growing bigger.

Yao Ling heard a loud bang sound and she turned around in a hurry. There… she saw her mother falling down. "Mother… mother…" She shouted in panic. "Yao Ying… Yao Ying… please help me!"

Yao Ling heard the door was being opened from outside, she found his presence. "Help me put my mother on the bed! She fainted!"

After touching Jiu Lan, Yao Ying understood one thing. He couldn't find her breath. She was gone. He helplessly looked at Yao Ling. She didn't realize that her mother was gone. Yao Ying still helped her put Jiu Lan's on her bed.

Yao Ling touched her mother and she felt no pulse from her wrist. Her whole body was shaking. Her heart is broken. "Yao Ying… why can't I feel her pulse? I… I… I can't feel it. She's not dead, isn't she? She won't leave me alone, right?"

Yao Ying looked at her sadly. 'What should he do?' He thought to himself. She was in pain and yet he was lost. He hugged the girl in front of him. "Yao Ling… listen to me… She's gone…. Mother is gone!" He couldn't bear to hear her heartbreaking cries, but he had to be cruel. Jiu Lan was gone. He always thought of her as his mother too, but his sadness couldn't compare to the girl in front of him.

Suddenly, it hit him. She has no one, but him. He wouldn't go back on his own promise to himself. He will protect her! This life, he belongs to her and her only.

"Should we… bury her?" Yao Ying asked softly, trying to wake Yao Ling out of her reverie. For a few days, she just hugged Jiu Lan's body – not moving at all. She still wore her hairpin ceremony outfits – once a simple and clean red dress, but now messy. Her hairpin was still there, the last memory of her mother put it on her keep replaying in her mind.

Yao Ying sighed when he didn't hear any answer. He already tried a lot of soft ways coaxing her, but she didn't budge. It might be the days when he spoke the most. He finally decided to try the hard way.

He yelled loudly, "Yao Ling! Wake up! Do you want your mother's body to rot? You should send her away when she's beautiful! Do you think Mother would want to see you like this?"

Yao Ling jumped at his loud voice, crying loudly. Yao Ying hugged her and started to coax softly again, "Please be strong! Don't you want your mother to look beautiful when she's gone? She wants you to be happy, so you should send her away with a smile. Don't you think she won't rest in peace if she sees you like this?"

Yao Ying's words started to get into her and she nodded softly. After that, both were trying to tidy Jiu Lan up and Yao Ling put light make up on her. Jiu Lan looked beautiful and serene.

"Mother told me she wanted her body to be burnt and throw her ashes into the ocean," Yao Ling explained sadly.

Yao Ying just nodded and he prepared everything. After done preparing, they brought Jiu Lan's body to the beach and put her on a wooden s.h.i.+p which full of branches. Both silently cried and burnt the body. Yao Ying pushed the s.h.i.+p and let Jiu Lan go.

Yao Ling thought back to her mother's last wish. She had to get married. She was coming of age already, but how could she get married in mourning time like this? However, she already promised her mother. Mother said she would say something to Yao Ying, but she was gone before that.

'How could I bring it up? ' She thought to herself.

She decided to rest for the day and she would think about it again tomorrow. She couldn't sleep and curled herself on her bed. Deep in thought, she didn't realize Yao Ying's presence until she felt her blanket moving up. Yao Ying tried to put the blanket on her after she felt her breath start to get steady. He thought she was already asleep.

That night… she felt warm.

Yao Ling woke up with a wonderful smell. She opened her eyes and saw Yao Ying cooking. It was supposed to her job, but the last few days, she didn't even pay any attention to it. She sat down on her bed and looked at Yao Ying intensely. 'What should she do?' At this moment, her grief is being replaced by her nervousness.

Felt her intense gaze, Yao Ying looked at the source – Yao Ling. He put on a rare smile and asked her, "Come on! Eat! You didn't eat anything the past few days. I don't want you to get sick."

Yao Ling numbly nod. They sat down and ate. Yao Ying was wondering why she kept peeking at him, but he said nothing. He didn't want to push her.

"Ying gege…"

"En."

"Mother wants me to go find my real family."

"En."

"She was supposed to ask you to accompany me."

"En."

"Will you marry me?"

"En."

'En? Ying gege only said en? What does he mean? Does he understand or not? Does he hear what I said? Does he mean… he would really marry me? Or…' Yao Ling just looked at him seriously.

There was a big question in her mind. 'Will he marry me?'