Seasons went by in a flash and 2 years passed in a flash. An Ming was now 13 years old. An Ming was standing near a grave with reddened eyes and tears falling from his eyes as round as pearls, as he cletched his hands so hard that his fingernails drilled into his palms.
By the grave was a wooden plank that read "Here lies the grave of my beloved wife Mei Ling and mother to An Ming may we meet again in our next life". Yes, this grave belonged to his mother.
Her sickness worsened within the past few years, and finally succumbed to her illness and died. While he followed and succeeded his father's funeral business. He once helped carry a coffin with his father but was still confused on why death existed and if it held any meaning. Now as he was standing near his mother's grave he couldn't help recalling what was on his mind that day. An Ming decided to ask his father when he reaches home.
As he went toward his home he couldn't help but keep on thinking about death. Once he reached home he found his father (An Changhai) finishing making a coffin. Then he asked: " Dad what do you think life is and what meaning does it have?".
The father turned around and replied "Death is the end: The end of all things. The end of one's existence, and the end of a loved one". The father says the last part with a breaking voice.
Hearing this An Ming felt as if he was hit by a bull. He felt something budding within himself but couldn't understand what it was.
Although that was from his perspective he wasn't fully satisfied with the explanation and so he went to the neighbor next door.
He knocked on the door "Old Wang can you help me?, I want to ask you something". Then an old fragile man came out holding a cane while shaking as if he might die if he coughed even once.
Then he asked, "Old Wang, what is death?". The old man was surprised that such a young child would talk about a serious topic instead of playing around with his friends and dirtying his clothes with dirt?.
"Hmm, death huh?. For me death is just another form of goodbye. Another chance of life in maybe another world, another personalty or even another face. Even though we'll lose our memories who is there to say that we won't see each other again?. That's why it's an afterlife.So live your life today as best as you can, you'll never know if there'll be a tomorrow". The old man went back to his house and closed the door.
An Ming did not move from that spot and if you could see his eyes you would see his previously dark eyes became more darker. If someone were to look into his eyes now they would feel a shiver running up his spine. It seemed that his horizon was broaden more and he could feel that he was on the cusp of understanding something greater than what he initially hope to understand. And he knew it was by far grater than him his family and maybe even the village. (He would have said the world but our poor MC doesn't have any knowledge beyond his village).
And so he didn't give up and continued on asking everyone about death and so another 6 years went by and An Ming grew up and spent his time with his father and they buried many of the villagers among them being Old Wang, who did months after the last visit.
He was now 19 years old, he had luscious, long, black hair that went down his back. His eyes were now dark obsidian which could make any girl who stared at them to fall into a trance, he had a lean body developed from all the work he did. Although he was not handsome, anyone could feel the "young elegant and refreshing aura" he exuded just by doing nothing.
His father also grew older and was now 56 years old but pain of loosing his wife made him look more older than his real age. This made An Ming's heart sink every time he saw his father. He did not know what to do as he was not ready to loose another parent.