Even though he knew Wang Anjian wouldn’t live much longer, someone who had been speaking and interacting with him just last night could no longer converse with him today.

Jiang Ran still felt somewhat dazed.

He remained in this dazed state for about half an hour.

Jiang Ran knew it was time to handle the matters Wang Anjian had entrusted to him.

Since Wang Anjian had died in the apartment, he definitely needed to inform Manager Xiao Zhang.

After making the phone call.

Manager Xiao Zhang came up to check, then told Jiang Ran to handle Wang Anjian’s body.

While he stayed behind to deal with Wang Anjian’s affairs in the apartment.

Next, with Manager Xiao Zhang’s assistance, Wang Anjian’s body was handled very quickly and smoothly.

First, they called 120, and after the emergency personnel arrived, they confirmed Wang Anjian’s death.

Afterward, they went to the nearby community health service center to obtain the “Death Certificate.”

Then, they took Wang Anjian’s ID card, household registration booklet, death certificate, and other documents to the police station to cancel his household registration.

Whether Wang Anjian had anticipated this or not, when Jiang Ran left last night, there had only been medicine boxes and bottles on the bedside table.

But when he went in the morning, all of Wang Anjian’s personal belongings were placed there.

Including that cell phone.

It was only because of this that they could smoothly complete these necessary procedures after someone’s death.

After all these matters were handled.

Jiang Ran prepared to cremate Wang Anjian’s body.

He contacted the funeral home, which sent a vehicle to collect Wang Anjian’s body. After arriving at the funeral home, he simply asked the staff to tidy up Wang Anjian’s appearance.

After completing these tasks, Wang Anjian was pushed in for cremation.

During the cremation process, Jiang Ran sat in the waiting area outside.

He continuously watched the television mounted on the wall, which displayed the list of deceased being cremated.

Names, genders, ages, cremation furnaces, and so on.

Wang Anjian was on the list, shown as currently being cremated.

Jiang Ran chose a mid-priced cremation furnace for him.

This funeral home had three types of cremation furnaces: standard, premium, and deluxe.

Hah, even the cremation furnaces used after death were divided into different grades.

Jiang Ran also noticed something: currently on television, Wang Anjian wasn’t the youngest deceased person. The youngest was only 5 years old.

Indeed, it confirmed a recently popular saying:

People don’t only die when they get old;
they can die at any time, anywhere.

At this thought, Jiang Ran shuddered violently.

After the cremation ended, Jiang Ran successfully collected Wang Anjian’s ashes.

Now, looking at Wang Anjian’s white ashes contained in the urn.

Jiang Ran still felt a sense of loss and remained somewhat dazed.

A perfectly good person had now been reduced to this.

During his dazed state, funeral home staff approached Jiang Ran to promote different ash disposal methods.

The options included ash halls and ash walls. Both involved placing the urn in a small compartment space, essentially similar.

Then there was: burial.

Or scattering ashes at sea.

Jiang Ran declined by saying he had already purchased a cemetery, and only then did the funeral home staff leave him alone.

Following Wang Anjian’s instructions.

Jiang Ran took a taxi directly to the big river Wang Anjian had mentioned.

This was indeed a big river.

Several nearby provinces relied on this great river for irrigation.

Jiang Ran walked to the riverbank, and seeing no one around, he opened the urn and began scattering the ashes.

He didn’t take shortcuts by dumping all of Wang Anjian’s ashes into the river at one spot.

Instead, he walked along the broad riverbank, scattering them as he went.

While scattering, Jiang Ran’s mind was filled with images of Wang Anjian lying in bed talking with him last night.

When most ashes were scattered, a small amount remained in the urn.

Jiang Ran decided to scatter these around the central area of the river rather than along the bank.

He found an old man nearby.

The old man appeared to be in his sixties.

He had been sitting in a pavilion he built himself by the river, with three small boats in front of him.

Most of the three small boats were on the riverbank.

Jiang Ran asked the old man if he could take him to the river’s center.

The old man demanded 100 yuan.

Jiang Ran thought it was expensive, and the old man didn’t use smartphones, only accepting cash.

After negotiation, the old man said he’d take 50 yuan and let Jiang Ran row the boat himself.

Jiang Ran searched his entire body but only found 35 yuan. The old man reluctantly agreed.

The old man first got into the boat, saying he needed to install oars on the boat Jiang Ran would use.

Jiang Ran waited on the bank, gazing at the endless river scenery.

Honestly, this river really felt like an ocean – boundless, with large and small cargo ships visible traveling in the distance.

Of course, what concerned Jiang Ran most right now was actually this old man.

Because from the moment he met this old man.

The Danger Warning System began alerting:

[Ding! Detected dangerous person, please distance yourself quickly! Points +1! Points +1! Points…]

Although it was the lowest score, it was still a danger warning that required caution.

Originally, Jiang Ran had planned to see if anyone else nearby had boats, but this old man was the only one.

So, he had no choice.

This was also why he initially wanted to row alone rather than have the old man row for him.

Fortunately, the old man asked for too much money, so he could use this as an excuse.

This was being cautious and maintaining vigilance!

After the old man installed the oars, Jiang Ran boarded the boat.

Jiang Ran knew how to row but didn’t know how to swim.

Jiang Ran’s rowing skills were quite good. After rowing to relatively outer waters.

He looked down at the unfathomably deep river, reached into the water with one hand, and soon his upper arm was submerged before he pulled it out.

This feeling was actually somewhat terrifying.

Because you couldn’t touch the bottom, which was utterly despairing for someone who couldn’t swim.

It felt like the water was devouring your body.

Setting these thoughts aside, Jiang Ran began scattering Wang Anjian’s final ashes.

He said many blessings to Wang Anjian, essentially wishing him peace and happiness in his next life, free from illness and disaster.

After scattering all the ashes, Jiang Ran simply threw the urn into the big river.

After completing everything, he prepared to row back to shore.

But just at that moment, he discovered something wrong with the boat.

The boat was leaking!!!

Jiang Ran found the source of the leak – a hole in the bow area.

This hole had been patched with mud.

Jiang Ran suddenly remembered why the boat hadn’t been fully floating in the river earlier, but rather with its bow and most of its body on the bank.

After being on shore for so long, the mud had dried. After entering the water, it turned into wet mud. The longer it soaked, the more mud was washed away by water, until the hole opened…

“Damn it!”

Jiang Ran rushed to the bow. Without time to think about anything else, he tried to block the hole, only to find it impossible to stop. He took off his outer clothing and stuffed it in the hole, but it was immediately washed out.

Soon, most of the boat was underwater.

Jiang Ran was extremely anxious. Just then, he glanced toward the shore and saw the old man rowing toward him.

Jiang Ran felt he needed to hold on!

So he ran to the stern, determined to endure for even one more minute!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep