"Mom, why are you crying?" Lu Ziyi heard her sobbing and, being sensible, took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Su He stopped reminiscing and forced a comforting smile. "It's windy outside, and my eyes are a bit uncomfortable... It's getting late. Mom will take you upstairs to rest. The funeral is tomorrow morning, so we can't be late."
Lu Ziyi nodded. "Okay, I'll listen to Mom."
Su He gently rubbed the soft top of her son's hair with affection and led him inside.
Upstairs, the twins had already been lulled to sleep by Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"Sorry, I got distracted and didn't see him leave..." Jiang Xiaoxiao put on her coat from the sofa, preparing to go home.
Su He shook her head. "I haven't even thanked you yet for helping me look after the little ones."
As a best friend and elder sister-in-law, helping her look after the children while pregnant, Su He had no reason to complain; she was grateful enough. Besides, nothing had happened to Lu Ziyi.
"It's inconvenient for you to go back so late. Why don't you rest here tonight?" Su He suggested, not wanting her to be exhausted from traveling.
Jiang Xiaoxiao politely declined. "Your elder brother is already waiting downstairs. Moreover, the Lu family has many relatives, and some are from out of town. We might not have enough room."
"I have your brother to take care of me, so you focus on your own matters," Jiang Xiaoxiao said, rubbing her face. "You have to keep vigil for the old master tonight, you're much busier than I am!"
Su He gave a wry smile.
She didn't feel it was a hardship.
Compared to what the old master had done for her, she truly had nothing to repay him with.
After seeing off her brother and sister-in-law, Su He settled Lu Ziyi and then went downstairs.
In the mourning hall, there weren't many people left, only a few relatives from the main family. They were sitting together, with Lu Yanbei at the center, seemingly discussing something with agitated expressions.
"That's something your grandmother left behind, how can you give it to an outsider!"
"Exactly! Even if it were to be given away, it should be to that girl Qingning. How could it possibly be hers!"
"Yanbei, you need to handle this matter carefully, or it will truly damage family ties. Your grandmother's side still has relatives; if they find out, who knows what trouble might arise!"
"Several media outlets are here today. If this gets out, it will be another storm of controversy!"
Su He stopped in her tracks, a chill running down her spine.
She knew it would be about this!
The old master's will was no secret; many people were aware of it. They couldn't find fault with anything else, so they had to seek a sense of importance from this matter.
Of course, Lu Yanbei would stand by her side.
As expected, the next moment, Lu Yanbei coldly retorted, "Are you all questioning the authenticity of Grandpa's will?"
"We don't mean that..."
"The will was drafted by Lawyer Yang himself; it can't be fake!"
"Yes, there were many people present at the time. We just felt... it was a bit unreasonable!"
Lu Yanbei's imposing aura made the relatives feel immense pressure.
"Whether it's reasonable or not is not for you to decide!" Lu Yanbei continued.
"Yanbei, don't misunderstand us! We are also thinking of you!"
"That's hardly necessary!" Lu Yanbei interrupted them. "What is mine, Lu Yanbei's, is hers! Her businesses are worth tens of billions; would she covet something left by Grandma?"
"But..."
"Grandpa always treated her like his granddaughter. What's wrong with leaving her something? Or do you all think that the Lu family has no right to dispose of my grandmother's dowry and it should be returned to their Qin family?"
Lu Yanbei's grandmother's surname was Qin.
The Qin family was also a prominent local clan.
However, the Qin family's descendants were not good at business and had long since declined. The Qin family must have been eyeing the old madam's dowry when they sent people to lobby.
While the old master was alive, they dared not mention it, for fear of severing ties with the Lu family. Now that the old master had just passed away, they were already scheming for those old possessions. They were truly impatient!
"Grandpa's body is barely cold, and you are already going against his wishes, trying to seize property by force? For a mere million, you'd speak for the Qin family. Who gave you the courage?"
Lu Yanbei's words were harsh, and he directly exposed the secret dealings. The relatives were all terrified into silence.
Lu Yanbei was too formidable!
He actually knew about their private meetings!
What else didn't he know?
Thinking of the small actions they had taken behind his back, the few of them didn't dare to make a sound.
Old Master Lu was gone, and Lu Yanbei would be in charge of the Lu family from now on. Offending him, and if he were displeased, he could simply sever all familial relations. Their losses would be immense!
To be abandoned by the Lu family for such meager gains was like losing a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed!
Before long, they all started to leave one after another. Soon, only Lu Yanbei remained in the mourning hall.
Su He took a deep breath and slowly walked towards him.
Lu Yanbei was squatting on the ground, placing paper money into the brazier. Hearing the movement behind him, his tense emotions finally relaxed.
Su He squatted beside him and burned incense for the old master. "I'm sorry, it's about my affairs again..."
Lu Yanbei held her hand gently, his expression calm. "They were rude first. It has nothing to do with you; there's no need to blame yourself."
"What Grandma left behind are the heirlooms of the Lu family, and they will be passed down from generation to generation. They do not belong to anyone," Su He said thoughtfully.
"If it was given to you, then it is yours. No need to leave it for others," Lu Yanbei said, burning the last bundle of paper money and helping Su He stand up.
The mourning hall was dimly lit, and cold winds occasionally blew in. Spending a night here was not pleasant. However, Lu Yanbei's family was the only one left from the old master's lineage, so no one else was there to keep vigil.
The first half of the night was fine; after finishing their tasks, it passed. By the latter half of the night, the temperature dropped sharply, and affected by their biological clocks, they felt exceptionally drowsy.
According to custom, the incense and candles in front of the memorial tablet could not be extinguished; they had to be constantly watched, and new ones had to be replaced when they burned out. Therefore, Su He struggled to keep her eyelids open, not daring to fall asleep.
However, after a day of busyness, anyone would feel tired. Before long, her eyelids began to droop.
Lu Yanbei felt sorry for her and told her to go upstairs to rest.
Su He shook her head and refused. "I'll just walk around a bit, and I won't be sleepy."
How could she feel at ease leaving Lu Yanbei to stay up alone?
"Get some sleep. I'll wake you before dawn," Lu Yanbei urged, looking at her tired face.
Su He stood up and rubbed her ears fiercely. "I'll go make some tea. Do you want some?"
Lu Yanbei, unable to refuse her, ordered a cup of coffee instead.
No one could leave the mourning hall unattended, so Su He went to the kitchen alone.
Thus, relying on coffee and strong tea to stay awake, the two of them finally managed to get through the night.
The next day, the funeral procession concluded in the afternoon.
Su He was too tired to move. She wrapped herself in a quilt and fell asleep without even eating.
At the bedroom door, two little heads kept peeking inside.
"It's so late, why isn't Mommy getting up? The sun is already up!" Lu Ziyu said in a childish voice, his big eyes glistening.
Lu Ziyi noticed his younger siblings' actions and stepped forward to pull them away. "Shh, don't wake Mommy up!"
"But if Mommy doesn't eat, her tummy will be hungry!"
"She'll get sick! Her tummy will ache!"
The twins chimed in, mimicking the adults' words perfectly.
Lu Ziyi pursed his lips and said, "Daddy will take care of Mommy, so she won't get sick. Come on, I'll take you to build LEGOs."
"Yay!" With their big brother leading them, they finally agreed to leave.
Lu Yanbei went upstairs and happened to witness this scene.
He adjusted his glasses.
It seemed that having a son as the first child had its benefits. At least, he could manage his younger siblings.