"Mom, why are you crying?" Lu Ziyi heard the 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, my eyes are a bit uncomfortable... It's getting late, Mom will take you upstairs to rest. The funeral is tomorrow morning, we can't be late."
Lu Ziyi nodded. "Okay, I'll listen to you, Mom."
Su He affectionately rubbed the soft top of her son's head and led him inside.
Upstairs, the twins had already been put to sleep by Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"I'm sorry, I got distracted and didn't see him leave..." Jiang Xiaoxiao picked up her coat from the sofa and put it on, preparing to go home.
Su He shook her head. "I haven't thanked you yet for helping me take care of the little ones."
Her best friend and sister-in-law, pregnant, was helping her watch the children. What did she have to complain about? She was grateful. Besides, nothing had happened to Lu Ziyi.
"It's inconvenient to go back so late, why don't you stay here tonight?" Su He couldn't bear to see her rushing around tiredly, so she suggested.
Jiang Xiaoxiao politely refused. "Your eldest brother is already waiting downstairs. Besides, the Lu family has many relatives, and some are from out of town. We might not all be able to stay."
"I have your brother to take care of me, you can focus on your own affairs." Jiang Xiaoxiao cupped her face and rubbed it. "Tonight, you still have to keep vigil for the old man. You're much more tired than I am!"
Su He gave a wry smile.
She didn't feel tired.
Compared to what the old man had done for her, she truly had no way to repay him.
After sending 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 around, with Lu Yanbei at the center, seemingly discussing something with agitated expressions.
"That's your grandmother's legacy, how can it be given to an outsider!"
"Exactly! If it's to be given, it should be to that girl Qingning, not her!"
"Yanbei, you need to handle this properly, or it will really hurt family ties. Your grandmother's side still has relatives, if they find out, who knows what trouble will arise!"
"Several media outlets came today, if this gets out, it will be another storm of criticism!"
Su He stopped in her tracks, a chill running through her.
She knew it, it had to be about this!
The old man's will wasn't a secret; many people knew about it. They couldn't find fault with anything else, so they had to make a fuss about this.
Of course, Lu Yanbei would stand on her side.
As expected, the next moment, Lu Yanbei retorted coldly, "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, everyone just felt... it was a bit unreasonable!"
Lu Yanbei's imposing aura made the relatives feel immense pressure.
"Whether it's reasonable or not, it's not for you to decide!" Lu Yanbei continued.
"Yanbei, don't misunderstand! We're just looking out for you!"
"Unnecessary!" Lu Yanbei interrupted them. "What is mine, Lu Yanbei's, is hers! Her businesses are worth tens of billions, would she covet the little things left by Grandma?"
"But..."
"Grandpa has always treated her like a 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 must be returned to them, the 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 they had now fallen by the wayside. The Qin family hiring people to lobby them was likely because they had already set their sights on the dowry left by the old lady.
When the old man was alive, they dared not mention it, for fear of cutting off ties with the Lu family. Now that the old man had just passed away, they were already eyeing those old things, truly impatient!
"Grandpa's body has barely cooled, and you want to go against his wishes and seize property? For a mere million, you can be bought to speak for the Qin family. Who gave you the courage?"
Lu Yanbei's words were harsh, and he directly exposed the clandestine transaction. The relatives were all so frightened they dared not make a sound.
Lu Yanbei was too terrifying!
They met in secret, and he already knew about it!
What else didn't he know?
Thinking of the little things they had done behind his back, the few of them didn't dare to breathe.
Old Master Lu was gone, and Lu Yanbei would be in charge of the Lu family from now on. Offending him, and him being displeased, could lead to them being disowned, and their losses would be huge!
To abandon the Lu family for such a small profit was clearly like losing a watermelon for a sesame seed!
Before long, they all got up and left one by one. 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 eased.
Su He squatted beside him and burned paper for the old man together. "I'm sorry, it's about my affairs again..."
Lu Yanbei held her hand calmly. "They were rude first, it has nothing to do with you, no need to blame yourself."
"What Grandma left is a family heirloom of the Lu family, it will be passed down from generation to generation, it doesn't belong to anyone," Su He said after careful consideration.
"If it's given to you, it's yours, no need to leave it for others." Lu Yanbei burned the last bundle of paper money and helped Su He to her feet.
The mourning hall was dimly lit, and cold winds occasionally blew in. Spending the night here was not pleasant. But Lu Yanbei's family was the only remaining line of Old Master Lu's generation, and besides them, no one else was there to keep vigil for the old man.
The first half of the night was fine, it passed after finishing the tasks at hand. By the latter half of the night, the temperature dropped sharply, and under the influence of the circadian rhythm, people felt exceptionally sleepy.
According to custom, the incense and candles in front of the spirit tablet could not be extinguished; they had to be watched constantly, and new ones had to be replaced when they burned out. Therefore, Su He tried her best to keep her eyelids open, not daring to fall asleep.
However, after a busy day, anyone would feel tired. Before long, her eyelids started to droop.
Lu Yanbei felt sorry for her and told her to go upstairs to rest.
Su He shook her head, refusing. "I'll walk around a bit and I won't be sleepy."
How could she rest assured leaving Lu Yanbei to stay up alone all night?
"Sleep for a while, I'll wake you before dawn." Lu Yanbei looked at her tired face and urged her.
Su He stood up and rubbed her ears vigorously. "I'll go make some tea, do you want some?"
Lu Yanbei couldn't persuade her, so he ordered a cup of coffee.
No one could leave the mourning hall, so Su He went to the kitchen alone.
Thus, relying on coffee and strong tea to stay awake, the two of them managed to get through the night.
The next day, by the time the funeral was over, it was already afternoon.
Su He was too tired to move, and fell asleep under the covers without even eating.
At the bedroom door, two little heads kept peeking inside.
"It's so late, why isn't Mom getting up? The sun is already high!" Lu Ziyu said in a milky voice, blinking his watery eyes.
Lu Ziyi noticed the actions of his younger twin siblings and stepped forward to pull them away. "Shh, don't disturb Mom sleeping!"
"But Mom will be hungry if she doesn't eat!"
"She'll get sick! Stomach ache!"
The twins chimed in, mimicking adult speech perfectly.
Lu Ziyi pursed his lips and said, "Dad will take care of Mom, she won't get sick. Come on, I'll take you to play with LEGOs."
"Yay!" With their elder brother leading them, they finally agreed to leave.
Lu Yanbei went upstairs and happened to see this scene.
He adjusted his glasses.
It seemed that having a son as the first child had its advantages. At least, he could manage his younger siblings.