RYEY -Chapter 364 No More Blood Relatives

“Grandma, what’s wrong? Grandma…”

Xuhui rushed forward, shaking his grandmother desperately, but her head drooped weakly, and she was about to slip off the wheelchair.

Li Huan leapt forward in a single step, firmly holding his grandmother with both hands, and looked at Xuhui with determination: “Xuhui, first take Grandma inside.”

Xuhui nodded, but he had his own thought: “Dad, let’s take Grandma back to the old Chen family house.”

Li Huan paused for a moment, then nodded. The Chen family had their own house, and Xuhui’s thought was reasonable.

Cheng Qiao quickly pushed out a cart, laying brand-new bedding on it. Together, they placed Grandma on the cart. Xuhui grabbed the handles and shouted loudly: “Grandma, we’re going home!”

Seeing Xuhui’s reddened eyes, the villagers couldn’t help but follow behind. Even just a short distance for Grandma, it was still moving. Cheng Qiao walked beside Xuhui silently; the child’s only blood relative had passed, and he must have been deeply grieving.

Cheng Li, with his younger siblings, arrived early at the Chen family old house, carrying cloths and brooms, and quickly began cleaning. The old house was already very clean; Cheng Qiao had tidied it up a few days ago.

They placed Grandma on the kang (heated bed) in her room. Li Huan embraced Xuhui. The child was too pitiful—he had lost his parents at a young age and had grown up with his grandmother. Just as life was finally getting better, Grandma…

“Xuhui, good child, cry out loud. Remember, even though your grandmother is gone, I am your father, she is your mother, and you still have four younger siblings.”

Unable to hold back the sorrow in his heart, Xuhui let out a wail. The villagers who had come to celebrate his college acceptance suddenly found themselves at a funeral.

Aunt Wang wiped her tears incessantly, muttering: “Xuhui’s grandmother was truly blessed. Though she lost her son, she had Li Huan and Cheng Qiao. In the Li family, she had enough to eat and wear, and even went to Chuncheng to do business.”

“Yes, yes, I heard Xuhui’s grandmother even went to the capital, living in the big house that used to belong to a landlord, and could go to large department stores—she finally saw the world.”

“Xuhui also made her proud, getting into university. That’s why she could leave peacefully. Look at the old lady, so serene in the end.”

Uncle Niu arrived, and some young men pushed a cart carrying the coffin Uncle Niu had made with his own hands. Originally, people thought he would die first, but Xuhui’s grandmother passed before him—he was even two years older than her.

“Xuhui, let your grandmother use this first. Zhaodi is preparing the funeral clothes and such.”

Zhaodi, the wife of Chen Weimin, brought a look of surprise to everyone’s face. Xuhui nodded and bowed to all the villagers.

Zhaodi brought a complete set of funeral clothes. These were made by Xuhui’s grandmother herself, for the time of her death. Everyone wondered why Grandma had asked Zhaodi.

Li Huan shook her head and sighed. Zhaodi and Chen Weimin had actually become enemies, but because the two children were not yet married, they had not divorced.

Zhaodi personally bathed Grandma and helped her put on the funeral clothes. Then she calmly told everyone that Grandma had saved her life.

A while ago, Zhaodi discovered her husband had an affair with Widow Liu. Furious, she fought Chen Weimin, expecting her two sons to side with him, but Chen Chunjian and Chen Chunli disappointed her.

Widow Liu was wealthy; if she became their mother, at least the wedding dowry would be secured. Zhaodi, however, had a bad temper and was poor—why should she be their mother?

In her rage, Zhaodi went to the village entrance and tried to hang herself. Unexpectedly, Xuhui’s grandmother, rolling by in her wheelchair, persuaded her down.

“Men can be bad, so just leave them. You’ve already spent half your life and effort; live for yourself for the rest of your days. You can survive on your own—there’s no need to end it all.”

Those few words opened a new world for Zhaodi. She straightened her back. At home and outside, she was in control; leaving the house wouldn’t mean death.

Li Huan didn’t expect that the village regulations he had set were still posted at the village committee. Chen Weimin dared to have an affair within the marriage and even thought about divorcing. His character was truly vile.

His two sons, for money, even abandoned their own mother. Such hurtful words—truly wolf cubs who care only for milk.

“Divorce. Once Grandma’s affairs are settled, divorce immediately. If you want the Chen family house, I’ll make Chen Weimin leave empty-handed. Otherwise, he’ll go to prison.”

Li Huan’s words were firm. Chen Chunjian and Chen Chunli cowered in the back, trembling. In this village, they feared no one—but they feared Li Huan.

The villagers knew Widow Liu wasn’t proper, yet she had entangled with Chen Weimin, which shocked everyone. But the deceased comes first; these rotten matters would be dealt with after Grandma’s affairs were done.

Xuhui set up the memorial in the living room of his ancestral house—the place Grandma had spent her entire life. Li Huan had also renovated it; the former thatched cottage had become a brick-and-tile house.

Three sticks of sandalwood incense were lit. Watching the blue smoke rise, Xuhui knew Grandma was happy and at peace. He set up a fire pit and threw in tin foils, which cost nothing.

“Grandma, take some extra money with you. Grandpa and the others must be waiting. Tell them, the Chen family children are all fine.”

According to hometown custom, the body would lie in repose for three days. Three days passed quickly, and finally it was the burial day. Nearly everyone in Xiangyang Village was present to see the martyr’s mother off.

The coffin was lowered into the ground. Xuhui held a shovel and shoveled the first mound of earth. Li Huan and the others immediately followed, and soon, the Chen family ancestral tomb gained a new grave.

Xuhui placed his college acceptance letter on the tomb, muttering to himself. Cheng Qiao couldn’t bear to look; Xuhui was telling his ancestors he hadn’t disgraced them.

Seeing that Xuhui had handled his grandmother’s affairs very properly, Li Huan relaxed and went with Wang Xiangyang to Chen Weimin’s house.

Chen Weimin was sitting on the doorstep. Seeing Li Huan and company arrive, he slowly stood, showing no fear. In contrast, his two sons didn’t dare appear.

“Uncle Weimin, you’re already old. I may be younger, but I’m still the village chief. Can you tell me what you were thinking?”

Chen Weimin ignored Wang Xiangyang, glancing at Li Huan. Seeing him calmly watching, he remained indifferent:

“Since marrying Zhaodi and having three children, look at them—none have done well. And Zhaodi is petty, with no principles in raising the kids. I’ve had enough.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that…?”