Li Jin's vomiting of blood terrified his whole family, who frantically tried to find a doctor.

Li Jin waved his hand, "It's okay, I'm fine~"

He hastily wiped the blood from his mouth and started walking out.

Li Song was also terrified, and he followed Li Jin outside hesitantly.

As the eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Sufang also had to hurry. She said to Li Xiangdong, "Let's bring Doctor Gu over first, and then we'll take a look at your father's health when we have some free time."

Li Xiangdong nodded. He wasn't needed now. The main task was for Li Jin and the others to dress Li Qingshan in his finery, carry him to the bed, and notify his family to come and offer condolences.

Li Qing had organized two funerals in just half a month, and now he was very adept at handling and assigning Li Qingshan's funeral arrangements.

Li Jinshan is now completely different from how he was when Li Wanshi passed away; he is always in tears when he comes in and out.

Zhou tried to persuade him several times, but to no avail, so she had no choice but to let him be.

The aunts of the Li family came again after receiving the news of the death. They started crying from a great distance, and their crying was so heartbreaking that even outsiders felt sorry for them.

The deaths of both one's parents within a month are something no one can accept!

Doctor Gu and Grandma Jiang also came over. They went to the mourning hall to pay their respects and then called Li Jin out to take his pulse.

Doctor Gu stroked his beard. "He was just heartbroken. It's a good thing he coughed up this mouthful of blood."

Hearing that Dr. Gu was alright, Zhao Sufang finally felt relieved.

The next steps were the usual cremation, funeral procession, and burial.

The soil on Li Wanshi's grave was still wet when it was dug up and she was buried together with Li Qingshan.

The coffin was reburied, covered with soil, and two large clods of earth were placed on the grave. Everyone took off their mourning clothes and held them in their hands.

The mourning clothes are all made of pure cotton, and they can be washed and used after being taken home.

Back home, the Li brothers distributed some of the pickled vegetables to each household in the village and treated the hardworking people to a meal.

Aside from spitting out blood at the beginning, Li Jin handled Li Qingshan's funeral in an orderly manner.

Only after seeing off the busy people who had finished eating did Li Jin slump down on a small stool in the corner, bent over, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling, and a broken sob escaping his throat.

Zhao Sufang told the children to go to another room, and then quietly closed the door herself.

Standing outside the door, Li Xiangdong listened to Li Jin's increasingly loud sobs, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Which child doesn't want their parents to love them, whether it's him or Li Zhen?

Li Jin was no exception. He had been a dutiful son for so many years. Even though he had grown somewhat estranged from his parents in recent years, his feelings for them were genuine.

Those who have passed away are gone, but those who are alive must continue to live.

Li Jin felt unwell all night, and the next day he got up, washed his face, and went to the brigade headquarters.

The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and this year's dividends haven't been paid out yet. Everyone is eagerly waiting to have a good New Year!

Wang Zhenbo glanced at Li Jin, whose eyes were red and swollen, and said nothing. At this time, doing more work would actually help to distract him.

This year, Lijiapo's dividends have increased compared to last year, with each person receiving an average of 5,150 yuan.

Therefore, now even ordinary families in Lijiapo are now worth tens of thousands of yuan.

Everyone received their share of the money and was all smiles. They then hurried off to prepare for the New Year.

However, none of this applies to Li Jin's family anymore. They don't have any paper-cut window decorations, couplets, hanging ornaments, or the character "福" (fortune). They'll only be able to put up purple couplets next year, and green ones the year after.

After observing the mourning period for three years, you can put up red couplets normally in the fourth year.

Logically, when parents pass away, their children should enjoy the blessings for three years, and they don't need to visit them during the Lunar New Year.

Therefore, Li Jin's family spent this year's Spring Festival in an exceptionally quiet manner.

Li Xiangdong simply took Grandma Jiang, Doctor Gu, Li Ping, Li Yan, and Li Jiabao to Yanjing for the New Year.

Originally, I wanted to take Li Jin and Zhao Sufang, the couple, to the capital for a relaxing trip. But Li Jin didn't want to go, so Zhao Sufang stayed home with him.

Upon arriving in Yanjing, the streets and alleys were brightly decorated and bustling with activity.

They went directly to Grandma Jiang's Douzui Hutong to stay, and then met up with Zhou Hongsong, Ning Ruoruo, Liu Junbo and Li Zhen and his wife.

Zhou Hongmei was overjoyed to see that they had all come to Yanjing for the New Year. However, she felt that they hadn't bought enough vegetables, fish, and meat for the New Year's Eve dinner, so she made arrangements to go and buy more.

Li Xiangdong smiled and stopped her, "No need to trouble yourself. We won't cook New Year's Eve dinner at home. I've booked a table at Juxiande."

Li Zhen eats in the cafeteria every day and doesn't know much about what's happening outside. "Are restaurants open during the Chinese New Year?"

Li Xiangdong nodded, "The city will continue its operations during the Spring Festival."

Zhou Hongmei tried to argue, "I've already bought the groceries, and besides, my cooking is pretty good, isn't it..."

Wu Jianjun smiled and helped her sit down, saying, "You're pregnant, so you should rest well during the New Year. It's fine to eat out for New Year's Eve dinner. I was worried that you would overwork yourself!"

Only then did everyone realize that Zhou Hongmei was pregnant, and they all congratulated the young couple. Li Zhen and Zhou Hongmei, two married women, whispered to each other, talking about something private.

Ning Ruoruo was unusually quiet today, sitting in the corner, lost in thought.

Li Xiangdong had been looking at her for a while, and couldn't help but walk over and ask, "What's wrong with you? You seem distracted!"

Ning Ruoruo snapped out of her daze, smiled at Li Xiangdong, her big eyes shining like stars, making Li Xiangdong's heart skip a beat.

“My grandfather asked someone to tell me that he wants me to come and spend the New Year with him.”

So that's how it is.

“What did your grandfather say when he kicked you out? He went too far and now he’s playing the good guy.”

Li Xiangdong felt sorry for Ning Ruoruo.

However, whether or not to go is up to Ning Ruoruo herself.

Ning Ruoruo squinted in the warm sunlight, her long eyelashes fluttering. "I feel like there's something going on here."

"Oh, what's up?"

Ning Ruoruo shook her head. "I was just guessing."

Li Xiangdong still accompanied Ning Ruoruo to visit Zhou Yicheng on the morning of Lunar New Year's Eve.

Carrying two boxes of Daoxiangcun pastries, they spent a lot of time finding Zhou Yicheng's current residence, following the address given by the messenger.

These are several four-story tenement buildings with red brick facades and shared toilets and kitchens inside.

As for the environment, there are several poplar trees as thick as a person's embrace in front of the building.

Of course, this kind of environment is still quite good for ordinary people.

But who is Zhou Yicheng?!

He used to live in a three-story detached villa with guards!

Ning Ruoruo looked at the door number, reached out to knock, and found that the door was ajar.

"Squeak—"

The two people pushed open the door, and a stench hit their noses.

There was a bed directly opposite the door, on which lay an old man with disheveled gray hair, a cotton quilt of indeterminate color haphazardly wrapped around him.

"Who's there? Who's here?"