Lin Ziyan trembled upon hearing this.

When Lu Yunshen was in that car accident, his grandmother shielded him again.

Otherwise, why would Wang Atai suddenly disappear?

With a thousand thoughts swirling in my mind, the car braved the heavy rain and drove on to the neighboring village.

Grandma Wang got out of the car, holding a large black umbrella, and jogged towards Grandma Wang's house.

Lin Ziyan grabbed her arm tightly so she wouldn't fall.

The stale, dusty smell in the air made her feel even more irritable.

A large number of people had gathered at Wang Atai's house, and many white decorations had been hung in the courtyard.

Her home was simply furnished, mostly with old items, but you could tell they were high-quality pieces.

The dried sweet potatoes in the yard hadn't been put away yet and were already soaked.

Instead of going into the main room, Atai handed a small cloth bag to Wang Atai's daughter-in-law and then rushed to their ancestral hall.

She was older than Wang Atai, so even if she performed rituals, they could only be held in the outer hall.

Lin Ziyan followed her the whole way, afraid that she wouldn't be able to hold on.

Grandma's full head of white hair was covered with a white cloth, revealing her wrinkled forehead.

"I'll bring Mengmeng over to pay respects later, to put her mind at ease, after all, she's my only disciple," Ah Tai muttered, as if talking to himself.

The villagers looked at her with puzzled expressions.

Grandma didn't care about anything else. She took out her dancing clothes from the big cloth bag and put them on one by one.

The moment she was fully dressed, everyone was stunned.

As she chanted scriptures and danced, the surroundings seemed to be infected by her devout baptism, causing people to involuntarily quiet down and listen.

Inside the ancestral hall, Wang Atai lay in her coffin, a smile playing on her lips.

Lin Ziyan stood to the side, biting her lower lip tightly, her eyes red-rimmed.

The old lady was repaying a debt of gratitude; she was chanting sutras in the hope that her old friend could pass away peacefully.

She jumped for about ten minutes and then stopped, slowly taking off her clothes and hat.

The old lady didn't even glance inside the ancestral hall; instead, she turned and left, leaving everyone with only her back view.

Lin Ziyan knew that if she brought Mengmeng to pay respects tomorrow, her great-grandmother wouldn't be coming along.

The sky was covered by thick clouds, and the rain fell like a waterfall, as if mourning for Wang Atai.

Back home,

Grandma locked herself in her room and didn't say another word.

There will never be another person like Wang Atai in the world.

When people visit temples, they only see sculptures of deities, but Wang Atai can see their divine forms.

The gods are still here, but since they can no longer communicate, they can no longer offer solace to the world.

The rain continued for the next two days, gradually subsiding.

After Wang Atai was buried, sunlight pierced through the clouds, and before the raindrops could even slide off the tips of the grass, they reflected a colorful halo.

The glittering stones, like scattered diamonds, shone around Wang Atai's tomb, enveloped in a halo of light.

Grandma Lin placed a bowl of glutinous rice on the stone table in the courtyard and lit an incense stick to bid farewell.

Mengmeng, standing beside her, said, "Great-Grandma, Master left with a smile."

Lin Ziyan has been afraid to leave these past few days; she feels constantly uneasy.

Mengmeng seems to be the same as her; she's been clinging to her grandmother to sleep together these past two days.

“Good girl, she’ll go scout ahead for her great-grandmother first.” Grandma Lin said in a low voice.

Mengmeng hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face, and she sobbed.

She didn't want her grandmother to leave.

Lin Ziyan's vision blurred instantly; her great-grandmother was leaving, five years ahead of schedule.

She could have lived longer.

"Why is this child crying again? Just like your aunt said, she's a little crybaby." Grandma Lin choked up as she reluctantly wiped away her tears.

Her heart was burning hot, scalded by Mengmeng's tears.

Some relationships are predestined, like Mengmeng and Wang Atai.

Some are acquired later in life, like her and Wang Atai.

Grandma Lin led Mengmeng into the house, her gaze firm and bright.

She's held on for a long time; now she doesn't have to anymore.

"Mother..."

When Lin Shaowen arrived home, his eyes were filled with panic.

Upon receiving Lin Ziyan's call, he immediately rushed back from Beijing.

"Awen's back. Come to the kitchen for lunch. I've made your favorite pickled cabbage." Grandma Lin said with a smile.

Mengmeng pouted, looked at her mother, and shook her head.

Lin Atai quickened her pace, and upon returning to the house, she immediately changed her clothes and lay down.

Mengmeng sat on the edge of the bed watching, sobbing.

She told herself that she couldn't cry so much anymore, or her great-grandmother would feel sorry for her.

After Lin Atai lay down, all her energy and spirit were instantly drained away.

Mengmeng immediately opened the door: "Mom..."

Lin Atai was barely clinging to life when Lin Shaowen carried her into the ancestral hall before she finally passed away.

Lin Ziyan's hand was still being held by her grandmother, and the warmth gradually disappeared. She felt as if a large piece of her heart had been ripped out.

At this moment, she felt no sadness.

For the next two days, her mind seemed to wander, and she shut out everything around her.

It wasn't until after her grandmother was buried that she returned home and went into her grandmother's room, and tears streamed down her face.

Mengmeng hugged her tightly, comforting her instead: "Mommy, don't cry. Mengmeng will be with you from now on."

Dou Dou clung to Lin Ziyan's leg, refusing to let go, while Jiao Jiao sobbed and cried loudly.

Xiaoxiao sat beside them, stunned, just as she had when her parents passed away.

Lu Yun Shen breathed a sigh of relief. He finally cried out. Otherwise, it would have been so painful to keep it inside.

Under the bright sunshine, the lemon tree in the yard still stands straight and tall.

Golden light pierced through the gaps in the trees, dappling the ground, and everything in the yard remained the same as before.

Things have changed, but people are no longer the same.

Lin Ziyan sat in the courtyard again, feeling only emptiness.

This is different from when Ah Tai went to live in the temple; now she will never come back.

Everything in the courtyard felt both familiar and strange.

Lu Yun Shen sat down next to her. As he tidied his things, he noticed a piece of paper on the table:

"Ah Tai has no regrets; she left with her best friend."

"Hmm, she's disobedient and has once again used herself to take the blame," Lin Ziyan murmured.

These past few days she's been thinking, was it just as heartbreaking when her parents sent her away in her past life?

Grandma can't come back, and neither can she ever go back.

Lin Ziyan's mind conjured up images of her father slumped on the ground, burying his face in his hands and sobbing, and her mother crying until she fainted.

Helpless, she could only watch, unable to offer any more comfort.

They all gave her the most complete love, and her grandmother gave her a sense of security when she came here.

Now all of that has disappeared…

“We still have Mengmeng and Doudou, Jiaojiao and Xiaoxiao need you.” Lu Yunshen put his arm around her thin shoulders.

In just a few days, Lin Ziyan visibly lost a lot of weight.

She ate as usual, but her body seemed not to absorb the food.

The stomach is the organ most sensitive to emotions; it works in response to emotions.

"Yes, I'm fine, I just haven't recovered yet." Lin Ziyan smiled.

Life goes on, and she only allowed herself a few days of depression to adjust.

The sky was still blue, the sun was still shining brightly, and the lemon scent in the air was as usual.

Grandma is gone, but they are still here, continuing her bloodline, passing it down from generation to generation.

"I hope she's doing well over there..."

Yes, it will.