Aunt Qiao sat in the room holding a handkerchief and waiting.

She didn't know what she was waiting for.

Mrs. Luo suddenly fell ill, and given her status, she was not worthy of serving Mrs. Luo. When she heard about this, she immediately asked the maid to bring Xuan Ge'er over to wait. After dawn, Xuan Ge'er was brought back and yawned as he said to her childishly, "Grandma can't get up, and my sister is still kneeling."

Seeing that he was so sleepy that he was leaning against the nanny and couldn't lift his eyes, Aunt Qiao asked the nanny to carry Xuan Ge'er in to sleep.

It was so quiet outside.

This silence made her feel vaguely nervous. Old Madam Luo had been controlling her for so many years. If it weren't for her protection, would Yining, a young legitimate daughter without a mother, have been able to live such a pampered life in the Luo family? Could Lin Hairu, a childless wife, really control the situation?

The old lady was in good health and had held on for so many years. When she was really about to die, Aunt Qiao had a complicated feeling in her heart.

She remembered when she first arrived at the Luo family, everything about them was luxurious. Old Madam Luo sat high in the hall, imposing without even a chuckle. Even though Gu Minglan was gentle and kind, her aura of a young lady from an aristocratic family made her feel inferior. She wouldn't even look at her. She felt so humbled back then, watching the Luo family look down on her, she only knew she had to be rich and famous, and that sooner or later, she'd be in that position.

Aunt Qiao took a deep breath.

From time to time, there were cries coming from outside, and a carriage drove in hurriedly, like a pot of water boiling in an instant.

Aunt Qiao finally slowly loosened the handkerchief she was holding, and her palms became wet.

Judging from the commotion outside, Mrs. Luo was gone after all. She had been arguing with her for half her life, and she was still gone.

Aunt Qiao said calmly, "Biyi, go get a plain jacket. Let's change and go to the main hall."

She looked towards the main hall, preparing to pay her last respects to old lady Luo.

The main hall was already covered in mourning.

Mrs. Luo passed away so suddenly that she opened her eyes before she died, as if she was looking for someone. But she seemed unwilling to not find someone, and stared with eyes wide open. It was Luo Chengzhang who finally closed Mrs. Luo's eyes. Then he took the lead and knelt before Mrs. Luo's bed. He had never cried before, but he couldn't hold back his tears. He knelt down and kowtowed three times to Mrs. Luo. When he raised his head, his eyes were red and swollen, and he said, "Hairu, take Meijie away."

Yining almost collapsed in front of Old Lady Luo's bed, grabbing her sleeves and crying, and no one could pull her away.

Lin Hairu walked forward, picked up Yining, and patted her back to comfort her.

She looked at Chen who was standing next to her and couldn't help but said, "Sister Mei said she wanted to wait, but you let her go. In the end, the old lady died without even seeing Sister Mei..." As she spoke, her eyes turned red again and she choked up, "How can Sister Mei not be sad!"

How could Chen have expected that as soon as Yining left, Mrs. Luo would pass away.

The old lady died without her children and grandchildren around her, and she didn't see her most beloved granddaughter for the last time, so her life was naturally not perfect.

She knelt down respectfully and kowtowed to Old Lady Luo, crying with red eyes: "Old Lady, it is your daughter-in-law who has let you down..."

Yining closed her eyes. She didn't want to listen anymore.

The mourning hall had been set up, and all the lanterns in the mansion had been changed. Lin Hairu also took Yi Ning down to change into mourning clothes.

Lin Hairu was crying while changing her clothes.

The room was filled with traces of Mrs. Luo's presence. She saw the sutras half-laid on the small table, the string of warm sandalwood Buddhist beads, her favorite azure plum vase depicting Magu offering longevity, and the shoes she had made for Yining, still on the footstool.

Lin Hairu squatted down to button her shirt and asked her softly, "Yining, you won't be living here anymore. Your mother will take care of you, okay?"

Yi Ning looked at Lin Hairu, smiled at her and said, "Mother, it's okay."

When Lin Hairu heard her say this, her tears kept falling. She touched her head and felt so sad that she couldn't speak.

She always felt that Yining seemed to have grown up a little suddenly.

This kind of rapid growth forced by the outside world really made her feel distressed.

She held Yining's hand tightly.

Mother Zheng finally returned, but she still couldn't see the old lady for the last time. She fell down in front of the coffin, weeping bitterly, tears streaming down her face.

How could she have imagined that the meeting yesterday would be forever and she would never see Mrs. Luo again.

Yining knelt before her grandmother's spirit, kowtowed to her as she was being chanted. Many people were kneeling in the main hall. Three-year-old Xuan, still naive, tried to raise his head as soon as he knelt, but the nanny quickly held it down.

Although Luo Shenyuan was not the eldest grandson, he had the highest honors and achievements. He knelt in front of his grandchildren, his posture as firm as a pine tree.

Many people in Baoding had benefited from Mrs. Luo's kindness, and upon hearing the news, they came to pay their respects. Although Luo Chengzhang was heartbroken, he still got up to entertain the guests, and he had already entrusted the management of the household affairs to Chen and Luo Shenyuan.

Luo Shenyuan invited Taoist priests to perform rituals and prepare a banquet in an orderly manner.

That night, everything was settled. Chen, holding a cup of tea, sat in Mrs. Luo's usual seat and sighed, "The old lady passed away in a hurry, but she didn't make any arrangements for her funeral."

The women of the Luo family sitting in the hall were all silent. Now that Mrs. Luo had passed away, it was natural that the eldest daughter-in-law, Chen, would speak first.

"Although we are two families, we must not separate the family property after the old lady's death and disappoint her." Chen said gently, looking at Yining, "Yining was young and originally lived with the old lady. Now that the old lady is gone, it is not good for Yining to live in the main hall. I am Yining's eldest aunt, and I can only help Yining make the decision. Yining, are you willing to move back to Lumingyuan? Your aunt will assign more maids to serve you, okay?"

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