"Thank you, Auntie." Yuan Doudou collapsed onto the quilt, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Zhang Aiju sat by the coffin, looking at the candlelight, and muttered to herself, "Sister Wang, now that you're gone, how will Dou Dou and her widow survive?"

Even with her poor health, Wang was still the pillar of the family.

She turned to look at Yuan Doudou, who looked exhausted, her heart aching for her.

In the middle of the night, Wang Qiqiang brought over a food box.

"Mom, you have some snacks, I'll keep watch over things."

Zhang Aiju waved her hand, "Leave it for now, let Dou Dou eat it when she wakes up. She hasn't eaten much all day."

Wang Qiqiang picked up some paper money and put it into the brazier. The flames flickered and disappeared in an instant.

“Mother, now that Aunt An is gone, Dou Dou will have an even harder time raising the child.” Wang Qiqiang paused as he spoke.

Zhang Aiju saw through her son's thoughts; he liked Yuan Doudou, which was before Yuan Doudou married An Rong.

"Qiqiang, I advise you to give up on this idea," Zhang Aiju said seriously.

Wang Qiqiang wanted to refute but was powerless to do so.

"Mother, is there really no chance?" he asked, unwilling to give up.

Zhang Aiju shook her head and sighed, "It's not that I'm prejudiced, it's just that your Aunt An told me An Rong isn't dead."

"What?" Wang Qiqiang asked in surprise.

Seeing her son staring in disbelief, Zhang Aiju felt a pang of heartache.

Yuan Doudou has been called a widow by the villagers for three years, and now they say her husband is still alive. Anyone who hears this will sigh.

"If Brother An is really alive, why doesn't he come back?" Wang Qiqiang didn't understand. Now that Aunt An had passed away, shouldn't he have come back to see her off?

Zhang Aiju didn't know the reason, and since she was teasing herself and didn't say anything, she didn't feel comfortable asking.

"Don't ask any questions, just do what you're supposed to do," Zhang Aiju instructed.

Wang Qiqiang couldn't stay long, so he burned some paper money and went back first.

Yuan Doudou slept until dawn. When she opened her eyes, she saw Zhang Aiju sitting upright in front of the coffin and immediately woke up.

"I'm sorry, Auntie, I overslept." Yuan Doudou got up, tidied her bedding, knelt down respectfully, and added paper to the brazier.

Zhang Aiju smiled and said, "It's alright. Auntie is getting old and doesn't need much sleep. Go wash your face first before you come back."

Yuan Doudou wanted to go to the restroom, so they went together.

When I returned, I heard Angie's voice and hurried inside.

"Waaah!" Angie buried her head in the blanket, sticking her bottom out, and cried sadly.

Yuan Doudou gently patted his little bottom, "Anji, what's wrong?"

"Mommy, I miss Grandma." Anji got up and rushed into Yuan Doudou's arms like a helpless kitten.

Yuan Doudou hugged Anji tightly and gently stroked the back of his head.

"Good boy, Anji, Grandma has gone to heaven and become a star. She watches over us every day." Her gentle voice was like a breeze brushing against Anji's ear.

Angie looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, "Really? Grandma will always be with us?"

"Of course, she loves Angie the most and will always be watching over Angie from heaven to ensure his safety and health."

Anji stopped crying and looked at Yuan Doudou like a little adult.

"Mother, from now on, let me protect you and take care of you." Grandma is gone, and so is Dad. He is the man of the family.

Yuan Doudou smiled with satisfaction; overnight, Anji had grown up.

"Okay, Anji is the most capable." Yuan Doudou stroked Anji's face.

After dressing Anji, Yuan Doudou took Anji to the mourning hall.

Yuan Doudou let Anji sit next to her, while she knelt on the cushion.

Zhang Aiju busied herself in the kitchen, as even more people would be coming today, and everyone would be preparing food for tomorrow together.

"Yuan Doudou, give me back my cloth!" Zhuang Shuhui shouted as soon as she entered the room.

Zhang Aiju put down the firewood and came out of the kitchen.

Standing protectively in front of Yuan Doudou, he angrily retorted, "An Lao Er just delivered the cloth yesterday, and you're already asking for it back today? I think you've lost all your conscience."

"Who are you calling heartless?" Zhuang Shuhui jumped three feet high in anger.

Zhang Aiju sneered: "Whoever wants the cloth, just say so. Let me tell you, as long as I'm here, you can't mess around."

This is Wang's funeral; no one is allowed to disrupt it.

Yuan Doudou stood up, pointed at her with her index finger, and said sternly, "An Zhuangshi, please leave!"

“Yuan Doudou, I am your second aunt. You are showing no respect for your elders.”

Here we go again. If you don't act like an elder, what right do you have to talk about respecting elders?

Yuan Doudou slowly walked towards her, her cold gaze fixed on Zhuang Shuhui's face. "My mother-in-law is your sister-in-law. Did you kowtow to her?"

Zhuang Shuhui glanced at the memorial tablet in front of the coffin, felt a chill run down her spine, and subconsciously stepped back.

"Dream on. Even if she's dead, she won't make me kneel before her." Deep down, she looked down on Wang Shi.

Relying on her good looks, she captivated all the men in the village.

What's most infuriating is that her husband has always harbored improper thoughts about Wang. If it weren't for her hateful nature, An Bihuai would probably have divorced her and remarried long ago.

“Anzhuang, shut up!” Yuan Doudou snapped. “If you’re not going to kneel, then get as far away from me as possible.”

Yuan Doudou felt sorry for her mother-in-law and was willing to use her family's money to help her for the sake of the second wife.

It is said that you can win people's hearts in return.

Helping someone like Zhuang Shuhui is like throwing good money after bad; it's a one-way street.

"Yuan Doudou, you think you can make me leave? Not so easy. Give me back the cloth from my house." Zhuang Shuhui was unwilling to give up, puffing out her big chest and acting unreasonably.

“Anzhuang, when did you bring the white cloth? Yesterday? Today?” Yuan Doudou raised an eyebrow and asked.

When faced with such an unreasonable person, Yuan Doudou has no choice but to retaliate in kind.

"Don't play dumb with me. Your second uncle brought the cloth behind my back. It was a whole roll of brand-new white cloth." Zhuang Shuhui trembled with anger as she thought of how her husband had pushed her to the ground yesterday in order to take the cloth away.

Seeing that her children had also gone to pay their respects made her so angry that her liver ached. She deliberately tried to kill herself at home, staging a scene to force them not to come again that day.

"So it was Second Uncle who brought it. What does that have to do with you?" Yuan Doudou remained unmoved. No matter how fierce Zhuang Shuhui was, she couldn't scare her.

Zhuang Shuhui was so angry that her mouth trembled. "What belongs to your second uncle is mine. Tell me, does it have anything to do with me?"

Yuan Doudou looked at the memorial tablet, calm yet sorrowful, "This was brought to Grandma by my second uncle, what does it have to do with you?"

As she spoke, her voice began to choke.

Zhang Aiju knew that Doudou was sad, so she grabbed Zhuang Shuhui's arm and walked towards the door.

Zhuang Shuhui unconsciously went outside before she came to her senses.

"Zhang Aiju, why are you pulling me?"

Before Zhang Aiju could reply, An Bihuai ran over, glaring fiercely at Zhuang Shuhui, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Zhuang Shuhui, if you're going to go crazy, go home and do it. Don't embarrass yourself here."

Seeing that An Bihuai was somewhat opinionated, Zhang Aiju stopped caring and turned to enter the courtyard.

Yuan Doudou knelt before the altar, head bowed and silent.