When Grandma Yu fell critically ill, Li Xiyue abandoned all her company affairs and rushed back to Hunan Province overnight.

When she rushed over, Xu Baiwei had given Grandma Yu ginseng to suck on, and she was still clinging to life.

"Grandma Yu, I'm back." Li Xiyue came to the bedside and held the old woman's withered hand.

Hearing her voice, the old woman, who had been drowsy, suddenly became clear-headed. She opened her eyes, looked at the child in front of her, and gave her a loving smile. "Yueyue, you're back. You must have had a long journey."

"Grandma!" Li Xiyue knelt by the bedside, tears streaming down her face.

It's her fault for being unfilial; she's been too busy with the company's IPO lately and hasn't been able to come back to spend time with her parents.

When Grandma Yu saw the silver hairpin in her hair, her smile deepened. "Grandma is already content to see you again. In Grandma's heart, I have long regarded you as my own granddaughter."

“I know, I know,” Li Xiyue nodded, crying. “Grandma, you are my own grandma too.”

In previous years, when Grandma Yu was still in good health, she would take Grandma Yu to stay in Beijing for a while every year. However, the elderly woman was not used to leaving her familiar environment and missed her home, so she could not stay for long.

In the past two years, she has gotten older and can no longer withstand the long journey, so we haven't taken her over anymore.

But Li Xiyue and Chu Xun would bring their child back to see her every year.

This year, she was busy with work and it got delayed, but unexpectedly, the old lady...

"Good child, don't cry." Grandma Yu patted her hand, then looked at her children and grandchildren, "You mustn't cry either. I'm getting old, it's time for me to go. You should all be happy."

Xu Guoqiang and Sun Xia, whose hair had turned white, wiped away their tears and forced smiles. "Mother, we will listen to you."

Xu Xiaolong and his wife tried hard to control themselves, forcing out smiles that looked worse than crying.

Tiger got married too. His wife was holding their child and turned her back to wipe away her tears.

Xu Lanlan, who was already married, knelt by the bed, unable to hold back her tears, "Great-Grandma, please don't leave me, I can't bear to part with you..."

She was raised by her grandmother and great-grandmother, and her feelings for them far exceeded those for her parents. She wanted to be filial to her great-grandmother for a few more years and didn't want her to die.

"Lanlan, good girl, don't cry." Grandma Yu patted her great-granddaughter's hand and coaxed her as before.

Xu Lanlan cried even harder, "Great-Grandma, Great-Grandma, I don't want you to leave!"

Everyone in the room couldn't help but shed tears again.

Li Xiyue could understand Xu Lanlan's feelings at this moment.

When she first went to the countryside, Xu Lanlan was only three years old.

The little girl was often held in Grandma Yu's hand, sometimes sitting on the old woman's lap while watching her work, and sometimes being held in her arms while Grandma Yu told her stories of the past and fanned her with a palm leaf fan to lull her to sleep.

Time flies, and the little girl has grown into a young woman and is now married.

But her feelings for Grandma Yu didn't change at all; on the contrary, they grew stronger.

Now that the most important person in her heart is about to pass away, she is more heartbroken and reluctant than anyone else.

Xu Lanlan's husband tried to persuade her gently, and it took him a while to calm her down.

Grandma Yu looked at the room full of her children and grandchildren, and then at Li Xiyue, a child who was more like a granddaughter than a granddaughter. She thought about her life, how she had suffered, enjoyed happiness, weathered storms, and seen rainbows, and she had no regrets.

She served her parents-in-law, raised her children, and lived up to the expectations of the Xu family ancestors and her deceased husband. She can now leave in peace.

As the pressure on her hand loosened, Li Xiyue was startled. She looked up and saw that Grandma Yu had already closed her eyes.

She gently placed her hand on the old woman's pulse, but there was no pulse. A surge of grief welled up in her heart. "Grandma!"

"Mother!" Xu Guoqiang and his wife knelt down with a thud.

"grandmother!"

"Great-Grandma!"

The children and grandchildren all knelt down, and the room was filled with weeping.

The sound of firecrackers startled the entire village, and the villagers rushed over upon hearing the noise. They were all deeply saddened to learn of Grandma Yu's passing.

Xu Guoqiang served as the brigade leader for more than ten years. He was an upright and selfless person, and many people respected him. He also had a wide network of connections, so there were many guests who came to pay their respects.

Grandma Yu passed away with a smile on her face at the age of eighty, which was considered a happy occasion. Her funeral was held in a very grand manner.

Li Xiyue and the Xu family wore mourning clothes and returned the gifts to the guests in front of the coffin.

"Auntie—" Fang Yue'e stumbled into the mourning hall, supported by Xu Dashan, and wept bitterly while hugging the coffin. "I am Yue'e. I am late. I am so sorry, Auntie..."

When villagers mourned at the coffin, family members were required to join in the weeping. Women like Sun Xia climbed onto the coffin and began to cry. The entire mourning hall was filled with the sound of weeping, accompanied by the mournful sound of the suona horn, which brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it.

The women mourned the deceased, while the men knelt and offered incense before the coffin.

Xu Dashan kowtowed four times, saying, "Auntie, it's me, Dashan. I'm back."

His son works in the city and brought him and his wife there. When he heard the news, he and his wife rushed back.

Xu Guoqiang, along with his son and grandson, stepped forward to return the greeting and kowtowed once.

Some villagers stepped forward to persuade the women who were wailing to leave, and they pulled and tugged at each other for a while.

After offering incense, Xu Dashan grasped Xu Guoqiang's hand and said, "Captain, please accept my condolences."

Despite the many years of reform and opening up, veteran comrades like Xu Dashan still habitually call Xu Guoqiang "Captain".

Xu Guoqiang nodded sadly, "Where is Panpan?"

“He couldn’t get leave, and you know what his job is like…” Xu Dashan felt guilty. Aunt Yu had been so good to his son before, and now that she had passed away, his son should have come back to pay his respects.

Xu Guoqiang understood. "My son is successful, so he's busy. My mother knows all this and won't blame him. Dashan, my mother is very happy that you and your sister-in-law can come back..." He choked up as he said this.

Xu Dashan tightened his grip on his hand. "My aunt didn't suffer, did she?"

"No, she passed away peacefully, with a smile on her face."

Xu Dashan was relieved. "Auntie is a lucky woman."

“Aunt Yue’e…” Li Xiyue looked at Fang Yue’e with red eyes.

Fang Yue'e's tears, which she had just stopped, burst forth again. She hugged Li Xiyue tightly and said, "Yueyue, don't be too sad. Your grandma loves you the most and can't bear to see you sad."

Li Xiyue nodded, "I know, I'm not sad, I just miss Grandma..." Her nose tingled, and tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

She started missing her grandmother as soon as she passed away.

I remember my grandmother standing at the door, smiling and calling me in for a drink of water.

I remember always giving her eggs and snacks when we met on the street.

Remembering how, no matter what happened, her grandmother always protected her and stood up for her,

I remember every time she left, my grandmother would stand under the big tree at the village entrance and wave goodbye to her.

A look of deep reluctance appeared in her cloudy eyes, and she said, "Grandma is too old to visit you, she can only hope you will come back..."

Li Xiyue understood the saying, "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease; the child may wish to care for his parents, but they will no longer be there." Therefore, she tried her best to come back to see and accompany her parents whenever she had time. However, when the day finally came, she could not help but feel grief in her heart.

“Good girl, don’t cry, we won’t cry…” Fang Yue’e gently patted her back and coaxed her.

Li Xiyue wiped away her tears and asked, "Auntie, did Panpan not get permission to take leave?"

“Yes, his job, sigh!” Fang Yue’e sighed.

My son joined a state-secret unit, I heard he's a researcher, and he only comes home every few days. They say they're bringing her and her husband to reunite, but in reality, they're still separated most of the time.

Li Xiyue advised, "Panpan is such a promising child, you and your uncle should be happy."

Although Xu Dashan and Fang Yue'e only had one son, Xu Panpan, and it was a hard-won child, the couple did not spoil him at all. They taught him to be independent and sensible from a young age.

Don't underestimate Xu Dashan just because he's a country hunter. He knows a lot of things, but he suffers from a lack of education. Otherwise, he would have been quite successful.

Although Fang Yue'e also felt sorry for her child, she knew that parents who love their children will plan far ahead for them and will not only spoil them in the present but also care about the future.

With the couple's mindset, how could Xu Panpan not be successful?

Of course, Xu Panpan's own intelligence and hard work also played a role.

Xu Panpan is not only successful, but also very sentimental. Whenever she has a holiday, she will go to see her, carrying big bags and small bags, and she always talks about her benefactor and kindness.

Li Xiyue always told him not to bring up the past, but he just wouldn't listen.

During a casual chat, Li Xiyue asked him if he had ever thought about changing his name. Xu Panpan smiled and shook his head, saying that he really liked his current name.

Some classmates laughed at him when he was in school, but he never took it to heart. He knew very well what the name represented.

He also said that people should not forget their roots and should always maintain their original heart in order to go far.

He is intelligent and upright, and always keeps his original aspirations in mind. Li Xiyue is certain that he will become a pillar of the country in the future.

Firecrackers went off at the door, and more guests came to offer their condolences.

It was Xu Jianmin and Gao Xiulan, with their son Xu Xingxing and daughter Xu Xiaoxiao, who had also started working.

Xu Xiaoxiao is married, and Xu Xingxing has started working. The couple moved to the city to live with their son.

The whole family came in, and another round of weeping ensued.

After crying, we chatted about our recent situations.

From a young age, Xu Xiaoxiao and Xu Xingxing, siblings, were instilled by their parents with the idea that Li Xiyue was a benefactor to the whole family, so they respected Li Xiyue very much.

She called him "sister" repeatedly, showing a very close relationship.

Xu Jianmin was talking to Xu Guoqiang, “Xiangyang and his wife won’t be able to make it back, Captain, I’m so sorry.”

"It's good that you guys came back. Thank you for your kindness, brothers." Xu Guoqiang patted him on the shoulder.

They've been friends for a long time, so they don't hold grudges.

Then, the three Xu sisters, who had long been married and were doing big business in the city, also returned, crying almost to the point of heartbreak.

After the reform and opening up, many young people in Xujia Village left the village for the city, and some elderly people were also taken away by their children.

This time, everyone who could come back did, and those who couldn't come back asked relatives to come and attend the funeral.

Only after the funeral was over did Li Xiyue feel like walking around the village.

Over the years, Xujia Village has changed a lot and is no longer the poor village full of mud-brick houses it once was.

Years ago, she invested in a factory in Xujia Village. Everyone in the village worked at the factory, earned money, built cement roads, constructed new houses, and bought a house full of fashionable appliances. They lived a very prosperous life.

Xu Guoqiang still serves as the head of the village, and he has finally lived up to expectations, pulling everyone out of poverty.

"Master!" Xu Baiwei waved to her from afar, carrying a basket on her back filled with herbs she had gathered from the mountain.

Li Xiyue walked over with a smile, "Weiwei, you're back from gathering herbs?"

Xu Baiwei is already married and has two sons and two daughters, all of whom are in school.