Chen Minhui's tears flowed out of her eyes continuously like a flood that broke through the dam. She was extremely anxious and quickly raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face with her sleeve, fearing that the old man would see her.
However, when her eyes fell on the old man who was regaining his vitality, all disguise became futile. The old man's face, which was originally as pale as paper, now had a faint trace of blood color, as if the last afterglow of life was shining on his face.
Chen Minhui's heart tightened, and she quickly reached out and held the old man's other hand tightly. The hand had lost its former warmth and had become extremely cold, but she was unwilling to let go as if she had grasped a life-saving straw.
Her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and her voice was obviously choked with sobs: "Dad, don't say that... These are what I, as a daughter-in-law, should do."
The old man patted her hands a few times, glanced at the people in the room, and then said, "Ruochen and Ruoyi's wives are very good. They gave birth to three children, Yunxuan, Yunmo, and Yunning, for our Nangong family. Yunxuan and Yunmo's wives are very hardworking. They gave birth to four children, Haoyi, Yihuan, Haohan, and Yige, for the Nangong family!"
"The Nangong family did not end with me, but continued from generation to generation. I am worthy of the ancestors of the Nangong family."
"What makes me feel most gratified and proud is seeing that you are all so outstanding and have become excellent children. You have achieved great success in your respective careers, not only winning glory for yourselves, but also making outstanding contributions to the development of the country. Moreover, you are very filial to your elders and know how to be grateful and give back."
"Looking back on my life, I feel extremely satisfied to have such a group of outstanding juniors. Your achievements make me proud, and your filial piety makes me feel warm. I believe that with your efforts, the future will be even better."
From the old man's slow words, one could hear his pride in his achievements, his regrets about the past, and his recognition and praise for the younger generation. His voice was sometimes low and sometimes trembling, which made people feel distressed.
The eyes of everyone in the room gradually became moist, and tears flowed uncontrollably like a flood that broke through a dam. They felt sad that the old man was about to reach the end of his life.
The old man's words were like a sharp sword, piercing deep into their hearts, making it impossible for them to suppress their inner emotions. They cried silently without making a sound, for fear of disturbing the old man's words.
There was a faint sadness in the room, with only the old man's weak voice echoing in the air. He waved to Yun Siying: "Siying, come here."
Yun Siying immediately walked to the bed, sat on the edge of the bed, held the old man's hand, and said with a sob: "Grandpa, I'm here!"
"Grandpa knows that without you, Ruochen and Ruoyi would have left us long ago, the Nangong family would not be as prosperous as it is now, and we would not have lived to be a hundred years old. Grandpa would like to thank you here. You are the benefactor of the Nangong family..."
The old man looked at Yun Siying with gratitude, and his voice became smaller and smaller, intermittent, until he said the last word, smiled and closed his eyes.
Yun Siying widened her eyes and stared at the old man, as if she wanted to engrave every subtle expression of his into her mind. Her lips trembled slightly, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something and she could not make any sound.
However, just as she watched the old man's eyelids slowly close and the last ray of light disappeared from his eyes, Yun Siying's world collapsed in an instant.
Her tears burst out like a flood, blurring her vision. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she finally let out a heart-wrenching cry from her throat: "Master—Master!"
The cry echoed in the silent room, filled with endless sadness and despair. Yun Siying felt as if her heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and it hurt so much that she could hardly breathe.
In just a second, the room suddenly became unusually quiet, and time seemed to freeze at this moment. Immediately afterwards, the family members, as if driven by an invisible force, rushed to the bed like a gust of wind.
Their steps seemed a little staggering, as if the whole world had lost its center of gravity at this moment. When they finally arrived at the bed, they saw the old man with his eyes closed peacefully. His face was calm and peaceful, as if he was just asleep.
However, this peaceful scene was like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of every family member hard. Their faces turned pale in an instant and tears burst out of their eyes like a flood.
Grief cries rang out one after another in the room: "Dad——", "Grandpa——", "Great-grandfather——", "Great-great-grandfather——" These voices intertwined together, like sobbing and complaining, filled with endless sorrow and reluctance.
Nangong Ruochen, who had been supporting the old man, laid him flat on the bed with trembling hands, his face full of grief. Looking at his parents with gray hair, he came to Nangong Ruoyi's side. Qin Shulan and Yun Siying walked to the sides of the two brothers. The four of them discussed it and began to work together to arrange the old man's funeral.
The sound of cannon fire was heard in the manor, and soon, professional staff came to help the old man take a bath, change into the shroud prepared in advance, put makeup on him, and put him in the ice coffin.
The mourning hall was quickly decorated, and the ritual master arrived at the manor at an extremely fast speed. Friends and relatives all received the news of the old man's death and rushed to the manor.
Soon the chef and his helpers came to the manor, along with a batch of food materials, cigarettes and alcohol, and everything went on in an orderly manner.
The ritual lasted for a whole week, and a solemn atmosphere enveloped the entire Nangong family. Every day, the sounds of chanting, wooden fish, and incense smoke interweave together, as if sending the old man's soul to another world.
Finally, the day of the funeral arrived. Friends and relatives came one after another, dressed in plain clothes and with solemn expressions. Everyone walked to the old man's spirit in turn and bowed deeply to express their respect and grief for him.
After the worship was completed, the old man's body was carefully carried onto the platform. It was a peaceful cemetery, surrounded by lush trees, but the air here was filled with a cold and damp smell.
When the old man's coffin was slowly lowered into the grave, his relatives could no longer hold back their tears. They knelt in front of the grave and bid their final farewell to the old man in tears. The sky seemed to feel the grief, and a light drizzle began to fall, like weeping and complaining.
The drizzle wet people's clothes and blurred their vision. But they still knelt there firmly, unwilling to leave. At this moment, time seemed to freeze, with only the sound of the drizzle and cry echoing in the air.
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