Reborn with a Space: Building a Fortune Amidst Famine

Chapter 1168: Chapter 1168: Mrs. Zhang Passes Away

After returning home, Zhao Yanli’s first task was to find her elder sister.

Zhao Yanping listened to the family matters and sighed deeply, "We are married daughters, let’s not worry about it."

"You don’t know how much older Mom looks compared to last year."

"It’s their choice."

After chatting for a while, Zhao Yanli finally went home.

The next day, when she went to work, she wrote a letter to Su Yuanyuan about the situation at home, filling five long pages.

After sharing with Su Yuanyuan, she felt some relief and tightened her grip on educating her two children. But she couldn’t be like her elder brother, always the nice guy outside and the master at home, nor like her second brother, with dubious intentions.

During December, their family was busiest, with the Zhou Family making tofu every day, five trays each day. Zhao Yanli was so busy every day that she didn’t have time to complain about it.

On the tenth day of December, Mrs. Zhang was not doing well, and the whole Zhou Family went over.

Mrs. Zhang just held her eldest grandson’s hand. This boy, now twenty-four, still didn’t marry, despite being scolded and beaten, he just wouldn’t marry.

The elderly woman kept worrying about this matter all along.

Zhang Xinhua, a grown young man, too shed tears.

He didn’t want to marry, but now wasn’t the right time.

Seeing grandma anxiously holding his hand, he felt sad. But he couldn’t tell this to grandma.

Mrs. Zhang’s tears flowed down her cheeks, and Zhang Xinhua, not knowing what else to do, whispered in grandma’s ear that he was waiting for the girl he liked to grow up.

The old lady cried even harder, feeling that her grandson was indulging in wishful thinking; they had too big an age gap, and their relationship wouldn’t work.

She wanted to tell her grandson but couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth, eventually swallowing her last breath sadly, unable to close her eyes to the very end.

Zhang Xinhua was wailing in grief. For over twenty years, grandma had been accompanying him. Now, the old lady passed away, and she was worried about him even at her deathbed, unable to close her eyes.

Zhang Fusheng was waiting nearby, feeling sad as he watched the old lady pass away.

His mother had indeed worried herself sick over him.

The Zhang Family was filled with cries, while Zhou Yongbing and his father were helping with the arrangements.

Being part of the old neighborhood, many came to condole. The old lady was quite popular while alive, and many felt saddened.

Though they couldn’t organize a grand affair, the elderly needed to be brought back home to be buried together with the old man.

In the past, funerals would often require a three-day halt.

Zhang Fusheng managed to keep it for two days, then arranged for the family to follow by car back to the hometown.

There was an old house at the hometown, though unfit for living, still suitable for halting the funeral.

There they halted for another three days, before being buried alongside the old man.

The hometown wasn’t as strict as the city, so Zhang Fusheng arranged for musicians to play the trumpet for a whole day.

The family returned, looking wilted, having caught a bit of a cold. Helpless against the severe cold.

Back home, Zhao Yanping immediately had the children take medicine and brewed a large pot of ginger sugar water.

No one felt like eating; they drank and went to sleep.

With Zhao Yanli stoking the fire, the house wasn’t cold at all.

Zhang Fusheng had lost quite a bit of weight these days, making Zhao Yanping worry for him.

"If Mom could have just held on past the New Year, wouldn’t it be better?"

Not knowing how to console her husband, Zhao Yanping just patted his back.

"Xiao Ping, the thing that unsettled Mom most when she left was Xinhua."

"Yes, Mom used to argue with Xinhua quite a bit. What was he thinking? If there was someone he liked, couldn’t he just tell the family?"

"Perhaps he finds it hard to open up?"

"What’s stopping him from opening up? The girl doesn’t like him?"

"Let’s talk about it later." He overheard his son speaking to Mom, knowing his mood was poor lately; that certainly required a talk with Xinhua later, as his liking wouldn’t work.

But seeing the child’s persistence, he wasn’t sure what to do.

His son excelled academically, and after graduating from high school, he found a job at a power plant with help. The past few years were going quite well, and he was working in an office now.

With such conditions, many introduced potential partners to him, yet he never met any.

Having asked many times, he’d never divulge. Now that he knew, he truly couldn’t elaborate.

The next day, Zhao Yanping felt much better, cooking in the early morning while brewing ginger sugar water.

Soon to be six, Minghua was bouncing around, yet Hai Yan appeared less spirited.

Already thirteen, Hai Yan was growing exceptionally beautiful, far prettier than her mother, her aunt.

"Drink your ginger sugar water, eat, take medicine, then go lie down to sleep."

"Mom, I’m aching from lying down."

"It’s not from lying down; you’re about to have a fever." Zhao Yanping touched the young woman’s forehead.

"It’s not too hot yet, hurry up, I’ll stoke the fire more."

Zhang Xinhua, with his head down, ate but couldn’t help sneaking glances at Hai Yan. Seeing the girl indeed downcast, he thought to buy her something tasty at midday.

During vacation, Zhang Jianhua and Minghua, two brothers, went out running, with Zhao Yanping reminding them multiple times not to visit other people’s homes.

The Zhang Family was currently in deep mourning, so they couldn’t visit others’ homes.

Zhang Fusheng was cleaning the old lady’s room, deciding his two sons should sleep with him.

Hai Yan dozed off after lying down for a while.

The couple cleaned the room pretty quickly.

"Fusheng, I’ll turn Mom’s clothes into paper mache."

"Keep one suit as a memento."

"Okay, I got it."

The family still had some meat left; at noon, Zhao Yanping made meat-filled pancakes, which turned out quite delicious.

Zhang Xinhua returned and entered Hai Yan’s room.

"I bought pork trotters for you, eat them quickly, otherwise the two small ones will return soon, causing trouble. I wanted to buy a couple more, but they wouldn’t sell."

"Big brother, you’re the best."

Zhang Xinghua laughed, "Eat quickly, I’ll keep watch outside to prevent the two little ones from barging in."

Zhang Fusheng watched his son enter Hai Yan’s room, frowning, thinking he certainly needed to have a talk with him these days.

At lunch, the two half-grown boys each ate three meat pancakes, truly having a big appetite. It was inevitable; at their age, one couldn’t make them sit still, and it was also a growth spurt period, thus their huge appetite.

Hai Yan ate one, and Zhao Yanping handed her another half. "Eat more to recover faster."

"Mom, I’m full; you eat."

"Sis, didn’t you eat some delicacies? Why do I smell meat?" Ming Ran asked.

"You’re just craving meat." Zhang Xinhua quickly replied to his little brother.

"Is that so? Second brother, you didn’t smell meat?"

Hai Yan just kept her head down; as someone who couldn’t lie, she simply chose silence.