It was late at night when we finally arrived home. Grandma’s funeral was held at the old house, the place where she had lived for most of her life. But we still weren’t able to see Grandma one last time; all we saw was a cold, heavy black coffin.

Han Yi’s eyes were red upon arrival, but he didn’t cry. He didn’t want anyone to see him shedding tears, so he silently grieved in the background.

"Don’t be sad, everyone; death is irreversible. Your Grandma was peaceful when she passed away. The children at home are gradually living better lives. She said she had no regrets in this life, except for Rongrong. It’s not easy for her, a woman, to raise a child alone. Before leaving, Grandma didn’t see Rongrong find a reliable person and specifically asked us to look out for her," our uncle sighed as he comforted them.

"Dad, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m managing well now. The hotel business is going well, and I’m raising Ranran properly. I have no other worries," Shen Rong focused entirely on her business and didn’t want to think about anything else.

"Well, let’s talk about this later," our uncle suggested, wanting Shen Rong to find a suitable partner soon, but Shen Rong disagreed.

"Rongrong, now that you’re here, is someone watching the hotel?" Shen Jie asked with concern.

"There’s someone taking care of it. I hired someone, and when I’m not around, he’s watching over it," she replied.

"That’s good."

Apart from Shen Jie coming back this time, Shen Bojun also returned with Lele. Last year, Shen Bojun was transferred to H City, and Lele followed him. Last year, Lele had a large chubby grandson for our uncle’s family, so now their family is reunited.

As for Shen Jie, she and her husband often travel for work and haven’t had any children after years of marriage. They say they’re too busy to raise kids and have discussed just living well with the two of them. Both families’ elders have tried to persuade them, but they never listened.

Many neighbors came over to help. Grandma got along well with them all her life. For Grandma’s funeral, Uncle Jin, Aunt Jin, and Shuhua closed their shops for the day.

Shuhua and his family have become quite successful over the years. The children have grown up and are easier to manage. When Little Star and Dingding arrived, they played wildly with Da Ming’s kids.

The kids don’t understand adult matters and don’t know what sadness is, so all they know is happiness.

In just a month, they traveled back and forth between Capital City and S City, bustling around with Grandma’s funeral for a day or two. After the event, Lin Wan and Han Yi stayed at her mother-in-law’s place.

Shen Rong tried to persuade them to stay at the hotel, but they didn’t go. After all, the hotel wasn’t as tidy as home. Since they rarely returned home, they decided to spend more time at her mother-in-law’s place.

However, the rooms at her mother-in-law’s house were limited, so they had to sleep in separate beds. Hu Dong and Han Yi shared a room, while she and Lijuan shared another.

Lijuan happened to be resting these days. As Xiao Gu, she took her two kids around the neighborhood searching for delicious food. Now, Lijuan’s law firm could handle cases independently.

"You’re leaving in a couple of days; where are you headed this time?" At night, Lin Wan asked as she shared a bed with Lijuan.

"A small mountain area, to gather some evidence and learn a few things," Lijuan replied.

"Are you going alone?" Lin Wan frowned.

"No, there are two others with me. It’s fine; the roads are convenient now, and we’re driving over."

Lin Wan didn’t understand the matters of cases and didn’t ask much. She had discussed with Han Yi that since the kids hadn’t started school yet, she’d spend half a month here with them first. Han Yi couldn’t stay too long, so on the third day, he took Hu Dong’s car back to S City.

Her mother-in-law said that when Grandma passed away, she left her savings account and belongings to Shen Rong.

Lin Wan felt deeply touched. Back when Grandma was giving her things, she hadn’t considered Shen Rong yet. As time passed, those belongings ended up in Shen Rong’s hands. However, Shen Rong deserved them.

S Shen Rong had been taking care of Grandma for most of these years. Her filial piety far surpassed that of our aunt.

She didn’t know how much Grandma had saved, but in recent years, she and Han Yi silently deposited quite a bit into her savings account.

Lin Wan didn’t know that these past years, Tan Aixiang also frequently gave Grandma money, which was saved up for her.

Therefore, when Shen Rong checked at the bank these days, there were surprisingly fifty to sixty thousand yuan in the account.

This delighted Shen Rong. She had had her eye on a location for the past two years, thinking of acquiring it to open a formal hotel. But she hadn’t had enough money.

Now, with the money Grandma left behind, it was just enough.

Shen Rong had considered it; she planned to franchise Lin Wan’s family’s hotel because it was quite well-known.

Shen Rong has a great idea. Over the years, Mu Qing has been learning from Liang Hongmei’s methods and has registered a company to do franchise chains. In the past five years, her hotels have attracted seven or eight franchises.

Liang Hongmei’s catering franchise is doing well too. There are over thirty fried chicken outlets nationwide. The hot pot restaurants have reached more than a dozen.

Hotels with a good reputation are pricier, and guests tend to prioritize them.

These years are different from before. These recent years, guest requirements have risen. It’s not like before when just having a place to stay was good enough. That’s why Shen Rong is considering creating a more formal hotel.

When Shen Rong discussed this matter with Lin Wan, Lin Wan thought it was a good idea.

With Uncle Hu and her mother-in-law at home, Lin Wan doesn’t need to worry about the two kids and has been visiting the factory in the past few days.

Her mother-in-law will retire in two years. Uncle Hu also won’t have many years left.

Now that Han Yi has both a son and a daughter, they aren’t worried. However, Lin Wan’s two little ones still have no signs.

Hu Dong seems to have started dating someone in Shanghai, an old classmate, but he hasn’t brought her to meet the family yet, so they don’t know the outcome.

Lijuan was introduced to two people through intermediaries, but they both disagreed because of Lijuan’s busyness, which worries her mother-in-law.

Her mother-in-law wants Lijuan to take an easy office job, but Lijuan refuses. She has just started to make a name for herself in the legal profession and cannot give up.

Because of this, her mother-in-law has a lot to say, but Uncle Hu just laughs, feeling happy that his son and daughter are ambitious.

Hu Dong has money now. Last year, he bought a building in S City for them. They’re hesitant to rent it out for fear it would get dirty, so it’s been empty without tenants.

Comparing their family with the Hu Family’s eldest son, it’s a classic story of fortunes reversed over thirty years.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Hu Family is a troublemaker, often quarreling at home over trivial matters, and their daughter is married but unhappy, visiting her mother’s house frequently.

The Hu Family’s old couple’s food factory has been performing poorly for the past two years, with constant layoffs. A few months ago, the Hu Family’s daughter-in-law was laid off and has been doing odd jobs outside.

Originally, the Hu Family’s son and daughter-in-law were competing with Hu Dong in the movie theater business. They’ve been struggling for years and now rent a small place in front of the cinema to sell popcorn, sunflower seeds, and snacks, making some money. However, compared to Hu Dong, there’s still a huge gap.

The Hu Family’s eldest son came to see Uncle Hu, knowing Hu Dong started a company, wanting to send his son to work there, saying a small shop was redundant for the couple.

But his mother-in-law rejected them directly, saying if they wanted their son to work in the company, they should first pay back the money they spent over the past ten-plus years. Upon hearing this, the Hu Family’s eldest son backed down, knowing how much they spent is unclear, and knowing that the second family’s salaries have been significant over the years. They can’t repay such a sum now.

Now that they can’t afford to offend the second family, they can only avoid trouble and stay away.

It’s all because they were greedy and selfish when young, only thinking of themselves. Who would’ve thought that the second family would do better after leaving, far beyond their reach?

"Xiao Wan, how are things on your side?" Over the years, Su Ling has honed her skills as a factory director, leading her factory with a model appearance, her progressive thinking aligning with the trends, resulting in growing performance under her leadership.

"Still under renovation, might be ready to use by winter. It’s uncertain if it’ll catch up for winter production." Lin Wan has been at the factory these days watching them finalize the designs for autumn clothing.

"It’s okay. We can manage here. If you need people, you can transfer them from here."

"No need. I am planning to recruit local people nearby, not providing food and lodging. Occasionally putting in overtime with overtime pay will suffice. They’ll have regular working hours." That’s Lin Wan’s initial plan.

"That’s fine. Anyway, you’re quite decisive. You handle it as you see fit. Don’t worry; I’ll manage here... By the way, you might not know yet, but Pei Bai got a promotion this year and also attended the conference as an RD representative.

"Really? No wonder I haven’t seen her lately, busy at work, I guess. How are her two kids doing?"

"Her kids are impressive. Little Xin is always the top student in school every year, and her Mimi is outstanding in dance, participating in several city competitions at such a young age. To put it bluntly, Pei Bai is living comfortably. Among the three of us, you two act like hands-off bosses, while I’m the one handling the big mess." Su Ling is quite dissatisfied with this.

Lin Wan laughed heartily with her head down. "Come on, all that extra money you earn every year makes us envious. What can we do?"

"Hmph, envy won’t help." She shot Su Ling a playful look in return.

Though she doesn’t come back often, seeing her friends doing well, she’s genuinely happy for them. Over the years, as women, it’s been a tough journey for them.