Huo Jian Sheng arranged for a hearse to be called and transported Li Liangsheng's body to the funeral home.
Li Man asked the two children to stay at home with Zhang Yan while she went to the funeral home with Huo Jian Sheng.
After completing the formalities, they scheduled the farewell ceremony to be held three days later.
Li Man returned home to find Zhang Yan awake, lying in bed with tears streaming down her face.
"Mom!" Li Man walked to the bedside and called softly.
"Is everything taken care of for your father?" Zhang Yan asked hoarsely.
"It's done. The farewell ceremony will be held in three days," Li Man choked out.
Zhang Yan nodded, not saying anything, her eyes lifeless as she stared at the ceiling. Her face was filled with loneliness and sadness, and tears rolled down her cheeks from time to time.
It seemed like all her vitality had been drained away, as if she had aged ten years in an instant.
Seeing her mother like this, Li Man's heart ached, and she cried, "Mom, Dad may be gone, but you still have me!"
Zhang Yan's mouth moved, and she whispered weakly, "Your dad is gone, and it's only me now..."
"No, Mom, you still have me. I'll transfer Duoduo back here to study, and I'll be here with you from now on," Li Man quickly said.
Upon hearing this, a spark of light appeared in Zhang Yan's dim eyes as she looked at Li Man. "Really?"
Li Man nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Mom, I'll always be here with you."
"Good, good!" Zhang Yan's tears flowed again as she said happily.
"Mom, get up and have something to eat. You haven't eaten anything all day," Li Man said softly.
Zhang Yan shook her head. "You all go ahead. I really can't eat."
"How can you not eat? If you collapse again, what will I do?" Li Man cried.
Zhang Yan's tears continued to flow, but she obediently got up.
Li Man supported Zhang Yan as they went outside.
"Grandma," Xinyu sweetly called out when she saw Zhang Yan.
"Grandma," Huang Duoduo chimed in, not wanting to be outdone.
Zhang Yan managed to force a smile and responded, "Oh, good kids."
"Auntie, come sit down and have a meal," Huo Jian Sheng invited.
"Okay!" Zhang Yan responded gratefully. "Mr. Huo, thank you so much."
"Auntie, Li Man and I are friends, so you don't have to be so polite to me," Huo Jian Sheng said.
Zhang Yan nodded gratefully and sat down at the dining table.
Looking at the food in front of her, she had no appetite at all.
She picked at the rice and could hardly eat more than a few mouthfuls.
Li Man poured a bowl of soup for Zhang Yan.
After finishing the meal, Zhang Yan called Li Man to her room and took out two property deeds from the safe, handing them to her. "These are the dowry your father and I prepared for you—a house and a shop."
She then took out a passbook. "There's one million inside. Take it."
"I don't want it," Li Man pushed everything back. "Mom, keep these things for your retirement."
"Silly child," Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Mom has retirement money, so don't worry about me. This dowry should have been given to you a long time ago. It's just that you haven't acknowledged us all this time, so it's been postponed until now. Mom will give it all to you now. Mom knows that your life outside hasn't been easy either."
"Mom!" Li Man exclaimed, her emotions stirred, and tears followed suit.
She regretted deeply for what she had done in the past.
"Alright, don't cry," Zhang Yan gently wiped away her tears and said, "By the way, what's the deal with that Mr. Huo? Does he like you?"
"No!" Li Man quickly denied, "We're just friends, Mom. Please don't say things like that."
(Note: The translation aims to convey the meaning and style of the original text while ensuring it is accurately understood. The language has been adjusted to suit English-speaking readers.)
