Chapter 1014: The Foresight of Jin Laofuren

A Country.

"Cough, cough..."

Great-grandmother was coughing again. Shi Ran carried a bowl of stewed fritillaria and snow pear into Jin Laofuren's room and helped her sit up.

"Great-grandmother, eat this bowl of snow pear while it's hot; your cough will be better once you've finished it." The fritillaria and snow pear soup was something she had learned to make from her grandmother.

When the children in the family had colds or coughs, they basically didn't take Western medicine.

Grandmother would steam fritillaria and snow pear for the children, or steam oranges with salt.

It was tasty and effective; at most, they would be better in two or three days!

But Great-grandmother had been coughing for over a month, and even though every method had been tried, it was still no use.

"Cough, cough, it's no use."

Jin Laofuren shook her head, feeling melancholy.

Ever since her husband passed away, he had taken her soul with him.

She was constantly plagued by minor ailments, spending more than twenty days a month lying in bed.

Having lived to nearly ninety, although her son was gone, she had seen her great-grandchildren, and each one of them had grown up to be very promising; Jin Laofuren had no regrets in this life, and she could be content even if she closed her eyes now.

"Ranran, Great-grandmother has something she didn't tell you before, but if I don't say it now, I'm afraid it will be too late, cough, cough..."

"Please speak."

Jin Laofuren said: "You and A Heng are both good children. Great-grandmother can see it; you two are definitely a pair, the kind that can never be separated in this life."

"Oh my, Great-grandmother, why are you saying these things?"

Shi Ran acted coyly, her little face turning red unconsciously.

She felt very embarrassed; although there was only a thin layer of window paper between the two of them, it hadn't been poked through yet, had it?

The adults knew it in their hearts and only spoke of it in private; they wouldn't talk about it so openly.

"Cough, cough... I must say it; I'm afraid I won't have the chance to say it if I don't."

"Ranran, you and A Heng are childhood sweethearts. Great-grandmother gives you her blessing, but you must remember one thing: A Heng can engage in academic research or go into business, just don't let him enter politics."

"That path is too treacherous, and there are too many uncertain factors in the future... cough, cough, it doesn't suit him."

"If he walks down that path, not only will he suffer, but you will also have a very hard time. Cough, cough, I have lived to a ripe old age and have seen too many such things. Ranran, you must remember Great-grandmother's words!"

"Mm, I have remembered them. Please don't talk anymore; get some rest."

The old lady was physically exhausted; just speaking a few words left her forehead covered in sweat, and she lay down to rest.

But after falling asleep this time, she slipped into a coma and did not wake up.

The doctor issued a critical condition notice.

Shi Ran was distraught and called her mother and aunt, who rushed over in a hurry.

Wan'er asked the doctor with red, swollen eyes: "Doctor, what medicine does my grandmother need to take to get better?"

The doctor shook his head: "I'm sorry, Miss Jin, the old lady doesn't have many days left."

"No, I don't believe it, sob sob sob..."

Wan'er had been raised by her grandparents since she was a child and had deep feelings for her grandmother; she couldn't control her emotions, and her tears flowed incessantly.

"Wan'er, don't be like this. Is the standard of the doctors here not good enough? I will invite the most famous doctors in the world to come and treat Grandmother; she will definitely get better." Jian Yining said it and did it immediately, calling the best doctors from the United States and Jiangzhou to come over.

The doctors arrived, but they said the same thing as the doctors in A Country: "Prepare for the funeral."

Jin Laofuren took her last breath in the middle of the night.

She left with a smile, saying as she passed that her husband had come to pick her up, that he had been waiting for her and hadn't gone far, and that the two of them were going together this time, telling the younger generation not to worry.

The funeral was very grand, and the whole country grieved.

After Jin Laofuren's funeral ended, the lawyer came to the door.

The lawyer had come to announce the old lady's will.

The elderly couple had focused on academic research during their lifetime, and there were many rare books and famous paintings and calligraphy in the house, but there weren't many liquid assets.

The old lady divided her most important possessions into two parts, one for Shi Ran and one for Wan'er.

The remaining property was distributed equally, with everyone getting a share.

Finally, she left behind one piece of advice—Qi Heng was not allowed to enter politics.

If Qi Heng wanted to return to his home country to follow in his father's footsteps, then Shi Ran was not allowed to marry him!

Shi Ran was dumbfounded.

She thought Great-grandmother was just saying it casually, but she didn't expect her to be serious, and serious to such an outrageous degree that she had actually written it into the will.

This was just too embarrassing.

She was still young, yet Great-grandmother had actually drawn up such a will!

Shi Youxuan felt it didn't matter; perhaps Grandmother had been muddled when she was critically ill and just said whatever came to mind.

Entering politics wasn't doing something bad, so what did it matter?

She didn't care, and naturally, she wouldn't force her daughter to comply!

Looking at her daughter's crestfallen little face, Shi Youxuan comforted her: "It doesn't matter; you don't have to follow this."

"Mm."

But Sheng Hanyu felt that the will Jin Laofuren had drawn up was very necessary.

"One should still listen to the words of the elderly. All roads lead to Rome; it's not like there's only that one path. I think being a businessman is very good, and A Heng also has a talent for it."

Qi Heng: "Uncle, I want to stay in A Country with Ranran to do academic research. These things are very interesting; I don't want to go into business."

Since the children had their own ideas and choices, they also chose to respect the children.

Jin Lao and the old lady had both passed away, but Sheng Hanyu's wish to have his daughter return to his side remained unfulfilled!

The two children wanted to stay in A Country, take up the mantle of their great-grandparents, and prepare to walk the path of academia to the very end.

"Ranran, you should return to the country. I am worried about you being out there all by yourself," Shi Youxuan hoped to persuade her daughter.

Both palms and backs of the hands are flesh; she was always concerned about Shi Ran being in A Country, and she hoped her children would always be by her side.

Shi Ran did not speak, and Qi Heng said, "Auntie, rest assured. With me here in A Country, I will take care of Ranran."

Shi Youxuan thought to herself, "You brat, with you here?"

"It is you I am guarding against."

Even if the adults agreed that the two children were a couple, they were still too young right now.

It was not yet the time for romance.

In the past, with the great-grandparents watching over them, there would not have been any problems.

Now that the old couple had both passed away, she was uneasy about the two children remaining in A Country, and her husband was uneasy as well.

However, she understood her daughter's personality; she looked easygoing and agreeable on the surface, but in reality, she had a very strong mind of her own.

No one could change the things she had decided.

Shi Youxuan and her husband were in a difficult position; they could not bring their daughter back, yet they were uneasy leaving her in A Country—what were they to do?

Shi Youxuan said, "I will stay. I will stay in A Country to accompany her during her studies."

Sheng Hanyu objected, "No. If you stay, those boys at home will turn the place upside down. Besides, what about me? You cannot stay."

"How about we let Mom and Dad come over to take care of Shi Ran? Mom and Dad are always talking about her at home," Sheng Hanyu suggested.

His wife objected, "That is not appropriate."

"Mom and Dad are used to living in Jiangzhou. We cannot change their living habits just because of Ranran. It is true that they talk about Ranran at home, but if they came out to accompany her, they would certainly miss the boys at home."

"Furthermore, Mom and Dad have soft personalities. If they encountered any issues here in an unfamiliar place, they would not know how to resolve them."

He fell silent; that was indeed the case.

The two of them finally decided—to have the housekeeper Zhang Ma come to A Country.

Zhang Ma had no children, no spouse, and could live anywhere; she had no attachments.

Moreover, she had a strong personality, making her the most suitable person to act as a protective umbrella for Shi Ran.

After deciding, the two of them discussed it with Zhang Ma.

Zhang Ma had no objections, and before they had even returned to Jiangzhou, she had already rushed over.