December, the fourteenth.
The weather that day was quite nice. Early in the morning, the sun peeked out from the clouds, and its rays felt warm on the body. The old residents of Beiping all said it was a rare sight.
—It had been many years since they had seen such a good sun in winter.
For this reason, Half-Immortal Su was very proud of himself, feeling that his divination skills had improved—even though he didn't set the date, he had calculated that it would be an auspicious day!
"...Such a good day and time is the only thing worthy of my younger brother Huaishan," Half-Immortal Su said, shedding a couple of emotional tears.
His broken-gong-like voice stretched out, shouting some tongue-twisting words.
Su Zhenzhu quietly translated for Su Ning, roughly explaining that it was to tell the ancestors below to get up quickly, not to delay receiving the person, and not to receive the wrong person, as receiving the wrong person would mean they had no face to consume the incense offerings.
"...I've made a fool of myself in front of you, Sister. These are the jargon of yin-yang masters. I don't know where Dad learned it, but according to the old rules, this kind of passage has to be sung."
It was just that usually, professionals were hired for this.
It was the same here—a fully equipped, fairy-like yin-yang master stood nearby, awkward and at a loss.
Especially his gaze toward Half-Immortal Su, which was practically shooting sparks.
Your relative is so rich and generous to you.
Why are you stealing my business!
Su Ning found it amusing and had her subordinates invite the yin-yang master to the side. No matter what, Half-Immortal Su had good intentions, and she couldn't let him down.
[Ding...]
"Tell him that his wages won't be reduced, and give him another five... no, two silver dollars for his shock." Hearing the reward notification, Su Ning paused imperceptibly.
Changing the five silver dollars to two, she added:
"Right, for the subsequent annual and monthly sacrifices, do not hire this person again."
His character was too poor; he was unfit for use.
It was true that Half-Immortal Su had stolen his job, but the money was still given as usual. Getting paid without working was something many people begged for. Not being grateful was one thing, but he actually resented her?
It was truly ridiculous.
Lin Sen didn't ask much. After agreeing, he went to handle it personally. After finishing the matter and handing over the money, he walked back a few steps and heard the yin-yang master complaining quietly to the people around him:
"Only two silver dollars, and she calls herself a super-rich tycoon. Truly, the richer they are, the stingier they get."
"I thought there would be at least five!"
Lin Sen paused his steps and sighed. The miss's judgment of people was too accurate. He really was a petty person, and a very stupid one at that—he didn't even understand the principle that walls have ears.
He called over a subordinate and gave a few instructions.
A moment later.
A servant came to invite the yin-yang master to have tea and snacks. The man was overjoyed and followed along. Before leaving, he even bragged to his peers about how much face he had, saying even the Su family respected him.
Little did he expect that he would never return.
When he was found again, he was tied up in a sack, beaten black and blue, though fortunately no bones were broken.
Word spread that he was too careless and casually flashed his wealth, leading to him being robbed by thugs. This was then used as an example to warn others to remember not to reveal their wealth.
The few who knew that the yin-yang master hadn't lost a single cent of his silver dollars kept profoundly silent about the Su family, especially Miss Su.
......
The auspicious hour was approaching.
Su Ning put on a mourning robe made of coarse sackcloth, its uneven edges showing raw threads, known as unhemmed mourning apparel. She had a hemp rope tied around her waist and wore a hat folded from sackcloth on her head.
In one hand, she held a mourning staff, and in the other, she cradled the memorial tablet.
After everything was put on, the funeral music blared. The sounds of trumpets, suonas, and large drums echoed through the clouds. There were also professional mourners hired specifically to cry, their wails not only loud and clear but also highly infectious.
It made anyone who heard it want to cry along.
An inexplicable sense of sorrow welled up in Su Ning's heart. She lowered her head and seemingly wiped away tears. Shortly after, she heard the system's hesitant voice:
"Host, are you touched by the scene?"
But that wasn't right. The system remembered that although Su Ning's parents had divorced early on and neither was willing to raise her...
Both of them were still alive and well!
"Why would you think that?" Su Ning was very surprised. "I'd be overjoyed if those two died. Why would I cry?"
The system choked, thinking indignantly.
Fine, it was being overly sentimental, alright!
"If you're going to put on an act, you have to do the whole set, okay?"
Su Ning's eyes and the tip of her nose were red, and tears still hung on her cheeks, but her inner voice was extremely cold and rational:
"Everyone else is crying. If I, the filial daughter, don't cry, wouldn't that be strange and arouse suspicion?"
Just as she finished speaking, the loud sound of gongs and drums rang out.
Forty-eight pallbearers shouted in unison and hoisted the funeral carrying poles onto their shoulders. The gold-painted coffin rose in response, and Su Ning was invited to the very front of the procession to officially send off the funeral.
She walked very, very slowly along the way.
Within her line of sight, the sky was filled with paper money fluttering down like snowflakes.
No, it was even grander than a heavy snowfall; the paper money almost completely covered the road surface.
There were also mourning flags and banners wrapped in white cloth, so many of them, and occasionally, banners sent by other families joined in.
Holding the memorial tablet, listening to the wailing, and looking at the snowy white sky, Su Ning encountered a roadside sacrificial shed almost every ten steps, where she had to go over to receive the offerings.
"Miss Su, I sincerely hope you can restrain your grief and accept the inevitable. Please take care of your precious self."
This was the president of a certain chamber of commerce.
"The elder has passed away with ultimate posthumous glory. You have fulfilled the greatest filial piety of a child and can be said to have a clear conscience. Now, the entire household relies on you, so you must not grieve excessively..."
This was a top official from the customs office.
"Brother Huaishan has returned to his roots like fallen leaves, which can be considered a fulfilled wish. Please take good care of yourself, niece." The speaker was Jin Feng, and Su Ning stayed a bit longer at this shed.
She walked past one mourning shed after another.
Su Ning's body was exhausted to the extreme, but her soul seemed to float in mid-air. Looking at the funeral procession winding for three miles, she felt a unique sensation.
It was as if she truly had a father named Su Huaishan.
A father who loved her very much.
Who left her countless properties, as well as a few unreliable and extreme relatives... Su Ning blinked. Did this mean she had created a successful original character?
Yes, making so many people believe it was real.
"Su Huaishan" was a great success.
After walking for more than three hours, they finally reached the Su family's ancestral graveyard, which had been newly renovated. Amidst the music and guidance, the coffin was lowered into the burial pit.
The funeral procession finally came to an end.
The remaining rituals—wailing for the dead, burning paper effigies, and chanting sutras—had little to do with Su Ning.
In fact, she was already tottering, standing entirely on willpower. She took a car on the way back and saw ordinary people gathering around fires by the roadside to burn paper money.
There were quite a few of such people.
Strangely, they were all hiding and sneaking around, looking around after burning just two pieces of paper—Su Ning soon found out why.
A few of her familiar subordinates went over, kicked over the fires with two or three kicks, and pushed and shoved the people burning the paper.
Swear words flew everywhere.
"Miss, don't pity them," Lin Sen explained.
"These people burning paper after the funeral are just trying to mooch off the auspicious aura of the Su family's ancestral graves and Mr. Su's protection. Kicking over their offerings is already us showing a good temper."
What's the use of worshipping Su Huaishan? They should be worshipping the system, Su Ning complained in her heart.
"Hmph, I don't just bind with anyone,"
the Rich and Heartless System said proudly.
......
With the funeral over, Su Ning wasn't the only one sighing in relief.
To ensure the funeral procession passed unimpeded, traffic in the city of Beiping was virtually paralyzed for three hours. The manpower and resources expended were simply immeasurable.
To make this happen, Su Ning had pulled nearly every string at his disposal.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Once the funeral concluded, all the various figures, big and small, who harbored their own hidden motives and wanted to curry favor with Su Ning felt their moment had finally arrived. They were eagerly gearing up to make their move.
Yet, no one could have anticipated it.
The very first to arrive at the Su family's door was actually the Fang family?
