Chapter 1588 Goodbye, Grandma Li (Part I)
Chapter 1588 Goodbye, Grandma Li (Part I)
Nine days later, a row of black vehicles were parked in a neat line at a private memorial garden. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was a beautiful sunny day. It should have been a perfect day if not for the wind chill. The air was cold and crisp. When the wind blew, people couldn't help but shiver and shrink into their coats.
Jin Liwei held an exquisite urn in his arms. The urn was simple yet elegant, with no over-the-top embellishments. His expression was icy and dark.
Beside him, Iris Long kept on rubbing his back but remained silent all the way. Her eyes were concealed by large, dark sunglasses.
A little before them, Jin Chonglin held a framed photo of the Jin family's old matriarch. His shoulders shook and his mother, Huang Yuyan, stood beside him, also sobbing her heart out.
The superstar, Jin Chonglin, wore the largest and darkest sunglasses among the people present. Yet, they couldn't conceal the abundant tears streaming down his face. His fiancé, Chen Fei, kept on wiping as much of his tears as possible but they just kept on flowing.
Everyone listened to the chants by the invited monks.
As the monks chanted longer, it seemed to calm everyone, including the distraught Huang Yuyan and Jin Chonglin who couldn't seem to stop sobbing.
Grandma Li held no particular religious beliefs. However, she began living a more Buddhist spiritual life after the death of her husband, and especially after the death of her only son, the father of Jin Liwei and Jin Chonglin.
To respect her final wishes, her family gave her a Buddhist ceremony during her funeral.
Everything was simple. Even the flower arrangements were nothing too extravagant.
Simple and elegant. And with the ice-cold wind, it was as if the heavens were welcoming the arrival of Li Zhiruo, formerly known for her ice-cold beauty.
After Grandma Li's peaceful death, Iris helped her husband arrange the funeral. The husband and wife were the busiest.
Huang Yuyan and Jin Chonglin tried to help but the two were more hindrances than helpful.
Fortunately, Chen Fei and Long Jinjing stepped forward to help Iris with her share of the burden while Jin Liwei's sworn brothers—Lin Yehan, Wang Yingjie, and Yumo—helped with his share. His brother-in-law, Nikolai (Lu Zihao) helped block the media from intruding during the wake and the funeral.
It was inevitable that the media would want to acquire snapshots and footage of the wake and funeral. After all, there were two famous celebrities in the family.
Iris Long was a multi-award-winning musician known for her beauty, magnificent voice, and incredible artistry. Not to mention her shocking redemption arc from being a spoiled teenage pop star who everyone loved to hate into a much-loved musical artist who repeatedly made history.
Then there was the superstar, Jin Chonglin. There was no need to list his achievements. He was a true icon in every sense of the word despite only being in his late twenties. His meteoric rise in showbiz wasn't without any scandal but his contribution to the domestic showbusiness industry was undeniable.
Just these two were already media magnets.
However, there was also the current head of Jin Corporation, Jin Liwei, who was not only Iris Long's husband but Jin Chonglin's older brother as well. He could also be considered as a semi-celebrity.
The presence of these three people was enough to pique the media's desire to intrude at a private funeral.
To the media's disappointment and confusion, however, they failed again and again to obtain any useful snapshots and footage. The security surrounding the wake and funeral was incredibly tight.
Those who disguised themselves were all caught. Their expensive drones were all shot down.
What was worse was that they were all caught by the police. Even the Chief of Police was involved, adding not only to the embarrassment but also to the severity of the trespassing charges against them.
Back to the present, the urn was finally sealed.
A new tombstone was erected.
Now Grandma Li was finally reunited with her beloved husband.
Not only did everyone present paid their final respects to Grandma Li, but also paid their respects to her husband, one of the original founders of Jin Corporation.
This time, Grandpa Lu led everyone in paying respects. He poured one of his most expensive alcohol from his wine cellar.
"My brother, now that Zhiruo is with you, you won't have peace anymore!" Grandpa Lu's loud voice boomed in the memorial garden. "She'll nag at you night and day. I pity you, my brother. Bahahaha!"
Tears pooled in the old man's wrinkled eyes, but there was a wide smile on his face. "All of you have left me, but don't you worry! I, Lu Jianhong, am a man of my word! I will look after both of our families! I'll watch our families grow in your stead. I'll also ensure that Jin Corporation doesn't fall as long as I'm alive! Well, you have to thank our boy, Liwei, for that. He has always been reliable just like you, my brother…."
Everyone wiped tears from their eyes but also chuckled while listening to the old man ramble on and on. Nobody stopped him. Nobody thought that his words were too boring. In fact, everyone liked listening to his words. They were a welcome light-hearted respite to the heavy atmosphere.
"And now you, my boy," Grandpa Lu then moved on to the next grave.
It was Jin Liwei and Jin Chonglin's father who died young.
Huang Yuyan cried harder. She missed her husband every single day.
"I wish that you were here," Grandpa Lu said, pouring another bottle of alcohol. "Your mother and wife almost broke down and gave up on their lives when you left, but thanks to your eldest son who picked up the mantle, the family continues to thrive. As for your youngest son, although he did rebel at first, and ran away from home to enter showbiz, he did get lucky and succeeded. He's now a superstar."
"Grandpa, my success was all due to my talent, not luck!" Jin Chonglin protested. "Do you hear me?! My talent, not luck!!!"