novelraw Chapter 605 - 394: Funeral
Chapter 605 - 394: Funeral
Chapter 394
"Miss, the master was already at the end of his training, his oil spent and his lamp burnt out, and it was only his concern for you that kept him going until now. Seeing you return safely and having arranged everything, he passed away peacefully, so you need not feel sad..."
That was what the people around her were advising. Gong Jiu wiped her face and, seeing relatives like Aunt Ye arriving, finally nodded her head.
She was not alone, not when her parents died and not now.
And the vast affairs of the Gong Family still needed her to take over.
Crying weakly was not her style.
(Actually, you should know by now that Gong Jiu is the only true bloodline of the Gong Family, also connected to the Dragon Leading Plate, and part of the Ancient Tomb. Her parents or her real grandfather were murdered...but there are some things she will never know in her lifetime.)
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The people from the Yun Family were somewhat caught off guard by the sudden death of the old patriarch of the Gong Family. Fortunately, the old patriarch had arranged everything beforehand, and given that Gong Jiu was no coward and had been consolidating her power over the years, the initial instability was quickly suppressed...
On the day of the funeral, a good number of media had congregated outside the Gong Family Ancestral Home, each stationed and waiting. The Gong Family was one of the top families in the province. Just a few months ago, the Yun Family had fallen, in which the Gong Family had a hand. It was unexpected that in such a short time, the Gong Family would experience turmoil...
But as a person dies like a lamp goes out, the media were there to capture the stories of the living, like whether there would be internal strife over the vast family fortune of the Gong Family, who of note were attending the funeral, and so on...
The supposedly tranquil mountain path was anything but tranquil, as one luxury private car after another drove through the bends, and at the entrance to the ornately prepared ancestral home, several media personnel were stationed, one of them holding a camera while eating breakfast..
Naturally, the Gong Family did not want the media stationed there, but since they were somewhat distant from the gates and were not making noise, they couldn’t be too aggressive in sending them away. After all, these families cherished their reputations and did not want to leave a bad name, so they turned a blind eye.
"Hey, I heard that the Gong Family has a lot of estate, and they all went to the youngest generation, that person who likes to deal in antiques, Gong Jiu..."
"It was given to her... Apparently, someone specifically evaluated Gong Family’s private properties, just beneath the Gong Corporation there are dozens of chain hotels, plus Gong Real Estate, including the tourism industry and many other companies, as well as overseas stocks and bonds, amounting to at least one billion dollars..."
"Wow, isn’t that richer than the Yun Family?"
"You can say that again. I thought the Yun Family was the strongest, but once the Gong Family inheritance was announced, many of the local wealthy were flabbergasted. Nobody thought the Gong Family was that rich... It’s said that the history of the Gong Family spans five to six hundred years. Just the value of those antiques is incalculable, so that one billion dollars is probably an underestimate..."
"So, it all went to Gong Jiu? They said that Gong Jiu herself is also very rich."
"Right, she herself has real estate and jewelry companies too, with assets amounting to several hundred million dollars..."
Wealthy people get wealthier, which is quite common, but still...
"So, did the Gong Family Head give everything to Gong Jiu?"
"Yes, although others got some too, their share is surprisingly little... his other two sons and two daughters got hardly anything... not to mention the other relatives."
"That also fits with his favoritism towards Gong Jiu... but I guess today won’t be too straightforward, especially since those few sons didn’t show up at the funeral."
Hey, these people, chatting and looking at themselves, lugging cameras, holding a three-dollar breakfast, squatting in front of someone’s home...
It’s so low-key.
Even though they were mainstream media in the province, they still felt so much less confident in front of such a grand household...
"Here they come! It’s the people from the Xiao Family.."
"The Tang Family people have also arrived.."
"Look, the Yhan Family people have come too"
Once the time came, these wealthy elites arrived one after another, neither too early nor too late, neither too fast nor too slow. The men each dressed in black suits, neat and somber, while the women wore black dresses, modest in makeup, with solemn expressions...
They represented the finest circle of this prosperous, populous province, symbols of wealth and prestige.
In the face of death, they had to shed their usual ostentation and decadence, presenting their most dignified self...
But in front of death, they were no more noble, and no less humble, than anyone else.
One day, they too would be just those pale black and white photos.
Xiao Xianting, wearing his usual black suit, appeared as cold as ever. His long legs stepped out of a discreet black car, and as he glanced around, he spotted Tang Hanyan and Yhan Qingwu.
Both mother and daughter were renowned in the province, the former was once the most beautiful woman in the province, and while the latter was low-key, she had caused quite a stir. Since returning from abroad, she had been quiet, but now as they got out of the car, the media suddenly realized it.
Indeed, like mother, like daughter, each a beauty that could topple cities, both dignified and elegant...
As they got out of the car, they met the complicated eyes of the Yhan family crowd.
As the sun set on the Yhan Family, the Tang Family was on the rise, and now they faced each other...
Yhan Yun suddenly realized his ex-wife looked even more beautiful than before, even seeming several years younger, almost resembling someone in their twenties, and his daughter...
Standing together, despite their low-key appearance and bland expressions, they still managed to make all the other eminent ladies present look like mere dust.
Especially his current wife and their pair of children by his side.
It was also the first time the children had seen Yhan Qingwu, and just like their mother, if they considered Yhan Yun’s divorce from Tang Hanyan and their official entry into the wealthy and high-profile Yhan Family as their victory, today’s meeting was a stark admission of their defeat.
From the fact that only these two were sent by the Tang Family to represent them, to the moment when Xiao Xianting and Xiao Ran, two pivotal figures in the business and academic worlds, took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the women, completely ignoring other members of the Yhan Family...
Their husband and father, Yhan Yun, stared unblinkingly at them...
They had lost!
Utterly and completely!
The pair of children glanced at Yhan Qingwu and felt increasingly uncomfortable in their expensive clothes, deeply embarrassed by the looks from others.
—The authentic top-quality product from the beauty of the Tang Family stood in stark contrast to the wild variety outside. That was the difference.
"Miss Tang, hello," Xiao Xianting began, startling many of the elites present who were already enjoying the spectacle.
Miss Tang?
Surely he wasn’t calling Tang Hanyan, so...
Tang Qingwu?
She had actually changed her last name!!
In an instant, all the media present captured this scene, including Yhan Qingwu, no, Tang Qingwu!
"Hello, Mister Xiao,"
With a slight nod, they then planned to enter, completely ignoring the Yhan family members, as well as the extremely pale Yhan Yun.
But at that moment...
Seven or eight private cars suddenly came up from the mountain path; the doors swung open—who else could it be but members of the Gong family’s uncle and aunts?
Including their bodyguards...
They now appeared en masse, heading menacingly toward the gate...
The guards at the gate hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, but to no avail as the Elder of Gong Family glared coldly, "Step aside! Don’t forget, we are still the masters of this house!"
The bodyguards stepped forward, pushing people aside...
However, Gong’s people were not to be trifled with, as when Feng Sha and Brother Ma showed up, that born-and-battled, rice-dumplings cutting, evil-spirit killing aura instantly intimidated these bodyguards... Moreover, as soon as Feng Sha stepped forward, he swiftly subdued several men, stepping on one bodyguard’s hand, he swept his cold gaze: "Third Master Gong, today is not the day for you to cause trouble; otherwise, don’t blame us for showing no mercy..."
"Feng Sha! You are just a dog of our Gong Family, what, did Gong Jiu feed you so much that you only recognize her now?" Third Master Gong sneered.
Feng Sha nodded, simply stating, "Yes."
This man was truly...
Xiao Xianting raised an eyebrow, impressed by such loyalty in a subordinate. No wonder Gong Jiu was able to subdue the internal disputes of the Gong family in such a short period. His men must be remarkably formidable, unlike the subordinates of Third Master Gong...
Bodyguards?
The old Patriarch Gong was cunning indeed, organizing nothing but incompetents!
Despite these people being Gong Jiu’s elders, causing a scene at a funeral would disgrace not only Gong Jiu but the Gong family’s reputation as well. It was uncertain how Gong Jiu would handle this next...
Just as Feng Sha and his men were about to successfully take down these bodyguards, Third Master Gong and his people, unnerved, directly charged into the front courtyard of the main house...
The media, unwilling to miss such an opportunity, swarmed towards the gate, their cameras flashing continuously...
Bursts of light flickered.
The Gong family members couldn’t stop them, and it seemed that Third Master Gong and his companions wanted to use the media to amplify their impact, thus making their presence even more daunting...
Until they suddenly heard someone shout, "Gong Jiu is coming out!.."
The main house doors swung wide open, and clad in a long black dress and high heels for the first time, Gong Jiu stepped out. It was very strange; the Gong family, which usually inherited ancient traditions, opted for a Western-style funeral, probably because the old Gong head feared that a Chinese style might hold certain taboos, like the need for descendants, and most of his descendants had already been dealt with by him. Hence, the Western style was much simpler and clearer.
So it was Western style, and Gong Jiu wore a long black dress and seven-centimeter heels, her thighs strong and slender, her figure elongated and slender, her features chiseled, and her eyes like tinted moons.
She slowly stepped forward, each step as if treading on blades, her expressionless face filled with frost.
Third Master Gong and the others suddenly quieted down, recalling the girl who became gloomy and taciturn due to her parents’ tragic death, the downright unruly woman who had grown from an outspoken funny girl...(To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)