Ye Ling’s gaze was too intense; Ye Qian, who was kneeling on the ground burning paper, felt it and looked up. When she saw those cold eyes filled with malice, Ye Qian shivered and instinctively shrank back a little. Her actions caught Si Daochen’s attention, and following her gaze, he looked up and noticed Ye Ling staring at them. A trace of awkwardness flashed across Si Daochen’s face as he stood up beside Ye Qian. "Ye Ling, you should kneel here. Earlier, my father said one person couldn’t do it, so he asked me to accompany her. Now that you’re here, it’s perfect." Ye Ling glanced at him briefly before her eyes returned to Ye Qian. "You, get up." Ye Qian didn’t move, biting her lip, "Sis, is something wrong?" To be honest, Ye Qian didn’t really know what was going on. Ye Ling had changed a lot from before, especially not like she used to be, easily coaxed and swayed. Now, just a glance at those eyes made Ye Qian deeply uncomfortable. "If you feel like laughing, go laugh somewhere else. Don’t laugh in front of Grandma’s coffin." Ye Ling, seeing Ye Qian pretending to be weak, got angry and, without saying more, took a few large steps forward, grabbed Ye Qian’s clothes on her shoulder, and pulled outward. The movement was too swift for those around to stop it. Si Daochen, being distant, was the first to react and tried to mediate, "Ye Ling, let go. Let’s talk nicely, Ye Qian is your sister." "Who do you think you are? Get out of the way. You have no right to speak here." Ye Ling retorted angrily. Si Daochen’s face turned pale; he didn’t know what else to say. At that moment, Ye He Ping arrived on the scene. "Ye Ling, what are you doing? Let go of her now." Meanwhile, Ye Qian, being pulled, had already stood up from the ground, cautiously wanting to cry but not daring to. "Dad, don’t blame sis; she didn’t mean to hit me." "You’re wrong; if it weren’t for this being Grandma’s funeral, I would’ve slapped you twice." Ye Ling intercepted her words directly. "You are the older sister; if you do wrong, shouldn’t I correct you?" Turning her head then to question her father, who was looking at her angrily, "Dad, isn’t today Grandma’s funeral? Hasn’t Grandma been buried yet? Ye Qian is here burning paper for Grandma, what exactly is she doing?" Such a commotion in the courtyard inevitably alerted those inside the house, Bai Xue also came rushing out. Seeing the wronged look on her younger daughter’s face, she anxiously walked forward protectively, "Lingzi, let go of her quickly. You’ve got guts, hitting someone in front of all these people, don’t you?" "Shut up." Ye He Ping interrupted his wife’s words, his eyes fixed on his elder daughter, "You can continue." Seeing his younger daughter’s aggrieved side, Ye He Ping thought of questioning her like his wife did. However, he couldn’t forget how his mother passed away, how regretful she was, and the disappointment in her eyes, piercing his heart like a needle. Every time he faced his eldest daughter, that needle stabbed painfully, reminding him of these events. Bai Xue, being yelled at by her husband and in front of so many people, knew she had been too hasty just now. Anyone with eyes could see she was biased, so she wasn’t angry at her husband’s shouting. After calming herself down, she continued in a conciliatory tone, "Lingzi, you and Ye Qian are sisters. Your grandma is still lying there. This uproar will only make us a laughingstock. Whatever it is, let’s talk inside. If your sister made a mistake, I’ll make her apologize to you." Ye Ling did not respond. However, everyone present heard her earlier words. Especially as her words fell, Si Daochen standing there felt thoroughly uncomfortable, like thousands of ants crawling over his skin. Though he didn’t know how many people understood the situation, he felt as if everyone was staring at him with strange eyes. "Dad, Mom, it’s all my fault. I didn’t know my unintentional gesture would cause sister to misunderstand. Sis was right to scold me; it’s my fault." Ye Qian spoke up, admitting her fault in a breath or two, "I’m just used to it. Whenever someone talks to me, I respond with a polite smile; it’s my mistake. Dad, Mom, scold me, don’t blame sis; she’s right to be angry." Upon hearing this was the case, Bai Xue’s heart sank. Her face still carried the previous helpless expression, but it now had a somewhat unnatural look. Letting grandchildren laugh while burning paper for grandmother? What will people say if this gets out? Despite Bai Xue’s love for her younger daughter, she couldn’t let such a matter spread. If she truly didn’t take it seriously, it wouldn’t be love but harm. Ye He Ping didn’t rush to speak, but his displeasure was apparent on his face. As for those surrounding them, their expressions varied, especially Shi Ning, who took advantage of a moment of inattention to pull his son back from the crowd and glare at him fiercely. Ye Ling hadn’t responded to her mother’s words, but this pause allowed Ye Qian to seize the opportunity to speak first. Now that Grandma is gone, she always remembers her promise to Grandma. If she were to truly argue with Ye Qian, the reasoning would naturally be on her side. But saying nothing now makes her seem too harsh and unfeeling, despite Ye Qian’s initial mistake. Having understood these points, Ye Ling gently released Ye Qian’s shoulder but exerted some force as she did, causing Ye Qian to stumble back two steps. "You act out of reflex, but look, what is this?" Ye Ling turned, pointing at the coffin, her face full of hurt, "Grandma is lying here. Even if you act out of reflex, you’re still burning paper; don’t you know what you’re doing? Some things can be forgiven, but others cannot be. I believe even Granny down there would not be pleased." Ignoring the reactions of the people around and knowing without looking that her parents leaned towards Ye Qian, Ye Ling focused on her grandmother, who was resting here. Not wanting Granny to be troubled by the living, she knelt at the place where Ye Qian had been, picked up the unburned paper, and placed it into the basin sheet by sheet. "We’ve consulted someone; tomorrow at nine is a good time. He Ping, go and check on the burial site, and get them to dig if necessary." Wang Changjiang emerged from the crowd, calling over Ye He Ping. He then spoke in a voice audible to just the two of them, "Look, now that cremation is publicly endorsed, do we send her to town this afternoon, cremate her tomorrow morning, then bring her back directly?" "Let’s do that. I don’t know much about it; Uncle, I’ll leave it up to you. I’ll remember this favor for a lifetime." Having spent so much time outside, naturally knowing that some people help you for personal motives, Ye He Ping replied. Upon receiving this affirmation, Wang Changjiang felt assured his son’s job prospects were secure. He nodded and set about organizing tasks, while Bai Xue, holding Ye Qian who was still apologizing, headed indoors. And just like that, the farce concluded, though whether people mentioned it to each other or not was another matter entirely. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please cast recommendations or monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)