Yunding Ranch

Chapter 2 Generous gift
The business card in his hand is very elegant, the touch of pulp and the hidden pattern reveal traces of careful design under the fingertips, and the vigorous and powerful font presents a condescending dignity and pride.

But Lu Li's first reaction was "a scam". He is just an ordinary college student, and all the friends he met in the United States were schoolmates. How could he be involved in inheritance?I have heard of similar scams before, using the so-called inheritance as a bait to achieve the purpose of defrauding inheritance tax. There are quite a few people who have been fooled.

However, what puzzled Lu Li even more was why him?He doesn't look like a rich man, and even if a trap is to be set, he shouldn't be found.

Lu Li's serious and vigilant expression made Mark also stunned, "Mr. Lu, a student of the journalism department of New York University, Chinese..." After telling the relevant information one by one, Mark looked Lu Li up and down in front of him again. The shirt was paired with a smoky gray woolen cardigan, and a New York Yankees baseball jacket was worn over it. Her short black hair was neat and neat, and her dark eyes were shining brightly in the sun.

Mark couldn't help but nodded slightly. This description of the appearance also matched the image in his mind, but Lu Li not only did not relax his vigilance, but became more cautious. Mark continued, "Last October [-]th , did you encounter something at the junction of Prince Street and Thomason Street in the XC District?"

Lu Li frowned slightly as he recalled, last October, half a year had passed since now, and his memory was a little fuzzy, but after thinking about it carefully, Lu Li suddenly realized, "I was there...so, you mean... Lu Li couldn't organize his words, "A lady passed out, I called 911, and then escorted her to the hospital, you mean her?"

At that time, Lu Li was on his way to the supermarket. He saw a woman suddenly passed out on the side of the street. He immediately stepped forward to lend a helping hand. Not only did he call the emergency number, but he also accompanied her to the hospital.The reason why he remembers it so clearly is that firstly, it was the first time he dialed 911 in the United States, and he was in a hurry; secondly, at that time, his father had just undergone surgery and was still in the hospital, so he was particularly impressed.

The lady seemed to be around 80 or [-] years old, and she passed out without warning, which really shocked Lu Li.Because of my heartfelt feelings, I went to the hospital to visit the lady several times to talk with her and relieve my boredom.Especially when it turned out later that the lady didn't seem to have any family or friends to visit. Out of respect for privacy, Lu Li didn't ask why, but he went to the hospital many times within his ability.

The lady called herself "Liz", so when Mark mentioned it earlier, Lu Li didn't react at all. Now it seems that Liz should be Elizabeth's nickname.

"..." Lu Li was stunned suddenly, and his thoughts turned around, "So, you mean she... died?" Mark nodded in affirmation, and Lu Li fell into silence, feeling depressed.

Although he and the lady had no relatives, they were just acquaintances of gentlemen. After the lady was discharged from the hospital, they had no contact with each other; but Lu Li thought of his father. I didn't accompany him at all, and then I used the winter vacation to go back for three weeks, only to find that my father seemed to have aged a lot overnight, and the power of the years began to become cruel after experiencing an illness.

Hearing the news about Liz again, it was yin and yang, and he couldn't help feeling sad.

"Ms. Allen passed away last Wednesday of heart failure," Mark explained. "While she was in the hospital, she drew up a will, and part of it was about you, which is why I visited today." As a lawyer , and is a lawyer specializing in wills, Mark has long been accustomed to life, old age, sickness and death, so naturally he doesn't have much feeling.

"Me?" Lu Li was a little dizzy when suddenly the sky was smashed.Most importantly, Lu Li never thought of anything in return, taking care of Liz was just out of empathy. "But... what about her family?" Lu Li didn't major in law, but he also knew that shouldn't the heirs of the inheritance be his family?

"Ms. Allen's family currently has only one older brother." Mark said simply, "so she divided her estate into two parts, one part is left to her brother, and the other part is given to you. Her brother also witnessed the completion of the will Drafted, agreed to terms of assignment."

Lu Li slightly retracted his jaw, expressing his understanding.Such a situation is actually not uncommon. Although such a gift is collectively called "inheritance", it is not necessarily directly linked to money. It may be a bouquet of flowers, a piece of art, or a souvenir. Just a gift between friends, keep it as a thought.

For example, leaving one's own set of painting tools exclusively for the granddaughter who loves oil painting, or one's own cowboy hat for the most loyal partner, and so on.Although things may not be priceless, or even worthless, they represent a friendship.

That makes sense.

He let out a soft breath, "So, did you bring it here today?" Lu Li looked at the briefcase in Mark's hand. If it was just a souvenir, it wouldn't be considered a "pie" at all, and he wouldn't even have to pay inheritance tax. All he needed to do was complete the handover of the items. After being surprised and stunned, Lu Li gradually calmed down, although he still felt inexplicably sad.

After all, the departure of a friend is always sad news.

"Property transfer documents? No, I didn't bring them here." Mark shook his head, "I just came here today to confirm the situation. You still need to go to the law firm for specific matters. I will explain the relevant provisions in detail to you. Also need to bring official identification, sign some documents..."

Mark was explaining, but Lu Li raised his hand to stop him. His words stopped, and he looked at Lu Li with a puzzled look.

"Transfer of property rights?" Lu Li's mood that had just calmed down was turbulent again. In just 2 minutes, there was too much news, and he needed to digest it carefully. "I thought it was just a souvenir or something. For example, she And the JK Rowling signed 'Harry Potter' series I mentioned."

"Oh, no, no." Mark still shook his head and denied with a formulaic smile, "Ms. Allen owns a ranch in Texas, and she left the ranch to you; as for some personal items, she left it to you." Her brother, although I still need to go back and check the inventory, but I think the 'Harry Potter' series should be reserved for her brother."

"Ranch?" Lu Li repeated in a questioning tone.

"Ranch!" Mark repeated, in affirmative tone.

Lu Li's brain went blank for an instant, as if he had lost the ability to process information. All this happened too fast and too turbulent, and he didn't even know how he should react—is this a good thing or a bad thing?
A ranch, a ranch that is likely to condense a person's life's hard work, a ranch that may carry all the memories of a family, and a ranch that is likely to be worth far beyond imagination, is heavy and overwhelming I was out of breath; moreover, this gift came from a strange friend who had just passed away from this world.

"But why?" Lu Li couldn't understand. Shouldn't the ranch be left to her brother?

Mark shrugged, "Sorry, I can't answer this question." A typical lawyer's answer, "However, when Ms. Allen mentioned you, she did mention that you are a very important friend to her. .” This may be the only moment in which Mark showed a moment of truth in the short conversation of less than 5 minutes—even this touch of truth was tainted with business-like politeness and alienation.

When I close my eyes, Liz's face appears in my mind. Her silver-white hair doesn't look old at all, and she has an intellectual charm; the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and forehead are deep and deep, outlining the wisdom left by the years; her blue eyes Like the vast ocean, she always has a faint smile, and you can really feel her wisdom and elegance in her speech and behavior. This is why Lu Li likes talking with Liz very much. She is like a book of profound knowledge. People can't help but want to keep reading.

She reminded Lu Li of his grandmother.

Gradually, the color of that face faded and turned into black and white, and the shallow curve of the mouth was unaffected by humiliation, peacefully and calmly embracing everything brought by the long river of time, even the looming loneliness in the eyes was like the wings of a butterfly, Light and serene.

Opening his eyes again, the blue sky that greeted his eyes was so high and far away that it was so empty that one could not stand on one's feet. The bitter winter breath swept over in an instant, making one shiver uncontrollably.

He clenched the brakes, stopped at the back door of the restaurant in the alley, and couldn't help but put his right hand deep into his pocket, clearly feeling the sharp edges and corners of the business card, as sharp as a wound could be drawn.Taking out the business card, the name "Mark Foster" on it was still so conspicuous, and the thick ink slowly emerged, clearly telling Lu Li: Everything just happened for real.

"Squeak!" The back door was opened, and a person walked out. He raised his head and saw Lu Li who was still sitting on the bicycle in a daze. , Al has already started to get mad, we have been covering it up for you, but Al doesn't buy it at all, he has long wanted to trouble you..."

Only then did Lu Li come to his senses, temporarily put aside his troubled thoughts, parked the bicycle beside him neatly, threw the key over, "Fred, please." Then he trotted all the way into the back room. In the kitchen, I went to the dressing room to change clothes, but before the lockers could be opened, the door of the dressing room was kicked open, and a high-spirited voice came, "Lu, you are late!"

(End of this chapter)