Two Brothers Renovate Great-Granddad’s Farm to Honor His Memory, Find Message from Ancestor There – Story of the Day

Two brothers decided to surprise their grandfather with a special gift on his birthday by renovating their great-grandfather's farm to honor his memory. In the end, they were the ones left surprised upon finding a message from their ancestor there.

Chuck, 24, and her older brother Peter, 28, lived with their dad Kyle and their grandfather Stan. It had always been just the four of them at home after the untimely deaths of their mom and grandmother, and they referred to each other as "the Hardy boys."

They loved each other dearly and were extremely close to one another. Whenever they ate dinner, they would exchange stories about their lives, and it would always be a long, fascinating conversation whenever Stan spoke about their family lineage.

One evening, Chuck and Peter asked their grandfather about the number one activity on his bucket list. Upon hearing this, their grandfather smiled.

"Your great-grandfather left me and my siblings his farm and some money that we were supposed to split amongst ourselves. I was supposed to receive $20,000. Can you believe it? In the end, they ran away with the money and wanted nothing to do with the farm or me.

"I didn't care much about the money, but I did know what I was going to do with my share – I was going to rebuild my dad's farmhouse and maintain it. It's a shame I could never do it," he sighed.

"Do you miss your siblings?" Peter decided to ask.

Stan shrugged. "I used to, of course. I had an older brother and two older sisters. I looked up to them a lot until they betrayed me for money. I didn't understand why, but I decided to let it go," Stan replied.

"That's why the two of you should never let money get in the way of your relationship. Is that clear?" their dad, Kyle interjected.

"Your dad's right. Family matters more than anything else. Never fight about money, property, or any material things, because these don't matter," Stan agreed.

Chuck and Peter looked at each other and smiled. "Of course not," they said.

"Peter here will take care of me until I'm old and gray, right, big brother?" Chuck joked.

The story about Stan's siblings and their father's farm never left Chuck and Peter's minds. Stan meant a lot to them, so they wanted to ensure he got everything he wished for.

Stan worked hard as a car mechanic, but his earnings were never enough to maintain such a huge farm. He prioritized his family's day-to-day needs and parked his dream of one day fulfilling his father's last request.

Months passed and there were no mentions of the farm again. Stan and Kyle continued working in their car repair shop, while Chuck and Peter worked full-time in good companies downtown.

On Stan's 75th birthday, Chuck and Peter decided to give him the surprise of his life.

"Grandpa," Chuck started. "This year, we decided not to give you a cake for your birthday." He grinned.

"Really? You broke your years-long tradition of giving me a chocolate cake?! How could you?!" Stan joked.

"Ah, wait and see, grandpa. I think you're going to like this a lot better than a chocolate cake," Chuck replied.

At that moment, Peter excitedly brought out his laptop and flashed a 3D rendering of a modern farmhouse. Kyle and Stan stared at the computer screen.

"What are we looking at here?" Stan asked his grandsons.

"We know how much your dad valued his farm and how much you wanted to honor him by maintaining it. Chuck and I raised the necessary amount to fix the farmhouse AND the farm... we wanted to help you do what you've always dreamed of," Peter said with a smile.

Stan swung his hand to his mouth in shock. Tears instantly streamed down his face. "You'd do that for me?" he cried.

"Grandpa, you're the best grandfather on earth," Chuck told him. "We'd do absolutely anything for you."

Stan asked Peter to hand him the laptop, and he took a closer look at the 3D rendering of the farmhouse. He recognized its old structure; only it looked a lot newer and cleaner. He couldn't help but cry as he went through the renderings that brought back vivid memories of his great childhood at the farm.

"I'm supposed to be the ones spoiling you, but here you are, spoiling me with the best gift I could ever receive. I really don't know what to say," Stan said, still shaken by his grandchildren's surprise.

"There's nothing else you need to say but to assure us that you'll help us rebuild the farm, grandpa! You too, dad! What do you guys say? Shall this be our next project?" Peter asked.

Kyle and Stan nodded their heads. "Absolutely. When we're done, I'll throw all of you a barbecue party – the Hardy boys' style! My dad said that if I ever get to maintain the farm, we should throw a barbecue party," Stan said excitedly.

Every day after that, the Hardy boys set out to work on the farmhouse. At the end of their work day, they rode Stan's old pickup truck and headed to the farm where they worked the entire evening, bringing the 3D rendering of the farmhouse to life.

It took them two months to complete the project, including mowing the lawns and planting crops in the field. "When we earn a bit more money, then we'd be able to buy some farm animals to put here. It's going to be such a treat to be here!" Chuck said as the four of them sat on wooden benches in front of the property they had just revived.

"We did good," Kyle said, admiring the beautiful property. "Great job, kids! Great job, dad!" he said, patting them all on the back.

That Sunday, they decided to host a barbecue party and invite their neighbors. They visited the farm early that Sunday morning to make sure everything was in order.

"Chuck, your great-grandfather had a trusty old grill in the basement cellar. Go get it out, please. Let's have a great day today!" Stan asked his grandson.

Chuck went down to the cellar to retrieve the old grill. As he was preparing to carry it up the stairs, he noticed it was a lot heavier than a regular grill. Then he heard a strange clinking sound coming from inside whenever he tried to move the grill.

Chuck decided to open it, and he was stunned. Inside he found a large pile of gold and diamond jewelry and a few gold bars. They came with a sealed envelope. There was a letter inside from his great-grandfather.

"If you've opened this grill, that means my farm is alive and kicking. You kept your word and you've proven to be worthy sons of our family. I hope this will be enough to cover your expenses and to allow you to live comfortable lives.

After reading the letter, Chuck sprinted his way up the stairs to call the rest of his family. "You guys have GOT to go down to the cellar! Quick!" he yelled, calling Patrick, Kyle, and Stan over.

They all made their way down the stairs, curious. When they got there, they immediately knew why.

"It can't be," Stan said, holding the jewelry with his bare hands. "These must be worth almost a million," he told them.

"What are we supposed to do with all these?" Chuck asked his elders.

"Invest it, of course," his dad, Kyle, replied.

The four of them decided to have a quick family meeting to discuss how they would safeguard their newfound riches. After a serious conversation, they all agreed to sell the jewelry for cash.

"We don't need much to live," Kyle said. "We've been getting by with what we have. It's best we invest the money and safe-keep the rest in a bank."

They all agreed, but Stan had something else he wanted to do. "If it weren't for Chuck and Peter, we would've never found the fortune in the first place. I want their future families to get some of the money," he said.

By the end of their meeting, they decided that 50% of the money would go to beautifying and maintaining the farm, and the other 50% would be kept in a time deposit at the bank.

After their meeting, they headed back outside and prepared for their barbecue party, which many neighbors attended. They danced the night away and received compliments for the job they'd done on the farm.

Since then, the men lived and worked on the farm. They decided to call it "The Hardy Farm," and it became a crowd-favorite destination.

They sold their crops in weekend farmers' markets and opened the farm for their families to enjoy. Stan opened an outdoor barbecue restaurant where families could dine, and Chuck managed a small horseback riding and petting zoo for the kids.

Before they knew it, their farm became a tourist destination in their state, and families from all over the country would visit. Several news agencies and magazines featured The Hardy Farm, enticing more people to come and see the place for themselves.

One day, Stan was watching the farm thrive, the many families exchanging stories and laughter, and he looked up at the sky in awe, taking everything in.

"I was able to do it, dad. I was able to keep your legacy alive," he said. "I hope you're looking down at us, proud of what you see."

A couple of moments later, a white butterfly flew right in front of Stan. He couldn't help but smile, knowing it was his father making his presence known. "Hi, dad," he said. "Thanks for watching over us. I always knew you were hovering around here."

Stan lived the rest of his life happy and in peace. He prioritized family over everything and made sure the rest of his family did, too.

Thanks to their family-run farm, they had more than enough money to get by. They didn't spend the wealth left to them by their late ancestor, and they could pass it on to the next generation, including Chuck and Peter's children, who continued running the farm decades later.

What can we learn from this story?

• Honor your elders and keep their legacies alive. Stan wanted to honor his dad's final wishes, but he couldn't because his siblings ran away with their inheritance. Ultimately, it was Stan's grandchildren who vowed to help him honor the wishes, leading to a beautiful new beginning for their family.
• Family should matter over everything else. Stan was betrayed by his siblings for money. When it was his turn to raise a family, he instilled in them that money wasn't everything and that, at the end of the day, it's the relationships you build that matter the most.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who inherited his father's wealth while his sister got nothing but a letter asking her to visit their great-grandmother's home.

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