Chapter 228
“Not letting you take advantage is considered suffering a loss? You really have a lot of nerve! You’ve been dreamed about it for so many times. Things that don’t belong to you end up costing us. First, you lost the position of production team leader, then the second household was broken up. Now, you’ve offended the whole production team. What qualifications do you have to educate Brother Yexun here?”
Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t intended to embarrass Jiang Guoli in front of so many Jiang family members today. But his words were intolerable. Jiang Guoli’s face darkened under the criticism, but he didn’t dare to retort. He could only turn his face away in frustration.
On the other hand, Jiang Guosheng exploded in anger, pounding the table as he stood up. “What are you talking about, little girl? If this were my daughter-in-law, I would’ve slapped her mouth swollen by now.”
Before he could finish, a bowl came flying towards his head. “Ow!” he cried out in pain, holding his forehead.
Jiang Guohua frowned. “Yexun, even though your uncle’s words were harsh, as a younger generation, you shouldn’t resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.”
“What if I do?” Jiang Yexun sneered at them disdainfully.
In the past, someone might have intervened in the affairs of the Old Jiang family. But now, with the whole production team enraged, even the sight of people surnamed Jiang was unwelcome.
Jiang Guohua sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright, it’s our fault. Let’s not be a laughingstock in front of outsiders on a day like this.”
After Jiang Guohua’s compromised words, Jiang Yexun didn’t even bother to respond. He turned and walked out of the courtyard.
Jiang Guohua had no choice but turned to Aunt Guo. “Hongxiang, the kids have a temper. As their mother, you can’t indulge their nonsense, can you?”
“Do you think I’m the pushover here?” Guo Hongxiang furrowed her brow.
In the past, when Yexun didn’t listen, they always came to her for help. Now, they were resorting to the same old tricks.
Jiang Guohua looked embarrassed. Just as he was about to explain, Jiang Yexun and his group of four had already left the yard.
“Big brother, look, I told you my wife is becoming more and more difficult to control,” Jiang Guoli grumbled angrily, only to find his elder brother staring at him as if seeing a fool.
“Isn’t it normal? Yexun is growing up and becoming more capable. You favor the two sons from your previous marriage, so naturally, they won’t listen to you.”
“We’re family, do we have to be so petty?” Jiang Guoli still didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
For the sake of marrying Guo Hongxiang, his first two sons lost their mother’s care at such a young age. It was only natural for him to show a little favoritism.
Jiang Guosheng nodded along, chiming in, “Exactly, you should just divorce Hongxiang. With her background, what future does she have with you? Educated Youth Su isn’t a fool. How could she marry someone like Jiang Yexun?”
“No,” Jiang Guoli immediately refused without even thinking.
Seeing several puzzled faces looking at him, he coughed awkwardly and said, “Hongxiang and I have been married for over twenty years. We’re an old married couple now. I’m not interested in marrying an older woman, and I can’t control a younger one. Besides, I don’t have the energy to raise more children. Moreover, regardless of how disobedient Yexun and Xinyue are, they’re still my children. Even if they don’t listen, I can’t force them to death.”
“You’re right to think that way,” Jiang Guohua nodded.
But Aunt Ma immediately objected, “Jiang Yexun and Jiang Xinyue are your children, but aren’t Quankun and Quansheng your sons too? If it weren’t for Jiang Yexun hogging the job, my son wouldn’t have lost out.”
“All my money and property will go to Quankun in the future,” Jiang Guoli stared her down.
Aunt Ma had been trying to maximize her gains. The rural house and money she could get weren’t worth much compared to Jiang Yexun’s job. But getting back some now was better than getting nothing at all.
Jiang Yexun returned to the neighboring yard, while Aunt Guo and Hua Shoucheng went to the kitchen to reheat the dishes they had just prepared. Su Xiaoxiao immediately wanted to follow and help, but Jiang Yexun suddenly grabbed her hand. Since Jiang Quansheng’s death, they hadn’t been this intimate. Su Xiaoxiao’s body shivered involuntarily. A tingling sensation ran from her feet to her spine, making her almost lose her balance.
“Brother Yexun?” Su Xiaoxiao turned around. With her charming eyes slightly raised, sparkling with curiosity, she gazed at him. Jiang Yexun’s breath hitched as he tightly held the young girl’s hand and then released it involuntarily. Su Xiaoxiao immediately leaned softly against him, wrapping her arms around his waist through the thick cotton jacket. However, this close contact, with its underlying barriers, made her frown with disdain.
“Did they bully you and Mother when I wasn’t around?” Jiang Yexun gently stroked Su Xiaoxiao’s fluffy hair, his voice suppressed with cold anger. He had initially said they would just eat casually next door, but they had suddenly returned with the meal prepared. Something must have happened along the way.
“Yes, they wanted to educate me, mold me into their ideal daughter-in-law, so I would obey them and they could gain something from me,” Su Xiaoxiao replied in a soft voice, both pitiful and indignant.
Although he should have been angry, Jiang Yexun couldn’t help but smile lightly at her words.
Seeing the girl in his arms looking up at him, he quickly cleared his throat. “They’re really mean. Let’s just ignore them in the future.”
“We can’t ignore them. They’ll still come bothering us in the future,” Su Xiaoxiao sighed softly. Relatives in this era lived close by, and there was no escaping them. It was either warm-hearted or invasive, depending on how you saw it.
“It’s okay, we won’t be here for long. We’ll leave the production team soon and go back to Shanghai to see your parents,” Jiang Yexun didn’t think the people from the Old Jiang family would bother them for long. After all, his father hadn’t gained any advantage yet, so how could he let others from the Old Jiang family get a share?
“Yexun, Xiaoxiao, lunch’s ready,” Aunt Guo called from the kitchen. Although she felt reluctant, it was much easier for Su Xiaoxiao to create some distance from Jiang Yexun with these thick clothes on.
Because Su Xiaoxiao loved meat, and there were fewer vegetables in winter, Aunt Guo had prepared braised pork with pig ears, scrambled eggs with leeks, and stir-fried cabbage. Hua Shoucheng couldn’t help but salivate at the sight of such delicious food. My goodness, this is much better than what he usually eats.
It seems that with the excuse of Educated Youth Su’s family background, their lives have indeed become more comfortable.