Chapter 16

With “Y Shen’s” guidance, Ying Nian diligently practiced her skills. On the other side, the light sign issue was resolved, and the delivery date on the order was set for before the next match. Once completed, a group member would receive it on their behalf.

Ying Nian eagerly anticipated the next match. She and Xiaoxiao even discussed whether they should stay at the same hotel, what to eat, and what fun places were near the venue.

However, before the match arrived, she first received the news that her uncle was hosting a family banquet.

When Ying Nian heard it from her parents, she was puzzled: “It’s not a holiday or anything, and it’s summer break. Why would he suddenly want to invite the whole family for a meal?”

Ying Yaoxing explained, “Your uncle just closed a business deal, and it happens that your aunt is having a half-birthday celebration this year. They plan to have a small family celebration at home on her actual birthday, so they’re inviting the whole family for a meal in advance as a way of celebrating.”

Ying Nian didn’t want to go. “How about you and Mom go?”

Ying Yaoxing looked troubled but didn’t say much else. He sat down beside her, his tone gentle: “Niannian, are you still upset with Grandpa?”

“Yeah.” She admitted it straightforwardly.

“I know your grandpa has really crossed the line, and both you and your mom have been through a lot because of it. Aside from New Year’s and holidays, I don’t want you two to see him either. But your uncle has always been kind to you since you were little. There was a time when your mom and I were going through a tough period, and your aunt took care of you for several months.” Ying Yaoxing sighed, “Your uncle called me specifically and asked me to bring you along.”

Ying Nian’s parents were always considerate in dealing with people, and they believed in repaying kindness many times over. The story of her aunt taking care of her during that time was something Ying Nian had heard from them at least ten times.

Of course, her uncle’s family had always been warm and kind to her. In the entire Ying family, she was only close to them; the others were practically half-strangers to her.

“But…” Ying Nian rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a bit guilty. “Last time I argued with Grandpa, I, uh, ended up scolding everyone in the family who’s my age, including the cousin from Uncle’s family…”

Guan Lanqiu poked her forehead with her finger and sat down on her other side, scolding, “Oh, so you do remember? Which child from your uncles’, aunts’, or cousins’ families didn’t you scold? Even your own brother got caught up in it! When I told him over a video call, he was so upset, saying that when you lose your temper, you don’t even spare your own brother!”

Ying Nian clung to her mother’s arm, starting to act spoiled. “Oh, why did you tell him that! I didn’t mean it, I was just angry and didn’t think it through. No wonder my brother stopped answering my video calls; every time I message him, it takes forever for him to reply…”

Ying Yaoxing laughed, “You actually have moments when you’re afraid?”

Guan Lanqiu seized the opportunity to teach her, “You can’t do that next time, understand? If you need to scold someone, make sure it’s the right person and don’t drag innocent people into it; that way, you avoid unintended harm.”

“Right, what your mom said… huh?” Ying Yaoxing was about to agree but paused, realizing something was off. “Is that how we should teach our child?”

Scolding the right person—that sounded like encouraging Ying Nian to argue with her grandpa!

Guan Lanqiu rolled her eyes at him. “Hmph, your father—every time we meet, he gives us mother and daughter a hard time. I’m his daughter-in-law, bound by filial duty, so I can’t say much. But my daughter doesn’t have to put up with it!”

Ying Nian grinned and threw herself into her mother’s arms. “Mom, you’re the best!”

Ying Yaoxing chuckled, both amused and exasperated. “So… does that mean Dad isn’t good?”

Ying Nian snuggled in Guan Lanqiu’s arms, smiling at him without saying a word.

Ying Yaoxing gently nudged the top of her head and got back to the main topic, “Your uncle insisted over the phone that you come to this dinner. How about giving your uncle some face, okay?”

Ying Nian thought for a moment and sighed softly, “Alright, I’ll go with you guys.”

…

To celebrate the successful business deal and his wife’s upcoming birthday, Ying Nian’s uncle booked a large private room in a high-end hotel in the city.

When Ying Nian and her parents arrived, almost all the other uncles and relatives were already present. Although she wasn’t close to them, Ying Nian still observed the proper etiquette. After greeting her uncle and aunt, she also said hello to the other elders.

Except for Qianqian’s family.

Auntie was crouching by the sofa, playing Transformers with her son, Qianqian. Ying Nian didn’t walk over there, and she didn’t plan to go there, so she simply skipped the step of greeting her altogether.

Seeing that Ying Nian greeted all the other elders but not her, Auntie stood up and approached Ying Yaoxing and his wife, who were chatting with their siblings.

“Brother, Sister-in-law, you arrived so late?” She interrupted and said with a smile. “Oh, your Niannian sure has a temper. She’s still holding a grudge over that little quarrel she had with our Qianqian last time? She greeted everyone in the room one by one but acted like she didn’t even see me and her uncle. Quite a remarkable temperament she’s got!”

Ying Yaoxing replied, “She’s a young girl; of course, her temper needs to be a bit stronger. Otherwise, if she gets bullied outside, how can we, as parents, ever feel at ease?”

Although he wore a smile, his tone was firm and unwavering.

When it came to his father, Ying Zhaoguo, Ying Yaoxing felt he had no choice. Their parents had raised them with great effort and nurtured them into successful individuals, so even when he disagreed with their thoughts and actions, there was no way to truly hold it against them.

But it was different with his other siblings. If anyone messed with his two precious children, it was fine if they had a reason, but if they didn’t, it wasn’t something that could be easily brushed off.

Ying Yaoxing and his wife had already gotten to the bottom of the matter between Ying Nian and Qianqian. It was clear and straightforward: his daughter was the one who suffered and got bullied. So what if she had a strong temper?

Ying Yaoxing didn’t think there was anything wrong with Ying Nian not greeting her aunt.

The younger cousin from her uncle’s family was the first to come up and greet Ying Nian as “sister.” When the other cousins saw them enter the room, they all politely said hello to Ying Nian as well. But Qianqian was the only one sitting on the floor, playing happily, not giving his sister the slightest attention.

There was an unresolved conflict from before, and now Qianqian’s family wasn’t exactly showing much courtesy either. Given the circumstances, Ying Yaoxing found it perfectly acceptable for Ying Nian to ignore them.

To put it plainly, he was still angry at them for bullying his daughter.

Auntie encountered a soft rejection^[1]碰了個軟釘子 (pèng le gè ruǎn dīngzi) literally translate to “Encountered a soft nail.” This is an idiom meaning “to meet with a soft rejection” or “to be … Continue reading from Ying Yaoxing, and whatever else she was about to say got forcibly swallowed back down.

While her parents chatted with the other relatives, Ying Nian found a spot and sat down, playing on her phone as usual.

Not long after, her younger aunt’s family arrived. Jiang Jiashu greeted his parents and the other elders. When Ying Nian saw his eyes light up at the sight of her and him stepping forward to come over after his greetings, she braced herself for her ears to be overwhelmed. Just then, the door swung open.

Ying Zhaoguo and his wife had arrived.

Everyone in the private room went up to greet them, giving the highest level of respect to the family patriarch.

Except for one person, who ignored the “authority.”

Ying Nian.

She remained comfortably seated on the sofa, and while the rest were busy talking to the elders, she pulled out earplugs and earmuffs from her bag, put them on, and then took out a pair of sunglasses with dark lenses, to which she had lazily attached two pieces of cloth.

After chatting with the rest of the family for a while, Ying Zhaoguo finally noticed her.

Seeing her sitting there with a defiant attitude, more relaxed than anyone else, completely disregarding him, Ying Zhaoguo’s expression immediately darkened.

“—What are you doing over there? You’re the only one sitting in the whole room!”

Ying Nian didn’t turn her head and calmly replied, “My hearing’s been poor lately. The doctor told me to wear earmuffs to prevent further damage.”

Ying Zhaoguo’s brows furrowed deeply. “Hearing’s bad? And your eyes? Are they blind? Can’t you see I’m here?!”

She said, “My eyes are overstrained; the doctor told me not to open them unnecessarily and to rest them more. Hearing and seeing aren’t great right now, sorry.”

Auntie chimed in, “How convenient—your hearing and vision problems only act up when your grandpa arrives. Weren’t you fine just a moment ago?”

Ying Yaoxing and his wife hadn’t known she’d brought those items, and they were momentarily stunned. After realizing the situation, they quickly tried to smooth things over. “Oh, right. That’s what the doctor said—” Ying Yaoxing turned to Ying Nian, “Niannian, your grandpa is here. Stand up and greet him.”

Ying Nian remained still.

“… Niannian?”

“Dad, are you talking to me?” Ying Nian sat as steady as a mountain. “I can’t hear you very well. What did you say? Ah… forget it, don’t mind me. You all go ahead and talk; I’m fine just sitting here.”

The Ying family: “…”

She sounded rather justified.

Ying Nian was determined not to show respect, and Ying Zhaoguo was about to lose his temper on the spot when Jiang Jiashu suddenly rushed over.

“Oh, oh, um! Ying Nian—” He went over and forcibly helped Ying Nian up. “I need to talk to you about something. Come over here; don’t worry if you can’t hear well, I’ve got a loud voice.”

He half-dragged Ying Nian in a hurry towards the restroom, and said as he turned back with a fake smile plastered on his face: “Grandpa, I need to talk to Ying Nian about something. We’ll just go over there…!”

The Ying family watched in astonishment—since when were Jiang Jiashu and Ying Nian this close?

Ying Nian, being pulled along by Jiang Jiashu with one arm, gritted her teeth and whispered, “I’m not blind!”

Jiang Jiashu, also gritting his teeth, whispered back, “I know! We’re just putting on a show, okay? Move faster!”

With quick strides, they both dashed into the restroom.

Ying Nian was fearless in standing up to Ying Zhaoguo, but the others, like Ying Yaoxing and his wife, and Jiang Jiashu, didn’t want her to end up arguing with Ying Zhaoguo. So, they managed to muddle through until the food was served. Jiang Jiashu quietly guided Ying Nian back to her seat, and the greetings were glossed over.

Unfortunately, what was bound to happen still happened.

Ying Zhaoguo, holding back his anger, waited for an opportunity to explode, while Ying Nian remained stubbornly unyielding. After the meal, it wasn’t long before Ying Zhaoguo found his chance to act out.

Two young cousins were playing roughly in the center of the private room, while Ying Nian had left the table early and was sitting on the sofa. As the cousins pushed and shoved each other, one of them was knocked over and began to cry loudly.

Ying Zhaoguo, leaning on his cane, walked over, his gaze sharp as a blade: “What happened here?”

The two kids scrambled to complain to Ying Zhaoguo, who helped each of them up, one by one. Once they were steady, he directed his anger towards Ying Nian: “What’s wrong with you? You’re the older one here, and you couldn’t even keep an eye on your two cousins? What if they had hit their heads on the corner of the coffee table?!”

Ying Nian stared at him steadily for two seconds, then grabbed her bag and got up to leave. From a distance, she called out to the table, “Dad, Mom! I have something to do, so I’m leaving early. I’ll take a taxi home!”

With that, she turned to go.

“—Stop right there!” 

Ying Zhaoguo banged his cane on the ground forcefully.

Ying Nian stopped, turned back, and smiled, “What is it, are you going to scold me again? Do you feel uncomfortable if you don’t yell at me even once?”

Ying Zhaoguo took a deep breath, his anger compounded by the series of events, and he was already gritting his teeth in fury.

“You! Utterly lawless! No respect for your elders!”

As soon as the words fell, he raised his cane and swung it towards Ying Nian.

Ying Yaoxing shot up from his seat and rushed over. “Dad!”

The cane came down, but before Ying Nian could lift her hand to catch it, a figure darted in front of her. She paused, slightly stunned.

Jiang Jiashu stood in front of her, taking the blow squarely on his back.

“Hiss—”

Ying Nian watched as he trembled before her, his features scrunched tightly in pain, and his shoulders hunched up into a ball.

“…Jiashu!”

A cry of alarm came from her aunt on the other side.

Ying Zhaoguo was also stunned. Before he could say anything, Jiang Jiashu, enduring the pain in his back, turned around with a pale face as he looked at him.

“Grandpa, please stop scolding Ying Nian.”

“What did you say?” Ying Zhaoguo’s expression turned fierce, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Jiang Jiashu pressed his lips together. “You’ve been scolding Ying Nian for so many years. It’s normal for her to have a temper. Anyone would feel hurt in her place…”

Upon hearing these words from his beloved grandson, Ying Zhaoguo’s face grew even more troubled, and his anger flared up further. “Are you trying to oppose me too?!”

“I…”

“Stand over here! Today, I’ll make her understand what it means to have family rules in this house!”

Seeing his stubbornness, a trace of disappointment flashed across Jiang Jiashu’s face. After a long silence, he spoke, “Grandpa, you’ve really gone too far.”

Ying Zhaoguo looked as if something was stuck in his throat, and his hand gripping the cane trembling uncontrollably.