Chapter 5

Jiang Gannian had no interest in watching the mother and daughter put on their act.

He already had a clear idea of who was responsible for this farce today.

He recalled how Jiang Hongmei had always been unwilling to go through with this marriage, making a fuss about it numerous times.

Du Yulan, too, had subtly hinted many times that she was reluctant to let her daughter marry far away and wanted to cancel the engagement.

Yet, on the way here, the mother and daughter had behaved completely out of character—especially obedient.

He had thought they had finally come around, but it turned out they were just waiting for this moment.

It was his fault, too.

—-

Yesterday, he had finally reunited with his old comrade after many years. Seeing that he was still in relatively good health and living conditions weren’t as bad as he had imagined, he got carried away with excitement and let his guard down. Since they had already arrived, what could possibly go wrong?

He had also drunk too much last night. After the wedding banquet, he was feeling dizzy and was helped straight to bed. It never even crossed his mind that this mother and daughter duo would dare to pull such a stunt.

He turned his gaze to the other party involved in this incident.

Jiang Tiantian stood there silently, her back straight, meeting his gaze with a proud and unwavering expression.

Huh?

Something was off about this girl today.

Instead of looking heartbroken over being manipulated by her mother and sister, she no longer had her usual hunched posture and downcast, spiritless demeanor.

Standing tall and firm, her eyes were clear and resolute—now, she truly had a bit of the Jiang family’s pride and strength.

Jiang Gannian’s eyes flickered as he set aside his doubts and turned to his old friend, Cha Jizu, with an apologetic expression.

“Brother Cha, my family has embarrassed itself in front of you.”

“I have truly failed to live up to your trust.”

Years ago, he had almost died on the battlefield. It was Cha Jizu who had braved heavy artillery fire to rescue him and used his family’s traditional medical skills to save his life.

During his recovery, the two of them, sharing similar interests and values, often engaged in deep conversations, quickly forming a brotherly bond that felt like destiny.

They made a pact: if they both survived the war, once they got married and had children, their families would become in-laws.

However, in the next generation, the Cha family only had one son, while the Jiang family had three.

Neither family had a daughter.

So, the promise was carried forward to the grandchildren’s generation.

When the grandchildren were born, the Cha family again only had one grandson, continuing their lineage with only one male heir per generation.

When Jiang Gannian’s youngest son finally had a daughter—Jiang Hongmei—the two families immediately arranged a marriage between them, planning for the wedding to take place once she turned twenty.

But more than a decade ago, during a time of social turmoil, Cha Jizu’s wife was severely injured in the chaos, leaving him disillusioned and heartbroken. He decided to abandon everything in the provincial capital and took his family back to their hometown to live a quiet life.

The two families lost contact for many years until, in recent years, when circumstances improved, they slowly resumed correspondence.

Jiang Gannian, a lifelong soldier known for his decisiveness and unwavering commitment, valued loyalty and promises above all.

Once before, he had failed to protect the Cha family.

This time, it was the Jiang family that had let them down.

Thinking of this, Jiang Gannian’s eyes reddened with sorrow, his heart aching with guilt. He was increasingly disappointed in his youngest son.

A man who couldn’t even manage his wife and daughters properly—how could he be competent in his work?

Cha Jizu, having lived for so many years, was long past being fazed by such matters.

He carefully observed the expressions and actions of everyone involved, piecing together the situation, and soon understood what had happened.

Years ago, he had actually considered calling off the engagement.

After all, the Cha family was no longer the prestigious household it had once been in the provincial capital, and he had no intention of returning to that world of intrigue and power struggles. He just wanted to live peacefully in his ancestral hometown.

This was where his family roots lay, and he had no desire to leave.

He didn’t want to wrong the Jiang family’s daughter either. If anything, this marriage would be considered a “downward” and “distant” match for her.

But Jiang Gannian had stubbornly insisted on fulfilling the engagement, personally escorting his granddaughter here for the wedding. This had deeply moved Cha Jizu, prompting him to instruct his entire family to treat the young bride with utmost care and respect.

However, his previous concerns had indeed come true.

Sighing, he patted Jiang Gannian on the shoulder.

“Young people these days have their own thoughts—I understand.”

“Let’s discuss how to handle this properly.”

What puzzled him, though, was why his granddaughter had not spoken up last night when she knew she had been set up.

Luckily, nothing irreversible had happened between the two young ones last night, meaning there was still a chance to remedy the situation.

At this moment, Cha Jizu felt an immense sense of relief that his grandson, Cha Jiuzhang, was so reckless and clueless.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how to clean up this mess today.

Turning to the villagers gathered at the courtyard gate, he cupped his hands and addressed them:

“I’m sorry for the commotion. Could I trouble everyone to step away for now? Once our two families have settled this matter, I will properly host everyone again.”

The crowd nodded in understanding.

“Third Uncle, don’t worry about us. You all handle your family matters properly.”

“We’ll be going now—just let us know if you need anything.”

The village women also whispered among themselves, sneaking glances at the Jiang sisters as they left.

Once the crowd had dispersed, Jiang Gannian gave Cha Jizu a grateful look before turning to Cha Chengye.

“Chengye, could you please go wake up Jiang Jianhua?”

Something this serious had happened, and yet that man was still fast asleep.

Cha Chengye glanced at his father, who gave a nod.

He then looked at his dazed son and smacked him lightly on the back of the head.

“Why are you just standing there? Go bring some tea for your grandfather and the guests!”

Then, clenching his fists, he strode off to find Jiang Jianhua.

“Oh,” Cha Jiuzhang snapped back to reality, gave a complicated look at Jiang Tiantian, and went to brew some tea.

Cha Jizu’s wife, Zuo Mingyan, sighed. Not knowing what to say, she exchanged glances with her husband and then with the Jiang mother and daughters before following her son into the kitchen.

At this moment, Jiang Gannian finally turned his full attention to Jiang Tiantian.

His youngest son had no sons, only two daughters. He had once hoped that although his eldest granddaughter would inevitably marry out, if the younger one was strong-willed enough, she could still uphold the family name.

Yet, he didn’t know what had gone wrong in their upbringing—the elder daughter had grown increasingly arrogant, while the younger one had become weak and submissive. He could only sigh at the wasted potential.

As for last night’s bait-and-switch scheme, there was no way Jiang Tiantian had orchestrated it—he wouldn’t believe it even if he were beaten to death.

“Tiantian, come inside with me.”

Then, he turned to Jiang Hongmei and Du Yulan and barked:

“You two, stand in the corner of the courtyard and reflect on your actions. Don’t move until I say so!”

—

In the main hall, Jiang Gannian looked at Jiang Tiantian hesitantly.

“Tiantian, tell me honestly—did you and Jiuzhang… sleep together last night?”

Jiang Tiantian raised an eyebrow, her eyes glinting with mischief as she sneered, “We slept in the same bed. What do you think?”

If she wanted to stay here, she had to make her grandfather believe she had already lost her innocence. Otherwise, Cha Jizu, with his strong moral principles, would definitely refuse this marriage.

After all, she was still underage.

Jiang Gannian’s old face turned red, choked by her words, unable to respond.

His last shred of hope was gone.

Of course.

A young man, full of vigor, sharing a bed with a beautiful girl—the wife he had been waiting years for—on their supposed wedding night… How could he have resisted?