Chapter 37

In fact, for nearly 20 years since adopting Jiang Yunjuan, Mother Jiang had never seriously gotten to know him.

When Jiang Yunjuan lost his parents, and Mother Jiang had also lost her beloved son, his arrival did not offer any comfort for her grief or provide any cathartic effect.

Instead, she initially loathed his arrival, thinking he had taken away everything that should have been enjoyed by her own son.

If even one of her sons had been alive, Jiang Yunjuan would not have been sitting in the position of heir to the Jiang family, and certainly would not have been in her home, confronting her and defying her will.

When he was young, Mother Jiang didn’t mistreat him, but she was always indifferent and cold, choosing to ignore him.

As the years went by, and after Muti was born, the atmosphere in the house softened. Mother Jiang understood that having a strained relationship with her adopted son was not ideal, so she maintained a superficial harmony between mother and son.

Over the years, although they were not close, Jiang Yunjuan had always been polite and well-mannered. Despite how biased Mother Jiang felt in her heart, she couldn’t deny that he was, objectively speaking, an excellent person.

This was why she had ultimately decided to act the way she did. But now, it seemed, she had been too naive in her thinking.

She wasn’t sure whether Jiang Yunjuan’s sudden departure from his usual respectful and obedient demeanor was because he truly doted on his sister, or if he was using this excuse to reveal the claws he had concealed for years.

But one thing she was certain of was that after all these years of managing things, if it came to a direct confrontation, she would find that the capital she held was at an absolute disadvantage compared to her adopted son’s.

In that brief moment, Mother Jiang’s thoughts whirled, and then she heard Xuanxuan’s sharp voice, “Aunt, according to my cousin, does that mean I should put my mouth forward so Jiang Muti can slap me as she pleases?”

“I say one or two things and she can’t handle it, so when she insults me, it’s just to be expected?”

This moment felt like a painful headache and a deep, alarming frustration for Mother Jiang.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Muti has gone too far. Go to your room and reflect. You don’t need to go to class tomorrow. I’ll take Xuan to tidy things up.”

Jiang Muti rolled her eyes and casually returned to her room. She could argue to the bitter end, but this time, she decided not to escalate the situation further, especially since her father would be home soon. If the other side was planning to take a temporary step back, there was no need to stir things up unnecessarily.

Jiang Yunjuan naturally accompanied his sister upstairs. The dining table was now left with only his aunt’s family of three, and the atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

After quickly feeding his younger cousin, the family left the table.

The aunt’s husband expressed some concern, “This doesn’t seem right.”

The aunt waved him off, her eyes full of schadenfreude. “It’s their family matter. Let them sort it out themselves.”

Once they were outside and back in their room, the aunt secretly told her husband, “My sister has always been domineering in front of me, thinking everyone should cater to her. Does she really think everyone is going to obey her? With a son that’s grown, and with the power shifting over the next few years, does she really think she can control everyone like a little kid?”

“And as for the daughter, she hardly sees her at all, but suddenly this niece comes along and is completely adored. What young girl could stand that? Muti at least grew up in a true wealthy family, but with a father like my brother-in-law, how could a daughter like that be soft and gentle?”

“I think my sister’s really going backwards. She’s becoming increasingly unpleasant, and now she’s offended both her son and daughter. If she were smart, she should be comforting her daughter now, instead of lecturing Xuan like that.”

The aunt’s husband sighed in resignation. “Don’t be so hard on Xuan. She—”

The aunt shot him a glare. “What about her? I can’t manage that girl anymore. She used to be a sweet little girl, but ever since my sister put ideas in her head that shouldn’t have been there, she’s completely gone off track.”

“She always has big ambitions, haven’t you seen how she compares herself to Muti everywhere? She’s so unwilling to accept things. She doesn’t stop to think about herself—”

Saying this, she suddenly felt it was pointless: “Forget it, it’s still my sister’s business. At worst, we’ll take Haohao back.”

“When we went abroad, I was unhappy about it, but after living there for so many years, I actually got used to it.”

At this moment, her younger cousin became upset: “Go back? I’m not going back! Cousin said he’ll give me a pony for my birthday, the one that can grow into a big horse like my cousin’s.”

“He also said when I’m in elementary school, I can be his assistant?”

The aunt and uncle exchanged confused glances. “Assistant? What do you mean?”

The younger cousin proudly replied, “An assistant’s job is to help cousin carry his bag to the car when he goes out. Mom, how do you not understand this?”

The couple nearly laughed. The aunt’s husband patted the little boy’s back: “I bet you’re just bothering your cousin. If you really like him, you should study well. Don’t just admire how impressive he looks, look at how capable he is, okay?”

The younger cousin nodded, still not fully understanding, and cheerfully added: “Anyway, my sister must be jealous, she always says I’m useless.”

The aunt and uncle’s expressions immediately darkened. But what could they do? This was the Jiang family, so they could only warn their son not to be naughty.

It must be said that having a big house did have its advantages. If someone really wanted to avoid others, it was possible to go for days without seeing them, even when living under the same roof.

For now, their family just decided to keep a low profile.

—

Xuanxuan came out of the bathroom, still feeling like her hair smelled of soup, despite washing it multiple times.

The chefs at the Jiang family were top chefs recruited from various places, and the soup made with naturally grown, fresh ingredients was rich and aromatic, definitely making people eager to eat at the table.

But when it got into her hair, the smell wasn’t as delightful.

She rubbed her hair hard with a towel, occasionally spraying some perfume on her head, but it still felt off.

When her aunt came in with clean clothes, Xuanxuan angrily complained, “Look at what Jiang Muti did to me. Why does she get to be so arrogant? Didn’t you say she’s easy to get along with?”

“I don’t know why just a few days of me coming back late, you had to turn everything into this.” Mother Jiang put the clothes on the bed.

She sat down and said, “Until now, you’re still blaming Muti for being hard to get along with? I’ve always said you’re like me, but now I realize I was wrong. I wasn’t as foolish as you were when I was young.”

Xuanxuan threw the towel on the floor in disbelief. “Mom—”

“Shh!” Mother Jiang quickly silenced her. “Do you know where this is? Do you want to get us all in trouble?”

Xuanxuan bit her lip, reluctant but said, “Fine, if cousin is biased, then you are too? Don’t you see what kind of life she’s been living? What kind of life have I been living?”

Mother Jiang was frustrated with her niece, whom she felt she owed from her past life. She used to think that Xuanxuan was the clever one, while Muti was clumsy and slow-witted in comparison.

But with today’s events, she was now reconsidering both children.

Obviously, their upbringings were different. Muti might have a bad temperament, but when it came to facing problems, his decisiveness and demeanor were not something Xuanxuan, who only had small cleverness, could compare to.

This only made her feel more guilty.

She spoke kindly, “If I really were biased, would I come to spend time with you whenever I have a break? How many times a year do I even see Muti? If I were biased, I wouldn’t tell you anything and let you live a plain life at your mother’s house. I wouldn’t be getting complaints from both sides now.”

“But you never had the right mindset from the beginning. I sent you here because I could see the huge gap between you and Muti, and that gap will only grow larger as time passes. She will spend her life becoming someone of high status, from a rich young lady to a rich lady. I’m not even telling you how handsome and wealthy her fiancé is.”

Xuanxuan gritted her teeth and said, “Yes, not only her fiancé, but she also has so many outstanding suitors. Even if she wants to step out of line after marriage, it will still be like a crystal-clear white jade wall.”

Mother Jiang pinched her: “Who taught you to speak such improper things?”

Xuanxuan smirked, “You did!”

Mother Jiang felt awkward but replied, “You’re quick with your words now, but I haven’t seen you get things done with this much ability.”

“I show you this gap so that you can understand where to focus your efforts. It’s the same—are you willing to spend your whole life living mediocrely?”

“That’s why I’ve been trying everything I can to get you back into the Jiang family. Even if the starting point is different, I can still balance things out in the end.”

“But you, instead of working hard on your own business, focus all your energy on being jealous of Muti. You never positioned yourself right from the start. Do you think anyone is foolish? We’re all young girls, who’s not sensitive? It’s a miracle if Muti likes you.”

Xuanxuan sneered, “So, I still have to act like a servant and please her? Didn’t you hear what she just called me? She’s never even looked at me properly. In her eyes, those two kids the housekeeper has are more noble than me, her poor relative.”

Mother Jiang really felt like she owed her niece from her past life. If it were anyone else saying such foolish things, she would have cast them aside long ago.

But she still patiently broke it down for her: “Don’t even talk about being a servant—if I treated you like a dog, you’d still have to wag your tail and smile at her.”

Xuanxuan gasped. Her fantasies and hopes for coming here had been shattered by Jiang Muti’s rejection, but Mother Jiang’s words completely crushed her naivety.

Mother Jiang’s expression appeared particularly cold and hard under the light: “Do you think this is an easy task? That you’ll just lie back and good things will come to you? If you can’t even handle a little bit of discomfort or setback, do you really think the lady of the Jiang family was made for you?”

She stood up and continued, “You think Muti has a bad temper and is hard to please, but do you believe that even if she treats people ten times worse, there will still be plenty of girls who are better than you, more beautiful than you, willing to queue up to please her, as long as they have a chance to reach that position?”

“But the people outside don’t even get the chance to please her, and here you are, going out of your way to offend her. When you first got the short end of the stick in front of her, you should have learned to keep your head down.”

“Jiang Yunjuan and Muti may not be biological siblings, but as you can see, they’re the only ones in the house, and their sibling bond is strong, isn’t it?”

“You’re expecting good things but are unwilling to accept the reality. So today, I’ll tell you, if it were just up to me, I’d prefer to treat you both equally.”

“But the problem is, you didn’t get lucky enough to have a father who could raise you to become the daughter of a rich family. No matter how dissatisfied you are, it’s useless.”

“Either you control your thoughts, position yourself right, and endure hardship, and I will help you rise up, or you can keep making trouble and offending people, and when you’re thrown out, you can lie on your little bed, complaining about how unfair life is.”

“Now, choose.”

Xuanxuan’s face alternated between pale, flushed, and white. After a long while, she finally lowered her head.

—

After Jiang Muti returned to her room, her appetite returned, so Jiang Yunjuan ordered the kitchen to make two bowls of noodles. The siblings had dinner together in her room’s living area.

As the moment of truth approached, despite Jiang Muti believing their side had a huge advantage, she still felt uneasy.

Finally, she asked, “Brother, can I go that day?”

Jiang Yunjuan thought for a moment: “Hmm! You can, but Dad probably won’t take it well. Are you sure you—”

Jiang Muti sneered. She didn’t have any emotional attachment to Father Jiang. His fall from grace or defeat wouldn’t make her feel guilty.

However, to her brother, she said, “At least he’s still the honorary emperor, and if he’s really upset, I can try to talk to him.”

Jiang Yunjuan knew his sister’s temperament and thought to himself, Don’t make your father have a stroke from the stress.

But he finally looked at his sister seriously and said, “I’m really happy that you’re on my side. Truly.”

Although saying this seemed a bit inappropriate, it certainly relieved him of any worries before he took back what was his.

Jiang Muti, hearing her brother say this without context, felt confused.

Upon thinking carefully, she realized that there were many subtle details between her brother and her step-parents that she had overlooked.

There was something that seemed on the verge of being revealed, but she couldn’t quite grasp the key to pulling it out.

Just as she was about to ask, her brother had already finished his meal, patted her on the head, and told her to brush her teeth and go to bed early.

Jiang Muti had no choice but to suppress the strange thoughts. If she were to admit it, Mother Jiang’s restrictions had their benefits.

She had been using these few days to stay at home and watch the situation unfold, sparing herself from worrying about things back at school.

However, just as she was about to go wash up, Mother Jiang came to her room.

The moment she entered, Jiang Muti was taken aback by the room’s layout, which was drastically different from before.

“Did you renovate?” She looked at the expanded walk-in closet, the shoe rack, and jewelry cabinet.

Jiang Muti nodded, “It’s nice. This is what a girl should have.”

Feeling slightly impatient, she replied, “So? Did you calm Xuan cousin down?”

She sneered, “You, as the aunt, are so thoughtful, even more than her own mother. You ignore your own daughter and fuss over your niece instead.”

Mother Jiang thought she was jealous and laughed, “She’s a guest. If the kids are causing trouble in their own house, how can I side with you? I may not be able to ignore your cousin, but I still have to consider her mother. When kids misbehave, what do we do? We deal with our own first.”

Jiang Muti thought to herself, Her sister didn’t even care about this, poor you, carrying the burden of guilt for so many years. She really uses you inside and out without any hesitation.

Seeing that her expression remained unchanging, Mother Jiang softened and said, “I know you don’t like to hear this, but you’ve seen how things are with your dad and me, and with our families, there are only a few of us left.”

“We won’t be able to support you forever. In the end, the family will just be you, your brother, Xuanxuan, and Haohao. If you really think about it, Xuanxuan’s blood ties to you are closer than your brother’s.”

“Girls can be quite competitive, and it’s common to have small conflicts. When your aunt and I were young, we even fought over who had a new skirt. But as we grew older, she was always there for me. Even though her family isn’t as well off as ours and can’t offer much help, I still feel at ease.”

“Blood ties are rare, and Xuanxuan, I’ve already scolded her. She knows she was wrong. You saw how upset you got today, but in the end, she lowered her head. That’s enough. Otherwise, people will think we’re bullying the children. How would your aunt feel?”

“Tomorrow, she’ll apologize to you, and you can accept her apology gracefully. You two should get along well from now on.”

Indeed, Mother Jiang was a woman who had seen the world and knew how to handle things. She could be firm when needed, but she knew when to adjust and keep a clear mind, making sharp judgments.

At first, she’d been forceful in her role as the matriarch, speaking decisively and with authority, but once she realized that her influence in the situation was limited and that going head-to-head would offend both her daughter and the future heir, she immediately changed her approach without hesitation.

The emotional card she played was completely different from the strong, dismissive stance she had taken earlier when she ignored her younger daughter’s suggestions at the dinner table. It was like she was a completely different person.

And she raised Jiang Muti up, making it seem as though her stepmother was letting her take advantage of everything. For someone who was softer-hearted or less aggressive, they might have just followed along with her lead.

However, Jiang Muti knew exactly how much deceit was hidden behind all of this.

She didn’t want to tear things apart with Mother Jiang, as it wasn’t the right time. Instead, she pretended to be a little coy and played the game: “Ah~, I wasn’t really angry on purpose. Mom, you know my temper, how many years have I been unreasonable?”

Mother Jiang nodded. Indeed, her daughter wasn’t perfect, but her good temper was something she couldn’t deny. In fact, she used to be so gentle it could even be seen as cowardly. This had been the reason she didn’t like Muti much.

But recently, probably because Muti had slimmed down and looked better, her vanity and self-confidence had returned, and with that, her temper had worsened. It was almost like a rebound effect.

Xuanxuan was just unfortunate enough to be caught in it, if it were before, there wouldn’t have been so much fuss.

Mother Jiang still tried to comfort her daughter: “Yes, yes, your aunt doesn’t know how to teach kids. Not just Xuanxuan, I’ve heard Haohao has been saying inappropriate things too. I’ll have a word with her tomorrow about the kids.”

Hmm? What happened to the lifelong sisterly support?

Jiang Muti smirked, half-mockingly. She replied, “Anyway, I’ll let it go this time for your sake, Mom. But next time, if she dares to be mouthy in front of me, let’s see. You don’t know, she’s always watching me, her eyes are red. When my brother buys me clothes and jewelry, she wishes they were for her. Who does she think she is, acting like nobody can see through it?”

“And she keeps trying to get close to my brother, even though she knows he’s busy with work. What is she trying to do?”

Then, as if she’d just realized something, she exclaimed, “Mom! Do you think—she wouldn’t…”

“Ugh! She couldn’t possibly be thinking like that, right? How shameless! How despicable! You must be out of your mind if you even think about it!”

Mother Jiang, while listening to her daughter, felt slightly uncomfortable, even though Muti was talking about her cousin.

She instinctively replied, “Of course not, but when it comes to bloodlines and ethics, it’s really not such a big deal.”

Seeing her daughter look at her, Mother Jiang emphasized, “Just speaking objectively, look at your paternal grandfather and your maternal grandfather, they were cousins. Now, you guys are already five generations apart. And your cousin is one generation further removed than you.”

“That’s still not okay!” Jiang Muti said stubbornly, “I don’t care about what five generations or anything, my brother is my real brother. How can he and a cousin be the same? Pah! Isn’t that embarrassing?”

Mother Jiang was a bit choked up by her daughter’s stubbornness, but she knew that arguing logic with her was pointless.

Then, something clicked in her mind, and she asked, “Muti, did your brother say anything to you?”

Jiang Muti blinked, feeling a bit of a fishing instinct rise in her: “No, he didn’t say anything, and even if he did, it’s definitely for my good. Whatever he says, I’ll just follow it.”

Mother Jiang, upon hearing this, became anxious: “I knew it—”

This foolish daughter was so quick to be used as a pawn: “Don’t listen to everything your brother says. You need to use your brain sometimes. Just like the things he teaches you—always offending people. This will ruin you!”

Jiang Muti laughed, “Mom, you’re interesting. For my cousin, you want me to think the best of her, but when it comes to my brother, you start suspecting him? At least when something goes wrong, my brother is the one who stands in front of me.”

Mother Jiang became agitated: “You don’t even know! He’s just lucky. If your two real brothers hadn’t passed away, where would he be now?”

“I’m telling you, don’t think you’ll always be a little princess. Open your eyes! If your dad steps down, you and I will probably have to rely on him. Don’t just assume everything will be fine. If things change, don’t be caught off guard.”

At this point, Mother Jiang’s feelings were understandable, considering she had lost two sons and her family’s inheritance had gone to the adopted son. Despite putting on a brave face, it was clear that she was troubled inside.

But Jiang Muti still felt something wasn’t quite right, so she feigned innocence and said, “How could that be? My brother’s not heartless. Mom and Dad raised him as their own. My brother has been working hard all these years, creating a good life for us. I’m not good at managing the company, so in the future, all I’ll do is sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.”

“Our family is united. There’s no real conflict. You’re saying my brother would suddenly turn into a stepmother after my dad passes away? That’s just baseless speculation.”

Mother Jiang’s gaze suddenly became distant. “Is that really the case?”

Although what her daughter said was true, objectively speaking, with Jiang Yunjuan’s character and nature, the two decades of raising and nurturing him, and even the eventual inheritance of the family estate, all of it was his.

Yet, Mother Jiang could never fully trust him. She knew the reason: it was simply because she had something to hide in her heart.

Jiang Muti noticed that her mother had unintentionally revealed a bit of information, so she quickly asked, “What?”

But Mother Jiang didn’t continue with that topic. She just sighed and said, “If there’s anyone to blame, it’s your dad.”

“He committed sins, and the retribution fell on your two older brothers, hehe! But Jiang Yunjuan is the last hope of the Jiang family. In his eyes, daughters can’t continue the family line, and so, for the sake of his legacy, and to restore the family’s long-lost glory from his grandfather’s generation, he had no choice but to swallow all the bitterness.”

“Old… Old Jiang family’s legacy?” Jiang Muti had always known her father was a conservative, traditional man, but this…

Mother Jiang sneered, “Enough, don’t expect anything from your dad. To him, wife and daughter are nothing important.”

After discussing a bit more, Mother Jiang finally left.

However, Jiang Muti couldn’t calm her mind. Even though her mother hadn’t revealed any major secrets, from the little things she said, she could tell that her father must have done something to harm his own moral standing. Perhaps it was related to her brother, but her two older brothers didn’t survive, and her father, being a rigid, traditional man, was cold-hearted and ruthless, only caring about his ambitions and restoring the Jiang family’s glory.

This mentality, which was shared by both Mother Jiang and even herself, might make them the victims, but her brother, Jiang Yunjuan, was definitely the beneficiary.

However, it seemed that her brother also had his own secrets. Jiang Muti had a bad premonition, feeling that something was about to come to light.

During this time, Father Jiang returned.