Chapter 24.1

Municipal Committee Compound.

Bian Jianhua was now the Deputy Provincial Governor.

Based on his performance in recent years, he was expected to soon move towards a position in Zheng Chu. At that time, he would apply for a posting as the county party secretary in a poor and difficult area.

At the age of 30, he could be considered young and promising.

The Bian family had a long history in politics, with family members holding varying levels of government positions.

Before Bian Jianhua’s grandfather retired, he had served as both the Deputy Provincial Governor and the Provincial Public Security Bureau Chief.

Born into such a family, Bian Jianhua naturally had advantages that others did not.

Of course, these advantages were merely extra embellishments.

His grandfather had strict principles. He did not allow any of his descendants to seek shortcuts or use their power for personal gain.

In his grandfather’s eyes, a person should do tasks in accordance with their ability.

For example, his younger son, who was slow-witted and approaching the age of knowing his destiny, was still just a small clerk.

Strictly speaking, even though decades had passed since he graduated from university, his position had never moved.

This reflected how much his grandfather valued his reputation.

Of course, if any of his descendants were truly capable, he would not hesitate to appoint them, regardless of family ties.

Bian Jianhua’s grandfather had three sons and one daughter.

His eldest son, Bian Jun, was capable and, in his early fifties, had already become the Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The second son was also not bad and was currently serving as an official in Q City.

Bian Jianhua was the eldest grandson.

Patriarch Bian, now aging, had softened over time, despite having been a strong and resolute person throughout his life.

Recently, when he received local specialties from an old friend, he took them and distributed them to the children he could reach.

He also stayed a few days at his eldest grandson’s house.

After all, his only great-grandson was nearby.

Yes, the retired Patriarch Bian was no different from ordinary elders—he simply wanted to enjoy a few years of peaceful family life.

“Old Leader, it’s getting late. I’ll head back now,” Jiang Cheng said.

In his younger years, he had been promoted by Patriarch Bian, and upon hearing that the elder was in the city, he specifically came to visit.

Of course, he knew the elder’s rules and only brought a pound of cured meat sent from his hometown.

The voice of the eldest grandson could be heard from outside, and upon hearing it, Patriarch Bian did not keep Jiang Cheng but instead stood up, taking his three-year-old great-grandson’s hand. “Alright, from now on, don’t bring anything when you come to visit.”

With that, he followed Jiang Cheng toward the door.

Seeing this, Jiang Cheng quickly waved his hands. “Old Leader, you don’t need to see me off.”

Patriarch Bian only smiled at his response and didn’t say anything more, continuing to follow him to the door.

Jiang Cheng, feeling somewhat flustered, was about to say something else when he saw Patriarch Bian smile gently, his expression full of kindness. “Finally here, are we?”

“Finally here?” Jiang Cheng reflexively glanced outside, following Patriarch’s gaze.

His pupils suddenly contracted in shock—he never expected to see this family again.

Jiang Cheng was completely stunned.

What was going on? Why did this family know the old leader?

And why was the old leader so kind toward them?

This kindness seemed genuine, the opposite of the superficial politeness he had experienced when facing him.

Before Jiang Cheng could sort through his confusion, he saw Patriarch Bian enthusiastically greet the Chen family. His attitude was no different from how he would treat his own grandchildren. “Come on! Everyone, come in, I’ve been waiting for you. The dishes are almost ready.”

Among the five siblings of the Chen family, only Chu Wuwen knew Patriarch’s true identity.

Chen Nongmo and Chen Yi had their doubts, while Chen Huai and Chen Jun didn’t think much of it.

They simply assumed that the elderly, gray-haired man in front of them was just an ordinary citizen.

If they were told to call him “Grandpa Bian” they would do so without question.

After greeting everyone, the liveliest of the group, Chen Jun, put the gift he was carrying onto the side table, crouched down, and began an amicable and equal conversation with the three-year-old great-grandson.

Seeing this, the smile in Patriarch Bian’s eyes deepened.

Chen Yi also placed the two pastries he was holding on the side table and, feeling a little embarrassed, said, “Grandpa Bian, sorry to bother you.”

Patriarch Bian waved his hand. “Treat this like your own home, don’t be formal. Sit down and talk.”

As he grew older, Patriarch Bian enjoyed the company of lively and energetic younger generations, especially since these two children were twins. “Which one of you is older?”

Chen Jun didn’t answer directly. Instead, he grinned and said, “Grandpa, guess!”

“I guess… you must be the older one.”

Chen Jun was astonished. “Grandpa, you’re amazing! How did you guess?”

Many people actually thought Fifth Brother Yi was the older one.

“Well, don’t you know what I used to do?”

“What did you do?”

“I used to work in the Public Security!”

“Wow…” Chen Jun genuinely admired him. To him, the police were heroes who caught bad guys, so the idea of Patriarch Bian being one of them filled him with awe.

Patriarch Bian was amused by Chen Jun’s straightforward sincerity and laughed heartily.

After laughing, he patted his great-grandson on the little bottom and told him to go play with the twins. Then he turned his attention to the only girl, cheerfully asking, “How old are you, little girl?”

Chen Nongmo smiled and replied, “I’m 16.”

Patriarch Bian nodded and, seemingly casually, remarked, “You’re 10 years younger than my Yuegui.”

At the mention of Yuegui, even though she had prepared herself mentally, Chen Nongmo was still shocked inside.

Yuegui, also known as Jiu Lixiang, was a name Chen Nongmo remembered clearly because it was so unique.

So… was the future sister-in-law’s house?

Could it be… that today was the day Big Brother would meet my future sister-in-law?

As this thought crossed her mind, Chen Nongmo’s eyes curved into a smile, looking at Patriarch Bian with innocent eyed and asked, “Is Sister Yuegui your granddaughter, Grandpa Bian?”

Patriarch Bian felt that this little girl might have guessed something, but he didn’t mind at all. He smiled and replied, “Yes, she’s my granddaughter. Yuegui is Jianhua’s cousin. She’s a military doctor.”

Chen Nongmo was sure of herself now. Since her future sister-in-law’s father held the second rank, Yuegui was indeed Jianhua’s cousin. She continued, “Is Sister Yuegui working at the hospital now?”

Patriarch Bian was someone who understood people well, and it was clear to him that the little girl had figured out his thoughts. He laughed heartily, “You won’t meet her today, though. She transferred to H City last month.”

H City was exactly where Big Brother was stationed!

Although it was a bit of a regret not to meet her future sister-in-law today, Chen Nongmo was still overjoyed.

Thus, the atmosphere between the elderly Patriarch Bian and the young girl became even more harmonious, sharing an unspoken understanding.

---

Meanwhile…

Outside the door, Jiang Cheng was so stunned that he couldn’t regain his composure for a long time. It wasn’t until Bian Jianhua reminded him that he hurriedly took his leave.

He didn’t mention saying goodbye to Patriarch Bian again, as he was too embarrassed to do so.

Seeing Jiang Cheng’s almost desperate departure, Bian Jianhua shook his head before turning to his comrade. “Are you reassured now?”

In contrast to Jiang Cheng’s complete lack of defense, Chu Wuwen had known he would encounter someone at the Bian family home.

To be precise, he was the one who had arranged today’s meeting.

Upon hearing his comrade’s words, Chu Wuwen no longer wore the gentle demeanor he had in front of his parents and sister-in-law. Instead, his sharp side emerged. “As long as his family doesn’t come to cause trouble again, I won’t keep pressing the issue.”

His words were genuine.

Neither he nor his Second Brother Liu had planned to beat up Jiang Luobei again.

Once they had accepted the compensation and apology, it meant the matter was settled.

But clearly, the other side didn’t think so.

Before leaving for the military unit, his Second Brother Liu discovered that Jiang Cheng’s wife, Yao Hongxiu, had approached her cousin at the Revolutionary Committee and intended to take action against their family, with the main target being Little Sister Yuyu.

That was why Chu Wuwen had acted preemptively and dealt with Jiang Luobei.

Of course, he had taken extra precautions.

Although he wasn’t very reliable in front of his family or brothers, Chu Wuwen, a rural soldier who had hidden his biological father’s true identity and managed to rise to the rank of a regiment leader at a young age, understood the importance of being thorough in his actions.

In just twenty days, he would have to return to the military unit.

With hundreds of miles between him and home, if anything were to happen, it would be too far to resolve it quickly.

If the meticulous Second Brother Liu had been at home, he would have felt a bit more at ease.

But the Second Brother Liu had gone to serve in the army, and the third and Fourth Brother Juns were sincere by nature, unable to see malice in anyone. As for the Fifth Brother Yi, although he was clever, he was still too young.

As the eldest, it was naturally his responsibility to step in at this time. This was the main reason why Chu Wuwen had hurriedly returned.

This time, his sudden suggestion to take his brothers’ wives to the city was precisely to make an appearance in front of his comrades.

With the connection from the Bian family, even if the Jiang couple had ill intentions, they would have to swallow them.

Jiang Cheng wouldn’t really believe that the identity of the Bian family’s Master would be easily known by others, would he?

Even though he had retired, he still had bodyguards following him for protection.

The reason Jiang Cheng was able to receive the news was because Sir Bian had allowed him to know.

Thinking of this, Chu Wuwen gave his comrade a pat on the shoulder. “Alright, stop worrying about Jiang Cheng. For him, today might actually be a good thing. I don’t believe you can’t see it, if he doesn’t start restraining his wife and children, something big is bound to happen sooner or later.”

Bian Jianhua was almost ashamed by his comrade’s remarks, and helplessly raised his hand to point at him. “You… Jiang Cheng is actually not a bad guy. He’s a bit slippery, but his essence isn’t bad. After today’s incident, he’s bound to cause a huge uproar at home.”

Chu Wuwen sneered. “As the director of a huge factory, isn’t it expected for him to have good character at work? Besides, to be frank, if his wife hadn’t insisted on causing trouble for my sister-in-law, who would care what happens in his house? Does he think I have nothing better to do?”

Perhaps because he had been handling things diplomatically for a long time, Bian Jianhua had lost some of his sharpness. Now, hearing his comrade’s words, although he agreed inwardly, he still couldn’t help but retort. “Your mouth is even more unreasonable than my three-year-old son’s.”

“Get lost, are you taking advantage of me?”

“Haha, you figured it out.”

“Alright, alright, let’s go inside. Today, Sir Bian has been a great help; I must show my respect to him.”

“…”

Whose family is this, anyway?

Bian Jianhua guessed correctly.