Chapter 24.2

Jiang Cheng had returned home, his heart full of anger.

At first, his anger was naturally directed at the Chen family.

A few days ago, on his son’s way home from school, he had been beaten so badly that his face was unrecognizable, though thankfully, it hadn’t been life-threatening.

At the time, his wife had immediately shouted that it was the Chen family’s doing, and truthfully, he thought the same.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t furious.

In his view, taking revenge in such a sneaky way was the act of a coward. If there was something to be dissatisfied with, it should be confronted openly. Sneaking around like this was hardly impressive.

The Chen and Liu families had clearly agreed to reconcile, but now they were causing trouble again, which was truly contemptible.

However, with how busy things had been at the factory recently, and not having found any solid evidence, Jiang Cheng hadn’t immediately confronted them.

To his surprise, they had come looking for him first.

And they were so familiar with the Bian family, who had shown him such kindness.

Seeing the way Old Master Bian was acting so familiarly, even if Jiang Cheng lacked common sense, he knew that it was a direct warning from them.

Moreover, he was a smart man.

He had to admit, the Chen family had made the right move.

Whether it was because he owed the Bian family a favor, or because of the Bian family’s influence, Jiang Cheng had no choice but to admit defeat.

But… it was still incredibly frustrating.

Yet, this frustration suddenly began to dissipate as he drove into the Steel Factory family compound.

For a few seconds earlier, he had an odd feeling that something was off.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t very familiar with the Chen family, but he had complete trust in Old Master Bian’s character.

Since Old Master Bian was willing to intervene on behalf of the Chen family, it meant that the situation… must have been in favor of the Chen family.

Once he sorted out his thoughts, Jiang Cheng took several heavy breaths before slamming the car door shut and heading straight for the house.

As the director of the steel factory, the Jiang family had been assigned the largest house, with three rooms.

On top of that, Yao Xiuhong’s vanity made the interior decorations far more luxurious than those in Deputy Provincial Governor Bian Jianhua’s house.

In the past, Jiang Cheng hadn’t paid much attention to such details, but today, everything seemed unbearably gaudy.

He didn’t see anyone in the living room, so he turned on his heel and went straight to his youngest son’s room.

Sure enough, inside the bedroom, his wife was gently feeding Luobei water with a look of deep concern.

Blinded by his anger, Jiang Cheng stormed forward, snatched the bowl from his wife’s hand, and with a loud “crash,” he slammed it onto the floor.

This move not only startled Yao Hongxiu, but it also left Jiang Luobei, lying in bed with a bruised face, in shock: “…Dad?”

Jiang Cheng’s face was dark with fury, and he took a deep breath, not sparing his son a glance as he fixed his cold, piercing gaze on his wife. His voice was frosty as he asked, “Did you go stir up trouble with the Chen family?”

Before Jiang Luobei could figure out which Chen family his father meant, his mother’s sharp voice cut in, “Little Bei’s face was swollen for days after being hit by that crazy woman. Not only do I have bald spots on my head, but my face is full of scratches that won’t heal. So what’s wrong with asking my cousin to help me get revenge on them?”

Seeing that his wife didn’t seem at all guilty, Jiang Cheng’s vision blurred with anger. He trembled as he pointed at her, taking a long moment before he managed to shout, “Your cousin? Don’t you know what kind of person your cousin is? You want revenge but won’t go after the Liu family? Instead, you pick a fight with the Chen family? If you’re so capable, why not confront the Liu family directly?”

Yao Xiuhong hadn’t expected her husband to know that her cousin had been dealing with the Chen family.

But… so what?

The Chen family’s little fox had nearly stolen her son’s soul, and as a mother, what was wrong with protecting her son from such lowly attachments?

Her cousin was lecherous, and all it took was a few words from her—she didn’t even have to get her hands dirty—and she could ruin that little fox. Why not take the chance?

After all, that little wench had seduced her son.

As she spoke with such venomous justification, Jiang Cheng could hardly believe that the woman in front of him, this devil in human form, was the same wife he had once known—a woman with a bit of vanity.

Whether it was shock or something else, Jiang Cheng felt as though he had been doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.

Not only did it put out his fury, but it also sent a chill running from his feet to his head.

Shaking, he pressed his hand on his son, who had sat up, agitated by his wife’s wild words, and asked in a low voice, “Have you figured out the Chen family’s background?”

Yao Xiuhong curled her lip in disdain. “Other than a poor son who’s a soldier, they’re all just country bumpkins.”

“Heh…” Jiang Cheng let out a cold laugh. “How funny. Those country bumpkins you look down on were treated like family by your old leader today.”

Hearing this, Yao Xiuhong’s face changed, her voice full of disbelief. “No way!”

“No way?” Jiang Cheng sneered. “I saw Old Master Bian himself come out to greet them and waited for the Chen family to sit down for dinner. Tell me, what does that mean? How could it not be possible?”

Knowing that her husband couldn’t be lying, Yao Xiuhong’s face shifted between pale and purple. After a long pause, she finally mumbled, “Did you… did you see wrong?”

Seeing that his wife still doubted him, yet her arrogant attitude had clearly softened, Jiang Cheng felt even more disdainful of her cowardice and bullying behavior. “Oh, and I met the poor soldier you mentioned. He was wearing a four-pocket military uniform, exuding an air that any fool could tell he was no ordinary person.”

At these words, Yao Xiuhong remained unconvinced. A young military officer didn’t faze her.

But… the Bian family could not be offended.

With that thought, she turned to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“You said the Chen family has a good relationship with Old Master Bian, right? I’m going to get some gifts and ask Old Master Bian to mediate, clear up the misunderstanding—after all, didn’t we fail to do anything in time?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng found it utterly baffling. “Do you really think Old Master Bian, with his sharp mind, doesn’t know?”

Yao Xiuhong froze in her tracks and suddenly turned around. At that moment, she finally panicked. “Wh… what do you mean? Did Old Master Bian say something about you?”

Jiang Cheng sneered. “You really overestimate me. Old Master Bian had me meet with the Chen family today as a statement of his own. What more needs to be said?”

“Then… then what do we do?”

“Now you’re panicking? Where were you earlier? Just wait and see, sooner or later, this family will be ruined because of you.”

This was Jiang Cheng’s warning, but in Yao Xiuhong’s ears, it sounded like the Chen family was going to take revenge on them.

At this moment, it must be said that Chu Wuwen had once again calculated things correctly. Although Yao Xiuhong was angry and resentful, she no longer dared to have malicious thoughts.

She even began frantically looking for a way to turn things around.

After a while, as though a plan had come to her, she rushed to her son’s bedside and, with hope in her eyes, said, “Luobei, that little fox… didn’t you like the girl named Chen Nongmo? I don’t mind that she’s a country girl, you go talk to her. I’ll agree to her marrying into the family in the future.”

Lying on the bed, Jiang Luobei stared blankly at his mother, whose expression was twisted and unfamiliar.

Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

He couldn’t explain whether he was saddened by his mother’s twisted behavior or by the fact that he could never face that girl, the one who had caught his heart at first sight.

Jiang Cheng sighed, patting his son’s shoulder. It felt as if all his strength had been drained. “I’ll find a way to send you to the military unit immediately.”

His wife would never agree to divorce him.

He could descend into hell with Yao Xiuhong.

But his son couldn’t.

---

While the storm in the Jiang family was brewing, the Bian family, on the other hand, was filled with warmth and harmony.

Bian Jianhua’s wife was a middle school Chinese literature teacher, known for her gentle personality. Her name, Wen Yuan, was very fitting for her character.

At the dinner table, the Bian family, spanning four generations, along with their bodyguards, and the five Chen siblings, crowded around a round table, making it incredibly full.

Old Master Bian had brought over a selection of dishes from the Anhui region.

Most of the dishes were well-received, each with its own unique flavors.

However, the most controversial dish was the stinky mandarin fish.

Chen Nongmo had tasted it before and found the flavor quite good—it smelled awful, but tasted delicious.

Amidst the confused expressions of her brothers, she shared the dish with Oldmaster Bian, who also enjoyed it.

Oldmaster Bian laughed and declared that the others had no taste for it, but the young girl was clever and knew what was truly good.

After the meal, the siblings didn’t stay long. After a brief rest, they all excused themselves.

Bian Jianhua personally saw them out of the government compound before turning back to head home.

Not finding Old Master Bian in the living room, he saw only his waiting wife and smiled, saying, “You’ve worked hard today. Leave the dishes; I’ll clean up after I finish talking to Grandpa.”

Wen Yuan was indeed a bit tired, stretching and rubbing her lower back. “Then I’ll go take a bath and sleep.”

Bian Jianhua reached over and massaged her back gently. “Go ahead, I’ll help you relax later. The kid is also with me.”

After settling his wife, Bian Jianhua went to his son’s room, where he found Old Master Bian telling a story to the little one.

He wasn’t in a hurry. Sitting by the bed, he gently massaged his son’s chubby feet while watching Grandpa soothe the child to sleep.

After playing with the twins for a while that evening, the little one, who was usually difficult to coax, fell asleep in just a few minutes.

Old Master Bian tucked the child in before turning to his eldest grandson. He spoke directly, “Your comrade is truly of excellent character.”

In fact, he had already heard of the outstanding young man, Chu Wuwen, from Jianhua, but they had never had the chance to meet.

Now that he saw him in person, he was not disappointed—Chu Wuwen lived up to the high praise from his grandson.

No, he was even more impressive than his grandson had described, worthy of their family’s Yuegui.

What surprised him even more was that all the Chen children were exceptional—each one clearly raised in a harmonious family.

The boys, in particular, were very considerate of their Little Sister Yuyu, which was a rare and admirable quality.

Bian Jianhua had long thought about introducing his cousin to Wuwen.

But after learning that the young man wasn’t in a rush to marry, he stopped bringing it up.

A few days ago, he heard that Wuwen had finally agreed to a matchmaking arrangement, so the thought returned to him.

In his view, both were outstanding, and from any angle, they seemed like a perfect match.

Especially now that they were both in H City and could meet often.

As for the fact that the young man came from a rural family, the Bian family didn’t care at all.

Indeed, after mentioning it briefly to his grandpa, he had immediately brought over some local specialties.

Hearing Old Master Bian’s satisfaction, Bian Jianhua felt happy but couldn’t help but laugh as he reminded his grandpa, “Wuwen doesn’t know about this yet, and you haven’t mentioned Yuegui to her, have you?”

Old Master Bian gave his eldest grandson a pointed look and said, “You, your eyes aren’t as sharp as a 16-year-old girl’s.”

Bian Jianhua was stunned for a moment before asking in disbelief, “Grandpa, are you saying that Wuwen’s Sixth Sister noticed?”

Old Master Bian nodded. “Not too slow, but compared to Yuyu, she’s miles behind. The moment I mentioned Yuegui’s name and age, she knew exactly what we meant!”

If that was the case, the girl who appeared so delicate, almost like she was made of the finest porcelain, was indeed exceptionally clever.

Of course, neither of them realized that the girl they were praising for her brilliance was actually aided by an “external force.”

Old Master Bian chuckled, “Yuyu probably already mentioned it to little Chen by now. Yuegui is, after all, a girl. As her grandpa, it’s enough that I made the first move. If that young man has any interest, he’ll reach out to you. If not, it’s no big deal. Don’t ask, don’t push. It’s just a matter of fate. Don’t let this get in the way of relationships. In this day and age, finding a true friend is hard enough. Your siblings are all fine people…”

Bian Jianhua was amused and helpless. “Grandpa, where are you going with this? Do you think I’m someone who doesn’t know the importance of things? Mutual affection is the foundation of any relationship.”

Old Master Bian stood up, stretching his back, and was about to go into the living room to listen to the news. As he heard his grandson’s response, he snorted coldly. “You can’t say that for sure. Didn’t you just use me to put pressure on Jiang Cheng today?”

That remark was an even bigger misunderstanding. “But you agreed to it yourself, didn’t you? Don’t think I didn’t notice, you were subtly reminding Jiang Cheng.”

“Well said, well said… Your mind hasn’t rusted. Keep up the good work.”

“……”