"Who allowed this!" Jiang Yihua bellowed. "He's perfectly fine, not missing an arm or a leg. If he doesn't go to the main building, what will Old Master think?"
Yu Xiang argued back with him, "If our son goes, he'll just be interrogated by the Old Master. Do you want this matter to be brought up in front of the second and third branches of the family?"
Jiang Yihua glanced into the room and said, "As long as he makes a promise in front of the Old Master—that he's just dating and fooling around—the Old Master won't make a big deal out of it."
"Dad, I've told you, I really like her. From the very beginning, I've been with her with the intention of marrying her," Jiang Lin'an added fuel to the fire.
"Shut up!" Jiang Yihua roared. "I've already chosen a fiancée for you. I was waiting for you to graduate from college to get engaged! You'd better give up those unrealistic ideas right now!"
Jiang Lin'an said in a deep voice, "This isn't a feudal society anymore. Why are we still forcing arranged marriages?!"
"Fine, even if you want to choose your own spouse, pick someone else. As long as she's from the local city, from a family with a small business and some assets, I won't oppose it so strongly!" Jiang Yihua was bitterly disappointed. "But you had to choose a girl from a small county town, a family that's half-farmer and half-worker, with nothing but burdens, no status at all! How can you expect me to agree?"
Jiang Lin'an sneered, "What difference does someone with a bit of assets make to our family compared to someone from a small county town?"
"A world of difference!" Jiang Yihua shouted. "Don't you know that supporting a family with productive assets to go from one to ten is far easier than helping a family with nothing to go from zero to one? But you went and chose the latter. What else is that but going against me?!"
Old Master was advanced in years, but stubbornly refused to admit he was aging and had yet to announce his will.
The eldest grandson, who had always been obedient, sensible, and excelled in his studies, was supposed to be a strong card for their eldest branch. But if Jiang Lin'an insisted on marrying a granddaughter-in-law from an ordinary family, that card would plummet from grace and fall into the abyss.
Because back then, Old Master had been firmly opposed to that idea...
"Jiang Yihua." Yu Xiang's eyes were red-rimmed, staring at him unwaveringly. "Are you blaming my family for not being like the families of the second or third brother's wives? That I failed to give you an advantage for your future plans?"
Realizing he had misspoken, Jiang Yihua faltered and quickly tried to soothe her. "How can we be compared to them?"
Thinking back over the past twenty-plus years, Yu Xiang's chest ached and her head spun with bitterness. She dropped the words, "If I could, I would rather never have married you. It left me and our children estranged and distant from each other," then turned and walked away from Mingsi Building.
"Xiang'er!"
Seeing his wife genuinely upset, Jiang Yihua forgot about his son and immediately chased after her.
In the room.
Jiang Lin'an stared at the ceiling for a long, silent moment before finally getting up and heading to the bathroom.
Instead of being summoned privately by his grandfather, he preferred to make things clear in front of the whole family.
His own marriage was something he absolutely refused to have arranged.
Main Building.
Tonight's family dinner carried a theme that everyone understood but kept secret.
—The most obedient, most outstanding, most academically accomplished grandchild, Jiang Lin'an, who was supposed to start an internship at the group during his junior year, had fallen out with his family over an ordinary girl.
The male and female servants, well-informed and tight-lipped, went about their tasks with extreme caution. The spacious, opulent hall grew increasingly quiet and oppressive, and even the usually bright lights felt as harsh as interrogation lamps.
The second branch of the family, Jiang Yijie and his wife, had long known about this. They were delighted to see the eldest nephew and his eldest brother clashing more and more fiercely. In fact, they had initially helped cover it up, waiting for it to blow up into a major scandal so they could savor the eldest branch's humiliation.
"Little Seven is here." Qian Yuqiong put on a bright smile and waved cheerfully. "Any plans for summer vacation? Your second brother and fifth brother are going on vacation to the island of Hawaii. If you're interested, have them take you along for fun."
Jiang Chuling had been planning to go with her brother on a European study tour this summer, and everyone in the family knew about it. But given their eldest brother's current situation, the Europe trip was probably off the table.
And since she was still in elementary school, the family would never allow her to travel alone.
"No, thanks, second aunt." Jiang Chuling shook her head. "Second brother is in poor health. Taking care of fifth brother is already enough trouble. How could I impose even more?"
Qian Yuqiong's face stiffened slightly.
Her two sons—her eldest was frail and sickly, which alone had eliminated him from the line of succession.
Her younger son was physically healthy, but he was stubborn and rigid. Once he set his mind on something, not even eight horses could drag him back. He wasn't flexible or smooth, and as a child, he often provoked Old Master's anger by stubbornly arguing with his elders.
So knowing that the eldest grandson, who had always satisfied Old Master, had suddenly stirred up such a huge joke, Qian Yuqiong couldn't have been more delighted!
At the very least, among the outstanding grandchildren as heirs, the eldest branch had finally lost its previous advantage.
"That's true." Qian Yuqiong smiled. "It's good for you to stay home and advise your parents. Children have their own fortunes as they grow up. You can't keep disciplining them like they're still young."
Jiang Chuling was still a child. She vaguely felt that what her second aunt said was somehow wrong, but she didn't know how to refute it. So she just pursed her lips and smiled, not responding.
Her eldest brother had arrived.
Seeing him at the door, Jiang Chuling quickly turned and ran over, her eyes worried. "Brother..."
"It's nothing." Jiang Lin'an patted his sister's head. "I heard you had a conflict with Chuyun yesterday?"
She was about to explain when her brother praised her. "You did the right thing. What belongs to you, if you don't want to give it to anyone, you don't have to. You have the freedom to control what's yours."
Jiang Chuling admired her outstanding eldest brother the most. Hearing his approval, her face lit up with a smile uncontrollably. "Hmph! She always comes asking me for things, acts grateful, and then plays dumb. I'm not letting her get away with it anymore."
The siblings chatted for a while until Jiang Linzhi arrived, followed by Old Master Jiang and Mrs. Ge descending the stairs. Neither Jiang Yihua nor Yu Xiang had shown up yet.
"Where is Yihua?" Old Master Jiang frowned.
Qian Yuqiong showed concern and said, "The eldest brother has always been punctual. Could something have happened?"
Old Master Jiang looked at his eldest grandson. "Lin'an, give your father a call and ask."
Jiang Lin'an said gently, "Sure."
"Hello, Dad. Grandpa is asking why you and Mom haven't come yet."
"Yes, I'm here."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Jiang Lin'an looked up and said, "Dad said the car broke down. He and Mom will be here soon."
Old Master Jiang frowned but ultimately didn't say anything about his eldest son in front of the children.
Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Yihua and Yu Xiang finally arrived, late.
Spotting her eldest son sitting properly in his seat, Yu Xiang hid her concerned gaze and walked over with her husband.
"Dad, sorry about that. Something came up unexpectedly, and we held everyone up." Jiang Yihua, flustered from rushing, loosened his tie.
"Car breakdowns are unpredictable. Look at you, all sweaty from hurrying. Sit down and rest," Mrs. Ge mediated. "Steward Lin, bring two glasses of mint water to cool everyone down."
Yu Xiang said gracefully, "Thank you, ma'am."
