Qiuyun raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I only wanted Cao Xiuxiu to be punished,” Jiang Chuling said with a dejected sigh. “I never meant to implicate anyone innocent.”
If she remembered correctly, Cao Xiuxiu’s mother had already been hospitalized for the third time.
Qiuyun gently comforted her. “Her younger brother has been gambling for years. Their mother must have known about it for a long time. The reason she can still be angered into the hospital is, first, that she still has expectations for her son; and second, that there’s something wrong with her thinking. Instead of making the most of the limited time she has left to enjoy her later years, she chooses to punish herself for someone else’s mistakes.”
That was true, but Jiang Chuling still felt a little guilty and had no intention of targeting Cao Xiuxiu’s family again.
“However…” Qiuyun rubbed her chin. “I remember that the only people who can get Madam to hand over two hundred thousand yuan are usually family members of patients in the intensive care unit who are on the verge of death. But her mother’s life force is incredible. She’s been admitted to the ICU so frequently, yet she’s still managed to survive?”
“Hm?” Jiang Chuling’s attention was immediately diverted. “You’re right! I’ll have Assistant Qian investigate thoroughly at once!”
On the lower first floor, they happened to run into Cao Xiuxiu, the subject of their conversation. She was in the grand lounge, crying to Madam about her mother falling ill again.
Judging by Madam’s expression, she would undoubtedly soften once more.
After all, a family member shouldn’t be punished for someone else’s crimes—and in the end, it was still a human life.
Before Qiuyun could say anything, Jiang Chuling hurried over in a few quick steps and took her mother’s hand.
“Mommy, Mommy! I have a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow. Will you come with me? I’m starving. Let’s hurry and eat!”
The young miss dragged Madam away, while Qiuyun stayed behind to smooth things over.
“Don’t take it personally, Xiuxiu. The young miss has been talking nonstop on the way here about how summer vacation is almost here and how she wants Madam to attend her parent-teacher meeting, so she was in a bit of a hurry and didn’t notice that you were speaking with Madam.”
Cao Xiuxiu quickly waved her hands. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Children are all like that. How could I possibly take offense at the young miss?”
Qiuyun comforted her. “Don’t worry. I overheard what happened just now. Leave the hospital matter to me. Our Madam is the kindest person in the world—she certainly won’t stand by and do nothing.”
“To you?” Cao Xiuxiu almost lost her composure.
Everyone in the main residence knew how capable and shrewd Assistant Qiu was. How could something like this be left in her hands?
“This has always been handled by Sister Zhou…”
Qiuyun gently cut her off. “Sister Zhou has been promoted. She’s now managing everything in the main residence together with Sun Assistant Manager. How could we trouble her with such a minor matter? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
Before Cao Xiuxiu could say anything else, Qiuyun smiled warmly, excused herself, and walked away.
Cao Xiuxiu was left gnashing her teeth in secret. Yet she didn’t dare chase after Assistant Qiu, afraid of arousing her suspicions.
When Qiuyun arrived at the dining room, only Sir, Madam, and the young miss were there, as usual.
The Eldest Young Master was in his rented apartment preparing a sweet dinner with his girlfriend. The Fourth Young Master ate and slept at the company, where he was making the final preparations and adjustments before launching his game on the market.
“Sir, Madam,” Qiuyun greeted them formally.
“Sit.”
This little family had no strict rule against speaking during meals. Jiang Yihua first asked about the parent-teacher meeting Jiang Chuling had just mentioned, then turned to today’s main topic.
“The Old Master may have found something,” Jiang Yihua said.
Oh?
“I heard he found many former employees who used to work in the house and questioned them.”
That was indeed one way to investigate. It was much easier to find people in modern society than it had been in their time. Back then, even finding a wet nurse required years of inquiries.
“Did he find anything?” Qiuyun asked.
“Yes.” Jiang Yihua handed over the documents beside him. “My people questioned them again, but all they got was a short, vague recollection.”
Qiuyun took the file and opened it.
According to the recollection of Jiang Yijie’s former nanny, twenty-one or twenty-two years ago, there had been a period when the young master often came home very late—and whenever he did, he would immediately take a shower.
However, this had only lasted for one or two years. After the Second Young Master went to university, it never happened again.
The incident had taken place more than twenty years ago. On the basis of such a vague statement, it was impossible to prove anything. Coming home late and taking a shower could just as easily have been the result of playing sports or going for a late-night run.
No wonder Jiang Yijie was so confident that he had nothing to fear.
Qiuyun closed the file. “If this continues, will the Old Master Jiang’s health be able to withstand it?”
Jiang Yihua sighed. “That’s what worries me. Sometimes I want to persuade him to stop investigating, but since nothing has been brought into the open, I don’t know what I can say.”
Jiang Chuling, who was still eating, asked, “Are you talking about the incident where Granny Ge and Second Uncle were photographed by that photographer?”
Ever since Qiuyun had explained how to raise children, Jiang Yihua had stopped keeping many things from Jiang Chuling.
He had been a child himself. Besides, with the internet so advanced nowadays, children actually understood quite a lot. Sometimes, they would hear something vaguely from adults and then make their own guesses and judgments. It was far better for adults to explain things clearly, then analyze and discuss the rights and wrongs with them. While a child’s values were still taking shape during adolescence, this would help establish a sound outlook on life and a proper set of values.
The three adults explained the matter to Jiang Chuling, leaving out the more complicated details. She was astonished.
“But at the time, wasn’t Granny Ge already twenty-seven? And Second Uncle was only eighteen!”
Qiuyun naturally knew the reason. The fifty-six-year-old Old Master was no longer capable, and age had not been kind to his looks. Naturally, he couldn’t compare with the eighteen-year-old, youthful and vibrant young man in the household. Besides, Ge Furen (Mrs. Ge) was in the prime of her life, so it was understandable that her thoughts might stray.
But with a child, she had to put it differently.
“This world has sibling romances, so of course there can be romances between older women and younger men as well.”
Hm?
Jiang Chuling still didn’t quite understand.
Qiuyun explained, “Age isn’t what determines whether a person is mature. Some people are already in their thirties or forties but are still helpless, overgrown babies who never consider the consequences of their actions. That’s merely being old—it doesn’t make them emotionally mature. In a healthy romantic relationship, both people should have stable inner selves and be on the same wavelength. Relationships between older women and younger men, or between older men and younger women, only distinguish between their physical ages. When people get along, what matters is their emotional maturity.”
So that was how it worked.
Jiang Chuling began to understand.
Yu Xiang added, “Exactly. Whether you’re dating someone or making friends in the future, a person’s moral character, cultivation, and boundaries matter far more than external things like age or appearance.”
“I know, Mom!” Jiang Chuling patted her chest in assurance. “You don’t know me at all! Even the smartest person at school can’t fool me!”
Yu Xiang laughed and picked out a chicken wing for her. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
The main residence.
A similar statement was now lying beside Old Master Jiang’s bed.
Butler Lin chose his words carefully. “This doesn’t prove anything. Young Master Linzhi still often stays out all night.”
