The rain in Pingjiang had all but stopped. The sun was shining brightly, and the ground was almost dry. When Tang Wan and Jiang Jinshang arrived home, Zhang Liyun and Tang Mo had already arrived. They were sitting in the front hall and talking to the old man.
"Jinshang is here. How are you doing?" Old Master Tang hurriedly got up.
"I'm fine."
"Your belongings are all here in the east courtyard. Don't stay here any longer. Go and have a good rest. Wan Wan, take him back to his room and let him have a good rest. You can come back later."
"I shall take my leave then." Jiang Jinshang was not stupid. Old Tang didn't want him there, obviously.
Tang Wan led him into her own courtyard. There was a circular stone arch door by the entrance and the courtyard was filled with plenty of greens. There was a large jar in the middle of the courtyard with some small lotus flowers. However, it had withered in autumn.
There were three rooms, facing north and south. The two bedrooms were facing south, with extremely great lighting.
In other words..
Their bedrooms were next to each other.
"I live next to you. If you need anything, feel free to look for me. The south room is the study and where I work. If you're bored, you can hang out over there..."
Jiang Jinshang sized up the small courtyard. It was not big, but everything was exquisite.
He had just moved his things over and needed some time to tidy up. Tang Wan brought him back to the room, briefly introduced him to the environment, and then went straight to the front hall.
***
Zhang Liyun and her daughter came over because of yesterday's incident.
"... It's all this girl's fault. She's young and doesn't know anything. She made some messy friends." Zhang Liyun scolded her daughter without any hesitation.
"I've already stopped giving her pocket money for a while to give her a good lesson."
"In today's society, people ain't as innocent as they seem. If you dare to bring some random person into the house again, I'll teach you a lesson."
***
Tang Mo lowered her head and bit her lip. She had just entered university and it was the time for her to spend money and make friends. Any disturbance to her cash flow was a huge issue.
"Aunt Liyun, it's fine. Momo didn't do it on purpose. It's all in the past." Tang Wan smiled lightly. Pretty words were easy to say.
"I'm glad you don't mind." Zhang Li Yun smiled kindly.
Old Master Tang sat at the side and didn't say anything.
Actually, Zhang Liyun was very smart. Old Master Tang would sooner or later criticize Tang Mo for this matter. Rather than waiting for him to initiate, which would only make humiliate Tang Mo even further, Zhang Liyun took the initiative.
"Girl, what are you waiting for? Apologize to your sister again." Zhang Li Yun pushed her daughter.
"Sis, I'm sorry." Tang Mo was unwilling. However, her mother had analyzed the stakes for her, so she had no choice but to remain on the defensive.
While they were talking, Tang Wan's phone rang. She narrowed her eyes and smiled as she got up to leave. "Dad --"
When Zhang Liyun heard it, her heart skipped a beat and her expression seemed a little complicated.
"Madam, please have some tea." Madam Chen smiled as she brought some tea over. She looked at the mother and daughter and felt a little helpless.
Actually, the master had his own considerations for remarrying.
It was hard for him to take care of the child alone. At that time, Tang Wan was still young and he was busy with work. As she grow up, it wouldn't be appropriate for the father to get too invested in his daughter's daily routine.
At that time, the old lady was still around and her health was not good. The two elders could not take care of themselves. Even if they brought Tang Wan to live in the estate, it was inevitable that there would be times when they would be careless.
In such a large family, someone had to take care of everything.
He believed that remarrying was for the good of the young lady as she could be taken care of. It was as if there were some couples who were not on good terms but were forced to live together because of their children. There were also many cases of divorce and remarriage for the sake of their children.
Some things were just wishful thinking on the part of the parents. They had good intentions, but how could they say that what they did was wrong?
Moreover, the mother and daughter duo were really different from how they were now. When they first entered the Tang family, they didn't have anything at all. Even when they were given something, they still knew how to be grateful. As time passed, they had seen many good things, so their greed began to grow..
The human heart was the most unpredictable. Naturally, no one would have thought that the family relations would become so tense later on.
***
Zhang Liyun was the first to punish Tang Mo. At this time, the Jiang family was still around. Old Master Tang only said a few words, but he remembered everything clearly.
"... Then I'll cook tonight. It just so happens that Fifth Master is also here, so we'll have dinner together. It'll be lively too." Zhang Liyun immediately went into the kitchen to work her magic.
Tang Wan wanted to go back to the east courtyard to see how Jiang Jinsheng was tidying up. When she was about to reach her own courtyard, she heard someone calling her from behind.
"Sister --"
Before she could turn around, Tang Mo had already trotted in front of her.
"What's the matter?"
"I just wanted to apologize to you again." Tang Mo had also been chased out by her mother, so she wanted her and Tang Wan to develop a good relationship.
"It's already over." Her face was filled with displeasure, so there wasn't much point in forcing an awkward conversation.
The two of them stood in front of the courtyard and did a little small talk. Tang Mo took a few glances inside. "Fifth Master... how long is he going to stay here?"
"Why?" Tang Mo didn't hide her thoughts when she first saw Jiang Jinshang. Tang Wan saw it clearly.
However, she was dissed by Jiang Jinshang at that time. If she were Tang Mo, she would probably avoid this person for the rest of her life. She didn't expect Tang Mo to still have such thoughts in her heart. She was rather dumb.
"It's nothing. I was just casually asking." Tang Mo smiled. "Sister, you don't really want to marry into the Jiang family, right?
"I thought that Fifth Master Jiang's poor health was just a joke. I didn't think that it was the truth.
"Sis, marriage is a huge lifetime affair. You really have to consider it carefully. Fifth Master Jiang has a bad temper. I feel that he looks down on our family. Our family's current situation is indeed not worthy of the Jiang family.
Tang Wan just laughed and said, "Don't worry. If I'm not worthy, then you're even worse off."
Tang Mo's face turned pale.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Tang Wan turned around and entered the courtyard. Jiang Jinshang was leaning against the study, basking in the sun. No one knew how much he had heard.
He narrowed his eyes and faced the light. Tang Mo had no idea what she was talking.
He didn't say anything about the worthiness of the ladies, who did she think she was?
And she had doubts on his ability to live?
The bodyguards stood against the wall, feeling that it might have been because of the rain. Although they looked up in the sun, they still felt cold all over.
***
The sky gradually darkened, and night fell. The kitchen of the estate was lively and filled with the aroma of cooking.
Zhang Liyun was busy herself, preparing to pull a performance in front of Jiang Jinshang later. Even if they couldn't become in-laws, it was necessary to improve her impression.
But she didn't expect to suddenly hear a scream. It was her daughter's.
Her heart skipped a beat. What happened this time?!
When she rushed to the east wing, she was so scared that her legs went weak...