Was it either apologize or... get lost?
Even Tang Wan couldn't help but look up with a frown; even she had never seen the old man get so angry before.
Even when he was scammed while buying health products, he would at most say that the fraudsters were heartless for taking money from the elderly.
The old man had a good temper, was cheerful, and kind-hearted, rarely arguing with others, so when he did get angry, no one in the Tang Family dared to make a sound.
Tang Mo was spoiled, with a bit of a temper; the more people wanted her to apologize, the less she would bow her head, especially after the old man said those words. She was even more determined to save face, gritting her teeth and refusing to give in.
She wanted nothing more than to turn her head, throw a tantrum, and run away!
Zhang Liyun understood her daughter and hurriedly stood up, "Momo, look at how angry you've made Grandpa, what are you standing there for, go apologize to your sister."
If it were someone else, Zhang Liyun would probably have distanced herself from her. But since it was her own daughter, even though she was aware of the awkward atmosphere, she had to grit her teeth and help her.
She forced a weak smile at the corners of her lips.
"Wanwan, Momo is young, don't lower yourself to her level; she's just been led astray by those people."
"She really doesn't mean any harm, really..."
Tang Wan remained silent because the old man had already sneered lightly.
"Actually, in a reconstituted family, there's always some conflict and estrangement."
"When you first brought Tang Mo into our Tang Family, she was gentle, quite introverted, not talkative. You asked me to treat her like my biological granddaughter, but honestly, it's not very practical, it's just like..."
"You've always bought a lot of things for Wanwan, you seem to treat her well too, but ultimately she's not biologically yours. If the roles were reversed today, and I told you not to take it to heart, how would you feel?"
Zhang Liyun hung her head, feeling resentful inside, but she could only grit her teeth and endure.
"Tang Mo has been in the Tang Family for so many years, I think I haven't treated her badly."
"At her age, if it were Wanwan who did something wrong, I would hit her with a stick for nursing a grudge, but the next day, she'd still have to call me Grandpa."
"But her, if I were to hit her with a stick, she'd probably curse at this old, undying thing of mine in her heart."
These words were not wrong in reasoning, but they made Zhang Liyun and her daughter feel a chill in their bones.
"Don't blame me for being harsh, but when Wanwan was naughty as a kid, I would hit her too. If you don't believe it, ask her dad."
"Since ancient times, spoiling a child is like killing a child!"
"If you solve everything for her, one day she'll cause a big disaster, and I fear you won't be able to handle it then. If you can't teach her, as Xiaowu said before, once she joins society, others will teach her!"
Zhang Liyun wasn't foolish; the old man was clearly using this incident to give both of them a stern warning!
"And you, girl, why are you still standing there foolishly, hurry up and apologize."
If Tang Mo didn't apologize today, neither of them would have an easy way out.
Tang Mo understood this logic in her heart, caught between a rock and a hard place, so she had to brace herself, first apologizing to Tang Wan and Jiang Jinsang, then turning to the old man, bowing her head,
"Grandpa, I'm sorry, I was wrong."
The old man just rubbed his walking stick, knowing that some things wouldn't be resolved by a few words from him.
"I'm getting old; I can't manage much anymore. Last night, I called Wanwan's dad, he'll be back in a couple of days. Some matters are better handled by him."
Upon hearing that Tang Wan's father was returning, everyone's expressions in the living room varied, naturally, some were happy while others worried.
Tang Mo was almost driven to tears in panic; she was quite afraid of her stepfather.
The old man's hasty words led to a couple of coughs, "It's not early..."
He left the sentence half-finished, clearly urging them to leave.
Zhang Liyun couldn't stay any longer; she said she still needed to go to the hospital, bade farewell, then hurriedly pulled Tang Mo away.
*
After the two left, the atmosphere in the living room remained somewhat stiff. The old man stood up with his cane, "Xiaowu, I'm sorry for embarrassing you."
"It's fine." Jiang Jinsang stood up and reached out to support the old man.
"Some kids nowadays are just spoiled; they haven't suffered enough. If this continues, they'll face hardships eventually."
The old man walked to where a birdcage was hanging in the hallway, picked up some bird food again, and fed it to Hua Mei.
"Look at those two, scaring our little treasure."
Hua Mei: "..."
Jiang Family members: Was he serious?
Jiang Jinsang stood by, just smiling silently, feeling that Hua Mei was a bird destined for hardship. It was just at lunch... that he felt...
He too was a person meant for hardships.
Before cooking, Aunt Chen asked Tang Wan if she wanted to continue stewing beef carrot soup today. Since it needed time to tenderize the beef, Jiang Jinsang felt his scalp tingle at the thought, only to hear Tang Wan say, "Not today, let's do something else."
He breathed a sigh of relief, but as soon as they sat around the table, there was a dish of something green in front of him...
Cilantro tofu egg soup.
"Fifth Master, let me serve you a bowl," Tang Wan hadn't forgotten she needed to win his favor, never giving him a chance to refuse.
The Jiang Family members on one side were all stunned.
This Miss Tang must be conniving; every dish she made hit right on the target, seemingly out to get them.
The old man had a good appetite today and drank the soup, even praising its flavor. Jiang Jinsang had just finished one bowl when the old man kindly poured him another.
"Grandpa Tang, really, it's okay, I can help myself."
"Don't be modest." The old man served him a large bowl, "Your body needs some nourishing, drink more."
An elder's offer was not to be declined; he could only drink another bowl. When he returned to his room, he felt surrounded by the smell of cilantro.
Before he could take a shower to get rid of the smell, his phone vibrated, "Hello—brother."
"Not napping yet? Finished eating?"
"Mm."
"How's Pingjiang's cooking to your liking? What did you have for lunch today?" His tone was casual.
"Just some home-cooked food, do you have something to discuss?" The amount of cilantro Jiang Jinsang had eaten in a year was less than what he consumed today.
"I saw on the weather forecast that Pingjiang's expecting rain, reminding you to take care of yourself."
"I will, bro, let me ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Haven't you done business with Mr. Tang before? What's he like?"
"Tang Miss's father? Why are you asking?" The person obviously guessed something, his voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Heard he's coming back, wanted to ask what he's like, to get a sense of it."
The person just chuckled on the other end, "He's difficult!"
"In private dealings, he's alright, but... he doesn't seem to favor our families' affair and probably won't look kindly upon you."
The Jiang Family knew well the Tang Family's stance on the engagement between the two families.
The Jiang Family came to Pingjiang this time, aware that he was recently out of town on business, temporarily unavailable, to discuss breaking off the engagement carefully as to avoid direct clashes.
The timing was precisely calculated.
It just wasn't anticipated that Jiang Jinsang would stay in Pingjiang for so long.
The person laughed, comforting his brother, "Anyway, you're there to call off the engagement, Mr. Tang would be happier about it; as long as you're not interested in his daughter, you'll be treated like an honored guest."