Yang Le'er substituted out

  Slept in till morning, at noon husband said don't cook, volunteered to go buy vegetables.

  My husband's cooking skills are such that the kitchen might catch fire. I was worried, so I put on a sweater and went to the kitchen, where I heard the sound of knives chopping against cutting boards. There were voices inside, not just my husband's, but also a woman's voice.

  "Second sister?" Manman heard that it was Jiang Mei's voice, and she froze, walking in to ask, "Second sister, when did you come?"

  Jiang Mei turned around and smiled at her: "I heard you were sick, I went to the vegetable market in the morning and bought some things back, Ah Yan said it was nothing serious, you were sleeping, so I didn't go in to see you."

  "Where's Xiao Dongzi?"

  "It's not the weekend, I took a day off from work, he went to school." While saying that, she washed her hands in the sink, wiping them dry with a towel. Jiang Mei walked up to her and carefully examined her face, "You look okay."

  It's nothing serious, just tired, and can't even be considered a cold.

  But then Jiang Mei saw that she was fine, and instead brought up an interesting matter. She burst out laughing and said: "Everyone in our courtyard has been talking about it, saying you're as beautiful as Xi Shi, and that you've moved the commander of Lu's army to action."

  Three big drops of sweat fell from his forehead: "Don't talk nonsense. He just came over to take a look."

  To say it, half of her illness was caused by his anger.

  "I know." Jiang Mei's eyes were deep with meaning as she gazed at her, "Lu Shangxiao has a fiancée, he is what kind of person, no one dares to mess with him."

  There are two meanings in this sentence: Firstly, your lordship's character is well-known to all, and slander will not stick. Secondly, your lordship's temper is feared by everyone; unless they want to lose their lives, no one dares to spread rumors about you like a mad dog.

  Manman pretended not to see the other questioning look in Jiang Mei's eyes, and looked over her shoulder to see an old hen placed on a chopping board. Her husband was sweating profusely, grasping the chicken's neck, unsure where to make the cut.

  "Are you thinking of stewing chicken soup?" asked Manman, studying the situation in front of her.

  "It's like that. Mom said you're weak and told me to buy a hen for you to nourish yourself." Jiang Mei intentionally brought up her mother's original intention, wanting to tell her sister-in-law that her mother-in-law wasn't as bad as she thought.

  Jiang Dazhou knew what his mother was thinking, and he had originally wanted to directly throw the old hen back into his mother's house. However, since the money was given by Er Jie, he couldn't just throw it away, so he pretended that Er Jie had bought it as a gift for his wife. Now, when Jiang Mei mentioned his mother, he raised an eyebrow and interrupted, "Come help quickly."

  Jiang Mei's culinary skills were on par with her brother's, and she walked up to him, took the knife from his hand, closed her eyes, and chopped down at the old hen's neck. The neck didn't get severed, but it scared Jiang Dashi and Manman into shouting in unison: "Where are you chopping?!"

  Seeing this situation, Manman rolled up her sleeves and immediately drove both of them out of the kitchen.

  In the end, this hen could only be chopped by Mianmian herself.

  Jiang Dashao is very concerned about his daughter-in-law and is afraid that she will accidentally cut her fingers like her sister, so he wants to stay by her side to take care of her.

  Jiang Mei wanted to learn some cooking skills and stood at the door on tiptoes looking in.

  Mang Mang didn't raise the knife high and behead it with a flourish, but instead tapped the blade against the bone, and with a light tap, the chicken's head fell off.

  What is a born chef and what is someone who can never become a chef, Jiang Dashao and Jiang Mei, the two siblings, have come to realize.

  "Sister-in-law, you're proficient in eighteen different skills, your painting is great and your cooking is also excellent." Jiang Mei praised while helping Manman with the abacus, "Even if you don't paint anymore, I think opening a restaurant would still make you a lot of money."

  "Whatever." Upon hearing Second Sister's words, Young Master Jiang was displeased and waved his hand. "She cooks for me to eat, not for outsiders to eat. I can support her with my earnings, why does she need to open a restaurant?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, his ear was pinched by his daughter-in-law's slender hand. The crescent moon-like eyes widened in anger: "What did you say? Do I need you to support me?"

  "Okay, okay, my all-capable wife, I was wrong." Jiang Dashao, who would never raise his hands in surrender on the battlefield, only raises a white flag to beg for mercy in front of his wife.

  Seeing the two of them chatting and laughing in the kitchen, Jiang Mei couldn't help but feel envious: newlyweds are always sweet. Unlike her and her husband, who were approaching their seven-year itch.

  The hen stewed the soup until late at night. At noon, three people simply stir-fried a few dishes to eat, unexpectedly, they were all made by Mianmian. The scrambled eggs cooked by Jiang Mei had too much salt and were so salty that they were bitter.

  Jiang Dashi took a bite of the egg foo young cooked by Jiang Mei, and his face scrunched up in distaste. He couldn't help but say to his sister: "You need to practice more, otherwise when your husband comes back, he won't be able to eat the meals you cook."

  "He loves to eat but doesn't eat." Jiang Mei said with a nonchalant attitude, adding a few green vegetables, "I didn't marry him to cook for him. Besides, I have to take care of the kid and work, do I have so much time to research this?"

  When she saw her husband, she wanted to say something, so Manman pulled on her husband's sleeve.

  After dinner, Jiang Mei walked away and quietly pulled Manman to one side, saying: "You pay attention to your little days, if it's late, tell me, I'll take you to our unit for a check."

  Manman's face turned red, a thin layer like the rising dawn: "Second sister, is it that fast?"

  "How can there not be? Now, newlyweds have a lot of them." Jiang Mei pinched her cheek and smiled, "You two are pure people, you didn't mess around before marriage, you won't get any diseases, if you had this, it would be easy."

  Manman only thought that Jiang Mei was doing it for her own good, nodded, and while sending Jiang Mei downstairs, she thought about becoming a mother for the first time, curiously wanting to learn more about these things, asked: "Second sister, how did you get pregnant with Xiaodong? Was it hard?"

  "How did you get pregnant?" Jiang Mei was amused by her question, and seemed to be teasing her, saying, "Really want to know how kids are born. I have a educational video from someone's family, I'll lend it to you to watch."

  Man man didn't suspect any deceit and nodded: "I'll let Ah Yan go get it, or I'll go get it myself."

  "No need, don't you like Dongzi? I'll ask him to deliver it after school, our places are not far from each other, just a few steps away."

  Jiang Mei's house is behind Jun Ye's barracks, and you can enter through a small door to Jun Ye's yard, then to the big yard on Jiang Da Shao's side.

  "Dongzi is still young," said Manman, now often reported that there are kidnappers selling children, shaking her head.

  "He's going to elementary school soon, and besides, who dares to lay a hand on him in the compound of the troops?" Jiang Mei was not tense at all, intentionally tempering her child.

  After sending the second sister back, I saw my husband collecting bowls and chopsticks. Jiang Dashao was wiping the table with a cloth while humming a tune, seemingly enjoying doing household chores.

  Just as she was about to take the bowl, her husband suddenly whispered in her ear: Can't I wash a bowl for you?

  The warm air all blew into her ears, and Manman's face turned bright red as she turned away: "Fine, if you want to take a bath, go ahead."

  "Ah." He grasped her fingers and examined the thick calluses on her fingertips, saying, "These hands of yours need to be pampered until they're white and plump."

  "You should raise pigs." He made a gesture as if to hit her, his head raised, caught by his cunning eyes, and immediately he lowered his head, biting her lips.

  The itchy feeling, sweetly and gently swaying in my heart, all worries have been blown away.

  "After we got married, we haven't formally visited your father together yet." Comrade Jiang Yan said solemnly.

  This is about Wen Dad Wen Shi Xuan.

  "Hmm." Mianmian thought for a moment, "Last time you and I went together to deliver bread for him to eat."

  "That doesn't count." Comrade Jiang Yan felt that the marriage was a bit too hasty, his daughter-in-law said she wanted to simplify things, but his father had suggested that it couldn't be too casual, as that would be disrespectful to both sets of parents.

  Since Xu Yujiao didn't like him, Jiang Mu didn't like Manman, the fathers of both families were quite satisfied with each other, and the two fathers could meet and talk.

  She didn't expect her husband and father-in-law to be so thoughtful, and she was overjoyed. Her face lit up like a blooming flower as she threw her arms around her husband's neck and gave him a passionate kiss.

  Comrade Jiang Yan was overjoyed and became a wooden fool with wide eyes: it turned out that his wife was passionate when she got excited.

  It's better to seize the day than wait for a good day. After agreeing on the time and place of the meeting, the parents of both sides decided to meet tonight.

  After careful consideration, Comrade Jiang Yan sent a text message to his elder brother-in-law, Jun Ye.

  Luring Wen Shi Xuan, it's actually about the origin of the jade pendant. His wife had painstakingly kept this from him, and he didn't blame her, but could deeply feel that there must be a complicated story behind this, so he had to pry open Wen Shi Xuan's mouth.

  After receiving this message from Jiang Dashao, the light in his cold eyes turned, and all his worries were closed tightly in his silent mouth.

  ……

  The car drove into an old alley, and at the corner there was a Sichuan restaurant. Not far from here is the bustling commercial development zone, relatively speaking, this Sichuan restaurant is more secluded.

  Customers are all old customers and they eat hot pot. The layout inside is divided into separate rooms like private boxes, which is convenient for guests to chat.

  An old lady in her nineties walked out of the car, with small feet wearing a pair of Beijing old cloth shoes, and wore a purple rich long-sleeved shirt with dense embroidery and intricate patterns. She walked straight up without needing a cane, accompanied by a middle-aged woman supporting her.

  "The master is waiting for you inside, old lady," said a man who came out and looked like a secretary.

  "Let's go in." The silver-haired old lady commanded with a stern expression.

  Thus, the old lady was supported by others and walked into a Sichuan restaurant, through the dimly lit corridor inside, to the innermost room.

  A man sat in a window seat, elegantly pinching a cup of idle tea with his fingertips. The outline of his face was clear under the only goose-yellow pendant lamp in the room, as if wearing a mask-like color, and the colors were a beautiful and cold forest.

  Undoubtedly, the man's body emitted a chill that made everyone involuntarily hold their breath.

  Seeing him motionless without even a greeting, the old lady hummed and sat down in a rattan chair across from him, her fingers wearing jade rings tapping on the table. Before long, someone brought over a cup of tea.

  The old lady looked down at the pale yellow tea water with a few tea stalks floating in it, and a sentence similar to ridicule floated out: "This tea won't be poisoned, will it?"

  "You think it's been drugged, you don't have to drink." But ignoring the words, the teacup was lifted and touched to her lips, taking a sip, a pair of cold eyes fell on Old Lady Yang, with a hint of chill.

  "Lu Jun, is this how you speak to your elders? What did your mother teach you?" The old lady firmly asserted her authority as an elder, "I am your great-grandmother."

  Comrade Junye himself admitted that he had no deep impression of this great aunt since childhood. There was only one time, during the Chinese New Year, when he accompanied his parents to his mother's hometown to pay respects to the elderly. At that time, his father, Lu Siling, was not a high-ranking official, and Lu Siling was known for being frugal and honest, with little extra money on hand, so they didn't give much in red envelopes. This great aunt would say behind his parents' backs, "Look at the son of the Lu family, he only gave this little bit of money."

  For this old man, whether his children and grandchildren are filial or not is measured by money.

  The Lu family has influence in the capital, but in the eyes of Old Lady Yang, compared to Mrs. Lu who follows her honest husband and cannot buy her good food, good things, or a big house, she is no match for Yang Le'er who always presents gifts to the elderly. Moreover, Yang Le'er's mouth is sweet, while Mrs. Lu's mouth is dull.

  Yang Le'er would offer an old man a lychee and he would exaggerate that it was something Yang Guifei ate, the old man loved to listen to sweet talkers' clever words, but he detested Lu Furen's blunt mouth.

  For example, Madam Lu can't get something done, can't use some privilege to help her a little bit? Madam Lu doesn't dare to cause trouble for her husband who is an official and open the back door, clearly telling the old man that it's against discipline and can't be done.

  The old man is no longer popular, what can you, a useless granddaughter, do?

  The accumulated reasons of seventy-seven and eighty-eight finally lead to a conclusion: it is obvious which granddaughter the old lady Yang loves more.

  "My mom told me, it seems like what happens in my family and your family has nothing to do with each other." Jun Ye's eyebrows didn't wrinkle or raise, still elegant and carefree, holding his cup and looking at the book on the table.

  After Mr. and Mrs. Lu's parents passed away, their family rarely visited the Yangs anymore. According to Commander Lu, it was because the Yangs thought there was no more benefit to be gained from the Lus.

  So, this old lady is foolish. If it were a legitimate matter, the Lu family would not be without benefit. It's just that the old lady has her heart set on taking the fast track and special privileges, but even if the Lu family were the emperor himself, they wouldn't grant such favor.

  But what's even more foolish is that the Yang family actually thought that the Lu family would show mercy, and spare them because they are relatives.

  Normally we don't talk about relatives, but now that we're talking about relatives, it's the style of extreme characters like Old Lady Yang.

  The old lady held her temper and said angrily: "I'm telling you, your mother has the blood of the Yang family flowing through her veins, and so do you. You can't deny it no matter what."

  These words made Jun Ye's mind drift away, thinking of his own sister Manman.

  That cold air really resembles him a bit.

  Just as he said to Yao Ziye before, if the sister who came back belonged to Wen Mingzhu or Wen Haosheng, he would still be ruthless. Like that day when Lu Siling pulled out a gun and aimed at Wen Huan, who was kneeling on the ground pretending to be a member of the Lu family.

  "Blood ties have nothing to do with it; if you do wrong, you will be punished."

  Blocked by his words, the old lady's face changed color in an instant, as if weighing her options. After a brief silence, she chose to compromise slightly and said: "She is your aunt after all, and she is your relative no matter what. Whatever wrong she has done, sparing her this time is accumulating virtue for you."

  Yang Le'er was found hanging herself last night and was rushed to the hospital by Wang Hai this morning. After initial diagnosis, she is suffering from severe schizophrenia.

  "Jun Ye's mouth hooked up coldly, with a perfect arc that was impenetrable: 'What did I do to Auntie?'"

  "You——" The old lady's hand, which was about to slap the table, stopped in mid-air.

  No evidence, everything is based on Wang Hai's speculation and guesswork alone.

  Wang Hai said that after Yang Le'er went to the hospital related to Jun Ye, her condition gradually became more severe. The problem is that Yang Le'er didn't go there to see a doctor, but to kill someone.

  The old lady's face was unpredictable, her teeth clenched, and she said fiercely: "I'm telling you, if she dies, I'll make you bury her with me."

  This old lady really holds herself in high esteem. Her cold eyes slightly turned and said: "What about the burial method?"

  "Isn't your mother ill? If I tell her that her daughter is dead, killed by a car." This was something Yang Le'er had once said to her.

  He almost thought this old lady was crazy like Yang Le'er, and sneered: "As an elder, you actually hope my sister is dead?"

  The old lady furrowed her brow and stopped talking.

  There must be a problem here. Otherwise, Yang Le'er would not want her sister to die, and the old man knew it but did not stop it. Without complex reasons, there is no excuse.

  Her cool eyes slowly examined the wrinkles on Mrs. Yang's face, took a sip of tea from the cup held in her lips, and grasped the armrest firmly: No matter what, this thing can only be under his control.

  No one can hurt his family, and no one can ever hurt Nannan again.

  "If nothing else, I still have something to do." He agreed to meet the old lady just to test the waters, now that he had done so, there was no reason to waste his breath on these heartless and ruthless people.

  Get up, stretch out your left hand to pick up the military overcoat draped on the back of the chair.

  The old lady saw the steel-colored five-pointed star scattered on his collar, majestic to the point of being unapproachable, and her heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.

  Soldiers, perhaps in this prosperous world, are simple, unremarkable, and easily overshadowed by dazzling wealth. However, from ancient times to the present, which politician did not first grasp military power before seizing political power?

  Yao's family was able to step by step climb the political ladder, rising higher and higher, if not for the support of the Lu family, if Yao Ziye hadn't joined the army, if it weren't for the engagement between the Yao and Lu families.

  Is Nainai really dead? If not, marry Yao Ziyi? Even if Nainai is alive and married, she can't be careless. The jade pendant of Nainai was given by the old ancestor of the Yao family, symbolizing the relationship between the Yao and Lu families. It's a token: Jade Union, forever bound; Jade Break, severed ties. Such a private matter, I'm afraid even this young man doesn't know about it.

  Before leaving, don't forget to take a glimpse of the old lady's momentary daze and fierce gaze. Jun Ye took big strides, and the people standing at the door all dodged to both sides.

  The secretary followed him and went all the way to the entrance of the restaurant.

  "Secretary Liu." He stopped in his tracks, turned around and instructed, "Don't tell my dad about me coming to see her."

  "Yes." Secretary Liu nodded.

  "You don't have to come with me, I'm going somewhere else." With that, he hailed a taxi.

  ……

  "Aunt, I've brought the things."

  Open the door, take over the little guy's hand CD box, Manman touched Xiao Dongzi's head and said: "School is over? Did your mother let you come alone?"

  "My mom drove the car to the entrance of the courtyard and let me run in to deliver things." The little Dongzi, who was holding his glasses, seemed like a little adult and said, "Actually, my mom didn't need to wait at the main gate, I can come in through walls and doors by myself."

  Anyway, Second Sister Jiang Mei deliberately waited downstairs, probably afraid that she would personally send Xiao Dongzi back home. Jiang Mei understood her intention, but didn't forget to personally send the child to the door.

  Xiao Dongzi furrowed his two small eyebrows: wasn't this a waste of his trip?

  "Aunt, this won't do. If you have children in the future, you can't be running after them all day. What if you have two kids and one runs east while the other runs west, what will you do?"

  Look at this kid's metaphor, so vivid and realistic.

  "When I grow up, I'll get a rope and tie one end to each of them so they can't run off in different directions." This was the answer from future mom Mianmian.

  Xiao Dongzi's forehead dropped several black lines: Auntie, is this raising a dog or raising a child?

  Haha, Jiang Mei was laughed straight by Manman's words, thinking that Manman would definitely be a good mother, and really felt that Manman might even get pregnant.

  After sending my second sister away, I returned to the upstairs. My husband came out of the bathroom, put on the suit and tie he was going to wear tonight to meet his parents, and polished his leather shoes.

  Manman put the disc on the table and thought about tonight's serious parent-teacher conference, learning from her husband in the room trying on various clothes.

  Jiang Dashao dressed himself up, but was not pleased with his wife's picky attitude. He thought that when they went on a date, she didn't dress up as nicely as this, and he felt extremely dissatisfied. With his arms crossed, leaning against the door, he shook his head at his wife again and again: "No way, wearing this is not suitable, when meeting older people, you should wear something simple and elegant, the simpler the better."

  She threw a pillow at her husband's gloomy face and shouted: "Are you going to see your dad and my dad? You're allowed to dress up, but I'm not. What are you thinking?"

  He fanned himself with his hand, Jiang Dashao looked up at the ceiling, pretending he hadn't heard.

  After being said by her husband, she didn't have the heart to do it anymore. In the end, she wore a green striped shirt and bell-bottom pants, and chose a pair of low-heeled leather shoes, which could only be described as passable.

  Most importantly, bring your wallet and treat the two elderly people to dinner tonight. Don't lose your manners and don't be stingy like you usually are.

  Wen Shixuan's side was driven by Du Yu directly to the restaurant, in order to avoid Xu Yuer and Wen Huan, the mother-daughter pair.

  The location for dinner was set at a famous seafood restaurant in Beijing. Mainly because my father-in-law considered that his relatives grew up by the sea in the south and were used to eating seafood. Beijing is inland, far from the sea, and seafood is relatively rare.

  Therefore, eating at this restaurant must be very expensive.

  It's a small amount of money for several people to eat together. If you want to eat a lobster, the bill will be in the tens of thousands.

  For this, Mr. Jiang had already spoken with his son in private: This meal will be paid by the Jiang family no matter what.

  Wen Shixuan arrived at the wine house in Du Yu's carriage, and when he saw the luxurious appearance of the wine house from the outside, he knew it was an expensive place to consume, and he really didn't want to spend money.

  Du Yu pushed him inside while laughing and said: "Uncle, your daughter and son-in-law have invited you to a meal like this, how can you not show some respect."

  As they entered the foyer, Jiang's father, dressed in a crisp green military uniform, was already waiting for Wen's family. Upon seeing them, he stood up and walked towards Wen with the distinctive gait of a soldier, extending his hand: "Hello, I am Jiang Yan's father, Jiang Haoping."

  The host was so grand, Wen Shixuan wiped his hands on his pants legs a few times before extending them, afraid of being unclean.

  Upon seeing this, Jiang's father burst out laughing: "It doesn't matter, I often roll around in the mud and sand in the army, my hands have long been dirty."

  Wen Shixuan took a deep breath, grasped Jiang's father's hand firmly, and with an honest face, he revealed a pleased smile: "My surname is Wen, my full name is Wen Shixuan, I'm Mengmeng's dad. After Mengmeng married into your family, has she caused you any trouble? If so, I'd like to apologize on her behalf first."

  "Hey, Old Wen, what are you talking about?" Jiang's father hurriedly stopped him from apologizing, especially thinking of his own unsightly wife. He truly wanted to apologize to Wen Shi Xuan, patting his chest and saying, "If anyone needs to apologize, it should be me. Because my wife is not presentable, I don't even dare let her meet you."

  This matter has been mentioned by Du Yu and other intermediaries, knowing that the mistake is not on Mianmian's side, but rather on Jiang Mu, who is a bit like his own wife Xu Yuye, who likes to pinch pennies. Wen Shixuan said to Jiang Fu: "You're one thing, I'm another."

  In short, both old men were delighted.

  Chiang's father thought that this relative was quite good, looked honest and was a kind-hearted person, and could educate Manman so well, worth getting along with.

  Wen Shi Xuan couldn't help but admire and worship Jiang Fu's majestic appearance, so how could he possibly look down on his daughter's father-in-law.

  He grasped the shoulder of his relative and said enthusiastically as they walked, "Let's go to a private room first and chat for a bit. The two kids said they're going to pick out some fish or shrimp that you like to eat, all fresh, so the kitchen can start cooking. You're not hungry, but I'm starving."

  Wen Shi Xuan was pulled by him to walk upstairs, observing the luxurious murals in the wine house, saying: "Actually, there's no need to spend money randomly, I don't care about food at all. If you say what's delicious, I'm not lacking, I eat every day, my daughter makes everything delicious."

  "I've heard that Mianmian's culinary skills are quite good. But next time, okay, big brother? Today, this treat is my family's Yan'er intentionally showing respect to you, you can't refuse."

  Father-in-law's loud voice has reached here, and Manman exchanged a smiling glance with her husband.

  He picked a lobster, saying it was going to be made into a cold dish. Then before Du Yu left, he hastily handed over a basket of crystal shrimp dumplings that the hotel had prepared, and asked Du Yu to take them back as a reward for being his driver this time.

  Du Yu waved his hand, smiled at her politeness, and walked to the parking area outside. He saw a taxi parked by the street, and a soldier who came out of the back door made him stop in surprise: Jun Ye?

  What a coincidence! Should I tell Jiang Dashao and Manman about it?

  Anxiously digging into the pocket for the phone, hesitating whether to make a call or not.

  A hand landed on his shoulder: "Colonel Jiang knows."

  His forehead couldn't help but sweat a few cold beads, Du Yu lowered his head and smiled: "If that's the case, then I'll leave first."

  Then, as I quickly got into the car, closed the door, and fastened my seatbelt, I saw Mr. Jun's cold figure enter the wine building, and my heart skipped a beat.

  It's undeniable that Jun Ye is good to Man Man, but will he be good to Wen Shi Xuan? I highly doubt it!

  The mantis crouched beside the water vat, picking off flower mantises one by one.

  My husband went to buy wine and asked what his father meant, whether it was beer or red wine or Erguotou. Tonight, Jiang Dashao has a good idea to invite Da Dian, and Maotai is willing to spend money.

  She picked the flowers one by one into a sieve, when suddenly she felt a chill behind her. She paused, slowly raised her head, and through her glasses saw Junye's face. She took two steps back: "What are you doing here?"

  "A friend said he was here to drink and asked me to come over and have a drink together." Comrade Junye said coldly, standing still with an unyielding posture.

  Looking at him like this tonight, even his shadow seems desolate and bleak.

  She turned her face away, afraid to see him like this. She looked elsewhere and said, "Is that so? No need to say goodbye. You go take care of your business, I'll take care of mine."

  "Didn't you ask me to help Xiaodong's eyes find a connection? " The cold gaze stared at her as if she was about to escape, the sharp light in his eyes like an open iron net. "And isn't your husband having heart problems?"

  The foot that had stepped out stopped and turned back, the crescent moon eyes staring at him with a cold glow: "Do you think I'll be okay if you say it like that?!"

  It was his sister Jie's temperament, almost identical to him.

  The faint smile hidden at the corner of his icy lips was known only to him. He said, "You won't be how you are now. But I just want to tell you that there's another option available to you, a very beneficial one for you. What reason do you have not to want it?"

  "Do you want a reason?" His chest heaved slightly, and from the moment this man had accepted 500 yuan in early summer to let her on the car, she understood that "you won't provide these favorable options for no reason."

  She saw it very clearly, almost crystal clear.

  A sly smile spread across his face: "Alright, I'll state my condition. If my friend doesn't show up tonight, let me tag along with you guys and scrounge a meal off of you. After all, you're all eating here anyway."

  Fists clenched.

  Jiang Dashao, who had just ordered wine and returned to find his wife, saw that her brother had appeared at some point and was now facing him head-on. Flustered, he rushed over, grasped his wife's tightly clenched fist, and stood up straight with a stern expression: "Colonel Lu."

  "It's nothing, I was just joking with her." Comrade Junye's grasp of the situation was just right, and the smile at the corner of his mouth was inevitable. "Just in time, my friend has arrived, what a pity, can't mooch off you for this meal, and won't choose you either."

  Just as she was about to speak out of anger, a familiar figure really appeared at the door.

  "Is he tall, handsome and majestic?" Jiang Dashao saw his fellow officer appear and blinked.

  Gao Daxiao walked in from the entrance, saw the couple and was very surprised: "Ah, you guys come here to eat without even giving us a heads up? If I had known earlier, we could have sat together. Come on, let me treat you. I owed Jun Ye a favor before, tonight I'll invite him to seafood dinner, it's no big deal if I invite you two as well."

  Comrade Junye explained that Comrade Gaodashi was slightly bowing his head and elegantly adjusting the overcoat hanging on his arm with his fingertips.

  Man Man shook her head and rushed straight up the stairs.

  "This——" Gao Da Shuai was stunned, nervously asking the two of them who were pointing at him, "Did I just say something wrong to offend her?"

  "It's nothing." Patting Gao Dashi's shoulder, Jiang Dashao hurriedly went to chase after his wife.

  Tall, handsome and powerful, scratching his head.

  "Has the private room number I wanted been booked?"

  "I'll definitely get it done, whatever Master Jun entrusts me with." Gao Dashi patted his chest.

  Her cold eyes gazed at Manman running up the spiral staircase, and suddenly a hint of brightness flashed across.

  "Quickly." With a few quick steps, Jiang Dashao finally caught up with his wife at the stairs and reached out to grab her waist.

  His wife patted his hand, and Yu Ya's eyes blazed with anger: "Did you tell him?"

  Comrade Jiang Yan's handsome face sank, grasping her hand: "I have to tell him."

  As her husband, he cannot ignore her and the Lu family's relationship. Moreover, the Lu family has been treating her with kindness, which he has witnessed himself. Commander Lu has spoken to him multiple times, speaking from the heart, saying all the words that a father would say to him. Of course, this doesn't mean he will neglect Wen Shi Xuan, who is most important in her heart. He wants to be a good husband to her and take care of both families.

  It seemed that many layers of meaning could be read from his eyes, and slowly, he relaxed his fists, his eyes sinking into deep thought.

  It's hard to be a husband, she doesn't know. Moreover, if her husband were like the Lu family, he wouldn't have invited Wen Shi Xuan for this meal, and it was her father-in-law who made an appearance, treating him with such caution.

  However, things are not that simple. Her husband may not know, but that man had intimidated her in front of her before. Yes, she could see the hatred for her father, Wen Shi Xuan, in that man's eyes, a hatred that cannot be easily erased.

  Even if the man was really good to her, but how many years had her father been good to her.

  "Come on, let's go. Your dad and my dad are both waiting for us." Seeing his daughter with a heavy heart, as if she was once again trapped in a dilemma, Jiang Dashao couldn't do anything about it, this matter could only be left to her to think about slowly, anyway, as long as neither side harmed her, that would be good. If anyone did harm her, he wouldn't let them off.

  Before entering the door, both of them adjusted their facial expressions, and then dared to go in and face the two fathers inside.

  Wen Shi Xuan and Jiang's father chatted happily. Before the dishes were served, they had already finished two plates of peanuts and a pot of tea.

  When the dishes were served, the two fathers, having a great time chatting, opened their stomachs and ate quite a bit. They even finished half of the bottle of white wine they had opened.

  Jiang Dashao couldn't help but advise his elderly father with high blood pressure to drink less.

  Upon hearing that his in-laws had high blood pressure, Wen Shixuan hastily covered Jiang's father's cup with his hand: "We won't drink this wine anymore. My daughter brewed a bottle of plum wine for me. You come to my place and we'll continue drinking. We can drink as much as we want without any worries."

  Hearing this, Father was drunk, and Mianmian helped him pour the wine from his cup into another one, replacing it with tea. She apologized to Grandfather, saying: "My dad is drunk and talking nonsense."

  "Haha." Jiang's father laughed loudly and then reminded his daughter-in-law, "By the way, Manman, why don't you eat a bit more?"

  "She has always had a small appetite." Wen Shixuan was drunk, but when it came to his daughter's affairs, he wasn't drunk at all. His words were clear and coherent. "When she was very young, she often got sick, which scared both me and her mother. When feeding her, I would use the smallest spoon to feed her a little bit at a time. Vegetables and meat were all chopped up with a knife before being fed to her."

  The private room next door was noisy because someone on the other side got drunk and excited, speaking loudly, which carried over to this side.

  Gao Da Shuai listened to Wen Shi Xuan's story, raised an eyebrow and asked Jun Ye, who was quietly picking up green vegetables with his chopsticks: "Is that all? Don't be polite, Jun Ye, I'll get nervous if you're too polite."

  He said he was invited to dinner here, knowing it's expensive, he brought his wallet, but unexpectedly this man only ordered two dishes. Coming to a seafood place and not ordering any seafood at all. It seems that the master's intention is not on the wine, if the master doesn't make things clear, he will be nervous all the time.

  Let me think, maybe I should secretly call and ask Yao Ye, who is closest to Jun Ye, if Jun Ye's mood was bad today.

  Comrade Junye's mood is extremely bad, and he can hear the wall of Wen Shixuan saying something about Nangnang's childhood. He said that Nangnang was weak in her childhood, had several close calls when she was young, and almost didn't make it to grow up and meet them.

  It's hard to swallow what's in your heart, and it's already good that you didn't slam your chopsticks on the table.

  Just as he was about to put down his chopsticks, Gao Dali's heartstrings tightened and he turned around to dial Yao Ye's number. Before the call could go through, a loud mobile phone ringtone suddenly came from the next private room, covering up all other sounds.

  "Dad, your phone." Manman helped Wen Shixuan, who was drunk, find the mobile phone stuffed into his pocket.

  After much difficulty, I finally found my phone. The private room was noisy, so Manman walked out into the corridor to answer it: "Hello, who is this?"

  "Big brother!"

  The "big brother" on the other end of the phone sounded exactly like her second uncle, Wen Shi Rong.

  She was startled and first moved her phone from her ear to in front of her eyes, seeing that it was indeed a long-distance number.

  "What's wrong, Second Uncle? I'm Manman." Manman put the phone back against her ear to talk.

  "Man Man, where's your dad?" Wen Shi Rong asked anxiously over the phone.

  "My dad is a bit inconvenient tonight." Looking at her father who was drunk and about to fall onto the table, Manman said firmly, "Second Uncle, if there's anything, tell me first."

  "Alright, you go tell your dad right away that grandma is ill and he should hurry back home. I've already told your aunt on your mom's side." said Wen Shi Rong.

  Is grandma ill?

  This thing was completely unexpected.

  "Grandma wasn't in good health all along, was she?" Mianmian remembered that before going to Beijing, she had visited her maternal grandmother once, and her grandmother was just like before, without any unusual signs. Recently, the weather hasn't been extreme enough to cause an elderly person to suddenly fall ill either.

  "It's normal for old people to suddenly fall ill, could Second Uncle be fooling your dad with this?"

  "Second Uncle, I was just asking clearly, no other meaning. How is Grandma?"

  When asked about this, Wen Shiren's words were unclear and muffled: "It happened at home in the village, and was discovered by neighbors. The village committee first sent the elderly to the health clinic, but it wasn't effective, so they called an ambulance overnight to send them to the hospital. The doctor said it was an acute cerebral thrombosis, before he just didn't want to speak, now even if he wants to speak, he can't utter a word."

  As soon as he heard this, the old man had an acute stroke, but how could he suddenly have an acute stroke?