Chapter 23: Returning Home for New Year

“It’s Jiang, not Qiang,” Jiang Qingshi patiently explained to Jiang Zhimiao. “The Jiang from rivers.”

Lin Guilan walked over smiling, carrying freshly mixed dumpling filling: “Husband, Miao Ge’er is still young after all. Don’t be too strict with him.”

“I think he’s quite clever, just unwilling to study properly,” Jiang Qingshi shook his head helplessly. “I suspect he’s deliberately trying to tease me, wanting to see me at my wit’s end.”

Jiang Zhimiao shrank back fearfully. From his perspective, his father was the one who possessed the Mind-Reading Technique!

Lin Guilan forced a smile: “Where are your thoughts wandering, husband? To speak of a two-year-old child as if he were some supernatural monster!”

Just then, Lin Guilan’s inner thoughts reached Jiang Zhimiao’s ears.

“Has husband become foolish from too much studying? To make such extraordinary claims about this little child – he actually entertains such thoughts about supernatural forces!”

Jiang Zhimiao couldn’t help but laugh aloud. His mother maintained a calm expression on the surface, yet secretly she was inwardly criticizing his father like this!

Both Jiang Qingshi and Lin Guilan were bewildered by Jiang Zhimiao’s sudden laughter. They looked at their suddenly strange son, then at each other in confusion.

“Is Third Brother and his wife home?”

A woman’s voice reached everyone’s ears at that moment. Jiang Qingshi immediately composed his expression, but Lin Guilan had already risen to greet the visitor.

“Sister-in-law?” Lin Guilan was clearly surprised to see the visitor. “What brings you here?”

The visitor was the Jiang Family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Cao Cuiying. In Lin Guilan’s eyes, Cao Cuiying had always been shrewd – as her husband put it, she knew how to preserve herself wisely, never getting involved in any disputes, thus offending no one. Lin Guilan hadn’t interacted much with her and didn’t know Cao Cuiying well. At least unlike with Yuan Yuexian, the two of them could maintain surface cordiality.

“You’ve fixed up this place quite nicely,” Cao Cuiying looked around appraisingly and nodded in approval. “Third Sister-in-law is truly capable. To think this house was so dilapidated it was uninhabitable before, yet you’ve managed to fix it up!”

Lin Guilan disliked beating around the bush. Seeing Cao Cuiying’s manner, she decided to be direct: “Sister-in-law, it’s the New Year season. I presume you’re not here just to chat. If you have something to say, please speak plainly.”

But Cao Cuiying glanced at Jiang Qingshi: “Oh, it’s nothing major. We asked the Fan Brothers to pass a message to Third Brother. It seems they’re rather lazy – the message never got through despite repeated requests. Father wants you to come home for New Year’s. We actually asked them to tell you several days ago, but seeing you hadn’t responded, they must have just agreed verbally but forgot all about it afterward.”

Lin Guilan now understood completely. Cao Cuiying was smart – she would never lay everything out plainly like Yuan Yuexian, making everyone lose face. Smart people speak half and leave half unsaid. Listening to Cao Cuiying’s words, it wasn’t that the Fan Brothers hadn’t delivered the message. The Fan Brothers were close with Jiang Qingshi – if they were to deliver a message, it would definitely be to Jiang Qingshi. That the message hadn’t reached her from Jiang Qingshi meant Jiang Qingshi must not have wanted her to know.

She didn’t like the Jiang Family, and Jiang Qingshi hadn’t told her precisely because he didn’t want her to be unhappy about it. Thinking this, Lin Guilan felt a warmth in her heart—her husband was truly becoming more considerate, willing to bear the name of being unfaithful and unfilial himself, rather than letting her and Miao Ge’er feel upset.

But now that Cao Cuiying had come personally to urge them, it seemed they had no choice but to return to the Jiang Family this time.

“We were actually planning to go back this afternoon,” Lin Guilan smiled, taking the opportunity to step down gracefully. “With the New Year approaching, we’ve been busy preparing many things and intended to head over after lunch!”

“Why bother with lunch here? Come home to eat!” Cao Cuiying reached out warmly to pull Lin Guilan along. “Sister-in-law, Mother has everything ready. You’re so fortunate—just go back and enjoy the meal without lifting a finger!”

At this point, Jiang Qingshi, who had been silent until now, spoke up: “Eldest sister-in-law, it’s kind of Father to think of us, but you see, we live quite far from home now. It’s not as convenient here as it is there, and there aren’t any empty rooms left at home. If we go back for the meal, it’ll be hard to return in the evening! As long as our hearts are together as a family, we won’t go back.”

Cao Cuiying’s expression shifted slightly. Since this third brother had moved out, his temper had grown increasingly stubborn! But she had come with a mission—she absolutely had to persuade them both to return home to save Father’s face. Besides, there were matters waiting for them back home!

“Oh, since Father has asked you to return, how could he not have considered that? The room you used to live in was given to Ying Ge’er after you left! He’s the eldest and will be getting married in a couple of years. For your return this New Year, I’ve already told that young rascal to pack up and move out, freeing the room for you!”

Lin Guilan’s expression flickered. When they had left the Jiang Family, they knew the remaining family members had long been eyeing their room covetously. Yuan Yuexian had made the biggest fuss, ultimately driving them out over it. Unexpectedly, the room hadn’t ended up in Yuan Yuexian’s hands but had been snatched by this eldest sister-in-law, who always smiled and seemed friendly with everyone.

This eldest sister-in-law might seem quiet, but she was shrewd. The eldest and second branches of the Jiang Family used to be as thick as thieves, but they must have fallen out by now!

Jiang Qingshi was about to say more when Lin Guilan raised a hand to stop him: “Eldest sister-in-law, we understand. But we’ve almost finished preparing lunch, and it would go to waste if we don’t eat it. Why don’t you go back first? We’ll definitely return this afternoon!”

Knowing that Lin Guilan wouldn’t go back on her word, Cao Cuiying nodded, her face still beaming with a smile: “A harmonious and lively family is what makes Father happy!”

Lin Guilan saw Cao Cuiying out the door. Noticing Jiang Qingshi’s displeasure, she smiled reassuringly: “Husband, I know you’re considering my feelings and that I don’t want to spend the New Year at the Jiang Family. But since it’s our first year after moving out, if we don’t go back, Father—who values face so much—would be embarrassed. Think of it this way: before, we had to stay at the Jiang Family for many days each year. Now, it’s just less than two days. We can endure it.”

“It wouldn’t be proper to show up empty-handed during the New Year,” Jiang Qingshi remained unhappy. “The Jiang Family is scheming against us. They drove us out and are still plotting to take what we have.”

Lin Guilan looked astonished: “Husband, when did you start caring about such filthy lucre?”

“This filthy lucre was all earned by you, my wife, through toiling from dawn till dusk. How could we let them take it for nothing?” Jiang Qingshi flicked his sleeve, and the frail scholar suddenly exuded an overwhelming presence. “Wife, in your eyes, do I truly appear to be some pedantic scholar who wouldn’t even lift a finger to help?”