“Dad, do you know the security guard at the gate?” Jiang Fu Yue asked.
“Yeah,” Jiang Da nodded. “I pass by often, so we’ve gotten to know each other.”
“Seems like you’re adjusting well.”
Jiang Da chuckled.
“Not just well—he’s really settled in,” Han Yunru added with a smile.
When they first moved in, Jiang Da had a hard time letting go of his old habits; he rarely went out except for morning trips to the store. But one day, he returned from a morning jog, brimming with excitement.
“Wife, I found something strange!” he’d said.
“What?” Han Yunru asked, still half-asleep.
“The air in our community is way better in the mornings than at other times!”
“…Isn’t it normal for morning air to be fresher?”
“No, it’s not just regular freshness; it’s… how to put it? You can feel the difference!”
They later learned that the complex used a high-grade oxygenation system in the mornings to purify the air. Jiang Da made it his routine to go for a walk each day, joking that he was “out to breathe fresh air.” Plus, the community’s game room served a free breakfast buffet every morning. After his first visit, he quickly made it a regular part of his day.
“I’m quite familiar with Old Wang, the manager. Your mom likes that vegetable salad, so if they have any, he’ll call me to pick it up.”
When it came to this topic, Jiang Da, usually reserved around his daughter, suddenly became quite talkative.
He struck a proud pose, as if pointing to a map and declaring: Look, this is the empire I built!
Han Yunru and Jiang Fuyue exchanged a glance.
Little Brother Jiang covered his mouth, stifling a laugh.
Wu Qian chuckled along.
Jiang Da: “?” Why are they laughing? Hmph, it’s definitely not at me.
The group of five arrived home.
Han Yunru and Jiang Da headed into the kitchen. Wu Qian and Little Brother Jiang went to the room to discuss plans for tonight’s livestream.
Jiang Fuyue went upstairs to unpack her luggage.
She first took out the specialty goods she’d bought from Country D and Country E, piling them on the bed. Then she put her clean clothes back into the wardrobe and tossed the ones that needed washing into the laundry basket. Finally, she started sorting out the gifts.
She already had a general idea of who to give what.
After dividing the items into a few piles, she looked for some pretty bags to pack them in.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Sis—”
Jiang Fuyue went to open the door.
Jiang Chenxing stood at the doorway, looking tiny. “Dinner’s ready. Mom says to come down.”
“Alright, wait a moment.” Jiang Fuyue went back inside.
“?”
A moment later, she came out holding a beautiful gift bag. “This is for you.”
Little Brother Jiang’s eyes lit up, and he happily took it, itching to open it right away.
Jiang Fuyue stopped him. “Eat first. You can look after dinner.”
“Okay!”
He dashed back to his room, set the bag down carefully, then quickly ran back to join Jiang Fuyue.
He was as joyful as a little squirrel, skipping as he walked.
Meanwhile, Wu Qian was about to leave. Before heading out, he made a point to inform Jiang Da.
“…Leaving? But we’re about to eat. What’s so urgent? Stay and eat before you go!”
“No, you all enjoy your meal,” Wu Qian said. It was a special family reunion day, and as an outsider, it wouldn’t feel right for him to stay.
Han Yunru overheard and came out of the kitchen. “What’s this about?”
Jiang Da replied, “Little Wu wants to leave. Try to persuade him to stay.”
Han Yunru quickly spoke up. “That won’t do! You came all this way, drove such a long distance, and even went with us to pick up Fuyue. You’ve been busy all day, and now you’re not even staying for a meal? Are you saying my cooking isn’t good enough?”
“Sister-in-law, it’s not like that…” Wu Qian said, laughing awkwardly.
“Relax. Most of the dishes today were cooked by your Brother Jiang. You’ll regret it if you don’t stay to eat.”
“But—”
Just then, Jiang Fuyue and her younger brother came downstairs into the living room.
“Dad, Mom, Uncle Wu, why are you standing at the door?”
Han Yunru replied, “Your Uncle Wu says he’s leaving…”
Jiang Chenxing ran over, looking up. “Uncle Wu, do you have other plans?”
He remembered that earlier in the room, Uncle Wu had clearly said he had no other plans.
Obviously, Wu Qian remembered saying that, too.
Uh-oh.
Now things were getting awkward.
“It’s nothing… really,” Wu Qian forced himself to respond.
In the end, Jiang Fuyue made the final decision: “Eat first.”
Wu Qian naturally stayed and was quite touched by the gesture.
When Han Yunru and Jiang Da went to the dining room, Wu Qian sidled up to Jiang Fuyue and quickly said, “Thank you, little boss.”
“You’re welcome. Considering you’re a lonely bachelor, it’s kind of pitiful.”
Wu Qian: “?” While true, did you have to say it so bluntly?
After his divorce, with the child staying with his ex-wife, Wu Qian gave up the house and car, now living like a young man in a shared rental. He spent his days focused entirely on work and looking after Little Brother Jiang. He found it fulfilling, even enjoyable.
But there were moments, back in his quiet, empty apartment, when he couldn’t help feeling a pang of loneliness.
Dinner at the Jiang household was a feast.
There was fish, shrimp, and an abundance of other dishes.
Little Brother Jiang had a big appetite, so each plate was generously portioned.
Jiang Da brought out his homemade bayberry wine. “Little Wu, let’s have a drink together!”
“Sure!”
“I like your straightforwardness!”
Wu Qian chuckled.
Neither man was the type to overdrink; they each poured a modest half glass, just enough to enjoy without overdoing it.
“Little Wu, help yourself to more food,” Han Yunru said warmly.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law. I will.”
Han Yunru then turned her attention to her children, especially Jiang Fuyue, who became the main focus of her care.
“Here, Yueyue, try this…”
“And this one…”
“This is pretty good too. Your dad’s cooking isn’t bad…”
Jiang Fuyue looked at the small mountain of food piling up on her plate and quickly stopped her. “Mom, Mom, that’s enough. Let me finish this first.”
“Alright.” Han Yunru smiled and relented.
Jiang Fuyue sighed in relief.
As the meal went on, Jiang Da and Wu Qian got into a lively conversation, clinking glasses and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed.
Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door—bang, bang, bang.
The table fell silent.
“Who could that be?”
“I’ll go check…” Han Yunru got up and left the dining room.
Jiang Da waved Wu Qian over. “Come on, Little Wu, let’s keep drinking.”
“Alright…”
Only Jiang Fuyue frowned, her mind racing with questions.
Knocking on doors wasn’t something that happened often in the upscale Yutian Huafu residential area.
Typically, any visitors would be announced by the guards at the gate, who would call the resident to inform them.
If no one answered the call, the guards would send someone to check, but the inquiry would only go as far as the iron gate. Directly knocking on a resident’s door was unheard of.
Secondly, if it were a neighbor, they would still have to stop at the iron gate and use the intercom. Only after the gate was opened could they enter.
Of course, even this scenario was rare. Between standalone villas, unannounced visits were almost unheard of.
For privacy-conscious elites, whether visiting a neighbor or being visited, it was considered highly intrusive and impolite.
Unless it was an emergency or there was a particularly close relationship, such behavior simply didn’t happen.
So, who was knocking on the door?
“Dad—”
Jiang Da, suddenly addressed, looked at his daughter nervously. “What is it, Yueyue?”
“Since moving in, have there been many people knocking on the door?”
“Not… not many.”
Not many…
Which implied that there had been some?
Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow.
At that moment, chaotic noises came from the living room, followed by Han Yunru’s startled exclamation.
Jiang Fuyue immediately put down her chopsticks and stood up to head out.
Little Brother Jiang, still chewing, didn’t even wipe his mouth before following her.
Jiang Da exchanged a confused look with Wu Qian, then belatedly decided to follow as well.
In the living room.
Han Yunru had managed to steady herself by bracing against the wall, narrowly avoiding a fall.
“My apologies, Eldest Sister-in-law. I got flustered and might’ve bumped into you just now. Are you okay?” Jiang Qin asked with a smile.
Han Yunru shook her head. “It’s…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Qin’s laughter interrupted her. “Good, I thought so. I didn’t use much force. Just don’t go telling big brother later that I bullied you!”
Han Yunru paused in the middle of rubbing her waist, realizing this was a warning not to complain.
“I saw everything,” Sister-in-law, Yang Jinqiu, suddenly interjected. “Sister-in-law was blocking the door and wouldn’t let us in. Ruizhou was pushing the wheelchair at the time, so of course, he couldn’t be careful in the heat of the moment.”
Jiang Qin clung affectionately to her husband’s arm and added, “Exactly. Ruizhou pushed Mom’s wheelchair all the way here. It was hot and exhausting. To be stopped at the door like that, who wouldn’t lose their temper?”
Han Yunru’s expression faltered. “I wasn’t stopping Mom from coming in. I just wanted to ask how you got the access card for the gate…”
“How we got it?” The elderly Mrs. Jiang, seated in the wheelchair, scoffed heavily. “Are you suggesting I stole it? Look at your attitude! Here I am, an old woman, being treated like a criminal by you. How can your heart be so malicious?”
Han Yunru’s face turned pale.
“Eldest Sister-in-law must think living in this luxury home makes her too good for us poor relatives,” Liu Shuting sighed dramatically.
At that moment, Jiang Fuyue stepped out of the dining room and into the living room, just in time to hear these cutting, accusatory remarks.
