Liu Shuting heard this and gave him a sidelong glance.
Could you have a little backbone?
Jiang Teng scratched his nose, thinking to himself, Weren’t you just staring at it, too?
Yang Jinqiu was a teacher, well-versed in cultivating her composure and maintaining her poise.
But at this moment, she couldn’t stay calm.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, she couldn’t help but show shock at the sight of such a luxurious and exquisite restaurant.
What followed was a surge of secret, ugly jealousy.
Although she mocked Liu Shuting as a “fool,” she couldn’t avoid feeling a similar sourness.
Why?
Why did Han Yunru get to live in such a beautiful house?
How was Jiang Da better than Jiang Hua?
What Jiang Hua couldn’t give her, Jiang Da gave to Han Yunru—not just this villa, but also a man’s patience, tolerance, and deep affection.
At the old lady’s birthday banquet, she had ridiculed Han Yunru as petty and unworthy of the stage. Yet when she saw Jiang Da standing protectively behind Han Yunru, even going so far as to stand against the entire Jiang family for her, Yang Jinqiu had to admit—she was envious.
But that envy didn’t last long. Once she saw Han Yunru’s poverty and cheap lifestyle, it completely vanished.
She thought, so what if she has a man protecting her? Doesn’t she still have to toil for three meals a day and worry about basic living expenses?
All that love couldn’t compare to the comfort and affluence of her own life.
Take her and Jiang Hua, for example. Her husband earned money, she had a respectable job, they had a car for commuting, she could buy whatever clothes she wanted, and they traveled abroad on holidays. Wasn’t that far better than Han Yunru spending her days stuck at a pancake stall and around the stove?
Yang Jinqiu felt at ease again. She even looked at Han Yunru from the high ground of a victor, with a trace of pity for someone struggling at the bottom.
How pitiful, she thought.
But now, everything before her silently screamed the opposite:
Han Yunru not only had her husband’s love and devotion but also possessed material wealth a thousand, even ten thousand times better than hers.
A car? So what?
Buying clothes? That’s impressive?
Vacationing abroad? That’s something to brag about?
Ha…
Can you afford to live in a villa?
Can you use such expensive furniture?
And, most importantly, you don’t have your husband’s love! But Han Yunru does. Not just a little—she has it in abundance!
Yang Jinqiu’s emotions churned.
She had to dig her nails into her palms to maintain her calm and rationality. She had already suffered an unprecedented blow and couldn’t afford to lose face again!
Han Yunru invited them to sit, then personally went to the kitchen to fetch five clean sets of dinnerware, carefully placing them in front of each person.
“We already started eating earlier, but luckily, there’s plenty of food, and a few dishes haven’t been touched. Please don’t mind.”
Yang Jinqiu replied, “Sister-in-law, you’re too kind. We’re all family—what’s there to mind?”
The old lady nodded. “Eldest daughter-in-law, you’ve worked hard. Sit down.”
Her tone was so commanding, one might almost mistake this place for her home.
Han Yunru acted as if she didn’t hear, simply nodded, responded politely, and then sat down.
Liu Shuting exclaimed, “Wow, big brother’s house eats so well! There’s fish, shrimp, abalone, and oysters—makes a person jealous!”
This time, the grandmother noticed. Goodness, the table was covered in fine dishes!
“Eldest, isn’t this a bit too extravagant? No matter how much you earn, you can’t keep eating like this!”
Plus, the portions were huge. Never mind the rest; just the shrimp must’ve cost a few hundred, right?
Jiang Da replied, “It’s a rare occasion that Yueyue is home…”
But before he could finish, the grandmother interrupted harshly, “She’s just a little girl coming home. Do you need a grand feast? A whole table of food—can she even handle it?”
Han Yunru frowned.
Jiang Da’s expression also darkened.
Wu Qian looked embarrassed. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have stayed; he’d stumbled right into this.
In contrast, Jiang Fuyue remained unmoved, expressionless, as if the grandmother’s criticism wasn’t directed at her.
Liu Shuting hid a look of amusement, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
That brat, Jiang Fuyue, actually dared to mock her as the “poor relative” in front of everyone earlier. She definitely needs a lesson to know her place!
And Han Yunru? Useless. Can’t even manage her own daughter. So what if she lives in a villa? Deep down, she’s still an uneducated housewife with no class.
No one expected the first to speak up would be the youngest brother, Little Brother Jiang—
“Grandma, you can’t talk about my sister like that!” The young boy set down his chopsticks, speaking earnestly. “Sister works hard outside, so Dad and Mom prepared these dishes so she could eat well and stay healthy.”
The grandmother grew furious. She hated being contradicted by the younger generation.
The man with triangular eyes shot a sharp glare straight at Jiang Chenxing and snapped, “What do you know?! Do kids have the right to butt in when adults are talking?!”
The old lady’s voice was loud and forceful, accompanied by the sound of her hands slapping the wheelchair armrests. There was no sign she had recently been gravely ill.
Little Brother Jiang looked a bit aggrieved, but he didn’t shrink back or try to avoid the situation like he used to.
His sister had told him that he needed to stand tall and proud to be a real man, and only real men could protect the people they wanted to protect.
For a moment, he felt afraid. His grandmother’s gaze was so fierce it seemed like she might devour him the next second.
But his grandmother had scolded his sister, and if he didn’t summon some courage, his sister would have to endure the injustice.
So, he couldn’t be afraid!
“Mom said I can say whatever I want, and they’ll listen carefully. Grandma, are you listening carefully to me?”
“And even though I’m small, I understand everything you say.”
Little Brother Jiang spoke in a calm, polite tone, earnestly trying to reason with her.
His adorable and serious demeanor was almost too much to handle.
Wu Qian, who wasn’t a father but had the heart of one, was instantly overwhelmed with sympathy.
The old lady’s face turned as dark as a burnt pot bottom. She hadn’t expected Jiang Chenxing to dare talk back to her!
“Eldest, how have you been raising this child?!”
Not wanting to argue directly with the boy, she turned her fury on Jiang Da.
Han Yunru stayed silent, waiting for Jiang Da to respond.
Jiang Da, whose mind was already simple, was now thoroughly flustered. He tried to mediate, “Mom, please calm down. Let’s not talk about this now and eat instead…”
“Eat? Eat what?! I’m already full from anger!”
It was clear she wasn’t going to let this go.
At this moment, Jiang Fuyue spoke up, her tone calm: “If Grandma doesn’t have an appetite, then we’ll eat instead.” As she spoke, she picked up a chicken wing and placed it on Little Brother Jiang’s plate.
Her eyes curved into a gentle smile.
Little Brother Jiang understood immediately—his sister was praising him!
All his grievances vanished in an instant.
Starting today, could he consider himself a little man now?
Jiang Da’s eyelid twitched. The moment his daughter spoke, he braced himself for what might come.
Han Yunru maintained her expression but felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She had been worried her son would be genuinely frightened, but things seemed to have turned out for the best.
Had the little guy’s courage grown?
Liu Shuting and Yang Jinqiu both looked shocked to varying degrees. Jiang Fuyue actually dared to speak to the old lady like that?!
And neither Jiang Da nor Han Yunru did anything to stop her—not even a token reprimand!
Did… they raise her too wild?
But soon, their shock turned into glee.
They knew the old lady’s temper well; she hated being crossed in public, especially by a junior, which she saw as a challenge.
Sure enough—
“Outrageous! Outrageous! Eldest son, look at your pair of children—what kind of behavior is this?!”
Jiang Da stayed silent.
Jiang Fuyue swallowed her bite of food and calmly asked, “Grandma, what’s wrong? Did I… do something to upset you?”
As she spoke, her eyes even showed a touch of confusion, perfectly feigned.
The old lady: “?”
Jiang Fuyue blinked innocently and seemed to think for a moment. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t eat? I read in a book that as people reach a certain age, their body’s organs start to shrink. Your stomach must have shrunk, but that’s completely normal. When you can’t eat or don’t feel like eating, you shouldn’t force it—otherwise, it might harm the shrunken organs. So, I wasn’t stopping you from eating; I was just considering your health.”
Her tone was warm and measured, her logic impeccable.
Every word seemed to carry a subtle sting—phrases like “reaching a certain age” and “organ shrinkage” were undoubtedly barbed—but the way she said it made it sound as if she were genuinely concerned.
Paired with her expressive performance—frowning one moment, looking worried the next—she managed to embody the very definition of “filial piety.”
The old lady was momentarily dumbfounded and, for a while, didn’t know how to respond.
