The moment she opened her mouth, she asked for Yutianhua Residence.
And Jiang Teng and Jiang Qin’s reactions weren’t surprised at all, which showed the old lady had already spoken to them beforehand.
It might even have been at their instigation and encouragement.
Jiang Da’s heart completely turned cold.
But he wasn’t as sad as he had imagined. Instead, he even felt relieved, as if a burden had been lifted.
“Mom, that villa in Yutianhua Residence belongs to Yueyue. I can’t make that decision for her.”
“Heh!” The old lady’s expression darkened instantly as she sneered, “You’re Jiang Fuyue’s biological father. Doesn’t her villa equal your villa? What’s there that you can’t decide? I think you’re just making excuses, you don’t want me to live comfortably!”
Jiang Da nodded: “If you want to put it that way, that’s fine. I don’t care.”
This time, not only the old lady, Jiang Teng, and Jiang Qin were stunned, even Han Yunru stared at him as if she’d seen a ghost.
Did that really come out of Jiang Da’s mouth?
It sounded a bit… rogue-like?
Not giving it means not giving it. Say whatever you want, curse all you like, he still wouldn’t give it.
The old lady was dumbfounded on the spot, clearly not expecting her usually honest eldest son to react like this.
Jiang Teng and Jiang Qin were also confused. Big brother wasn’t like this before. Whenever their mother had any request, even if it meant wronging himself, he would try his best to satisfy it.
Wasn’t it just an empty villa?
He made so much money from his restaurant, Jiang Chenxing and Jiang Fuyue could earn too, Han Yunru even ran some kind of factory, their family probably made tens of millions a year combined.
To Jiang Da, one small villa was nothing more than a drop in the bucket. Yet he was being this stingy…
Jiang Teng: “Big brother, Mom just wants to live a bit better. Back then our family didn’t have the means, couldn’t afford a high-end villa like Yutianhua Residence, but now it’s different. You completely have the ability to give Mom a better life. Just let a tiny bit slip through your fingers, just a little bit is enough…”
Jiang Da’s expression remained blank: “I’ll say it again, the villa belongs to Yueyue. I don’t have the right to agree to let anyone live in it.”
“Tch, excuse! Jiang Fuyue is just a kid. What does she need a villa for? How can you even say something like that!”
Jiang Da: “You treating your own child like a kid doesn’t mean our Yueyue is one. Have you ever seen a child who develops virus vaccines and wins world-class medical awards?”
Jiang Teng choked.
For the first time, his quick tongue was rendered speechless by Jiang Da.
That’s right, who would dare say Jiang Fuyue is a child?
Are there children that capable?
Jiang Qin’s eyes rolled: “Then big brother, can’t you discuss it with Yueyue? Yueyue is so sensible, she wouldn’t refuse to let her own grandmother live there, right?”
Jiang Da shook his head: “Yueyue won’t agree.”
“You haven’t even asked, how can you be so sure?” Jiang Qin curled her lips, convinced Jiang Da was just stalling. Saying Jiang Fuyue wouldn’t agree was just an excuse.
At the end of the day, he just couldn’t bear to part with that villa!
“If little sister doesn’t believe it, I’ll call Yueyue right now. You can ask her yourself.” Han Yunru suddenly spoke, and as soon as she finished, the call was already placed.
Jiang Qin’s expression changed slightly, but it was too late to stop it.
After a few beeps, the other side picked up: “Hello, Mom, what’s up?”
Han Yunru: “It’s not me, it’s your aunt who has something to say.”
Uh!
At this point, Jiang Qin had no choice but to brace herself: “Yueyue, it’s your aunt. You still remember me, right?”
“Mm.” The tone was cold.
Jiang Qin’s smile froze. “It’s like this, your parents have moved to the capital, right?”
“So?” The calm tone was like a deep, unfathomable well.
“It’s just… well… we want… ah! Not we, it’s my mom, your grandmother. She wants…”
Jiang Qin suddenly couldn’t continue.
That feeling of panic and shortness of breath made her inexplicably want to run away.
For some reason, she felt this niece was harder to deal with than Jiang Da and his wife combined!
Jiang Fuyue: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”
“Hey! Wait!” Jiang Teng rushed over, shot Jiang Qin a look of disappointment, then smiled broadly at the phone. “Yueyue, it’s your uncle. Your aunt isn’t good with words, so I’ll say it.”
“Mm.”
“It’s actually not complicated. Your villa in Linhuai is empty, right? So I was thinking, no, your grandmother was thinking, she could move in. But your dad said the villa is yours, and you have to agree personally. So, what do you think? Maybe loosen up a bit and let your dad know?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Indeed…”
“That’s right! Hahaha, we’re all family. Look how reasonable our Yueyue is, completely unlike Jiang Kai! If I had a daughter like you, I’d wake up laughing in my sleep…”
The flattery went over the top.
Jiang Kai (not present): ? Is he really my dad?
“Uncle, you may have misunderstood. What I meant is, you really should ask for my opinion. That’s good. Because aside from asking me, no one else can make decisions for me. After all, this is my villa.”
Jiang Teng’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Yes, yes, that’s reasonable. But Yueyue, the old lady is your elder, your own grandmother. You have an empty villa, surely you won’t refuse to let her live there?”
“Uncle, are you morally blackmailing me?”
Jiang Teng’s face instantly turned green: “You….”
“Don’t be angry, just joking.”
“?” Jiang Teng couldn’t vent his anger nor swallow it, stuck in between.
“Actually, I think Uncle’s house is quite spacious. Why not bring Grandma to live with you? I wouldn’t feel at ease letting her live alone in a villa anyway. If she lives with you and Aunt, someone can take care of her, wouldn’t that be great?”
Jiang Teng and Liu Shuting both changed expressions.
“Well, it’s not exactly like that…”
Jiang Fuyue didn’t give them a chance to continue: “The villa has so many stairs. If Grandma lives there alone, you wouldn’t feel at ease either, right?”
Jiang Teng said awkwardly: “Right… we wouldn’t feel at ease…”
At this moment, the old lady suddenly spoke: “Then let the third family move into the villa with me. That way they can take care of me.”
Jiang Teng’s eyes lit up.
A flash of greed also crossed Liu Shuting’s eyes.
That was Yutianhua Residence, a well-known wealthy district in Linhuai!
If she could live there, how prestigious would that be? She’d walk with her back straighter!
Jiang Qin immediately objected: “Why should third brother’s family live there? What about our family? We want to live in the villa too! That would be fair!”
“Little sister, what are you butting in for? Stay out of this!”
“Third brother, don’t go too far. Usually you freeload off Mom, eating and drinking and taking money, I’ve turned a blind eye and said nothing. But now you’ve gone too far! All the good things go to your family, do you think I’m stupid?”
“Jiang Qin! Watch your words. What do you mean freeloading? Mom is willing to provide for me, she likes me coming back to see her, so what? Who told you you weren’t born male? That’s why you don’t get a share!”
“Pah, never seen anyone as shameless as you! You even suck the old lady’s blood dry. Among all the siblings in this family, you’re the most cunning and sly!”
“Jiang Qin, are you making a big deal out of this?” Jiang Teng’s eyes flashed with hostility.
“Oh? What, you want to hit me?! Go on, try it, hit me right here. See if I don’t call the police and get you thrown in jail!”
“I’m your brother!”
“Have you ever treated me like a sister? You grab everything, fight for everything. You’re the greediest in this whole family, and you still have the nerve to say you’re my brother? Give me a break!”
Before the issue of who gets to live in the villa was even resolved, Jiang Teng and Jiang Qin had already started fighting.
One relied on their mother’s favoritism and had long been arrogant; the other had accumulated resentment for years, now erupting all at once.
Neither was easy to deal with. Back and forth they went, one sentence after another, exposing each other’s shortcomings and tearing each other down.
Jiang Fuyue happily ended the call.
Jiang Da and Han Yunru exchanged a glance. “Well… you should solve your own problems first. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
Even downstairs, they could still hear the arguing, accompanied by the sounds of smashing and crashing.
And the old lady’s shrill shout: “Are you two trying to anger me to death?!”
Han Yunru secretly glanced at Jiang Da’s expression and realized there was actually no emotion in his eyes.
After living together for over twenty years, she knew him too well, this expression meant he was treating them like complete strangers.
She was secretly shocked.
That night, the two of them didn’t return to Yutianhua Residence, it had mostly been emptied out, but instead checked into the Linhuai Hilton Hotel, planning to return to the capital early the next morning.
Unexpectedly, early the next morning, the old lady called again and summoned them back to the house.
After a night, Jiang Teng and Jiang Qin both seemed much calmer.
At least they could sit peacefully on the sofa drinking tea.
The old lady’s complexion hadn’t changed much either, still that calculating, shrewd look.
“Mom, why did you call us here?”
The old lady coughed lightly: “It’s still about the villa. Last night I discussed it with Old Three and the youngest. We’ve decided that third’s family will accompany me to live in the villa.”
She spoke as if the villa had already been agreed to her.
Hearing this, Jiang Teng immediately nodded: “Yes, everyone was too impulsive yesterday. Afterward, I reflected, it really wasn’t right.”
Qiu Shufen: “Old Three just has that kind of temper. He doesn’t have bad intentions. As the elder brother and sister-in-law, you should be more tolerant and not take it to heart.”
“Right, right. The current arrangement is that our family will move into the villa with Mom. That way we’re also fulfilling filial duty on behalf of big brother and sister-in-law!”
“Exactly,” Liu Shuting chimed in. “If big brother’s family ever gets tired of living in the capital, you can come back anytime and stay a few days, just for a change of pace! There are so many guest rooms anyway. And if you’re too busy to come back, that’s fine too, we’ll take care of Mom, so nothing will go wrong!”
Han Yunru laughed in anger on the spot.
What did they mean by “fulfilling filial duty on their behalf”? As a son, wasn’t Jiang Teng supposed to support his mother? And Liu Shuting, as a daughter-in-law, didn’t she also have that responsibility?
Even at the worst times, Jiang Da had almost always complied with his mother’s requests, not to mention the monthly support payments he transferred on time.
And what did “there are plenty of guest rooms anyway” mean?
The villa hadn’t even been given away yet, but they were already acting like the owners, even assigning them to guest rooms?
Jiang Teng and Liu Shuting were both university-educated, yet their behavior was worse than beggars on the street.
At least beggars know to bow and say thank you.
This couple simply reached out and demanded, boldly and self-righteously.
If you didn’t give it, then you became the sinner.
Han Yunru suddenly felt a bit sorry for Jiang Da.
His silence didn’t mean he didn’t understand. Being simple didn’t mean being foolish. He was just…
Too kind, too tolerant, too uncalculating, and too easy to bully.
Before meeting her, when Jiang Da was still an apprentice at Cao Ji, who knew how the old lady had exploited and squeezed him?
Back when they got married, all his possessions totaled less than two thousand yuan, and afterward he was even kicked out by the old lady.
It was laughable, Jiang Da had learned cooking since childhood, worked hard to support his mother and siblings, yet saved almost nothing for himself.
When he fell on hard times, not a single person helped him.
Now that life had finally become a little better, this family swarmed over like cats smelling blood, trying to squeeze every last bit of value out of him.
These were his blood relatives, his family!
How tragic.
Han Yunru silently held her husband’s hand, giving him strength: You still have me.
Jiang Da turned to her and smiled: Don’t worry, I won’t disappoint you again.
Their eyes met, silently conveying trust.
As for Jiang Teng’s family moving into Yutianhua Residence, Jiang Qin surprisingly had no objection!
Just yesterday, the two had been fighting like dogs, practically ready to tear each other apart.
Yet overnight, they suddenly reconciled, there had to be something fishy!
Sure enough, the old lady changed her tone: “Since Old Three is enjoying the benefits with me, we can’t neglect the youngest’s family either. After all, she’s the daughter I cherish the most, and your youngest sister.”
Jiang Teng quickly chimed in, “Mom’s right, we can’t neglect little sister. But what should we do specifically?”
The old lady: “I’ve already thought it through. Since the eldest has moved to the capital, the villa here is empty, and Jiang Ji Private Kitchen probably can’t continue either. Why not hand it over to your younger sister’s family to run? That way everyone benefits!”
After saying this, the old lady smiled in satisfaction.
Jiang Teng and Jiang Qin both nodded in agreement.
No one asked Jiang Da and Han Yunru for their opinion, even though the villa was theirs, and the restaurant was theirs.
“Big brother, since you’ve moved to the capital anyway, just transfer the Linhuai restaurant and brand to me. You can’t take it with you.”
That was Jiang Ji Private Kitchen, a golden brand. As long as the doors were open, customers would come.
Countless netizens came just to check in and take photos, earning tens of thousands a day wasn’t a problem.
If she took it over, wouldn’t she get rich?!
Jiang Teng felt a bit jealous, that was real industry!
If he had known, why bother with the villa? Let Jiang Qin have it. The restaurant was the real golden goose!
What a mistake!
“I say, little sister, do you even know how to cook? With your skills, don’t end up sending customers to the hospital, it wouldn’t be worth it.”
Jiang Qin snorted and mocked in the same tone: “No need for third brother to worry. My husband Old Liu is excellent at cooking.”
“Heh…”
The siblings went back and forth, still with a faint smell of gunpowder in the air.
Finally, the old lady stepped in and made the final decision: “Alright, it’s settled then! Eldest, hurry up and handle the transfer procedures so your sister can open for business soon…”
Suddenly, Jiang Da let out a cold laugh, filled with undisguised mockery and chill, “Mom, do you really think I’m that easy to bully? Let me make this clear today, whether it’s the villa or the restaurant, don’t even think about it!”
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