“And there’s no need to ask Yueyue anymore, I don’t agree!” Each word was firm and resounding.
The old lady’s eyes widened. “You… have you gone crazy? On what grounds do you disagree?”
“On the grounds that the villa was bought by my daughter, and Jiang Ji Private Kitchen was built by me from scratch. If I don’t give it, are you planning to take it by force?”
The old lady suddenly realized that the way her eldest son looked at her had changed. It was no longer the tolerance and forbearance of before, nor the calm indifference, now it was filled with hatred and resentment, and a resolute determination to cut through the mess once and for all.
Something was collapsing. The sense of crisis and panic of losing it all gripped her heart.
“Jiang Da! I’m your own mother! I gave birth to you and raised you! Is this how you repay me?!” The old lady trembled all over.
The more panicked she became, the angrier she grew; the angrier she grew, the less she could control herself.
Jiang Da laughed. His eyes were red, but there was no softness, no tears, only coldness remained,
“If repaying you means letting my siblings drain me dry, then I’d rather not have been born at all, rather not have a mother like you!”
“Ten years as an apprentice, I sent every cent I earned back home. Ask your conscience: who was raising whom?”
“Yes, you gave birth to me. That grace is as great as the heavens. But I’ve already repaid it with half a lifetime of swallowing my grievances!”
He had even wronged Ah Ru, she endured countless slights and injustices, yet still had to be generous and tolerant.
Jiang Da: “Your kindness, I’ve repaid it. From now on, we sever ties! You can pretend you never had me as a son, and I’ll pretend I never had you as a mother! Let each of us go our own way, and never see each other again until death!”
After saying this, tears rolled down, but there was not the slightest intention of taking back his words.
Though he had been weak and humble, once he made up his mind, he became the most unyielding and resolute!
The old lady trembled violently, pointing at him, unable to form a complete sentence: “You… you… you unfilial son!”
At that moment, Qiu Shufen was afraid.
She knew Jiang Da could no longer endure it, she was about to lose this son completely.
“Of course, I’ll still fulfill my legal obligations. From now on, whatever amount Jiang Hua and Jiang Teng give you in support, I’ll give the same. Not a cent less, but not a cent more.”
After saying that, Jiang Da took Han Yunru’s hand and was about to leave.
Jiang Teng rushed forward and threw a punch. “How can you talk to Mom like that? Jiang Da, aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?!”
His shock was no less than the old lady’s, if anything, it carried an extra layer of guilt.
When he came to his senses, all those emotions turned into anger.
Imagine someone you once trampled underfoot suddenly learning to resist, not only refusing to be stepped on anymore but even trying to overturn you, how could that not provoke rage?
So this punch carried all his strength, both to vent anger and to salvage his pride.
Jiang Da dodged, but not completely, his chin still took the hit.
But he wasn’t foolish enough to just take it. He immediately returned a punch.
Jiang Teng, physically weaker, was knocked to the ground with just that one blow.
Jiang Da walked over and looked down at his youngest brother. “Jiang Teng, you have no right to criticize me. Back then, Mom used her savings to buy you a marital home, you think I didn’t know?”
The old lady had no job, so where did the savings come from?
Wasn’t it all the money Jiang Da had sent home over the years?
Jiang Teng’s pupils shrank. “You… knew?!”
“I know exactly how much money I sent home. After deducting necessary living expenses, I also know how much should have been left. Why wouldn’t I know?”
Jiang Teng: But you never said anything!
Jiang Da: “I treated you as my brother, so I was willing to swallow that loss. Seeing you prosperous and happily married, as your elder brother, I felt both satisfied and gratified. But now it seems all that hardship raised nothing but an ungrateful wolf.”
“You’re talking nonsense! That money was clearly given to me by Mom!”
“And where did Mom’s money come from, have you ever thought about that?”
Jiang Teng fell silent.
At that time, Jiang Hua hadn’t graduated yet and couldn’t earn money; Jiang Teng himself was idle and unmotivated. The only one capable of earning in the whole family was Jiang Da!
Every day he stayed in the kitchen, tossing woks, washing dishes, prepping ingredients. In the dead of winter, his hands soaked in cold water, covered in chilblains, yet he still persisted.
It was no exaggeration to say, it was blood-earned money.
At first, Qiu Shufen had promised him: “Eldest, Mom is saving all your money for you. When you get married, I’ll give it to you all at once.”
Jiang Da believed her.
He handed over all his savings for her to keep.
His thinking at the time was simple, his own mother wouldn’t harm him, right?
Yet when the time came for his marriage with Han Yunru, that money never appeared again.
Thinking back now, he didn’t feel much sadness. Perhaps he had long grown used to being treated poorly by his own mother. Without expectations, there was no disappointment.
What he felt was guilt toward Han Yunru, because of his concessions, she had suffered alongside him.
Jiang Teng wiped the corner of his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Digging up old accounts now, huh… Big brother, your perspective really is limited!”
Jiang Da: “If you have such perspective, then return that money to me.”
Jiang Teng: “…”
Seeing the tension between them rising again, Jiang Qin hurried to mediate, afraid it would turn into another fight:
“Big brother, don’t take it to heart. Third brother has always been like this, reckless and loose-tongued… but you’re not entirely without fault either. Why bring up old history? It wasn’t even that much money. You’re earning a fortune now, this amount doesn’t matter to you.”
Though she said that, Jiang Qin still felt a bit sour inside.
So her third brother’s marital home had been bought with Mom’s money!
Back then, when she asked Mom to pay the down payment for a small house as her premarital property, she had refused!
Fortunately, the dowry she received was fairly generous…
Jiang Qin continued: “And how can you say something like cutting ties with Mom? She’s our mother. Even if she’s a bit biased, still…”
“Little sister, your dowry was very generous.”
“…What?” Jiang Qin was confused.
The old lady, however, turned deathly pale.
Jiang Da said expressionlessly: “It was bought by exchanging your sister-in-law’s necklace and earrings.”
“How is that possible?!” Jiang Qin snapped. “That was paid for by Mom! Besides, how could sister-in-law even have valuable jewelry? Big brother, I think you’re just biting whoever you can now that you’re cornered!”
Jiang Da raised his eyes and looked at Qiu Shufen coldly. “Mom, do you dare tell the truth?”
“I…” The old lady panicked.
That reaction alone said everything.
Jiang Qin shook her head. “No… impossible…”
“It’s true,” Han Yunru, the person involved, spoke slowly. “When I was rescued, the earrings and necklace were still with me, there’s police footage to prove it. I checked…”
But when she woke up in the Jiang household, both the earrings and necklace were gone.
Who took them was obvious.
Out of gratitude for the old lady saving her life, Han Yunru had never mentioned it all these years, not even to Jiang Da.
But those earrings were the last birthday gift her late grandmother had given her. After recovering her memory, she had always wanted to get them back.
Finally, a year ago, she spotted them in an online pawnshop. She immediately contacted the owner and learned that Qiu Shufen had pawned the earrings for 200,000 yuan and the necklace for 100,000, both permanently pawned.
Redeeming them was impossible; she could only buy them back at a higher price.
Fortunately, Han Yunru wasn’t short of money. She spent one million to repurchase the two pieces.
But such a large movement of funds couldn’t escape Jiang Da’s notice. Under questioning, Han Yunru finally told him the truth.
Seeing Jiang Qin’s stunned, embarrassed, and awkward expression, Han Yunru felt no sympathy, only satisfaction.
As a beneficiary, Jiang Qin had no right to stand on moral high ground and criticize Jiang Da!
This family, truly ridiculous and shameless.
“What’s past is past. I won’t hold it against you, but don’t come looking for trouble anymore,” Jiang Da said, his expression bleak. “For the rest of our lives… let’s just leave it at this.”
Strangers with blood ties.
After saying that, he tightly grasped Han Yunru’s hand. “Let’s go home.”
From now on, wherever she was, wherever their daughter and son were, that was home.
Han Yunru smiled. “Okay.”
That very afternoon, the couple returned to the capital.
The moment the plane landed, Jiang Da felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, his whole body relaxed.
“I should have done this earlier. It’s my fault for being indecisive.”
Han Yunru: “It’s not too late now.”
“Wife, were you very disappointed in me?”
“I was,” she said honestly.
“From now on, I’ll listen to you in everything!”
“Weren’t you already like that before?”
“Heh… yes, yes, I was.”
Jiang Da listened to her in everything, but Han Yunru had never once made any demands regarding the old lady.
Maybe that’s what marriage was,
You respect me, I tolerate you.
There may not be perfect satisfaction, but both are willing to compromise and adjust for each other over the long years ahead.
Such love and marriage are already rare.
And the kind of absolute trust and honesty that exist between Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan are even more something that can only be encountered, not sought.
…
With the matters in Linhuai settled, Jiang Da and Han Yunru next put all their focus on the new restaurant.
June 28, an auspicious day for everything.
Amid a burst of festive, lively firecrackers, Jiang Ji Private Kitchen officially opened!
It kept the original décor style, but many details were adjusted according to the characteristics of the capital, with little touches everywhere that said, “We’re new here, please take care of us.”
For example, tableware inspired by Forbidden City cultural creations, carved ornaments modeled after the Summer Palace, and classical screens with dragons and phoenixes engraved and painted…
In addition, the dishes were also adjusted to suit the tastes and dining habits of people in the capital.
Jiang Da even created several original capital-style dishes, which received wide praise on the very first day of opening and quickly became signature items of the restaurant.
Cao Sanpang, Cao Manfu, Cao Dazhuang, and the others were all the original team.
Online, people jokingly called them the “Chef Boy Band,” with Uncle Sanpang naturally taking center position.
【Then what about Uncle Jiang?】
【The boy band’s goofy manager?】
【Uncle Jiang: Are you being polite?】
…
Cao Dou was still in charge of online operations, not only writing copy, placing ads, and doing promotions himself, but also knowing to borrow resources from Wu Qian.
“Hehe… Brother Wu, we’re family, our interests align, help us out, will you?”
Wu Qian: “Look at you, getting more and more savvy.”
Cao Dou: “Of course! Don’t forget who trained me!”
Wu Qian was delighted and generously lent them a planning team and a live-streaming team.
So on opening day, there were live broadcasts and large-scale interactions, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more lively.
Jiang Fuyue, Xie Dingyuan, Little Brother Jiang, as well as members of the Han family, plus the powerful businesswoman Shi Qingzhi and Qin Yuanzhen, all came to show support.
Oh, and of course, Jiang Guohui, the landlord and now shareholder, also attended.
That’s right, he had invested in Jiang Ji.
Jiang Han, who was already in the capital, came along as well.
The father and daughter shared the same physique and smile, equally prosperous-looking, equally straightforward and bold.
As netizens put it,
【The old rent-collecting tycoon bringing along his successor, the little rent-collecting heiress?】
【Five minutes! I want the rich girl’s contact info】
【Miss, I don’t want to work hard anymore】
【Dad, do you need a son-in-law? How about me?】
【Dad look at me! I can do it!】
【Rich lady, hug hug, food food】
…
Quite a number of reporters also came. Compared to the opening in Linhuai, the media here were more high-profile and more professional.
Not to mention that “Jiang Ji” itself already had strong popularity and a large base of loyal fans, its connection to Jiang Fuyue alone warranted such attention.
Some media left after filming the opening in the morning.
Those who stayed into the afternoon got an unexpected bonus,
“D*mn! Isn’t that Xu Kaiqing, Old Xu?”
“And Professor Peter too!”
“Look, Jia Shilin, Zhou Zhengqi, and Xiao Shan, why did they all come together?”
The presidents of B University, Q University, and Ming University all showed up, and even sat at the same table.
“Wasn’t it said those three don’t get along?”
“What do you know! Times have changed. Now Ming University has caught up. If you can’t defeat your opponent, you turn them into a friend, cooperation and mutual benefit. That’s what smart people do!”
“Xiang Pengyi, He Longchang, Li Zhao, Yuan Bentao… all these famous professors are here.”
“Is this a restaurant or an academic forum? It’s full of intellectual elites! D*mn!”
…
With something this lively, how could it not trend?
【D*mn! I recognize faces in every photo】
【Professors, celebrities, university presidents… wow! If you didn’t know better, you’d think this was some industry summit, amazing!】
【Feels like Jiang Ji’s status skyrocketed after moving to the capital】
【I’ve eaten the same dishes as these top scholars, by extension, I’m basically a top scholar too】
【These people are probably connections of Sister Yue and Professor Xie】
【Does Professor Xie even have connections?】
【Professor Xie: Watch your manners!】
【Holy, there’s a photo of Sister Yue and Professor Xie secretly holding hands! Sugar overload, be warned!】
【They’re officially a couple, why would they need to sneak?】
【You’ll understand when you see it…】
【LOL turns out they were holding hands behind Uncle Jiang’s back, yeah, that does need to be sneaky. Otherwise if Uncle Jiang finds out his little cotton jacket’s been stolen, he might chase Professor Xie with a big wok!】
【Has anyone noticed Uncle Jiang looks really spirited lately? Even the way he tosses the wok has flair, he seems in a great mood】
【Yeah! He does look happier than before! Do you think maybe Sister Yue and the professor are about to make things official?】
【D*mn, you guys really know how to imagine things】
【Waiting for good news】
【Waiting for wedding candy】
【Waiting for their photo to appear in the same red marriage booklet!】
Netizens didn’t get the wedding announcement they were waiting for, but they did get another huge surprise,
On August 7, the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine announced the nomination list for the 2054 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Both Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan’s names appeared on it!
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