Chapter 119 - 109 Auntie, Divine Assist or Undermining?

Chapter 119: 109 Auntie, Divine Assist or Undermining?

The winter sun revealed a hint of the pale belly of a fish, but the cold wind remained, chilling to the bone.

Jiang Jinsang watched the person staring intently at Hua Mei pecking for food, his gaze deep and seemingly even colder than the north wind.

"What’s the matter? Don’t you like our Wanwan?" The girl turned to look at him.

"I do." Jiang Jinsang was straightforward—there was no need to hide anything in front of a clever person.

"I heard from my brother-in-law that you’re coming over to break off the engagement?"

"Marrying someone I’ve never contacted, am not familiar with, and haven’t even met would be irresponsible to both parties, even if I agreed to the engagement, even marriage."

She wore a smile at the corner of her mouth, holding a bird-teasing stick in one hand, playing with Hua Mei.

Yet the bird ignored her, which frustrated her.

"What will you marry Wanwan with, considering your health isn’t very good?"

"Rumors can’t all be believed."

"It seems you don’t have a proper job. How do you support a family, by leeching off your own?"

"I have investments and a few jobs—it’s just that due to health issues, I haven’t reported for duty."

"I heard that your family relationships are quite complicated. How can you guarantee Wanwan won’t be bullied if she goes there?"

What she heard was mostly about Jiang Jinsang’s poor health and his issues with his elder brother. If there was such a crafty and ruthless person in the family, Wanwan would surely be bullied going there.

"Complicated?" Jiang Jinsang chuckled lightly. "You seem to have some misconceptions about our family?"

...

She continuously asked various questions, and Jiang Jinsang’s responses were measured and reliable; no fault could be found.

It wasn’t until Jiangjiang exited the house, calling them in for a meal, that she nodded and laughed, "Thank you, we’ll come in right away."

"Miss Shen." Since she was Tang Wan’s maternal aunt and they were close, Jiang Jinsang was certainly very polite to her.

*

Although it was just her maternal grandfather and aunt visiting the house, they were not considered outsiders, but still, Tang Wan tidied herself up slightly and put on light makeup before coming out. As she entered the front hall, she saw that the two elders were playing with Jiangjiang in the living room.

"Where is my aunt?" Tang Wan looked around the living room, and Jiang Jinsang was also not there.

"She went out to the courtyard with Xiaowu, and I don’t know what they are whispering about." Old Master Tang frowned. "Hey, they shouldn’t have known each other before, right?"

"They don’t seem like acquaintances either. They didn’t exchange a single word. She had just gone out, and Xiaowu immediately followed."

"That’s really odd."

Tang Wan pursed her lips but didn’t say anything.

Only after breakfast did the two of them come into the house one after the other.

"What were you two chatting about outside? Did you know each other before?" Even Old Master Shen couldn’t help but ask.

"We don’t know each other. I went out to feed the birds. It’s just that Hua Mei seems not to recognize me anymore, ignoring me no matter how I tease it." The girl laughed.

Hua Mei: I’m eating! Why would you tease a bird at a time like this?

Jinsang chimed in, "I went outside for some fresh air."

"Oh yes, Master Jiang the Fifth, sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Shen Shuci."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you."

They were as polite as people who truly didn’t know each other.

Everyone: ...

Anyone with eyes could see that the two of them were whispering in the corridor.

Shen Shuci had been pecked by a bird in the past; she couldn’t say she disliked birds, but she rarely took the initiative to feed or play with them, and Jiang Jinsang...

You are a sickly person. Why would you go out into the cold so early in the morning!

These two are clearly fooling everyone with their words.

It was apparent that the two had some matters they didn’t want the others to know about, and everyone exchanged glances, sensing that there were some unsavory secrets hidden.

...

Tang Wan pursed her lips and then smiled, "All right, let’s eat quickly. By the way, grandpa, why didn’t grandma come this time?"

"Her health hasn’t been good recently, and she can’t endure the long journey."

"Is she okay at home by herself?"

"There is a nanny with her, and I also informed the elderly couple next door. They will help me look after her, which is why I can’t stay long in Pingjiang." Old Master Shen smiled.

Old Master Tang clicked his tongue, "You leaving is no problem. Shuci stays, and you can stay a few more days, keep me company."

Shen Shuci just smiled and didn’t join in the conversation, likely still planning to leave with her father.

"Old Shen, how about we go to Yiyu Tea House for tea and listen to storytelling after breakfast? We can have lunch there too." Old Master Tang suggested.

"Sure, Shuci downloaded some videos and audios for me online, but listening to them just isn’t quite the same." Old Master Shen laughed.

"I want to go too." Jiangjiang immediately raised his hand.

"Alright, we’ll take you." Old Master Tang said with a smile.

"Second uncle, will you come too?" Children have a special dependence on familiar people. In Pingjiang, Jinsang was his only relative, so he naturally wanted to be with him all the time.

Jinsang nodded. Besides accompanying his little nephew, he also wanted to see what kind of person this Old Master of the Shen Family was.

Shen Shuci would certainly follow her father. As for Tang Yunxian, because of the Shen Family’s unexpected visit, he had a meeting to attend at his company and couldn’t go with them. He said that he would book a restaurant for dinner, and the family would dine out in the evening.

"Wanwan, how about you? Are you coming with us?" Old Master Tang looked at his granddaughter. "What’s the matter? You seem distracted."

Since breakfast started, she seemed a bit off, and even with her favorite aunt visiting, she couldn’t seem to muster any enthusiasm.

Tang Wan just smiled, "Maybe because I was suddenly woken up this morning, I’m a bit sleep-deprived."

"Then will you come with us to listen to the storytelling?"

Tang Wan clenched her chopsticks, stirring the bowl of congee in front of her, "I won’t go. I need to visit an injured employee at the hospital, and there’s some work to be busy with. I finally arranged to have a meal with Uncle Chen to discuss work matters."

"Fine, let’s have dinner together tonight." Since they were all family, Old Tang didn’t press her for anything.

But Jiang Jinsang had been sizing her up the whole time:

Her... mood doesn’t seem very good!

**

After breakfast, the Tang Family was busy packing up to go out.

Meanwhile, the Shen father and daughter stood in the corridor enjoying the sun. Old Master Shen was cheerfully teasing the Hua Mei in the corridor, "How did it go? Did you find out anything?"

Shen Shuci just smiled, "What are you talking about?"

"Weren’t you testing Jiang Jinsang?" Old Shen laughed, "He claimed he came to break off the engagement, but he stayed over. Your Uncle Tang likes him so much that he even let him stay in the same courtyard as Wanwan. It’s obvious he wants to bring those two together. How could you not try to find out?"

"It wasn’t a test."

"Uh?" What does that mean?

"I straight-up asked him if he liked Wanwan."

Old Shen frowned, "Shuci, here in China, people tend to be more indirect in their communication."

"That might work for other things, but when it comes to matters of the heart, isn’t it all about mutual affection? If a man likes a woman and can’t even say it, too shy to even speak of it, then his affection isn’t worth much."

"With your personality, when you start working, you’ll easily offend people!" Tang Wan is just 22, and Shen Shuci is even younger than her, a senior this year, graduating next spring or summer.

"Dad, I know what I’m doing," Shen Shuci said with a smile.

"I think he’s alright. He knows when to advance or retreat and acts appropriately. You weren’t there, but he helped prepare medicine for your Uncle Tang and handed Wanwan her coat. A man who understands and cares for others will make a woman’s life much easier in the future."

Shen Shuci chuckled, "Dad, you speak as if you’re quite fond of him?"

"I’m just calling it as I see it. When judging someone, don’t be biased."

"I heard you weren’t like that with your son-in-law at first. You wanted to butcher him without even seeing him first."

"I..." Old Shen’s finger stopped in mid-tease, "Society progresses, and perspectives change, we can’t generalize everything."

"So, you’re planning to match them together?"

"It’s not about matchmaking, let’s just see how it goes. Plus, love requires mutual affection. Even if he likes her, Wanwan has to be interested too. Have you gauged Wanwan’s feelings?"

Shen Shuci smiled, "Not yet."

"You should ask her later..."

Shen Shuci stayed silent, knowing it wasn’t just about gauging what someone says. Which girl keeps talking about who she likes, especially when the relationship is unclear? If you want to test the waters...

There’s always a way!

**

East Courtyard of the Tang Family

Tang Wan had just finished packing when she stepped out of the room and realized that Shen Shuci was actually standing in the courtyard, side by side with Jiang Jinsang, talking about something.

"Wanwan." Seeing Tang Wan come out, Shen Shuci walked over, "I remember your courtyard used to be full of empty pots. Now that there are flowers, it feels much more alive."

"I don’t recognize many of these flowers, so I was just consulting him."

Tang Wan nodded: He even knows Qing Dynasty history, what are flowers and plants to him?

"My dad and Uncle Tang are about to leave, and I don’t have Elder Jiang’s number, so I came to ask if he was ready," explained Shen Shuci, "Are you going out too? Together?"

"No, the hospital and tea house aren’t on the way." Tang Wan tactfully declined.

"Then we’ll head out. See you tonight."

"Mhm."

Jiangjiang had already run off to the front courtyard, leaving Shen Shuci and Jiang Jinsang as the only ones to walk together.

As Tang Wan turned to lock the door, she heard her younger aunt say with a laugh, "Should we exchange phone numbers? That way, if something comes up, we can easily contact each other, and I won’t have to go from the front courtyard all the way to the East Courtyard to find you."

Jiang Jinsang frowned:

What’s this younger aunt up to?

At the gate, she was fierce, interrogating sharply, and now...

This sudden warmth.

But after all, she was Tang Wan’s younger aunt, and it would be rude to refuse her request for contact information, so he nodded and gave her his phone number.

"I heard everyone in China uses WeChat, should I add you?"

"Okay." Unable to refuse, Jiang Jinsang felt somewhat frustrated.

...

The voices faded away and Tang Wan could no longer hear the remaining conversation. She bit her lip, looking down as she continued to lock the door.

The Jiang family were also left perplexed; they didn’t know what Jiang Jinsang had talked about with Miss Shen that morning, but judging by the look of things...

Could Miss Shen be trying to poach her?

By the looks of it, Shen Shuci didn’t seem like the overly familiar and warm type of person. Yet here she was in the East Courtyard, striking up a conversation with Jiang Jinsang who was watering the plants, and even taking the initiative to ask for his phone number.

It left the Jiang family quite baffled, and moreover...

During the flower viewing, their conversation went like:

Shen Shuci: "Elder Jiang, what kind of flower is this?"

Jiang Jinsang: "I don’t know."

"And what about this grass?"

"Don’t know."

"Then why are you raising them?"

"They’re pretty."

...

Absolutely devoid of any substance!