Chapter 176: 139 Old Lady Jiang makes trouble, Qi Duidui joins in?_2
Jiang Shuyan picked at the orange peel, "\"Actually, last night there was a little misunderstanding between Tang Sister and me. I left in a hurry and didnât have time to apologize, so I came over specifically this morning to apologize to her.\""
"Misunderstanding?" The old lady leafed through the newspaper.
"Yes..."
Tang Wan glanced at Jiang Jinsang, who gave her a reassuring look, signaling her to stay silent and just sit quietly.
To tell the truth, even though Tang Wan had stayed with the Jiang Family for a while and the old lady really liked her, Tang Wan ultimately didnât know what content the old lady had heard or what she was really thinking. If she sided with Jiang Shuyan, there would definitely be a grievance between them.
After all, no matter what, Jiang Shuyan was a member of the Jiang Family.
"If itâs just a misunderstanding, then itâs good to clarify it; whatâs the need for an apology?"
"If itâs about apologizing, then it means you did something wrong. If you are not at fault, why would there be any talk of apologizing?"
The old lady reached out to adjust her glasses.
"How about you tell me what happened last night? If itâs just a misunderstanding, Grandma can explain it to Wanwan for you, and we can clear it up. I donât want you to feel wronged."
Jiang Shuyanâs fingers suddenly tightened, and it felt like something was stuck in her throat. She stuttered, unable to figure out what to say.
"Why are you not speaking? Wasnât there a misunderstanding?" The old lady looked at her quizzically.
Jiang Shuyan knew the matter must have reached the old ladyâs ears. She came over early in the morning on purpose, hoping to influence the old lady. If they went out for a walk, just the two of them, she could have swayed the story any way she wanted.
But now, in the living room, not only was Tang Wan there, but Jiang Jinsang was also present; she couldnât utter any nonsense.
"Finding it hard to speak?" The old lady chuckled, but just as she was about to say something more, suddenly the sound of a car came from outside, its engine rumbling deeply, probably a sports car...
After about a minute, the door opened.
"Grandma Jiang, Grandfather Tang... youâre all here." The one who entered was Qi Zeyan, his arms filled with various nutritional products.
The cold wind poured in from the door, chilling to the bone. Qi Zeyan was dressed casually today, with a down jacket over his clothes, but his hairstyle unchanged; despite the cold biting wind, it stayed impeccably neat.
"You have the time to come here, huh? Not busy, are you? Come sit by me!" It was clear the old lady was very fond of Qi Zeyan, as she quickly set down the paper and scooted over to make room for him.
"Iâve been quite busy lately, what with the companyâs year-end matters. I only just finished up recently and found out that Grandfather Tang was here. I hurried over early in the morning to check in and bought some things along the way. Grandfather Tang, howâs your health?"
"Quite well, I appreciate the thought," said the elder Tang with a smile.
"Itâs only right."
"I havenât seen you in so long, you little rascal, not even coming to see me!" The old lady took his hand. "Is it because youâve got a girlfriend now, so youâve forgotten this old lady?"
"Not at all, Iâve been busy making money; no time for dating yet, no rush."
Qi Zeyan had returned to the Tang Family in Beijing a few days ago, and should have come over sooner, but having just experienced a "breakup," he was feeling quite down. Out of sight, out of mind.
Seeing her last night, he realized he certainly didnât stand a chance and didnât bother putting on any pretense, simply bringing over the gifts instead.
"Mr. Qi." The servant immediately offered him a steaming cup of tea.
"Have some quickly, itâs quite cold outside, warm yourself up."
"Thank you, Grandma."
"Why donât these youngsters think about getting married these days? If youâre too busy to date, Grandma can introduce someone to you!"
Qi Zeyan almost spat out his tea, "No need, no need, Iâm in no rush, you all donât need to worry about me, just carry on with your conversation... treat me as if Iâm not here."
Jiang Shuyan, originally flustered by the old ladyâs questions, had finally breathed a sigh of relief with the arrival of Qi Zeyan, as the old ladyâs attention shifted away. But before she had a chance to fully catch her breath, the old lady spoke up cheerfully.
"Zeyan, did you go to the auction last night as well?"
"Yeah, I bid for a smoking pipe for my grandpa. Heâs always loved smoking and likes collecting these things."
"I heard last nightâs auction was quite lively."
"It was pretty lively," Qi Zeyan said while sipping his tea.
"Then tell me what happened."
Qi Zeyan was no fool; an auction followed a fixed process, and there wasnât much to say about it. The only thing worth discussing was the little incident between Tang Wan and Zhuang Rao.
"Something did happen, but I wasnât present at the time. I only heard about it afterward. Itâs just," he smiled and glanced at Tang Wan and Jiang Shuyan, "speaking ill of others is never really nice, is it?"
"The main issue is that Shuyan just mentioned thereâs been some misunderstanding between her and Wanwan, and since theyâre both involved, theyâre hesitant to speak up. Their words might be biased, but youâre an outsider, you can be fair."
The old lady smiled at Qi Zeyan, "This isnât really speaking ill of others, I just want to clear up any misunderstandings between them."
"If there was a true misunderstanding, itâd be bad to hold a grudge."
Jiang Jinsangâs lips curled up slightly; the old fox knew his tricks!
Qi Zeyan, catching the hint, took a sip of his hot tea, "Actually, what happened last night was very simple, Grandma. Do you know Zhuang Rao?"
"I donât." The Jiang family matriarch genuinely didnât know her.
Qi Zeyan chuckled, "That person, sheâs famous in Beijing for being a troublemaker. Depending on her familyâs little wealth, sheâs quite arrogant and overbearing. After Miss Tang took her seat last night, she stood up for someone and provoked her, saying very unpleasant things."
"You know, the typical âcountry bumpkin whoâs never seen the worldâ, âassuming too much authority with little backingâ, saying she has no shame or whatever, calling her thick-skinned and shameless, intentionally refusing to leave your house..."
"Itâs one thing to just talk, but she even went as far as to hit someone. Can you imagine how infuriating that was?"
"She resorted to violence?" Old Mr. Tangâs expression grew even darker upon hearing this.
Old Mr. Tang was also aware of the incident but certainly there were differences in detail.
"Exactly, can you see how arrogant that is?" Qi Zeyan finished speaking and saw Jiang Shuyanâs face looking a bit unsightly, "Whatâs wrong?"
"Last night she..." Jiang Shuyan was about to speak, but Qi Zeyan cut her off immediately.
"Sister, I wasnât there at that time, so this is all what I heard afterward. Some details might be off, but the main outline should be correct. If thereâs anything incorrect, feel free to correct me!"
Tang Wan lowered her head, almost laughing out loud.
He had exaggerated the part where Zhuang Rao insulted her, but Jiang Shuyan couldnât correct that at all.
"If you donât have anything to correct or add, then Iâll continue!" Qi Zeyan clearly didnât have much sympathy for her.
"You go on," the old lady said while picking up the newspaper and resuming her reading.
"I heard that at the auction, it wasnât the first time. There was another incident before where she deliberately provoked Miss Tang," Qi Zeyan looked at Tang Wan, "Is that right?"
"Yes, indeed I have encountered her before," Tang Wan nodded.
"You see, one incident after another, anyone would get angry. Miss Tang just got upset and had a âfriendly exchangeâ of words with them. But since that person is Little Sister Jiangâs friend, she naturally defended her... came out to cover for her..."
Jiang Shuyanâs face turned livid with anger!
How did it become her defending someone in his story? She obviously came out to mediate.
"At the time, both Xiaowu and I werenât there. Miss Tang was all by herself, in such a vulnerable situation, really pitiful, tskâ had she not been a little feisty, she might have had to leave in tears last night."
"In previous years, you and Little Sister Jiang always went together, naturally sitting together. This year, your invitation was given to Miss Tang. I guess some people feel sheâs âunworthyâ to sit in that spot."
"To humiliate her in front of so many people, telling her to get lost!"
With that, the old lady slammed the newspaper down on the table with a "whack," producing a muffled thump.
"Utterly outrageous!"