62 Ancestral Hall

◎Where should we go?◎

"Little Mom? Why did you call me suddenly? Is there something wrong at home?"

Liang Zhihui saw who was calling and picked up the phone with some surprise.

"Zhihui, please come home soon..." Even before the answer, He Jingshu's sobbing voice arrived. It was the first time Liang Zhihui had heard her so helpless and frightened. "Zhihui, your father suddenly punished Jingyi and Weiwei by making them kneel in the ancestral hall today. He smashed everything in the study and cursed us so terribly. He almost hit Weiwei..."

"Mom, what did you say? Please speak slowly."

Liang Zhihui frowned suddenly, stood up, and immediately turned off his computer and unplugged the office. "Dad almost hit Weiwei? What happened? Did Dad know something?"

"I don't know..."

This was the first time He Jingshu saw Liang Jiangsheng so angry. As soon as she forced her way into the study, countless ceramic fragments exploded under her feet. The sound of "two shameless things" flashed through her brain like lightning, scaring her to death.

"As soon as I entered, Liang Jiangsheng had Sister Gu and the others help me out. No matter what he said, he wouldn't let me see the two children... When we came out, Liang Jiangsheng punished them by making them kneel in the ancestral hall..."

"Okay, I got it. Mom, don't panic, and don't go looking for Dad. I'll contact my brother right away, and we'll go home right away."

She held her phone in one hand, put on her windbreaker while walking, and tried to keep her voice steady.

After hanging up the phone, Liang Zhihui did not go upstairs to find Liang Tingan. Instead, he took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot and only contacted his brother with his mobile phone.

The phone rang three times and the person on the other end picked up.

"Brother, please come home quickly. Dad has discovered what happened between Jingyi and Youwei."

She keeps going.

·

The Liang family's main residence covers a large area, and the ancestral hall is a separate building located at the back.

It was a chilly spring day and the floor was icy. Even through the soft cushion, waves of coldness still rose from underneath, penetrated into the knees, and spread to every corner of the body.

"Jingyi..."

After kneeling for only ten minutes, Liang Youwei felt cold all over, her teeth chattering, and her lower abdomen ached inexplicably. She bit the tip of her tongue and secretly glanced at the girl beside her.

Liang Jingyi turned his head and responded softly: "What's wrong?"

She was in good physical condition and didn't notice him even when she was kneeling. She thought Liang Youwei was simply calling her.

Liang Youwei pursed her lips, swallowed the words "I feel bad", and replaced them with "What should I do in the future?"

"Let's take it one step at a time. After all, I've got a full year of experience as an employee at a large company, so it'll be easier for me to find a job in the future."

During the silence of more than half an hour, Liang Jingyi had already prepared for the worst - at worst, he would be kicked out by the old man Liang Jiangsheng.

Her business ability has improved a lot compared to a year ago. Even if Liang Jiangsheng "bans" her in the imperial capital, she can still find a suitable job in Suzhou or northern Jiangsu, and take on some extra income from time to time to support Liang Youwei.

Of course, Liang Youwei would inevitably have to endure some hardships in the early stages, but she would never let her suffer indefinitely. In three years at most, she would definitely make her life better again...

Liang Youwei followed her train of thought and asked quietly: "Can my fake academic qualifications be used?"

Liang Jingyi thought about it and said, "I can just make up some fake information and it will work. HR won't check every single one of the scattered awards. If it really doesn't work, I'll just supervise you to start taking the certification exam now."

"Oh...is it difficult to pass the exam?" Liang Youwei touched her lower abdomen and covered it silently, trying to relieve some of the pain.

"I think it's just average. Even if the standards are raised in the future, I'm not afraid. If it's really hard to pass, then I won't take it."

If only she tried harder.

"But, Liang Youwei," Liang Jingyi clenched his palms, his voice trembling and hesitant. "If we are really kicked out, will you come with me? Can you abandon everything in the Liang family? Can you - leave them?"

When she mentioned this, uncertainty and uneasiness flashed across her eyes. She didn't even dare to look at the man, fearing that she would get a negative answer.

Liang Youwei's eyes swept across the hard stone slabs on the ground, and she looked lost.

"...I don't know. Jingyi, I don't know if I can live an ordinary life. From childhood to adulthood, I've had it too easy. My family gave me whatever I wanted, whether it was expensive or rare. So, I always thought life was a simple thing. I just had to enjoy it."

"But Jingyi, ever since I met you, I've realized that this world isn't full of beauty, and bad people don't just exist in fairy tales. I haven't encountered bad people because I've never truly left the Liang family. I'm still far from reality. Life for most people must be very dangerous and difficult, right?"

Liang Youwei has done many volunteer activities with Liang Jingyi.

In the hospital, some people knelt down and cried bitterly for medical expenses, shouting "Save my child, my parents"; some people had dark faces, with years etched on their faces, tightly clutching the registration form, waiting for the judgment of fate; in the suburbs, children without their parents were very cautious, even if they bought them a lot of snacks, they would repeatedly confirm "Is this for me?" and only after getting a positive answer would they dare to open the package and put the snacks into their mouths bit by bit.

Because they have no money.

Psychological reasons were at work. Liang Youwei felt her stomach aching more and more. She twisted the corners of her clothes and whispered, "I don't want to live that kind of life. I'm vain, I have a bad temper, and I can't stand living without money."

Liang Jingyi's eyelashes trembled, and his heart sank to the bottom of the sea, being squeezed hard by the invisible pressure.

"But if it's with you, I'm willing to give it a try."

“Even if you are poor, powerless, or have nothing.”

But we still have love. Liang Youwei always believes in love.

Then in an instant, the sky suddenly brightened, and someone salvaged Liang Jingyi's heart and pieced it together piece by piece.

…

"Dad, it's so cold now, and there's no heating in the ancestral hall. You asked Aunt Gu and the others to open the windows. What if they get cold?"

In the study, even though Liang Zhihui was extremely anxious, she only showed a little worry, maintaining composure on her face and pretending to be a good sister.

"After all, Jingyi and Youwei are just two young girls, only in their early twenties. What can they understand? Even if they were confused and contradicted you, you could just scold them a few times, right?"

Liang Jiangsheng sneered repeatedly: "Zhihui, you have no idea what filthy things these two have done! They are nominally twin sisters! What happened? Not only were they openly watching that pornographic film today, but when I arrived, they were even hugging and kissing each other! Shameless incestuous bastards!"

He slammed the table, not avoiding Liang Zhihui at all, losing all the demeanor of a chairman, and cursed without caring about his image.

Liang Zhihui's shoulders trembled slightly, she frowned and said nothing.

"Having Liang Ting'an was already unfortunate enough for our family, but who knew Liang Jingyi would also learn wild things and become a bad person? Look at her, does she look like a lady from a noble family? Yes, I don't ask her to be virtuous, but she should at least have a normal personality and basic morals, right?..."

"Dad, have you said enough?"

The study door opened, and Liang Ting'an, clad in a chill, walked in. He calmly interrupted his father's accusations, "It's almost evening, and the temperature in the ancestral hall has dropped below zero. Are you going to freeze my two sisters to death?"

"Liang Ting'an, do you think you're a good person just because I didn't scold you? You're as shameless as Liang Jingyi. Do you really think you're noble just because you're heterosexual?"

Liang Jiangsheng kept talking, and when he saw the newcomer, he became even angrier.

"Liang Youwei is shameless, flirting with anyone she meets, regardless of gender; Liang Jingyi is unrefined, even falling in love with the fake who stole her life; and you are even more hopeless, falling in love with a woman you watched grow up!"

Liang Ting'an remained calm and said coldly, "Dad, are you finished? If you are, can we go to the ancestral hall first?"

Qiao Shuyu said that Liang Youwei had been feeling unwell for the past few days, either feeling sleepy, having a poor appetite, or having stomachaches. He didn't want her to suffer any more.

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiangsheng's eyes went dark and his body swayed slightly. Fortunately, Liang Zhihui was quick-eyed and quick-handed, who supported him in time and prevented him from falling.

She didn't even look at her eldest brother with a blaming look. She just gently rubbed her father's back and said, "Dad, don't be angry. Let's go to the ancestral hall first, okay? At least we can see what the situation is. If the ancestral hall is really cold, we can't let them freeze to death, right?"

Liang Ting'an was too lazy to wait for his father, so he turned around and left.

Seeing that Liang Jiangsheng was about to start cursing again, Liang Zhihui hurriedly whispered to him, "Don't bother with it, brother."

…

It was completely dark in the ancestral hall.

The candlelight flickered, casting a shadow on her face. Liang Jingyi straightened his back when he heard footsteps, and gently nudged Liang Youwei with his elbow: "Don't sleep, someone is coming."

Liang Youwei couldn't open her eyes and was confused: "People? Who is it? I'm so sleepy."

"Did you stay up late watching videos again?" She corrected Liang Youwei's head from her shoulder and patted her back. "I heard there's more than one person. My second sister and eldest brother should be here too."

"Oh..." Liang Youwei straightened up with difficulty, but before she opened her eyes, she was woken up by the call.

"Liang Youwei, can you still fall asleep in the ancestral hall?!"

The person who was called was startled, his weak back trembled three times, he woke up completely and sat up straight quickly.

"Dad, could you please stop scaring her?"

The recent acquisitions were progressing smoothly, and Liang Ting'an was in a good mood. However, upon hearing Liang Jiangsheng scolding his sister, his irritation suddenly surged. He knelt down and gently lifted Liang Youwei from the mat. He placed his right palm on her knee and lowered his voice. "Does it hurt?"

Liang Youwei's thin eyebrows were drawn into a small "八" shape and she nodded dejectedly.

She doesn't even kneel on the bed.

Liang Zhihui pretended not to notice their interaction. She patted her father on the back and helped Liang Jingyi up. She held his arm and whispered in his ear, not very gently: "Don't talk nonsense later. Control your temper, okay?"

Liang Jingyi pursed his lips and made a "hmm" sound in his throat.

"Dad, Youwei has been feeling unwell these days. Can you let her go back to her room and rest first?" Liang Ting'an spoke after feeling the other person's slightly cool palm.

Liang Jiangsheng took a deep breath and repeatedly prepared himself mentally: "Liang Youwei, go out first. Liang Tingan, you stay here."

Only members of the Liang family could enter the Liang family ancestral hall, and there was no housekeeper to help support her. Of course, Liang Ting'an couldn't leave either.

Watching the annoying figure gradually walk away, Liang Jiangsheng shifted his gaze to his children.

The eldest son is highly educated and good-looking. He has been able to do everything with ease since he was a child and has never let himself worry about anything. Unfortunately, he is a pedophile.

The younger daughter has a strong character and can endure hardships. She grew up in a difficult environment, but she was born smart like him. Unfortunately, she is a lesbian.

Looking at them one by one, only the second daughter gave him the least worry.

"You two, kneel down."

How awful. He looked at the two of them expressionlessly.

Liang Jingyi also had a blank expression on her face, not even giving him a glance. She let go of her sister's hand and dropped to her knees, like a broken jar. Fortunately, she didn't say anything.

Liang Ting'an was extremely calm and composed. He knelt on Liang Youwei's mat with his back stood exceptionally straight.

The tail of Liang Zhihui's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. Then, she sighed silently, bent down consciously, pulled out a cushion, and lowered her knees.

Liang Jiangsheng grabbed his second daughter without hesitation: "Zhihui, Dad didn't say you..."

"Dad," she whispered softly, "I should kneel."

Her father didn't react, his brows still furrowed: "What?"

She pursed her lips and raised her eyes: "Brother, sister, and I are all the same. I like Youwei, not as a sister to a sister. It's like a woman to a woman."

"...Did that girl from the Zhao family lead you astray?"

After the shock, Liang Jiangsheng looked puzzled.

He knew best how worried Zhao Fengtan was. After all, there were few promising members of the Zhao family in this generation, making it difficult to maintain the family, let alone expand it. Only Zhao Lingyu was promising, having achieved great results at a young age.

The leaders of the several families were well aware that Zhao Fengtan had high hopes for Zhao Lingyu and intended to hand the Zhao family over to her. However, they could all see that Zhao Lingyu liked Liang Youwei. As a girl, she liked girls. Without special means, the two of them wouldn't even be able to leave offspring.

At first, the adults didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just the way little girls attract each other. Liang Youwei was sweet-mouthed and playful, which made her very likable. It was natural for Zhao Lingyu to like such a "sister".

But as time went by, Zhao Lingyu grew up, but she still kept all her attention on Liang Youwei. At this time, the adults finally realized that something was wrong, but no one dared to speak out.

Zhao Fengtan was very worried. He thought of many ways, such as deliberately being cold to Zhao Lingyu to make her realize that something was wrong; for example, he put out photos of handsome boys and asked Zhao Lingyu which one was good-looking and suitable to be the spokesperson for xx product; for example, he let her do things related to the marriage and dating company to infect her with some heterosexual romance.

However, things went against our wishes and nothing worked.

If Zhao Fengtan treats Zhao Lingyu coldly, she will work harder to achieve results and use her strength to prove that this coldness is unnecessary; if Zhao Fengtan shows Zhao Lingyu handsome guys, she will find out all the black history of these handsome guys, such as cheating on sex and leaking feces; if Zhao Fengtan lets Zhao Lingyu get in touch with romance, she will innovate the company's marketing model, learn romance while making money, and then use it all on Liang Youwei.

Zhao Lingyu said nothing, silently transitioning from one story to another.

Thinking back, Liang Jiangsheng repeated in a trembling voice: "Zhihui, tell Dad, have you been led astray by Zhao Lingyu?"

The woman was silent for a few seconds.

"Dad, Lingyu is eleven years younger than me. How could she have led me astray?"

To put it bluntly, when Liang Zhihui made his feelings clear, Zhao Lingyu was only fifteen years old. Her three views were not fully formed, so what did she know about love?

"During those years in America, weren't you into more than just certain things? There are indeed a lot of psychopaths in America. I shouldn't have sent you there. Liang Ting'an, can't you just look after your sister? She's naive, and so are you? Or have you actually liked men before? Are you sick?"

Liang Jiangsheng regretted his decision and wanted to slap Liang Tingan.

Liang Zhihui was helpless: "Dad, my affairs have nothing to do with my brother."

At that time, he had no control over her at all.

Liang Jiangsheng didn't listen either. After scolding Liang Ting'an, he scolded Liang Jingyi: "And you, Liang Jingyi. What kind of magic potion did Liang Youwei put on you? Do you like her so much? Looking around the imperial capital, there are countless good boys and girls. Do you have to kiss her?"

"Dad, who do you think I am?"

Liang Jingyi was holding back his anger, and when he heard "I have to kiss her", he couldn't help it. His tone was cold, and he did not hide his stubbornness: "I only like her, so of course I can only kiss her."

Liking her but not kissing her is ninja perversion.

He likes her but kisses someone else, that's cheating.

Liang Jingyi considered herself a good young person who had nothing to do with these two bad habits.

Liang Jiangsheng, being confronted by her, became even more furious: "Why do you have to like women? And there are so many good men in this world, and you chose the most useless woman?"

"Why can't I like women?"

Liang Jingyi raised his face, his sharp features filled with heavy emotions.

"You like women, and I'm your daughter, so shouldn't I like women too? Isn't it better to just follow you? Dad, you only have three children in this life, and all three of them like women. What else are you dissatisfied with?"

Liang Jiangsheng and the other two were shocked by this theory.

Liang Jingyi seemed unsatisfied, saying one thing after another: "Dad, I really think I'm doing a great job as a daughter. You want me to be dignified, so I dress and behave in a disciplined manner. You want me to share the pressure with my older sisters and brothers, so I work really hard to learn group management and hone my professional skills. You want me to build good relationships with the wives of the various families, so I've practically sold myself to their sons, completely going against my natural instincts... Dad, what else am I doing wrong?"

She has always been self-satisfied and would find the most selfish reasons for her actions.

She dressed and behaved properly because she didn't want anyone to pay attention to her so that she could remain a virgin for Liang Youwei; she worked hard to learn various courses so that she could get more family property in the future so that she could support Liang Youwei; as for the "selling herself theory", it was because she was sure that Liang Jiangsheng would not marry her, so she wanted to draw the attention of all the rich ladies to herself so that other men could not marry Liang Youwei.

There was nothing wrong with her words. For a moment, even the old fox Liang Jiangsheng began to doubt himself.

He was silent, and the three of them were silent too. The atmosphere was dead and cold, and it was extremely difficult for air to flow.

“…It’s hopeless. It’s hopeless!”

Finally, Liang Jiangsheng, speechless, cast a fierce glance at the three of them and walked away. His chest heaving violently, he said, "You three should reflect on yourselves for the whole night. I can't control you evil creatures!"

Just as he was about to step out of the door, Liang Zhihui spoke and gently called him, "Dad."

The man paused.

Did Zhihui finally figure it out? He knew his daughter was the most sensible and understanding...

"Have someone close the window. It's cold."

The leather shoes that were about to turn around froze, and the next second, he quickened his pace and stepped over without hesitation.

Look at the wonderful daughter he has!

The footsteps faded away until they vanished completely. Liang Zhihui sighed, stood up slowly, and lowered the sash windows one by one, his demeanor relaxed, as if he were doing something artistic, like pruning branches.

Under Liang Jingyi's astonished gaze, the woman opened the rosewood cabinet with embossed dragon pattern beside the table, took out three blankets, and then calmly distributed them to them.

"It's cold, just cover yourself up."

After saying that, she put on her own coat, patted her suit pants, straightened out the wrinkles, and knelt down again.

Liang Ting'an took it naturally and thanked his sister with restraint: "Thank you for your hard work."

“…” Liang Jingyi was very puzzled.

Why do my second sister and eldest brother seem so skilled?

Liang Zhihui noticed something and smiled: "Who never makes mistakes? I've done this a few times before, so I'm more proficient now."

She was still sitting in a kneeling position, with her eyes slightly lowered and the corners of her lips slightly raised. The bun on the back of her head was almost in the same straight line as her back, but she didn't look forced or pretentious at all, and was noble and calm.

"As for you, besides the time during Chinese New Year, this is your first time coming to the ancestral hall at night. Aren't you scared?"

Liang Jingyi: "...There's nothing to be afraid of."

Should she be afraid of the ebony tablet or the unknown ancestral spirit? One is a dead object, the other is a dead person.

It's useless, what are you afraid of?

"It's good that you're not afraid. This way you can sleep well at night." Liang Zhihui smiled calmly. Liang Jingyi couldn't laugh. She frowned and looked at Liang Ting'an: "Brother, what are you doing?"

Liang Ting'an answered every question: "Send a message to Weiwei, telling her not to worry."

Her eyebrows tightened: "Why wasn't your phone confiscated?"

"Because I came to the ancestral hall on my own initiative," he said calmly, not looking up, "and not because I was forced to come here."

After calming the person opposite, he turned off his phone, which fell to the wooden floor with a click. "Also, I'm curious about one thing—Jingyi, where do you get the courage to do something like this at home?"

The pair of eyes that were usually calm and gentle raised their heads, looked over without emotion, and were tinged with coldness.

Liang Jingyi's behavior was inappropriate, and she knew she was in the wrong. She blinked quickly, avoiding looking at him: "...The project is done, and I'm leaving get off work early. I'm very happy."

"It seems that too much joy leads to sorrow."

Liang Zhihui rubbed his knuckles gently, feeling neither cold nor hot.

Liang Jingyi didn't continue the conversation. After a moment of silence, she asked, "So, what will Liang Jiangsheng do? Let me get out of the Liang family?"

"No. He only has three children. He can't kick them all out."

"...What about Liang Youwei? What should she do?"

"It should be fine. Liang Jiangsheng is still the chairman, but there's nothing he can do."

"Yeah." She felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the man's villa, luxury car, jewelry and high-end fashion will all be intact.

My property is saved, my job is still there, and my wife is alive. That's great, I can rest now.

Her shoulders relaxed and her eyes closed, resting.

The empty ancestral hall fell silent again.

【Author’s words】

Special channels:

One is illegal surrogacy, which is definitely not acceptable, because the Zhao and Liang families attach great importance to legality. Although these two families are generally immoral, they are very law-abiding in some aspects, such as paying taxes and having children. (I really can't write a protagonist who is stingy when it comes to paying. I hate tax evasion. Some people are really stingy the richer they are. Damn it, give me the money! I'm willing to pay!)

The second option is for one of the two girls to give birth to a child with the other's egg. However, since there is no law guaranteeing same-sex marriage in the country, neither family is willing to let their daughter take the risk of giving birth (without blood connection, there is no guarantee, and it is linked to interests. The head of the family who does not believe in love will not take risks).