Upon hearing this, a look of disgust flashed across Huang Xiaosan's face. "What's he doing here?"

“You all better behave yourselves,” Jiang Nuan warned. “If you can’t learn to hide it, then stay away. Don’t act like someone owes you a debt.”

“Mother,” Huang Xiaosan stood up, “Father-in-law hasn’t taken his medicine yet, I’ll go and take it to him.”

"I'm going to feed Xiao Liu some hay."

"I'm going to clean the pigsty!"

Before long, all three brothers made excuses and slipped away.

"What about you?" Jiang Nuan turned to her three daughters-in-law. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"No," Madam Xie raised her chin, "I want to see what kind of trouble this man is up to this time?"

"I also want to know if Master feels even a little guilty," Wang said in a low voice, "Does he have any affection for Father at all?"

“Alright,” Jiang Nuan nodded, “Remember not to say anything carelessly. I reckon your grandfather probably knows the news has spread and is feeling uneasy, so he’s testing us!”

"Don't worry, Mother," Xie patted her chest and assured her, "We know what we're doing."

Upon seeing Jiang Chao open the door, Old Man Huang's displeasure was fleeting, but he concealed it well. A moment later, he smiled and asked, "Young man of the Jiang family, where is Xiao Chuan?"

“He has something to do,” Jiang Chao asked with a half-smile. “Old man, what? Is only my cousin qualified to open the door for you? Am I doing you a disservice?”

Jiang Chao looked down on the old man in front of him.

He had seen plenty of ruthless people; there were even more biased people in Jiangjiazhuang than him, but no one was as hypocritical as him.

He was clearly biased to the extreme, yet he acted as if he were very fair, treating both sons well, even giving the impression of favoring his uncle. Anyone unaware of the true situation would think the old man was kind and generous. But in reality…

This attitude is truly disgusting.

The Huang family needed to be patient because of filial piety, but he didn't.

Although he was a junior, he was a member of the Jiang family, and the old man dared not go too far.

“How could that be?” Old Huang paused for a moment, then explained with a smile, “Xiao Chuan usually opens the door, but today I felt something was off and asked. Look at you, you’re just like your grandma, you explode at the slightest provocation.”

“I see,” Jiang Chao turned to the side. “It seems I misunderstood you. Please come in.”

Jiang Chao's unusual behavior aroused Old Man Huang's suspicion. He tentatively asked, "Young Jiang, have you heard those rumors going around outside?"

Jiang Chao's expression was calm, and his tone was indifferent. "What does the old man mean?"

"Nothing?" Old Huang felt he was overthinking things. "If you didn't hear it, then forget it. There were some jealous people making snide remarks after we got up. Don't pay any attention to them."

"Grandpa, are you referring to the people who said the Huang family mistreated Aunt's family?" He glanced at the guilty-looking Old Man Huang and asked unhurriedly, "Isn't that true?"

One sentence left Old Man Huang speechless.

Everyone knows the truth of this matter; it's not something that Old Man Huang can easily distort with a few words.

After a long silence, he stammered out a sentence, "The entire Huang family will remember their contributions. Rest assured, the Huang family will not mistreat its heroes."

“Isn’t this considered unfair treatment?” Jiang Chao gave Old Man Huang a strange look. “Old man, your definition of ‘not unfair treatment’ is a bit too broad.”

These words left Old Man Huang speechless, his face showing displeasure, but he finally held back, saying, "You're too young to understand. I'm just doing this for their own good."

After saying this, fearing that Jiang Chao might say something else that would embarrass him, he quickly entered the hall.

“Dad’s here,” Jiang Nuan greeted him with a smile. “Please have a seat, I’ll go get you a cup of tea.”

"Don't bother, I'm not thirsty."

Old Huang sat down, head down, without saying a word.

Old Huang remained silent, and Jiang Nuan paid no attention, calmly drinking her tea, completely unmoved.

Jiang Nuan remained silent, which made Old Man Huang impatient.

She sighed softly, then spoke quietly, "In the blink of an eye, you've been married into the Huang family for over twenty years."

That melancholic tone was infectious.

Jiang Nuan didn't answer, letting Old Man Huang continue talking, even putting her teacup on the coffee table and pretending to listen attentively.

She really wanted to know what the old man was trying to say.

Jiang Nuan didn't respond as he expected, so Old Man Huang had to bite the bullet and continue, "When you first came, you were a delicate little girl, so gentle and weak. After you kowtowed, you said you would treat us like your own parents. That made me laugh. Such a sensible little girl, we're not going to treat you like our own daughter."

Playing the emotional card?

Jiang Nuan raised her eyebrows, remained silent, and showed no change in expression.

It was completely different from what he had expected, and Old Man Huang was somewhat unhappy.

He didn't respond to a single word, making him feel like he was performing a one-man show, and even doubting whether his little thoughts were being seen through.

She almost lost her smile.

Clearing his throat twice to cover his embarrassment, Old Man Huang decided to stop talking nonsense. "Yaya, the villagers are jealous of our second branch of the family, so it's inevitable that they'll say some unpleasant things. Don't take it to heart."

"Yes, daughter-in-law knows."

He spoke in a calm tone, then looked at Old Man Huang questioningly.

It seems like they're asking if you came here just to say this?

Upon hearing the answer, Old Man Huang scrutinized his daughter-in-law, a question creeping into his mind: Could it be that there really was no news?

No, we need to try again.

"Yaya," Old Man Huang said earnestly, "Xiao Chuan and the others are not young anymore. While I can still move around, I should take care of them for a few years and teach them how to conduct themselves in society, so that they won't suffer losses in the future."

"Thank you for your kindness, Father," Jiang Nuan smiled, her eyes free of any gloom. "I have already arranged for a chef from the prefectural city to arrive today."

"Look at my memory," Old Huang slapped his forehead, "I actually forgot such an important thing."

"fine!"

"Instead of letting Dashan stay at home all day doing nothing, he might as well learn something."

"Can."

Old Huang thought about Jiang Nuan's attitude carefully. It hadn't changed much from before, and there wasn't the kind of rejection he had imagined. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

However, he was still worried. "Dashan has suffered too. He married such an unreliable woman as Qin. They have been married for so many years and still don't have a child. I wonder if he will end up with no one to see him off in his old age."

"Dad, you're overthinking it. Dashan is still young; he'll have children."

"Isn't this just in case?" Old Huang sighed. "Thinking about this makes my heart ache. Xiao Chuan and his family are living a prosperous life, and their children are all so lively. That's what's good."

“If Father wants to hold his grandson soon,” Jiang Nuan chuckled, “then hurry up and arrange a new bride for Da Shan. It’s perfect timing, there have been so many troubles lately, we need a happy occasion to cleanse our minds.”

“That’s true,” Old Man Huang shook his head. “I’m just afraid that if I marry another woman, she’ll end up like Qin, unable to conceive for many years.”