"Hahaha! Yaojie, you're really amazing!" As soon as Shen Congxin and Jiang Ling stepped into the Shen residence, Shen Qianhe's loud voice reached their ears.

Shen Congxin frowned and whispered to Jiang Ling somewhat embarrassedly, "Auntie, that's just how my father is, don't mind him."

Jiang Ling thought it was a good idea. This would give Yao Jie and Shen Qianhe a good impression, and many things would be easier to resolve. Thinking of this, she shook her head and comforted him, "Your father is a man after all. He's carefree and won't pay attention to many details. I'll be here for you, so don't worry too much!"

For some reason, Shen Congxin felt at ease after hearing these words. From the day she saw Jiang Ling, she felt that this woman was different. Although she dressed simply and lived in the village, she exuded a kind of wisdom that even many ladies and young ladies from wealthy families did not possess.

Thinking of this, Shen Congxin nodded, his previous gloom gone.

"Oh dear, Congxin, my child, where have you been? I was so worried about you! You're almost of marriageable age, you can't be so willful anymore!" Shen Qianhe said, rushing forward to hug Shen Congxin as Jiang Ling and Shen Congxin returned.

Meanwhile, a hint of malice flashed in Madam Shen's eyes, who had been smiling obsequiously.

She pursed her lips and walked to Shen Qianhe's side, saying to Shen Congxin, "Congxin, your father is very worried about you. Don't run around so recklessly anymore! You..."

"If I hadn't run away, you would have married me off to Wang Xiu, wouldn't you?" Shen Congxin glanced at Madam Shen in front of her and said irritably.

Madam Shen was furious when she heard this. Sure enough, one is influenced by one's company. This little wretch has lost all manners while staying at that Madam An's house. It's true that uncouth country folk can't raise good children!

Although that's what she thought, she still put on a concerned expression and said to Shen Congxin, "Look at this child, didn't we agree not to talk about this?"

Shen Congxin glared at Madam Shen and said nothing more. Shen Qianhe was caught in the middle and felt a little awkward, especially since Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie were still there.

Shen Qianhe coughed lightly and said to Jiang Ling, "Madam, I think it's about time. I'll have the servants prepare the dishes!"

Jiang Ling nodded and said nothing more.

Although there is a rule here that men and women sit separately, today is a family banquet, and Shen Qianhe only invited Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie. If they sit separately, it will be a bit awkward and quiet. So, the men sit on one side and the women sit on the other side.

At the dinner party, Jiang Ling saw the two children born to Madam Shen. One was named Shen Congguang, who was only five or six years old this year, and the other was named Shen Conglan, who was two years younger than Shen Congxin.

When the meal began, Madam Shen immediately showed her "care" for Shen Congxin, frequently putting food on Shen Congxin's plate and asking him if he liked it. To outsiders, it looked like a picture of "a loving mother and filial son".

But feelings can't be faked, and before long, Madam Shen gave herself away.

Just as Madam Shen placed a shrimp in Shen Congxin's rice bowl, preparing to launch into her usual "caring" speech, Shen Congguang, who was eating nearby, immediately began to cry and scream. While crying, he pointed at the shrimp on the plate and yelled at Shen Congxin, "Give me what's in your bowl! Why are you eating my favorite food!"

The dinner party, which was originally filled with laughter and conversation, was immediately interrupted by the crying and fussing of a child. Jiang Ling was not surprised by this scene.

As soon as she sat down, meeting the gazes of Shen Congguang and Shen Conglan, the siblings, Jiang Ling understood the meaning of the saying "like begets like." The disdain between the two for her and Jiang Yaojie was practically written all over their faces. They looked at them as if they were uncouth country bumpkins.

Although the two of them were wearing clothes made of coarse gauze today, in the wealthy and powerful Shen family, such materials were only suitable for servants to wear. The masters, young ladies and young men naturally wore high-end clothes such as fine silk and satin.

"Cong Guang, how can you be so willful!" Shen Qianhe scolded unhappily.

Unexpectedly, Shen Congguang was not afraid of Shen Qianhe's scolding. Instead, he pointed at Shen Qianhe with his chopsticks and shouted, "Hmph! Father, you're so fierce! I don't want you as my father anymore! And my mother was right, Shen Congxin is a little bitch!"

With a "smack," Shen Qianhe slapped Shen Congguang hard across the face. At this moment, his expression was gloomy and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Is this the good son you raised?" Shen Qianhe grabbed Madam Shen's collar and pulled her up forcefully.

"Bad dad! Bad dad! Let go of my mother right now! If you don't let go, I'll go find Uncle Wei next door!" Shen Congguang shouted as he pushed Shen Qianhe.

Upon hearing her son's words, Madam Shen's face immediately changed color. She quickly scolded, "Cong Guang! Shut up! It was you who was being naughty!"

He then immediately turned to Shen Qianhe, putting on a pitiful expression, and said, "Master! Master, if you want to hit someone, hit me instead. Why are you hitting your son? He's your only son! What if you hurt him?"

His expression and tone were tearful; if Jiang Ling hadn't witnessed the whole thing, she probably would have thought that Shen Qianhe was abusing Madam Shen!

"Get out! You two get out!" Although Shen Qianhe wanted to get angry, he could only suppress his anger and yell at Jiang Ling sitting to the side.

Jiang Ling didn't care. What that brat Shen Congguang said earlier had already given her a juicy piece of gossip, and now she was hoping the Shen family would be thrown into chaos.

"I'm so sorry, Madam. It's a shame that you had to see our family in such a sorry state!" Shen Qianhe said with a guilty look as he glanced at Madam Shen, who was scrambling away with her son.

“Tsk… Father, why are you being so polite to a country bumpkin? The fabric she’s wearing… tsk tsk tsk… our family…” It was Shen Conglan who spoke, looking at Jiang Ling with displeasure and speaking sarcastically.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qianhe felt his blood pressure rise. He never imagined that his children would turn out like this—one extremely selfish, and the other looking down on others!

"Shut up!" Shen Qianhe slammed his hand on the table and yelled at Shen Conglan. Shen Conglan was startled. She glared at Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie with resentment and said nothing more.

At this moment, Shen Qianhe pointed at Shen Conglan and said angrily, "You leave too! Just like your mother!"

Shen Conglan had never suffered such humiliation in her life. Now, her father was actually scolding her in front of a country bumpkin and a country bumpkin. The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became. She glared at the two of them and muttered, "What's so great about it? Country folks probably won't even see this kind of vegetable in their entire lives!"

"You! You unfilial daughter!" Shen Qianhe roared furiously toward the door.

Seeing this scene, Shen Congxin felt somewhat uneasy. He had long known the personalities of his two half-brothers and sisters, but his father was away for many years, and the Shen family was basically managed by his stepmother. In the past, he was too weak to fight against them and could only endure it. Now that his father had seen this with his own eyes, it might not be a bad thing.

Shen Congxin walked to Shen Qianhe's side and comforted him, "Father, don't upset yourself! Madam An and Jiang Yaojie are still here!"