Chapter 59 Sending the Most Expensive Wreath
"Brother Jiang, the paternity test results are in. When would you like to come and pick them up?"
The aunt's loud and boisterous voice came through the phone; you could tell she was very excited.
Jiang Chengli's hand holding the cup trembled slightly, and the warm water inside dampened his sleeve. "I understand. I'll contact you when I get to Liangcheng."
Thinking about the final payment that was about to be received, the aunt couldn't help but remind him, "Don't forget that."
"Won't."
Jiang Chengli hung up the phone very calmly, took out his suitcase and started packing, but his clenched teeth betrayed his excitement, his slightly disordered steps showed his urgency, and his wet cuffs made him very uncomfortable, so he roughly took off his pullover sweater and threw it on the chair.
Just then, Jiang's mother came in to give Jiang Chengli some dried clothes, which he took and stuffed into his suitcase.
Jiang's mother was taken aback. "Second son, are you leaving? Aren't you going to stay a few more days?"
This son has been married for almost 8 years and has only come back once. Is he leaving again?
"Yes, I still have things to take care of when I get back to Haishi." Jiang Chengli closed his suitcase, took out a wad of cash from his pocket, about five or six thousand yuan, and said, "Mom, you can keep this."
Jiang's mother quickly stuffed the money back into his hands, saying, "Mom doesn't want it. We have enough to eat and drink at home, and we grow our own food and drink. We don't need much money. Besides, we have your older brother and younger brother. You can take the money back yourself."
"Take it if I give it to you."
Jiang Chengli didn't like this kind of rejection. He knew that his family was short of money. His eldest brother and third brother were honest farmers who could only work as laborers with bricklayers in the village, and even that was not a regular job.
"Besides, isn't Dad sick? Take him to the county hospital for a thorough check-up."
Jiang's mother still refused to accept the money. "Your father's illness is chronic; he doesn't need a checkup and will be fine in a few days. This money is really unnecessary, and besides, in your current state... it will be difficult for you to find a job in the future. You can't rely entirely on the Yan family to support you; that would be..." What was going on?
Jiang Chengli, deeply hurt by his mother's words, raised his hand and smashed the cup on the table. *Smash!*
Jiang's mother was startled and trembled. The rest of the Jiang family was also attracted by the commotion inside the house.
Jiang Chengli's sarcastic gaze swept over them one by one. "No money? Why would you call me if you didn't want money? I'm not a god. Do you think coming back to see Dad will cure his illness?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Jiang couldn't catch his breath, clutched his chest, and collapsed. His wide eyes remained fixed on Jiang Chengli, filled with heartache, disappointment, pain, regret, and even guilt...
"dad!"
"dad!"
"grandfather!"
"Oh, the big tree..."
The room erupted into chaos, and Jiang Chengli remained silent. What had he done?
The Jiang family rushed their father to the hospital, but he died before they even left the village.
Yan Songyu was nestled on the sofa in Feng Yujing's penthouse, waiting to be fed, when she was quite surprised to see the name Jiang Chengli on her phone.
Wearing a pink bunny apron, Feng Yu placed a large bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup on the table. "Whose call was that? Why didn't you answer?"
"Someone we all hate."
Ignoring the phone on the coffee table, Yan Songyu ran barefoot towards the dining table, but after only two steps, Feng Yu picked her up around the waist. "Even though the room is warm with underfloor heating, you still need to wear shoes."
Feng Yu carried her to a chair at the dining table and put her down. He then got some slippers for Yan Songyu to put on. "We'll go buy a carpet this afternoon and cover the whole house with it. Then you can run around barefoot as you please."
Yan Songyu swung her foot and gently kicked Feng Yu's shin. "I grant your permission."
The two were enjoying their soup together, but the incessant ringing of the phone in the living room was ruining the atmosphere. Yan Songyu picked up the phone, turned on the speakerphone, and threw it on the table, looking very impatient. "What is it?"
"Xiaoyu, my father has passed away." Jiang Chengli's voice was a little hoarse.
Yan Songyu: ?
Given their current relationship, does he really think he can find comfort in her? Didn't he see everything at the hot spring that night? Or is he trying to play the victim with her?
"Oh, I see. I'm too busy at work to come. I'll have someone send the most expensive large wreath."
Although Jiang Chengli had already guessed Yan Songyu's attitude, hearing this answer still stirred up a silent anger in his heart! His parents treated Yan Songyu quite well, yet she spoke so casually, even with a hint of schadenfreude!
After waiting for a long time without a reply, Yan Songyu was about to hang up when Feng Yu suddenly spoke up: "Songyu..."
"I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."
Yan Songyu appeared flustered. After hanging up the phone, she immediately caught the mixed shrimp that Feng Yu fed her, saying, "Fresh, fragrant, and tender, it's delicious! It's just like Aunt Liu's 30-year-old skills. I think you should open a restaurant."
Having received the highest leader's approval, Feng Yu was overjoyed and wanted to wag his tail, but unfortunately he didn't. "Then eat more, and I'll cook more for you in the future."
"However... Jiang Chengli seems to have a deep affection for his father."
“How should I put it?” Yan Songyu rested his chin on his hand holding the chopsticks and thought for a moment. “He hates his family of origin for holding him back and desperately wants to get away from them, but they are his roots and his only real home. So, rationally he wants to get away, but emotionally he will unconsciously get closer. So he can never get rid of them.”
In her past life, she poured her heart out to him, gave him a second home, allowed him to settle down in Haishi, and gave him the confidence to face everything. In this life, he should just accept his fate.
However, she did not think that the Chiang family was as greedy as Chiang Cheng-li claimed.
In his previous life, Jiang's father also suffered a sudden heart attack not long after, but his condition was brought under control. Jiang Chengli took his father to Haishi for surgery. After recovering, he returned to Xiaoxigou, fearing that he would be a burden to his son. He lived for more than ten years afterward.
At the funeral, Jiang Chengli stood outside the mourning hall, his gaze passing through the crowd and landing on the portrait. He was still in a daze. Was that taciturn man who had suffered his whole life but held up this family just gone like that? Just because of one sentence he said?
No, no, he already had heart disease and was old, how can you blame him?
In order to protect Chiang Cheng-li's image, Chiang's mother ordered the family not to reveal the truth about Chiang's father's death, only saying that it was a heart attack. But for some reason, the story of Chiang Cheng-li angering his father to death still spread everywhere.
From whispering behind his back to openly despising Jiang Chengli, after becoming a live-in son-in-law, Jiang Chengli was also accused of causing his father's death. His reputation in Xiaoxigou was completely ruined.
Yan Songyu kept his word, so a strange man in a suit and tie appeared at Jiang's father's funeral. With a wave of his hand, the people behind him placed the most expensive and largest wreaths in front of the Jiang family's door.
The whispers and murmurs of the onlookers grew louder.
"Is this the person from the second son of the Jiang family who came to visit? Why didn't his daughter-in-law come?"
"She's a young lady from Haishi, how could she possibly condescend to come in person? She's only come once in all these years for her wedding, she must look down on our remote mountain village."
...
Jiang Chengli coldly watched as the man entered the mourning hall and lit an incense stick, while his mother wiped away her tears and listened to the man speak.
"Madam, I am very sorry, the incident happened so suddenly. Ms. Yan was unable to leave her post, so she asked me to come and offer my condolences on her behalf."
You slut! You whore! You hypocrite! You fake benevolence!
Jiang Chengli wanted nothing more than to rush up and yell at her. Couldn't she even make a phone call if she couldn't come in person? Besides... on the day he announced the death, she was still having an affair with her lover!
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