Aunt Li had mentioned it to her a while ago: Boss Jiang had been currying favor with people in the county government and had actually managed to get a job as a yamen runner.
Although yamen runners are actually at the bottom of the food chain in the county government, they are still people in the government office, and they are very powerful outside.
Uncle Li and Aunt Li are not from the same clan, yet they hold a prominent position in Jiangjia Village simply because their only son works in the county government.
Gu An'an had previously dealt with Old Lady Jiang by slapping her dozens of times without holding back, partly because Old Lady Jiang wasn't in the village.
Although Jiang Lao Er shouted loudly, he was not very dangerous.
It turned out to be Boss Jiang who came.
Gu An'an felt a little wary, but then a smile appeared on her face. "I came to the cellar to see if there was any food left, but Mingyi is a clean freak and doesn't want to go down. Big brother, why don't you go down and check for me?"
Jiang Yongshan frowned upon hearing this, but before he could speak, his sister-in-law, who was following behind, came in. "Your older brother is a man of some standing in the county town. How can you have the nerve to order him down to the cellar to get you sweet potatoes?"
No one in the family would let her husband do heavy work.
Can those who are in charge be treated the same?
Gu An'an just wanted to roll her eyes.
Sure enough, she knew this would happen.
Is it really necessary? He's just a clerk in the county government office, and he'd probably be ordered around by the county magistrate's daughter and wife. But here he's acting like a big shot.
Gu An'an found it extremely amusing, but put on an apologetic expression, "I didn't know that my brother is not what he used to be. Please don't take offense, brother and sister-in-law."
Jiang's sister-in-law glanced at her flustered sister-in-law. She looked around but didn't see the chicken or anything the second son and his wife had mentioned.
However, given the freezing weather, they were probably indoors.
“Your eldest brother heard that you built a kang (heated brick bed) at home and that it works quite well, so he came over to take a look. He was thinking that if it’s really good, he’ll get one for Mom too.” Sister-in-law Jiang emphasized, “Even though he’s not at home, he’s thinking about Mom and Dad.”
Unlike some people who only care about their own enjoyment and don't think about their parents at all.
Gu An'an could easily misunderstand the implied meaning.
She pretended not to understand. "Yes, yes, yes, my elder brother is the most filial son. He works in the county government and is paid by the court. In the future, our child will have to rely on him to go to school and learn to read. By the way, elder brother and sister-in-law, you see, my Mingyi is not young anymore. I was thinking of sending him to a private school after the New Year. My elder brother is a high-ranking official in the government and has a lot of influence. Could you help introduce him to someone?"
Jiang's sister-in-law immediately sensed what was going on in her brother's wife's mind.
Dream on!
"Master Zheng of the private school is most reluctant to deal with people from the government. If your elder brother goes, it will only delay Mingyi's enrollment even more."
Jiang Yongshan watched coldly, noticing that his brother's wife was quite eloquent. He glanced at her and then his gaze fell on his eldest nephew. "Mingyi wants to go to a private school?"
Jiang Mingyi looked at the elder calmly without saying a word.
Gu An'an wasn't quite sure what the grudge was between the two, but she sensed that Boss Jiang's tone was unfriendly, very unfriendly indeed.
"Yes, it's never too late to learn and understand principles. There's a wealth of knowledge in books. Maybe in the future, when our Mingyi passes the imperial examinations, he won't have to be so unambitious as to covet other people's meager earnings."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingyi's gaze swept over Gu An'an. Even though he knew that the person was referring to his two uncles and aunts, using him as an example was still quite unpleasant.
Gu An'an pretended not to notice and smiled as she looked at Sister-in-law Jiang and Jiang Yongshan, whose expressions were not very pleasant.
She stepped forward and led the two into the house. “Brother and sister-in-law, please wait a moment. There’s not much food at home, the children are hungry, and we don’t have the strength to shovel snow. It’s all my fault as their mother. I can’t even support myself, and I don’t know how long I can raise these children.”
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, causing Jiang Yongshan to frown.
However, he didn't respond to that comment.
Jiang Yongshan wasn't really interested in coming here, but his wife kept urging him on.
He glanced casually at the kang (a heated brick bed), and saw that the two children playing on the bed were trembling with fear at the sight of him.
Jiang Yongshan's expression was not good. "It's stuffy inside, I'll go out first."
Jiang's wife looked at her husband as he left, a hint of panic in her eyes. She looked around but didn't see any chickens or ducks, so she quickly went out as well.
But as soon as she went out, she saw that brat Jiang Mingyi blocking her husband's way. She didn't know what the boy said, but when Jiang's wife went over, she saw that her husband's face had lost all color.
Jiang Mingyi, however, remained calm. "I believe my uncle doesn't want to lose this job, so he will definitely help me get it done, right?"
Is this actually blackmailing her man?
Sister-in-law Jiang immediately flew into a rage, "You brat, how dare you speak to your uncle like that?"
Jiang Mingyi looked at the fierce-looking woman with a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Uncle should really teach Aunt a lesson. When choosing a wife, one should choose a virtuous one. If she only knows how to cause trouble, she might bring bad luck and ruin her future one day because of this talkative woman."
He even lectured me!
Jiang's wife immediately flew into a rage and raised her hand to hit someone, but Jiang Yongshan grabbed her arm and dragged her outside, saying, "Let's go."
Gu An'an happened to witness this scene and asked curiously, "What did you say to him that scared him?"
The young man smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I'll go to the cellar and catch a chicken. We'll stew chicken for lunch."
He emphasized the cellar quite forcefully, but Gu An'an was thick-skinned and didn't take it to heart at all.
Outside the courtyard.
Jiang Yongshan grabbed his wife and walked quite a distance before slowing down.
Jiang's wife, her wrists aching from being gripped so tightly, broke free from her husband's grasp. "Jiang Yongshan, are you crazy? That brat threatened you, why are you grabbing me?"
If you're so capable, go and beat that brat up!
The woman's incessant chatter finally made Jiang Yongshan yell, "Shut up!"
He suddenly roared, which startled Sister-in-law Jiang.
The woman, who had been complaining incessantly, shivered and looked at the man with a hint of fear. "What's wrong with you? What did that brat say to you just now?"
What was said?
Jiang Yongshan recalled that his eldest nephew's gaze was like that of a hawk, which made him feel a chill down his spine for some reason. "Uncle, I remember that Father left some silver for us siblings when he sent us back."
The young man's voice was chilling, even colder than the wind and snow. "I was too young to remember clearly before, but I remember that when he brought Bao'er back, he left you three hundred taels of silver."
"Of those three hundred taels of silver, less than one-tenth was spent on my brother and me. If this gets back to the yamen, I think there will be someone who is even more interested in that money than I am."
Even though he had long since left the dilapidated courtyard, Jiang Yongshan was still filled with unease. "He actually knew that the third brother had left us some money!"
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