Chapter 346: Instructions
Only grandma and Chi Wenyan watched the scene silently with concern in their eyes.
Ji Wan took a deep breath, put down his chopsticks, looked at Shang Tong's provocative eyes, and an unyielding determination surged in his heart.
Facing Shang Tong's provocation, Ji Wan smiled calmly and put down his chopsticks gracefully.
"Tongtong, you are right, etiquette is indeed very important."
Her voice was soft, yet filled with a confidence that could not be ignored. "However, I'm afraid you have some misunderstandings about family etiquette."
Shang Tong raised her eyebrows, her tone full of sarcasm, "Oh? Please give me some advice, Sister Ji."
Ji Wan said calmly, "In traditional families, there's a clear hierarchy of seniority and respect. As your cousin's wife, if I bypassed your grandmother and aunt to serve you, a junior, it would be disrespectful to the elders and an encroachment on family order."
She turned to her grandmother and said respectfully, "Grandma, is that right?"
Grandma's eyes flashed with appreciation, and she nodded slowly, "Wanwan is right. The most important thing about family etiquette is respecting the elders and loving the young. The rules must not be broken."
Shang Tong's face turned ugly in an instant. She obviously didn't expect Ji Wan to fight back against her using family etiquette.
She smiled awkwardly, "I was just joking, don't take it seriously, Sister Ji."
Seeing this, Shang Yunmin quickly came to the rescue, "Yes, Tongtong is still young, it's normal that she doesn't understand these rules. Come on, let's eat."
Chi Lin watched this scene from the side, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He didn't expect Ji Wan to be able to resolve the provocation so easily, without losing face or hurting the relationship.
Is this the Ji Wan he is familiar with?
Just as everyone was about to continue their meal, an old man walked into the restaurant.
This person is none other than Shang Jia’s grandfather, Shang Yunmin’s father, and the actual person in charge of the family.
"Dad." Shang Yunmin stood up in surprise. "Why did you come downstairs? Didn't you say you were not feeling well and wanted to rest upstairs?"
The old man waved his hand and said, "I heard an argument downstairs. I was worried, so I came down to check." He glanced sharply at the dining table, finally stopping at Shang Tong, "What happened just now?"
Shang Tong suddenly became nervous, "Grandpa, I...I was just joking with Sister Ji..."
"Are you kidding?" The old man snorted coldly, "You're making fun of family etiquette? Tongtong, aren't you being too presumptuous?"
Shang Tong was so frightened that his face turned pale and he lowered his head, not daring to speak.
"Grandpa, don't blame Tongtong," Chi Wenyan suddenly said, "She is still young and naive. Just let her apologize this time and be more careful next time."
The old man glanced at Chi Wenyan, and the anger in his eyes subsided a little. "For Wen Yan's sake, I will forgive you this time. Tongtong, apologize to Ji Wan."
Shang Tong stood up unwillingly, "Sister Ji, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Ji Wan smiled and nodded, "It's okay, Tongtong is still young, just study hard in the future."
There was a flash of resentment in Shang Tong's eyes, but he still looked apologetic on the surface.
The old man nodded with satisfaction and sat down at the dining table. "Let's continue eating."
The dinner that followed took place in a relatively peaceful atmosphere, but undercurrents were stirring, and everyone was careful to maintain superficial harmony.
After dinner, the old man suggested that the men go to the study to drink tea, while the women stayed in the living room to chat.
Before leaving, Chi Lin looked at Ji Wan meaningfully, as if reminding her of something.
In the living room, Shang Yunmin served exquisite refreshments and greeted everyone warmly, especially Shang Tong, asking about her well-being and deliberately ignoring Ji Wan.
Ji Wan didn't care. He just sat quietly beside his grandmother, occasionally interjecting a few words.
"Wanwan," Shang Yunmin suddenly turned to Ji Wan with a fake smile on her face, "Don't you like flowers? I'll ask Aunt Zhang to take you to the backyard. The newly planted peonies are in full bloom this year."
Ji Wan instinctively felt a little uneasy, but in front of her elders, she couldn't refuse, so she could only nod and say thank you, "Thank you, Auntie."
An older servant came forward and said, "Young Madam, please follow me."
Ji Wan followed Aunt Zhang out of the living room, through the corridor, and into the backyard. There were indeed various flowers planted in the yard, but Aunt Zhang didn't stop. Instead, she continued walking forward. "The most beautiful peonies are by the lake, Madam."
Ji Wan became increasingly puzzled, but still followed him to the small pavilion by the lake. There were indeed a few peonies there, but they were past their blooming season, leaving only green leaves.
"Auntie Zhang, these peonies don't seem to be in bloom." Ji Wan said puzzledly.
"I'm sorry, Madam," Aunt Zhang said apologetically, "I remembered it wrong. I'll go back first. You can enjoy it slowly." After that, she hurried away.
Ji Wan sensed something was wrong and was about to leave when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
"Sister Ji, are you here alone?" Shang Tong's voice sounded with obvious provocation.
Ji Wan turned around and saw Shang Tong standing not far away with an undisguised malice on his face.
"Tongtong, is there something wrong?" Ji Wan asked vigilantly.
Shang Tong sneered, "Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you. Sister Ji, you are really good at pretending. You act like a virtuous woman in front of the elders, but secretly you seduce my cousin and uncle."
Ji Wan frowned, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Stop pretending." Shang Tong suddenly raised her voice. "Everyone can see that you're interested in my uncle. That bouquet of blue roses today, and the flirting between you two, do you really think we're blind?"
Ji Wan took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "Tongtong, you misunderstood. Chi Wenyan and I are just ordinary friends. The bouquet of flowers was just to thank him for saving my mother."
"Thank you?" Shang Tong laughed sarcastically. "A woman of low birth like you relied on seductive tactics to climb into a wealthy family, and now you're still not satisfied and want to seduce my uncle?"
Ji Wan's expression turned cold, "Tongtong, you've gone too far."
"Too much?" Shang Tong approached, her eyes filled with malice. "Do you know what your family thinks of you? A disgrace to the Shang family, a vixen who only knows how to seduce men."
As he said that, Shang Tong suddenly stretched out his hand and pushed Ji Wan, "Get out of the store."
Ji Wan didn't expect her to suddenly attack. He staggered backward and was about to fall into the lake.
At the critical moment, Ji Wan reacted quickly, grabbed Shang Tong's wrist and pulled hard.
"ah."
With a scream, the two fell into the lake at the same time, splashing huge water.
The lake water was icy cold. Ji Wan struggled to float to the surface and choked on the water several times.
Not far away, Shang Tong was also struggling in the water and screaming.
she shouted, her voice thick with fear and anger.
"Help. Help. Ji Wan pushed me into the water."
Soon, everyone in the old house was alarmed and ran to the lake.
Chi Lin and Chi Wenyan arrived first, and seeing the two people in the lake, they jumped in without saying a word. Chi Lin swam towards Shang Tong, while Chi Wenyan went straight to Ji Wan.
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