Ruan Congzhao booked a dinner at Xiankeju, but in the end he was unable to eat it. The Ruan family’s old house called and said that they had prepared a sumptuous dinner and invited the third master to come back.
Today is the first day in Gangcheng. It is reasonable for Ruan Yuanjiang to go back and have dinner with Ruan Jingguo.
"this--"
Ruan Yuanjiang was a little conflicted. On one side was his second brother, with whom he hadn't seen each other for decades, and on the other side were his second sister-in-law and his beloved granddaughter. He was caught in a dilemma.
"Third brother, just go back. You two brothers haven't had a good reunion for a while. Just think about what I just said to you." Xue Ning smiled. Although she has almost no contact with that side now, the third brother has nothing to do with this matter from beginning to end, and she will not vent her anger on him.
"I, I'd better stay and accompany my second aunt." Ruan Ruan was raised by Xue Ning personally over the years, and she has little affection for the old house. Although grandfather is very important, second aunt is also very important. Now that everyone has left, second aunt is left alone at home, and no one knows when her aunt will come back. How lonely she must be.
"Okay, I'll come over early tomorrow morning and take Ruan Ruan for a walk outside." This was the only way, Ruan Yuanjiang sighed and said. The car of the old house also arrived at the door, so Ruan Yuanjiang took Jiang Yiluo into the car.
No one knows where Huo Wu and Ruan Kenan went, and they haven't returned yet.
*******
"Third uncle, third grandfather."
When they arrived, a bunch of people were already sitting in the room. After they went in, they stood up in groups of three or four and greeted Ruan Yuanjiang.
The children of the fifth elder brother of Ruan Jingguo's second and third wives were married off, and all the children were called back by Ruan Jingguo today, just to let his younger brother recognize them. Fortunately, except for the eldest son of the second wife, Ruan Yuanpeng, who gave birth to a son, he was still young and had been fed dinner by the nanny early, and now he fell asleep in his room. The other peers did not have children yet, so Ruan Yuanjiang did not get too confused.
Ruan Ningning, the youngest daughter of the third wife, is only 22 years old this year, younger than Ruan Yuanqing's son. Because she is the youngest and a daughter, she is extremely favored. Even with the third wife's advice, she still can't suppress her spoiled look. With a pair of phoenix eyes, she greeted him briefly and sat down on the chair again.
"The children have all grown up. When we parted ways, I was probably not much older than them. My eldest brother went to the United States, and I came to Hong Kong City, leaving you alone in the inland. You have suffered a lot these years."
Ruan Jingguo sat at the head of the dining table, and Ruan Yuanjiang sat next to him. When they separated, they were both in their prime. Now looking at them, their faces are full of wrinkles, and one foot is half in the coffin. No one knows when the King of Hell will summon them. Time is really unforgiving.
To be honest, he and his elder brother both felt guilty towards this younger brother. After all, given the situation at the time, they knew well how much pressure the younger brother who stayed in the inland was under. Even though they left the most property to the younger brother to make up for it, in that environment, no matter how much property he had, it was just a drop in the bucket and was of little use.
Now, he and his eldest brother have many children and grandchildren, and have made a name for themselves in the world. However, his younger brother, who is as talented and intelligent as them, now only has one granddaughter, Ruan Ruan, by his side. She can't often be by his side, and he is almost alone. In his career, he is just an ordinary university professor, and his life may pass by like this.
If you put yourself in Ruan Jingguo's shoes, he probably wouldn't be able to accept this outcome.
"All these years, I am grateful to my second brother for taking care of Ruan Ruan. As long as she is well, my life will not have been lived in vain." Ruan Yuanjiang spent the first half of his life for the cause of his family and country. He lost his most beloved son. In the second half of his life, he just wanted to be a little selfish, not get involved in those things, and live well for his granddaughter.
"Haha." Ruan Jingguo smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's not my credit, it's all thanks to your second sister-in-law."
As soon as Ruan Ruan was brought to Gangcheng, she was taken to Xue Ning by Ruan Yuanqing for upbringing. At that time, Ruan Jingguo had his own thoughts and wanted to use this girl to reconcile with Xue Ning, so he did not stop her. However, his plan was wrong. Over the years, not only did he rarely see Xue Ning, but he also saw Ruan Ruan only a few times.
But he knew that Xue Ning loved that girl very much, and with Ruan Ruan by his side, Xue Ning would be happier.
"It's not easy for the second sister-in-law." Ruan Yuanjiang took a sip of wine and expressed his position implicitly. The second and third concubines sitting next to him both changed their expressions slightly.
"It's not that hard for an auntie. When a man becomes rich, he will marry a few concubines. Only she is so desperate. She wants to separate and make a fool of herself."
In just a short while, Ruan Ningning had already drunk several glasses of red wine, and her face was flushed. The young man sitting next to her smiled embarrassedly at the people at the table, reached out to snatch the wine glass from her hand, and stopped her from drinking anymore.
"Ningning has been in a bad mood recently and was talking nonsense when she was drunk. Sorry." Looking at the way he nodded and bowed, it was obvious that he had a low status in the family and was completely suppressed by Ruan Ningning.
"Why are you stopping me? I didn't say anything wrong. It's just that she was making such a fuss that other people looked at my second mother and my mother in a strange way, as if my mother forced her to leave. What kind of wife would be like her? She's so reluctant. Get a divorce as soon as possible and make way for someone else."
“Nonsense!”
As soon as Ruan Ningning finished speaking, Ruan Jingguo slammed the table heavily and roared at her. There was a sudden silence, and the slight drunkenness that Ruan Ningning had felt instantly disappeared. She held the wine glass, lowered her head, and dared not speak again.
"Jingguo, this girl is drunk. I'll wait for her to go back to her room to wash her face and sober up." Feng Wu stood up apologetically and pulled her dejected daughter into the room.
"Hmph, I think she is quite drunk. Don't come out. Just rest in the room." Ruan Jingguo said with a stern face and expressionless face.
"That's right. If aunt had you in her heart, why would she make our Ruan family lose face?" Ruan Ningning was spoiled by her nature and would not tolerate soft words or hard ones. After Ruan Jingguo said this, she became even more stubborn.
"You--" Ruan Jingguo was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, pointing at his little daughter who held her head high and refused to admit her mistake, not knowing what to say.
"Jingguo, actually what Ningning said is not wrong." Cai Shaoyun's eyes flickered slightly, and he calmed him down, saying, "Eldest sister and you are a young couple, and you were not born in those small families. She should understand things better than me and my third sister. Listen to what people are saying about me and my third sister, and what they are saying about you, tsk tsk."
Cai Shaoyun shook her head: "My third sister and I can understand that our eldest sister is dissatisfied with us, but now she is avoiding you, and people outside are saying that..." She hesitated to speak, as if she had something to hide.
"What did you say?" Ruan Jingguo's anger gradually calmed down, and he asked in a cold voice.
"They say that the eldest sister doesn't have you in her heart at all. She is only wasting time with you for the sake of the Ruan family's property. Old man, I am not making this up. If you go out and ask around, you will find that everyone says so." Cai Shaoyun saw that Ruan Jingguo was showing signs of getting angry again, and hurriedly explained.
Ruan Yuanjiang and Jiang Yiliu watched this and finally understood that Xue Ning would rather move out than live in this big house. These two women are more scheming than each other, and they probably stir up trouble every day. Ruan Yuanjiang is a little worried that sooner or later, his second brother will be led into trouble by those people with bad intentions.
Jiang Yilu had the same doubts. Seeing the behavior of the second and third houses, he vaguely guessed that the reason why only the descendants of the second and third houses appeared in the inheritance disputes in the future, but the first house was rarely heard of, was probably related to their day and night instigation.
Jiang Yilu didn't think that there was anything wrong with what Grandma Xue did. Besides, he was on good terms with the eldest branch of the Ruan family, so he naturally wouldn't want to see something that clearly belonged to them being given away to other people for nothing.
"Second Grandfather, I am an outsider. Logically, I shouldn't interfere in your family affairs. But I have a different opinion on what the two aunts said just now."
Jiang Yilu has had little presence since he entered the door. Although he is nominally the godson of Ruan Yuanjiang, he has no connection with other members of the Ruan family. Everyone subconsciously blocked him, but when they heard him speak at this time, they were slightly surprised.
"In ancient times, there was a famous prime minister named Fang Xuanling. Along with his political achievements, his reputation as a henpecked woman has also been passed down through the ages. When Emperor Taizong of Tang wanted to help him, he wanted to give him a beautiful concubine, but Fang Xuanling's wife flatly refused. Emperor Taizong was furious and gave Mrs. Fang poisoned wine and asked her to make a choice, either die or accept those concubines. Mrs. Fang drank the poisoned wine without thinking. Emperor Taizong was horrified and said that he was afraid of such a woman, let alone Prime Minister Fang. Of course, the wine was just vinegar, not poison, and Mrs. Fang was safe and sound. From then on, the allusion of jealousy being "jealousy" came into being."
Jiang Yiliu spoke slowly and looked at Ruan Jingguo with sincerity: "If it's just like what Second Aunt said, it's just for money, Grandma Xue can stay in the old house. She is the wife of the first house, and you, Second Grandpa, love her so much. No one can surpass her. But in Grandma Xue's heart, there are things more important than money."
"I'm a man and don't understand women's thoughts, but if I put myself in their shoes, I can't share the same woman with anyone else. The same goes for Grandma Xue. It's because she has you in her heart that she doesn't want to see other women around you. No woman can be generous enough to live in harmony with her husband's other women. If there is, that love must not be pure enough."
Jiang Yilu was lying with his eyes open. In his opinion, Grandma Xue had really let it go and moved out of the old house simply because she felt disgusted. However, Ruan Jingguo liked to hear this. As long as he believed it, he would only feel more guilty towards the first wife. Even if Cai Shaoyun and Feng Wu said something later, he would consider it carefully.
Moreover, his previous remarks also took the opportunity to discredit the second and third rooms. Xue Ning didn't want to share because of love, but the second and third rooms lived in harmony, so it must be for money.
Everyone present understood what he meant. Cai Shaoyun's face turned pale and he glared at Jiang Yilu fiercely. Feng Wu was more restrained and still maintained a gentle smile. It seemed that she did not understand Jiang Yilu's hidden meaning. Her dark eyes made it impossible to see the expression in her well-maintained face.
"Is it really like that?" Regardless of whether Jiang Yilu's words were true or false, at least they touched Ruan Jingguo's heart. Judging from his thoughts, Xue Ning certainly loved him, but Jiang Yilu's words made him feel even more indebted to Xue Ning.
When they got married, he promised that he would only have her for his whole life, but he still broke his promise.
Ruan Jingguo sighed. He had whitewashed Xue Ning's seclusion over the years without a single complaint. All that was left was guilt and sadness.
Ruan Jingguo breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and secretly laughed in his heart as he looked at Jiang Yilu standing beside him. He didn't know what was wrong with this kid's brain, as he easily resolved such a conspiracy.
"Jingguo, I'll take Ningning to wash her face. You guys can start eating first." Feng Wu pinched his little daughter's hand tightly. Ruan Ningning wanted to scream out in pain, but she swallowed it back under the threat of her own mother and went back to her room obediently with him.
"Eat, eat."
Ruan Jingguo sighed and looked at the table full of people, but he did not feel as at ease as he did decades ago when there were only him, Xue Ning, and a few children. He knew that the second and third wives had their own thoughts, and Cai Shaoyun and Feng Wu did not really like him. Over the years, the women around him came and went just for his money. The only one who treated him sincerely was Xue Ning, but he lost this sincerity.
"Second brother, eat some vegetables." Ruan Yuanjiang picked up a spoonful of Ruan Jingguo's favorite dish when he lived in the inland as a consolation.
Ruan Jingguo smiled, and his mood improved slightly: "You still remember my taste." He put the dish into his mouth, and looked at Jiang Yiliu who was sitting beside him and eating silently like an invisible man after saying that: "You have a good grandson. I can rest assured that Ruan Ruan will not be around you in the future."
Jiang Yilu smiled shyly, without any of the cleverness he had just shown.
"By the way, speaking of Ruan Ruan, everyone may not know that Xiao San took her to the horse farm this afternoon, and the girl actually won 3T, which is more than 1.4 million."
Seeing his own mother being humiliated, Ruan Yuanan's eyes flickered and he spoke in a cheerful manner.
"What? 3T? Yuan An, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Ruan Jingguo and Ruan Yuanjiang knew the news early, but the rest of the Ruan family didn't know. After hearing his words, they all looked at Ruan Yuanjiang with surprised eyes. The real owner was not there, and the real owner's grandfather was the same.
"Ruan Ruan gave all the money to Congzhao, saying that it was invested in a film company." Ruan Yuanjiang's expression did not change. As early as when he came to the old house, Ruan Congzhao had talked to him about it. He was worried that the people from the second and third rooms would be jealous of the huge sum of money and asked him to put all the blame on him to prevent those people with ulterior motives from plotting against Ruan Ruan.
"What? He gave it all to the mistress. That's more than a million!"
Ruan Yuanan could no longer pretend to smile and yelled in frustration, attracting Ruan Jingguo's sidelong glance.
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