Slap! Slap! Slap!
Jiang Chaohua struck the Xuehai acupoint on Jiang Wanzhou’s knee. This acupoint was extremely sensitive, capable of forcing Jiang Wanzhou to kneel indefinitely. As long as Jiang Chaohua didn’t want him to get up, he absolutely couldn’t—not only that, but all the strength in his body would feel as if it had been drained away.
“This slap is to wake you up and make you see clearly! From now on, don’t rely on your status to act recklessly everywhere. Without Mother, you are nothing!”
Jiang Chaohua sneered contemptuously, raised her hand high, and under Jiang Wanzhou’s furious gaze, struck his face so hard that it twisted to the side.
“Chaochao, stop!”
Jiang Chaohua moved too quickly, and with Jiang Wanzhou suddenly kneeling before her, Shen Shi was caught off guard. Seeing Jiang Wanzhou’s face redden from the slap, Shen Shi immediately tried to intervene, but both Jiang Wanzhou and Jiang Chaohua were clearly too enraged to listen.
“Jiang Chaohua! You vicious woman! How dare you lay a hand on your own elder brother!”
Jiang Wanzhou tried to move but felt as weak as mud. He had no idea what this wicked woman had done to him—why he suddenly couldn’t move at all.
He came from a noble background, had lived in luxury since childhood, and even Shen Shi had never struck him. Who did Jiang Chaohua think she was, daring to hit him—and not just once, but repeatedly!
“Hah, since you call me a vicious woman, if I don’t slap you a few more times, how could I live up to that title?”
Slap!
With that, Jiang Chaohua delivered another sharp slap to Jiang Wanzhou, leaving his vision blurred and his ears ringing.
“This slap is for your arrogance—only knowing how to bully and threaten your own mother at home, while outside, you’re utterly worthless!”
Slap!
“This slap is for being a man yet having no sense of responsibility! You keep shouting about cutting ties with Mother, yet every month you still squander the money she gives you. I truly look down on you!”
Jiang Chaohua kept raising her hand, her eyes red with fury.
Of her three brothers, Jiang Wanzhou had been the healthiest. But later, in order to buy Meng Yao’s freedom, he became addicted to gambling!
Chang’an City’s number one gambling den, Fu Sheng Ruo Meng—any gambler who entered would inevitably lose their entire family fortune. In her past life, Jiang Wanzhou continuously extorted money from Shen Shi, accumulating massive gambling debts. Fu Sheng Ruo Meng issued a warning: if Jiang Wanzhou didn’t repay, they would take his life.
Shen Shi, heartbroken for Jiang Wanzhou, didn’t hesitate to use half of her dowry to cover his debts.
But all of this was merely a scheme concocted by the concubine and Meng Yao, with the sole purpose of seizing Shen Shi’s dowry.
After the Zhongyi Marquis Estate fell into decline, the concubine brazenly entered the Jiang family with Shen Shi’s dowry, using it to pave the way for Jiang Wanxin and Lin Feng. A fortune that should have been theirs was, in the blink of an eye, reduced to a mere backdrop for others. How could Jiang Chaohua not hate it all!
She hated Jiang He for his heartless ingratitude, she hated Jiang Wanzhou for his decadence, and she hated herself even more.
“Chaochao! Enough! Stop hitting him!”
Jiang Wanzhou’s face was swollen from the slaps. Shen Shi’s tears fell helplessly. One was her daughter, the other her son—she couldn’t blame either. Moreover, Chaochao had only struck him for her sake.
“Get away! I don’t need your fake kindness!”
Shen Shi bent down to help Jiang Wanzhou up, but he shoved her away, causing her to stumble backward and crash into the table behind her.
“Madam!”
Li Momo gasped in shock, barely managing to steady Shen Shi, preventing her from hitting her head.
“Third Young Master, the Madam is your birth mother! How could you strike your own mother? You… you…”
Are you even human!
Li Momo was fuming with anger. Shen Shi’s face was deathly pale, her eyes dull like stagnant water.
That look made Jiang Wanzhou freeze, a flicker of guilt surfacing, but it vanished the moment he thought of Meng Yao.
“Jiang Wanzhou! You’ve truly gone mad!”
Jiang Chaohua’s expression was dark and sinister, his gaze toward Jiang Wanzhou inadvertently carrying a hint of murderous intent.
That look startled Jiang Wanzhou.
Already feeling guilty, he abruptly stood up from the floor and, under the gaze of everyone in the bedroom, flung the pouch of silver Shen Shi had just given him onto the table with a sharp “thud.”
The sound was like a slap to Shen Shi’s face, making her actions seem so ridiculous and absurd.
She had worried that Jiang Wanzhou had no money to spend, that his life would be difficult, yet he had laid hands on her.
She was utterly disappointed in such a son!
“I’m leaving! From now on, I will never set foot in the Jiang family again, and I will never take a single coin from you!”
Disheveled and hungry, Jiang Wanzhou shot a cold glare at Jiang Chaohua before storming out in a rage.
Shen Shi wanted to chase after him but restrained herself. The push Jiang Wanzhou had given her had also chilled her heart.
“I hope you keep your word, Jiang Wanzhou. Without a mother, without the Zhongyi Marquis Estate, you are nothing. If you are a man, remember what you said today—don’t take a single coin from your mother. Remember that.”
Just as Jiang Wanzhou stepped over the threshold, Jiang Chaohua’s deep voice followed him.
Jiang Wanzhou paused for a moment but left without looking back.
“Sister, sister.”
As soon as Jiang Wanzhou left, Jiang Wanyi walked in.
Upon entering and seeing Shen Shi sitting on the floor, Jiang Wanyi looked helplessly at Jiang Chaohua.
Ever since Jiang Wanyi had become mentally impaired, he had grown very dependent on Jiang Chaohua. But in the past, Jiang Chaohua had despised and scorned him, unwilling to even glance at him, let alone protect him. This was why, in her previous life, Jiang Wanyi had climbed a tree to pick dates just to please her.
“Second Brother, Mother was nearly pushed down by Third Brother and could have hit her head. Second Brother, can you get better quickly so you can protect us?”
Jiang Chaohua held Jiang Wanyi’s hand, looking into his bewildered eyes, her hatred growing even stronger.
Her second brother had been so clever, yet he had become a fool. If he knew, how heartbroken he would be.
“Mother, no hurt, blow blow, no hurt. Sister, blow for me too, I no hurt.”
Jiang Wanyi, in his dazed state, crouched beside Shen Shi, took her hand, and gently blew on it.
He thought Shen Shi had hurt her hand and was imitating what Jiang Chaohua had done the night before, blowing on it to soothe her.
“Chaochao, did you teach your second brother this?”
Shen Shi was overjoyed, her gaze tender as she raised her hand to stroke Jiang Wanyi’s cheek.
Wanyi relied heavily on Chaochao and only listened to her. In the past, Shen Shi had considered asking Chaochao to teach Wanyi some basic life skills, but Chaochao had refused outright.
Though Wanzhou had treated her so poorly, Wanyi was finally showing signs of understanding. Perhaps this was a small consolation.
“Mother, no hurt, no hurt.”
Jiang Wanyi, in his impaired state, did not understand what concern meant, but he knew that if he showed concern for Shen Shi, Chaochao would praise him.
“Mother isn’t hurt, not hurt at all. As long as all of you remain by my side, Mother can endure anything.”
Shen Shi choked back tears as Jiang Chaohua helped her sit down on the stool.
“Mother, please rest assured. From now on, I will personally take care of Second Brother. I was immature before, not understanding your hardships nor appreciating your difficult position in the household. From this day forward, I only wish for our family to be well.”
Jiang Chaohua took Jiang Wanyi’s hand and placed it together with hers on the back of Shen Shi’s hand.
It’s alright. As long as she was willing to work hard, everything could change. At the very least, Jiang Wanyi had already begun to change, hadn’t he?
“Good, Mother always knew our Chaochao was the most sensible and well-behaved. You’ve truly worked hard.”
Shen Shi nodded repeatedly, but couldn’t help worrying when she remembered how Jiang Wanzhou had thrown down the silver she gave him.
“Mother, I have something to discuss with you regarding Third Brother. Mother, the reason your relationship with Third Brother has become so strained is entirely because of Meng Yao. I have a plan that might help resolve the misunderstanding between you. Would you like to hear it, Mother?”
Jiang Chaohua smiled faintly, her gaze falling upon the discarded bag of silver.
If they wanted to control Jiang Wanzhou, it would actually be quite simple. The first step was to cut off his silver supply, letting him experience what kind of life he would lead without Shen Shi and the Marquis household.
A noble young master raised in a wealthy family – if he could endure hardship, that would be truly unbelievable.