“The problem is, Sixth Brother doesn’t need to put on such a show,” said the youngest, He Ruzhu, hitting the nail on the head and also explaining everyone’s attitude towards Ning Yichu. “It’s just Ning Yichu, why does Sixth Brother need to make such a fuss?”
“Grandmother, aren’t you going to do something? If you say something, Shixia will definitely listen,” said the second eldest, He Rusong. “No matter what he’s thinking, these shares can’t be treated as a joke.”
“Actually, this matter doesn’t have much to do with us. Among the grandchildren, only Big Sister and Shixia received shares when they came of age. The rest of us have nothing, not even our fathers, your sons, have any. Even if Shixia doesn’t give the shares to someone else, we won’t get any.”
“We’re concerned because it’s about the He family. Changing the ownership of shares is no small matter. It’s ridiculous just to talk about it, let alone actually giving them away. Even those who marry into the He family don’t get them easily, let alone someone like Ning Yichu who used underhanded means. What do you think?”
He Rusong spoke earnestly.
His brother, He Rulin, chimed in from the side, “Hey, Second Brother, we’re all family, no need to be so fake. I actually do want the shares. If it weren’t for the shares, why would I waste my time sitting here?”
He Rusong’s expression twisted, “You… well, at least you’re honest!”
He Rulin shrugged, “Shixia and Ning Yichu will fall out sooner or later. If he really messes up and gives away the shares now, our family will suffer a big loss. Although, to be honest, even if the shares are in Shixia’s hands, we don’t have much chance of getting them, but at least they’re still in the hands of the He family, giving us more opportunities.”
“I wouldn’t say I don’t want more, that would be too fake,” said He Ruxue, who also had shares, speaking gently. “But wanting is one thing, I know my limits. I never expected to get what Shixia has; it’s his, and there’s no reason it should fall into the hands of our generation, especially since he’s about to have his own child.”
“If he wants to give the shares to his legal partner, the board can’t object, the process is fine, but the problem is we can’t set this precedent.”
He Ruxue spoke calmly, more composed than He Rusong and more serious than He Rulin.
“Our He family is currently run by Aunt and Uncle. In the future, what they have will definitely be left to Shixia, their only son. Although we’re all He family, we nieces and nephews don’t have the right to fight for it. Even in ancient times, when family ties were strong, there was a distinction between the main branch and the collateral branch. Just because the main branch has fewer people doesn’t mean the collateral branch should get anything.”
“But the problem is, if Shixia can give the shares to Ning Yichu now, will he be able to stop himself in the future? Will our He family have to change its surname to Ning?”
He Ruxue, indeed the most beloved granddaughter of He Grandmother and He Grandfather, hit the nail on the head.
The elderly couple was indeed worried about this.
Compared to the current shares, they were more concerned that He Shixia was truly falling for it and might hand over the entire He family to an outsider in the future.
Even if this outsider is now considered part of the He family, carrying the bloodline of the He family, it still wouldn’t do.
Just like He Grandfather, who married into the family, and He Shixia’s own father, although they gained some control over time, they could never surpass He Grandmother and He Weian, their biological daughter.
Both He Shixia’s grandparents and parents were actually planning to have Ning Yichu give birth to a child and then divorce He Shixia, staying away from the He family.
As for He Shixia’s attitude towards Ning Yichu, it wasn’t something they were worried about initially.
Now, they were all confused, not understanding why He Shixia’s attitude suddenly changed so drastically, as if he had been possessed, and everyone else didn’t matter except for Ning Yichu.
As they were chatting, they suddenly heard a servant greet, “Sixth Young Master, uh, Young Master Ning.”
It was a bit warm outside, and the He family was sitting in the enclosed flower room adjacent to the indoor area, having afternoon tea, separated from the main hall by a few open glass doors.
When they turned around, they saw He Shixia carrying a pale Ning Yichu, heading towards the dining room.
He Rulin choked on his drink, “Cough, cough, cough… What did I just see? Ning Yichu being carried by Shixia? Is our family about to have a love story after marriage?”
He Grandmother frowned and glared at him, then put down her teacup and stood up, “I need to go take a look.”
Naturally, the others quickly followed, with the second eldest, He Rusong, staying behind to support He Grandfather, who was now over eighty and not very mobile.
In contrast, He Grandmother was much more vigorous. She was three years older than He Grandfather, had been seriously ill two years ago, but after recovering, she was still spry and walked briskly at the front, not needing her descendants to slow down for her.
When they reached the dining room, they saw Ning Yichu knocking over a bowl of bird’s nest porridge onto the floor.
The porridge spilled on the floor, and since there was no carpet, the bowl shattered on the tiles.
The servants in the dining room were startled, and someone instinctively moved to clean up.
“No need,” Ning Yichu looked up at He Shixia standing beside him, “I made a mess, so it’s only right for you, my legal spouse, to clean it up, right?”
He Shixia smiled, “Of course.”
The He family and the servants widened their eyes, watching as He Shixia not only didn’t get angry but also took the cleaning tools from the servant.
“Wait, Sixth Young Master, how can we let you do this…” The servant quickly came to their senses, trying to take back the tools.
He Shixia shook his head, “I’ll do it. It’s my job anyway. You go to the kitchen and bring something else for Ah Ning to eat, not bird’s nest porridge. He doesn’t like bird’s nest, which I forgot to mention earlier.”
The servant, still a bit shaken, cautiously looked at Ning Yichu, who was sitting calmly.
Ning Yichu smiled, “Plain porridge will do.”
“You’re just recovering, so you should eat something light for now, but plain porridge is too bland… The kitchen should have some lean meat porridge ready, would that be okay?” He Shixia said gently while cleaning the floor.
Ning Yichu responded indifferently.
The servant quickly went to get the porridge, and the remaining servants felt awkward standing there, so they noticed the group of He family members standing at the dining room entrance.
The He family members all had complex expressions.
He Grandmother and He Grandfather were both shocked and angry, He Dingbang, the uncle, was mostly surprised, and as for He Dingbang’s six children, they were mainly shocked, confused, and curious.
Although they had previously looked down on Ning Yichu, the current situation was too surprising, and they couldn’t even express their personal dislike for Ning Yichu.
“What is going on here! Shixia, what are you doing!” He Grandmother finally came to her senses and walked into the dining room with even bigger strides.
The youngest, He Ruzhu, who loved surfing the internet, couldn’t help but add, “Sixth Brother, your wife seems a bit fiery. Maybe the kitchen should make him some loofah soup…”
This comment made He Shixia smile slightly.
Ning Yichu remained expressionless.
The others didn’t get He Ruzhu’s lame joke, and He Ruyue said quietly, “If he doesn’t eat bird’s nest, why would he eat loofah soup? Be careful he doesn’t throw the bowl at your face. Although bird’s nest isn’t exactly expensive.”
He Ruzhu cheerfully replied, “That’s not right, bird’s nest is a luxurious item…”
He Grandfather tapped his cane on the floor, “What nonsense are you spouting? When did our He family fall so low as to discuss loofah and bird’s nest? Such nonsense, no wonder your college entrance exam scores were so abysmal!”
He Ruzhu had just finished his college entrance exams a few months ago, and his scores were so bad they could be thrown straight into the trash. For the sake of the family’s reputation, they couldn’t let him choose a major based on his scores and stay in the country to continue his studies. They had already arranged for him to attend a school abroad, and he was set to leave next month.
With the family’s support, He Ruzhu didn’t care much about his scores, but being scolded by his grandfather for them still made him unhappy, and he wanted to argue back.
However, He Grandfather didn’t wait for his response and continued to look at He Shixia, speaking with disappointment, “Shixia, get up. Is cleaning the floor something you should be doing? How can you be so subservient to others?”
He Shixia quietly cleaned the floor, not turning his head, “Grandfather, how is cleaning subservient? And this ‘other’ is my legally wedded partner. In terms of inheritance, he’s the closest person to me here. If you can’t speak to him kindly, at least be polite, don’t be so strange.”
He Shixia’s words made He Grandfather’s blood boil.
Everyone else was dumbfounded, even more convinced that He Shixia might have been possessed.
“Shixia, do you know what you’re saying? You’re speaking to your grandfather like this for Ning Yichu?” He Dingbang said disapprovingly, “Did he drug you again?”
Ning Yichu couldn’t help but laugh, “Why can’t it be that he just lost his mind?”
“Shut up! It’s not your place to speak in this house!” He Dingbang shouted angrily.
He Shixia frowned, “Uncle!”
“Both of us have no blood relation to the He family, so why can you speak, but I can’t?” Ning Yichu asked innocently.
This statement caused a ripple of shock, followed by an eerie silence.
The dining room fell silent, even He Shixia was stunned, processing the meaning behind Ning Yichu’s words.
Then, the first to react was He Grandfather, who raised his cane to throw it at Ning Yichu, “You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting!”
He Shixia quickly stood up, blocking Ning Yichu and grabbing the cane, “Grandfather, please calm down.”
He Grandfather was so angry he was panting, his face turning red, “He Shixia! Are you determined to cut ties with your family for him?”
The others also started to react, speaking all at once.
He Dingbang cursed, “Nonsense! My father married into the family! My mother is a He! Even if my mother had an affair when she was young, I’m still of He blood!”
His words angered both his parents.
He Grandfather swung his cane at He Dingbang, “You ungrateful brat! At my age, I still have to be despised by my own son for marrying into the family!”
He Grandmother looked both incredulous and furious, “He Dingbang, you little beast, what nonsense are you spouting! What do you mean your mother had an affair when she was young? Ning Yichu, what do you mean by this! Are the Ning family teaching you to disrespect your elders?”
He Rulin clicked his tongue in wonder, “There’s no reason to spout nonsense to this extent. Shixia, what on earth have you been telling Ning Yichu for him to understand our family like this?”
He Dingbang and his illegitimate children hadn’t yet worried about their bloodline. As He Dingbang said, it’s hard to say about the father, but the mother can be confirmed, and if the mother is correct, then the bloodline is correct.
They instinctively believed that either Ning Yichu was talking nonsense, or he was just confirming that He Dingbang wasn’t the biological son of both He Grandmother and He Grandfather, which at most meant he wasn’t related to He Grandfather. And Ning Yichu, unfamiliar with the He family, might have forgotten that He Grandfather married into the family, which is why he said “not related to the He family,” so there was no need to worry too much.
He Shixia didn’t actually know the truth either, but he felt that Ning Yichu wouldn’t get the concept wrong, so he didn’t speak up, just stood silently by Ning Yichu’s side to prevent the He family from hurting him in their anger.
The servant happened to come from the kitchen with a bowl of lean meat porridge, and seeing the tense scene in the dining room, they were at a loss, even holding their breath.
He Shixia waved to the servant, “Bring it over.”
The servant cautiously approached, placing the tray with the porridge bowl and spoon in front of Ning Yichu, then quickly retreated.
Although they wanted to gossip, their job was more important, and such high-society gossip was not something they could afford to indulge in up close.
Ning Yichu stirred the porridge with a spoon, then looked up and smiled at the questioning He family members, “How strange, can’t you understand human language? Didn’t I say that it’s Uncle who has no blood relation to the He family, meaning Uncle isn’t your biological son, Grandmother. How is that me throwing dirt on you?”
He Grandmother frowned sharply.
The others were a bit stunned.
He Grandfather reacted quickly and fiercely, “Nonsense! You should be checked into a mental hospital!”
He Dingbang then came to his senses, cursing, “Ning Yichu, you little brat, stop playing games…”
He Shixia interrupted coldly, “Grandfather, Uncle, what are you saying?”
He Grandfather and He Dingbang were momentarily speechless but continued to curse.
“He Shixia!”
“Do you really think you run this house and no one can control you anymore?”
“Brainless, heartless brat…”
He Grandmother, however, calmed down a bit, “Everyone shut up—”
She silenced the others, then looked at Ning Yichu, who had stirred up trouble but was calmly eating porridge as if it had nothing to do with him.
“Explain yourself,” He Grandmother said, “Do you know better than I do whether I gave birth to this son?”
Ning Yichu swallowed the porridge in his mouth, looked up, and smiled, “Well, Grandfather would know better if he swapped a child from outside while you were asleep after giving birth.”
Author’s Note:
See you tomorrow~