The Jiang family dining table had its rules—you weren't allowed to pick up a second dish until you'd finished the first one.
Though no one had explicitly emphasized this to Nianchu, she'd observed it on her very first day. To avoid leaving a bad impression of rudeness, she simply followed whatever everyone else did.
Now a massive crab sat perched on the rim of her bowl, and since she didn't know how to crack the shell, the entire meal had essentially come to a standstill for her.
Nianchu pressed her lips together, staring at the bright red crab in her bowl with a look of helplessness.
Jiang Tianqi watched her face—full of suppressed frustration with no way to vent it—and laughed with the smug satisfaction of someone who'd gotten exactly what he wanted.
Suddenly, Jiang Tiansong spoke up from the side: "Xiaoqi, have you finished today's homework?"
During this holiday, aside from his scheduled tutoring sessions, Jiang Tianqi had a set amount of homework assigned each day.
He'd used the excuse of bringing something to Jiang Tiansong to get the chance to go out and play all day.
He hadn't attended his tutoring, and naturally, his homework had been abandoned entirely.
Caught off guard by the question, his heart skipped a beat:
"Second Brother, I finally got one day of fun—why do you have to keep picking on me?"
He was terrified that Jiang Tiansong would keep pressing, which would draw the old man's attention and force him to make up all his homework.
But Jiang Tiansong seemed to have merely asked in passing. After that one casual remark, he didn't bring it up again.
Instead, he picked up a crab from the serving plate, took the fine wire scissors, and began leisurely cracking the shell.
Drawn by Jiang Tiansong's voice, Nianchu looked over and happened to catch his crab-cracking movements.
Her heart lifted with joy. She immediately followed his example, finding the small scissors among the utensils at her place and copying his technique to cut into the crab shell.
Jiang Tiansong's movements weren't particularly fast, which made it even easier for Nianchu to follow along.
By the time he'd finished dismantling his crab, she'd just learned every technique needed to crack open this type of hairy crab.
She scooped a spoonful of crab roe into her mouth—it was so delicious her eyes narrowed in delight. She gave Jiang Tianqi a gentle smile:
"Thank you, Sixth Brother. The dish you picked for me really is especially tasty."
Jiang Tianqi's face darkened with irritation. It wasn't like he'd actually wanted her to eat it.
But with the whole table watching, he could only force a strained smile:
"Sister Liang is too polite. Such a small thing—no need for thanks."
Jiang Kaishan was somewhat surprised. No wonder people said a person could grow up overnight—this child, Xiao Liu, had actually become sensible in just one evening.
Look at these two kids—yesterday they were at each other's throats, and today, after a day of playing together, they were already picking food for each other.
Nianchu's earlier suggestion came back to the old man's mind.
"Zhaozhao, I thought about what you said earlier. Starting tomorrow, let's do it your way."
Jiang Tianqi had no idea what was going on and didn't guess that this had anything to do with him.
He just assumed she'd shared some secret with Grandpa, and he had no interest in digging deeper.
Jiang Tiansong, however, raised an eyebrow slightly. He was genuinely curious to see what methods a young girl like Nianchu would use to handle Jiang Tianqi.
With guests still at the house, Jiang Tianqi knew when to quit while he was ahead, so he didn't cause any more trouble.
The meal wasn't particularly slow, but since they'd started dinner fairly late, the sky outside had already turned pitch black by the time they finished.
Shen Qiaofei wanted to keep chatting with Jiang Kaishan, but the old man was clearly running low on energy.
Jiang Tiansong said, "Qiaofei, it's getting late. You should head home."
Shen Qiaofei didn't want to leave: "I haven't seen Grandpa in so long—just let me talk a little longer."
Jiang Tiansong: "Uncle Shen will worry."
Jiang Kaishan chimed in: "Qiaofei, it really isn't good for a young lady to be out too late. If you miss your Grandpa, you can come visit more often."
Shen Qiaofei suddenly glanced at Nianchu on the side. She didn't know why, but that girl barely had any presence, yet she simply couldn't ignore her.
They were both girls—why didn't Nianchu have to leave?
If it came down to closeness, her connection with the Jiang family surely ran deeper than Nianchu's.
A flicker of resentment rose in her chest, but she swallowed it down when she saw Jiang Kaishan yawn.
"Alright then, I'll come see you another day."
Jiang Kaishan: "Tiansong, go walk Qiaofei out."
Jiang Tiansong picked up his car keys and stood. Only then did Shen Qiaofei's reluctant expression ease.
The two walked out side by side, disappearing together into the night.
Jiang Kaishan watched their retreating figures with a sigh: "What a well-matched pair."
He then looked at Jiang Tianqi and Nianchu, seeking agreement.
Jiang Tianqi was hunched over, busy playing a game on his phone. Nianchu, however, caught the old man's meaning and nodded vigorously.
Shen Qiaofei and Second Brother really did make a perfect match—when the two stood together, it was like a scene from a movie, with everything around them fading into the background.
Jiang Tiansong's "walking her out" wasn't just to the front door.
He drove Shen Qiaofei all the way to the Shen residence, where Father Shen happened to see them and insisted he stay to chat for a good while.
Father Shen had also heard about his latest promotion and was full of praise:
"Anyone could tell from when you were a child—you were destined for great things."
Jiang Tiansong's expression remained restrained as he replied politely, "Uncle Shen flatters me."
"Don't be modest." Father Shen laughed warmly and shook his hand, showing unusual enthusiasm. "Qiaofei hasn't been back in a few years, and Tianbei has changed so much that she's no longer familiar with it. You're the only one who's stayed the same—you two were close as children, and you're still just as close now."
Back when Jiang Tiansong was in school, there wasn't a trace of the Jiang family's resources on him.
His biological parents rarely saw him, and Elder Jiang never used family connections to pave his way.
Plenty of people in their circles spread rumors that he was an abandoned pawn of the Jiang family, one who wasn't favored.
Father Shen didn't want his daughter to keep associating with him, so he simply sent Shen Qiaofei abroad.
How could he have known that Jiang Tiansong had long been secretly groomed for success?
He hadn't taken Elder Jiang's path, but had carved out his own road to the top.
Not only had he gained status, but he'd also proven his own abilities.
Among the younger generation, he was now the most accomplished—anyone who mentioned him had nothing but praise.
Jiang Tiansong's department was quite important too; the very floor tiles he walked on were the ceiling others could only look up to.
Father Shen regretted having kept his distance from him before.
"You're so busy, and having you make a trip this late—I really feel bad about it."
Jiang Tiansong's attitude toward his fawning remained unchanged—neither showing pleasure nor being overly cold.
He was polite and courteous: "Qiaofei came to my place as a guest, so it's only right that I drove her back."
"But it's so late—your eyes must be tired from driving."
Father Shen said eagerly, "Anyway, your uncle's house is big enough. Why don't you stay the night? I'll have someone prepare a room for you. It just so happens that Qiaofei hasn't seen you in a long time, so you two can catch up."
The moment those words left his mouth, before Jiang Tiansong could even react, Shen Qiaofei's eyes went wide:
"Dad, what are you saying?!"
Even if she did intend to get closer to Jiang Tiansong, nothing was even official yet—if word got out that he was staying overnight at her house, she'd lose all face!
Jiang Tiansong said, "Uncle, I appreciate the kind thought, but I have work tomorrow morning, so staying here wouldn't be convenient."
Father Shen shot his daughter a glare—what was she making such a fuss about? Given Jiang Tiansong's current standing, if he were willing to stay at the Shen residence, it would be an honor for their family.
But since he wasn't willing, Father Shen couldn't push it too far:
"Well, if it's not convenient, then never mind. I'll pay you a visit another day."
He patted Jiang Tiansong's shoulder and offered a few words of praise in the manner of an elder before finally letting him leave.
By the time Jiang Tiansong returned to the Jiang residence, it was nearly eleven at night.
He assumed everyone would be asleep, but when he entered the living room, he found Jiang Kaishan sitting on the sofa.
"Grandfather?" He frowned and strode over. "Why haven't you rested yet?"
Jiang Kaishan was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, but the moment he saw him, he perked back up.
"Did you get her home safely?"
"Yes."
"Any progress?"
"What?"
"You know exactly what I mean."
Elder Jiang looked at his slow-witted grandson with an expression of utter disappointment.
"Back at the Dragon Boat Festival, your fourth brother sent word home that his wedding date is set for National Day.
Everyone used to say he couldn't measure up to you in any way, but now look—when it comes to the big things in life, your awareness is worse than his!
He's two years younger than you, and he's about to have a happy marriage and a complete family. And you? Besides those cold, lifeless documents, what else do you have?"
This was the first time Jiang Kaishan had expressed dissatisfaction with this grandson who had always been his pride.
"Tiansong, every stage of life comes with different tasks. At your age, you've already exceeded your goals in your career. As for other aspects, it's time you started considering them."
Jiang Tiansong lowered his gaze. His résumé looked smooth sailing and meteoric to outsiders, but in truth, only he knew the hardships along the way.
In his early years at the unit, things hadn't been easy at the branch office—he'd been rotated all over the country. It was only in the past year that he'd earned merit, been transferred to the main office, and gained a voice.
When he was busy, he wished he could split himself into eight people just to get through the work. There was no room to think about anything else.
But now, since Grandfather had brought it up, it meant it really was time for him to consider such matters.
As for marriage, Jiang Tiansong's attitude was fairly indifferent—no expectations, but no strong resistance either.
Whatever others did to live their lives, he could do the same.
"If Grandfather has any thoughts on it, you can arrange it for me."
Getting to know a woman on his own was too much effort. Someone introduced by the family couldn't go wrong.
Grandpa Jiang was truly furious—his gaze at him was practically shooting sparks.
A block of wood. Such a huge block of wood.
"What am I supposed to arrange? A fine girl like Qiaofei has practically chased you to your doorstep—are you blind?"
Jiang Tiansong: "Qiaofei?"
Jiang Kaishan snorted coldly: "What's wrong with that girl Qiaofei? She's beautiful, she has a generous personality, and most importantly, she's taken a liking to you herself. A marriage with feelings is different from one without. Being able to choose someone who truly cares for you is far better than just settling for someone to share a household. Isn't the lesson right in front of you? Take me and your grandmother, or your father and his ex-wife…"
The events of those years had been truly disgraceful, and the old man had regretted them for a lifetime, pounding his chest and stamping his feet whenever they came to mind.
The reason Jiang Tiansong had never taken his personal affairs seriously over the years was, subconsciously, partly thanks to the old man's constant retelling of those old stories.
He always felt that marriage was a terrible thing—choose the wrong person, and you'd suffer for a lifetime.
Seeing the old man growing more distressed with each word and about to sink back into remorse over the past, Jiang Tiansong quickly spoke up to interrupt:
"Grandfather, I understand what you mean. As for Qiao Fei, I'll make more of an effort to get in touch."