The villagers’ murmurs gradually faded, but to Jiang Tiezhu, they felt like one slap after another across his face.
He had always been proud of this son, never imagining that one day Jiang Jianguo would bring him shame.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Jianguo to be so foolish—here he was to apprentice under a teacher, and yet he managed to offend him.
If Jiang Jianguo had just behaved a little better, seeing that Jiang Li had knelt for seven days, Jiang Ting wouldn’t have refused.
What a pity…
Jiang Tiezhu couldn’t help but feel a little moved when he thought about how Jiang Li had knelt for seven days just to help Jiang Jianguo secure a teacher.
The girl was clearly devoted to the Jiang family in her heart.
Even after twenty years of raising her, even if they had cut ties, such feelings weren’t easily broken.
He remembered how, when she was little, even giving Jiang Li a wild fruit could make her happy for a long time—she was easy to please.
Once this matter settled, he’d find a way to properly appease her. Regardless, Jiang Jianguo still had to secure this teacher.
Before, he had worried about Jiang Ting’s status, fearing trouble, but Zhang Xiangui’s words had dispelled those doubts.
Still, today’s events left him unsettled.
In all his years in this place, he had never felt so humiliated.
Jiang Ting had said he couldn’t tell right from wrong and had blamed Jiang Li—he realized he had indeed placed too much trust in Jiang Jianguo.
Besides Jiang Jianguo, there was another matter he needed to clarify.
Jiang Tiezhu turned, his eagle-like eyes flashing a trace of malice:
“Huani, tell your uncle the truth. Why did you encourage Jianguo to come apprentice under Jiang Ting? And what did you say to him once you got there?”
Wu Huani’s gaze flickered and she lowered her head in guilt. She hadn’t expected things to escalate this far—Jiang Ting had even come forward to testify for Jiang Li, directly revealing the insults she and Jiang Jianguo had hurled!
Now that Jiang Jianguo had failed to secure the apprenticeship, Jiang Tiezhu wouldn’t blame her, would he?
She couldn’t allow herself to fall out of favor with the Jiang family—she still wanted to be cherished, live the comfortable life of an official’s wife, just like in her previous life!
“Uncle Jiang, you’re not blaming me, are you?” Wu Huani feigned anger.
“To be honest, I knew that Xiaoli had begged Professor Jiang for Jianguo. Later, I heard she cut ties with the Jiang family. I thought she was worried the plan might go wrong, so she urged Jianguo to come.”
“But when we arrived and just stated our intention, Professor Jiang refused. I thought Xiaoli had said something to him, so I got anxious and scolded him.”
“Uncle Jiang, I really didn’t mean it. I was just puzzled—Professor Jiang had clearly agreed to take Jianguo as his student. Why would he refuse after seeing him? It doesn’t make sense.”
“What’s so strange about that?” Jiang Jianguo interjected:
“He agreed to Jiang Li. Now that she’s cut ties with the family, it’s only natural he would change his mind.”
Wu Huani’s eyes flickered, and she lowered her head, full of guilt:
“After all is said and done, I just don’t have Xiaoli’s skills. I couldn’t soften Professor Jiang’s heart. Otherwise, I could have begged him to take Jianguo as a student myself.”
“She’s not skilled, she’s just foolish,” Wu Changgeng snorted coldly, grabbing Wu Huani:
“Forget it. If you ever kneel for a man again, I won’t spare you. This is Jiang family business—you’re not allowed to meddle anymore.”
The Jiang family had offended Jiang Ting, and by extension, the entire Zhangjia village. With Zhang Xiangui’s nature, they probably wouldn’t let the villagers tinker with Jiang Tiezhu again.
Add to that Dr. Liu, who had helped countless people in nearby villages over the years. Considering all this, the Jiang family’s life would no longer be as smooth as before.
This marriage would need careful consideration!
“Dad!” Seeing Wu Huani being taken away, Jiang Jianguo became anxious:
“Why are you blaming Huani for this? She meant well. Honestly, it’s all Jiang Li’s doing. If she hadn’t begged Jiang Ting and then cut ties with the family, why would he have changed his mind?”
Jiang Tiezhu also thought the root of the problem lay with Jiang Li.
She had gone so far for Jiang Jianguo, so why suddenly cut ties with the family?
Could it be because she didn’t want to marry, and seeing Jianguo help their mother beat her had chilled her heart?
But such things had happened many times before, and she had never reacted so strongly. Was this an overreaction?
Jiang Tiezhu thought it over. Perhaps Jiang Li had cut ties because she didn’t want to marry. After all, her mother, though often harsh, had never forced her to marry anyone.
If she didn’t want to marry, then her mother should back down and let her return home, promising not to force her.
Jiang Li would then continue to devote herself to the Jiang family as before.
Besides, as far as he knew, Jiang Li hadn’t registered a marriage with Ding Shichen. Ding Shichen was disabled and couldn’t do much, which probably explained why Jiang Li had chosen the Ding family.
Jiang Tiezhu made up his mind and turned to leave, scolding Jiang Jianguo as he walked:
“You fool! Once you enter the city and attend university, you’ll have any girl you want. You risked your future for Wu Huani. All those years of studying, what did you learn?”
“I ask you, this morning at the Jiang household, who started the scolding—you or Huani? That little girl acts high and mighty because her father is the village head. She’s nothing like your sister, who knows how to please people.”
He had always felt this wasn’t entirely Jiang Jianguo’s fault. As a university student, he should at least understand basic social graces.
At this point, Jiang Jianguo dared not lie:
“It was her. She started scolding first. She said that I’m a university student, that being taught by Professor Jiang is his honor. I’m destined to become a leading researcher.”
“Jiang Ting is a scholar. Even if he’s fallen on hard times, he still carries pride. With her arrogant attitude, who would pay attention to her?” Jiang Tiezhu shook his head in disappointment:
“Looks good, but can’t handle things like your sister. I’ll tell you, later you go with your mother and make your sister come back.”
“As for your marriage to Wu Huani, put it on hold for now.”
Jiang Tiezhu was a man who calculated everything to the extreme. He knew very well that if Jiang Jianguo couldn’t apprentice under Jiang Ting, the Jiang family’s reputation across the nearby villages would suffer.
He couldn’t allow that to happen.
Meanwhile, in the Wu household.
Wu Huani was locked up by Wu Changgeng, who said he’d find her a better match.
“I’ll never marry anyone but the Jiang family. Forget it!” Wu Huani glared at her father fiercely.
Wu Changgeng, furious, grabbed a rod and swung at her:
“You fool! By scolding Jiang Ting, you’ve already ruined this marriage. Do you think Jiang Tiezhu will still favor you? Marrying into the Jiang family now won’t end well for you.”
Others didn’t know, but Wu Changgeng knew the Jiang family well. If it weren’t for the generous dowry, he wouldn’t have agreed to let Wu Huani marry in the first place.
“It doesn’t matter if he favors me. As long as Jianguo listens to me, that’s enough. Besides, he’s going to university soon. I’ll go with him.”
“In the city, we’ll rent our own place and live our own life. The Jiang family can’t control us.”
“Dad, don’t just think about short-term gain. Look at the long-term—Jianguo is the only university student in the surrounding villages. He’s going to achieve great things.”
“As long as we keep him happy, what’s there to worry about for the future? I promise, once I’m settled in the city, I’ll bring my brother and you along.”
“Then, our whole family can live well in the city. Isn’t that better than spending a lifetime stuck in this valley?”