The young girl wept as if drenched by spring rain, her grievances too profound for words, making Jiang Zhen’s heart ache terribly.
Even Jiang Yuehua, who knew quite a bit of the inside story, couldn’t help but step forward to embrace her younger sister.
However…
[Hahaha, see that!]
[Now this is acting!]
[When shedding tears, they should fall in large drops, gaze angled 45 degrees downward, and ideally add a gentle bite on the red lips—both wronged and stubborn—to evoke even more pity!!!]
[Sis’s acting skills are absolutely unmatched!]
[The Oscars owe me a little golden statue!]
Jiang Yuehua: …
Although she didn’t know what the Oscars were, her earlier surge of emotion and sympathy vanished instantly.
How did her sister manage to cry so pitifully while having such a lively and rich internal monologue?
Jiang Yuehua didn’t understand, but she was utterly astonished.
Taking a deep breath.
Her own sister deserved her own affection.
Besides… her sister was doing all this for their family. As the older sister, Jiang Yuehua had to play along.
“Yao Yao, what did you just say?”
“That Fifth Sister hit herself to frame you?”
“Just for a cloak and some fabric, she’d disregard sisterly bonds like this? Grandmother, have you always punished my sister without even asking questions?”
“Now that Mother and Father are right here, how can you treat Yao Yao so unfairly? Who knows what kind of life she endured when we weren’t around…”
“Ah… look at these red marks on Yao Yao’s wrist—clearly grabbed by someone else. You’ve truly suffered, Yao Yao.”
With her opening words, Jiang Yuehua directly framed the incident as Jiang Yuening scheming against Jiang Yueyao, “reasonably” extending and imagining the scenario to some degree.
[Oh my sis, you are my goddess!]
[That opening—pure master-level subtle sarcasm!]
[Yes, yes, my sis, keep up the good work!]
[As long as Sis and I keep pushing, splitting from the main family is within reach!]
Jiang Zhen and Zhou Qiongying exchanged a glance.
Indeed, even with them present, these people dared to slander and punish their daughter like this.
All these years they weren’t by her side—how much hardship had Yao Yao endured?
No wonder Yao Yao was so thin and frail.
In that moment, the couple, already filled with guilt toward Jiang Yueyao, felt nearly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of remorse.
It was all their fault.
They should have defied Old Mrs. Jiang back then and taken Yao Yao with them.
“You… you’re talking nonsense!”
“It was you who hit me, and when did I ever… when did I ever…”
Jiang Yuening wanted to refute—when had she ever coveted Jiang Yueyao’s things?
But…
The young girl was ultimately too thin-skinned, unlike Jiang Yueyao, who could twist right and wrong without batting an eye, her face never reddening.
“Father, Mother, since things have come to this, I won’t hide it any longer.”
“Actually, all these years… almost everything you sent back for me was taken by Fifth Sister and… and First Aunt.”
Across from them, Eldest Uncle Jiang and First Aunt Jiang watched as what used to be routine manipulation turned into a full-blown confrontation, feeling somewhat dazed.
Wait… hadn’t Jiang Yueyao always obediently gone to kneel in the ancestral hall and handed over her belongings before?
Why today…
First Aunt Jiang, clearly more alert, realized they had reached the stage of settling old scores.
Forgetting even to “comfort” Old Mrs. Jiang, she hurriedly spoke up with a forced smile.”Oh dear, it’s just two little girls bickering and quarreling. How did it come to kneeling in the ancestral hall?”
“Little Six, it’s First Aunt’s fault. I wronged you today without clarifying the matter. It’s my failure in disciplining your Fifth Sister properly. I’ll make sure to teach her a lesson later.”
“Second Brother, your family has finally returned after all these years. The old lady isn’t feeling well – let’s discuss any matters another day…”
Just buy time to destroy the evidence first!
That Jiang Yueyao girl… I always thought she was simple-minded, but it turns out… she’s secretly cunning!
Now that her parents are back to support her, she dares to bare her claws at my daughter.
Hmph, we’ll let it rest for today. In the inner household, I have plenty of means to deal with this little girl.
However…
While First Aunt Jiang wanted to employ delaying tactics, Jiang Yueyao had no intention of dragging this out.
[No good, this old witch definitely plans to destroy the evidence]
[If we don’t settle this matter clearly today, it’ll be much harder to demand family separation later]
[As expected, it’s up to my sister]
[First battle to protect my sister – begin!]
“First Aunt, you admit you wronged me this time, but what about before…”
“All those previous times, you never bothered to investigate and just sent me straight to kneel in the ancestral hall.”
“Father, Mother, am I not also a daughter of the Jiang family? Why won’t Uncle and Aunt ever listen to what I have to say? Why doesn’t Grandmother ever show me any affection?”
“I just wanted to keep some of the things you sent me – why can’t I keep even one item?Zhou Qiongying held Jiang Yueyao heartbrokenly, tears streaming down her face, crying a hundred times more genuinely than Jiang Yueyao.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhen was so furious his face turned crimson, already turning to look for a weapon.
His daughter had suffered far too much.
Jiang Yuehua sighed after glancing at her parents.
Could we please focus on what matters?
“Yao Yao, are you saying… all these years, the things Father and Mother sent you never actually reached you?”
[My sister! You always know how to pinpoint the crucial issue!]
[These parents are only focused on being upset and angry, offering no coordination at all]
[So hard to work with, but my sister remains reliable as ever]
[Sister, you’re my goddess]
[You’re my heart, my liver, my precious sweetheart]
[Yao Yao loves you, mwah~]
Jiang Yueyao nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, Sister, Yao Yao really loved the things Father and Mother sent me, but… Fifth Sister liked them too, so they all ended up in Fifth Sister’s and… and First Aunt’s storage rooms.”
First Aunt Jiang reacted with fear and panic, “Yao Yao, you must be feverish and talking nonsense, those tonics weren’t…”
Jiang Yueyao completely ignored First Aunt’s attempt to deflect.
“I know my words carry little weight. I’m used to nobody believing me.”
“But this matter is easy to verify – we just need to check Fifth Sister’s room.”
“Last year’s furs Father and Mother sent were made into thick bedding on her bed. And in her dressing case… all the jewelry Mother sent me, and also…”
Jiang Yueyao chattered on, directly pointing out several valuable items.
Jiang Yuening had frequently flaunted these things before Jiang Yueyao.
She enjoyed both showing off her privileged access to fine possessions and watching Jiang Yueyao’s envious expression – it gave her immense satisfaction.
Therefore, these items were all kept in the most conspicuous places.”This… this is a girl’s bedroom…”
First Aunt Jiang still wanted to say something, but…
“Smack!”
Jiang Zhen directly waved his hand, and the teacup smashed fiercely beside First Aunt Jiang’s feet.
“Shut your mouth!”
“Guards!”
Immediately, Jiang Zhen’s attendants entered.
“Go to the front courtyard and gather a team. Search Ning girl’s room thoroughly to see if my daughter’s belongings are all in that girl’s chamber.”
Jiang Yuehua spoke up at the right moment.
“Father, in the military we value fairness above all. I think searching only Fifth Sister’s room isn’t quite proper… Perhaps we should check Yao Yao’s room and the others as well.”
Jiang Zhen: “…Fine!”
Jiang Yueyao: …
[Wahhh, I’ll say it ten thousand times more – Sister, you’re absolutely divine!]
“Well… Father, Sister, I’ve kept records of all the items you’ve sent back over the years… Although I couldn’t keep the items themselves, I’ve carefully preserved all the lists. They’re under the second row of green bricks beneath my bed.”
[You want evidence? Sister has long been prepared. Let’s see how the eldest branch tries to deny this]
“Thump~”
First Aunt Jiang, who was standing nearby, collapsed weakly to the ground.
And then…
“Ah!”
She directly knelt on the broken porcelain shards at her feet.