Chapter 682: Father Jiang's Fear
Chapter 682: Father Jiang's Fear
Jiang Dong listened with great interest. "So, what happened in the end? Did you get their phone numbers, sis?"
"Of course", Jiang Xia replied. "They gave me a report number."
She then smiled, hugging her father's arm. "When they left, they looked like they never wanted to see me again."
Father Jiang laughed heartily.
Jiang Dong took one hand off the steering wheel and gave a thumbs-up to the back.
"Focus on driving!" Father Jiang warned.
Jiang Dong was full of admiration. "You're amazing, sis! I just sat there and answered their questions honestly. I was so scared, but you weren't afraid at all, and you even got mad?"
"What was I afraid of? I didn't do anything wrong! I should have been praised, not questioned like that. Of course, I had every right to be angry."
Father Jiang chuckled. "You were right to be angry. Why shouldn't you be? We have every right to be angry and stand our ground!"
Jiang Xia then turned to Jiang Dong and asked what they had asked him.
"They asked why I transferred money to you and why I bought you a courtyard house", Jiang Dong replied.
Father Jiang raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"What's there to explain? She's my sister! My money is her money. I buy what I want, and there's nothing wrong with that. I even rolled my eyes. It's ridiculous! Why would they even ask such a question? Don't they know we're from the same family?"
That was his most casual and unorthodox response!
He was genuinely speechless at their questions!
He couldn't help it!
Did they really need a reason to give money to his sister?
Father Jiang: "..."
He didn't want anyone to know this was his son!
He's in graduate school and still talks like that?
---
Zhao Chenglei and Zhang Rui were in the car behind them.
As for Zeng Jing, Zhang Rui had asked a familiar neighbor to take her home.
When Jiang Xia came out, she saw a familiar uncle and had Zeng Jing ride with him.
"Any idea who reported us?" Zhang Rui asked Zhao Chenglei.
"Check on a student named Jiang Qian from the Foreign Language College. Also, see if you can get the report letter. A photo of the handwriting would be enough."
Zhang Rui thought the name sounded familiar. Jiang?
"Do you suspect him? Did you have a falling out?"
"Not suspicion, just a hunch."
Of course, Zhao Chenglei's hunch wasn't baseless.
He noticed the way Jiang Qian looked at Jiang Xia.
It was full of disdain.
A look that said, "How long do you think you can keep this up?"
So he kept an eye on him.
Another reason was that Jiang Qian was close to Wenwan.
He had seen them together a couple of times.
Wenwan was a strange woman, inexplicably hostile toward Jiang Xia.
He didn't know where the hostility came from or when it started, but Zhao Chenglei suspected Jiang Qian's animosity toward Jiang Xia came from Wenwan.
In the entire Canton Fair, they were the most likely to have reported them.
Of course, Zhao Chenglei wouldn't accuse them without evidence. He planned to gather proof the next day.
When they got home, the children had cried themselves to sleep.
Jiang Xia and Zhao Chenglei checked on the children before joining the others for a late-night snack.
Second Aunt had prepared a plate of stir-fried noodles, a dish of pan-fried taro cakes, a plate of deep-fried wontons, and a plate of fried mackerel.
Except for the mackerel, the other three dishes were prepared in advance.
Zhang Rui quickly took the plates from Second Aunt. "Let me, let me! You've worked hard, Second Aunt. It's so late, and you're still preparing snacks for us. Please sit down and eat."
"It's no trouble, sit down and eat something", Second Aunt said, noticing that Zhang Rui had become increasingly friendly during their recent meetings.
Li Qiufeng served everyone a bowl of scallop and lean meat congee.
Zhang Rui quickly took the tray from her. "Let me, be careful, it's hot."
"It's fine, it's not hot", Li Qiufeng said, asking Zhang Rui, "Where's your friend? Isn't she coming for the snack?"
"She's not my friend, just a neighbor. She helped me, so I brought her along. I already had her ride home with my neighbor."
Zhang Rui had brought her along because he thought Zhao Chenglei and Jiang Xia were really called in for a long time and hadn't returned. He noticed her schadenfreude and was afraid she might cause trouble behind their backs, especially since her parents knew people in the department. He didn't want her to say anything to his grandfather.
Zhang Rui glanced at Li Qiufeng.
Li Qiufeng didn't react; she was just making conversation.
Zhang Rui: "..."
Everyone gathered around for the late-night snack.
Zhao Chenglei and Jiang Dong had just returned from a celebration banquet in the capital, so they weren't very hungry.
Jiang Xia had attended a business meeting, which also included a dinner, but she didn't eat much because she had to translate. It was cold, and she was craving some warm congee.
Father Jiang and Zhao Chenglei both put the scallops in Jiang Xia's bowl.
"I have enough, you eat", Jiang Xia said, holding her bowl away.
Seeing this, Zhang Rui boldly put a small fish on Li Qiufeng's plate.
Second Aunt: "..."
What was going on?
---
The next day, Friday
Jiang Xia prepared the children's breakfast early and ate before going to class.
Father Jiang decided to ride his bicycle to take her to school. "I'll visit the teachers, and Dad will ride the bicycle to take you to school."
There was nothing pressing, and it was already Friday. Father Jiang decided to take a half-day off to stay longer and visit some friends and old colleagues.
Jiang Xia couldn't let him ride the bicycle with her, so she gave him a new scarf and gloves from Zhao Chenglei. "They're new, Lei hasn't worn them. I bought them last year, but it's warm where we live, so he never wears them. I brought them to the capital, but he still doesn't wear them, saying they're too hot and get in the way. It's so cold today, and he goes running in a thin shirt. I won't buy him any more; it's a waste of money."
The weather was extremely cold, and you could see your breath in the air. At five in the morning, Zhao Chenglei had gone out in a thin tracksuit and even took a cold shower when he returned.
Jiang Xia gave the gloves to Father Jiang and helped him wrap the scarf around his neck.
Father Jiang couldn't compare with his strong son-in-law, but he enjoyed his daughter's care. He smiled genuinely, happy with the bond between his daughter and son-in-law.
After equipping Father Jiang, Jiang Xia pushed the bicycle. "Dad, I'll ride the bicycle and take you. When I was little, you took me, now that I'm grown up, I'll take you."
"No need, I'll take you! I'm not that old yet. When I'm too old to ride, then you can take me. You're not thinking I'm too old, are you? Are you afraid I'll fall and hurt you?"
"How could I? I can jump off if I need to. Can't I start being filial now? By the time you're too old to ride, you'll be in your seventies or eighties, and I'll be in my fifties or sixties. I won't be able to ride a bicycle with you then. If you want to ride a bicycle then, you can have your three grandsons take you. I won't be able to manage it. So now is the best time. I'm grown up, and you're not too old yet."
Father Jiang laughed at Jiang Xia's words, looking forward to the day when his daughter would be older and his grandchildren would be grown. He decided to exercise daily to live a few more decades. "You're right, you take me. Just don't let me fall!"
"Dad, trust my riding skills. I can carry a hundred pounds of fish without any problem."
Father Jiang: "..."
But
But!
But he wasn't a hundred pounds!
He was over a hundred and twenty, nearly a hundred and thirty!
Son-in-law!
Where is my son-in-law? (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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