When Jiang Ruolan reached the second floor, she saw Xian Zihao coming to pick her up. "You've been there for such a long time? Is everything ready?"
The faint fragrance of his body lingered in her nostrils, and his gentle voice was always able to calm the turmoil in her heart.
Jiang Ruolan nodded, "It's about time. Why did you come here? I'm not a child. I know Yijun's room is on the third floor, I won't get lost."
Xian Zihao smiled. "Even a child is smarter than you."
Jiang Ruolan pursed her lips and looked back at the stairs. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Did you hear the conversation between Cui Liuxian and me?"
Xian Zihao just raised his eyebrows, but it was also a tacit agreement that he was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"What did she mean by that? Wasn't my mother's necklace one of the proofs of that corruption? But regardless of who the culprit was, even if the necklace is material evidence, my mother is already dead. Cui Liuxian suddenly mentioned Jiang Family, what did she mean?" Jiang Ruolan asked seriously.
Xian Zihao pursed his lips. With a comforting look in his eyes, he asked, "About the necklace or about the Jiang Family? And since when did you start to believe her words?"
"I know that what she said was not true. However, I feel that she was very sure of her words. Thus, I inevitably thought about it."
Jiang Ruolan was confused, but her mother had already died so many years ago. Even if there was some hidden secret, what could she do?
In the end, she decided to hide the doubts in her heart and smiled. "Forget it, you're right. Cui Liuxian's words are indeed untrue at times. Just treat it as listening to a joke."
Xian Zihao's lips curved up a little as he heard her words. He put his arm around her and led her downstairs.
"Zihao, how many days does Xian Group go on holiday for this Spring Festival?" Jiang Ruolan suddenly asked as they were walking downstairs.
Xian Zihao looked at her. "There are different departments in the company. Some of them only take five days, but most of them have ten days."
"Then when will we return to Greenville Residence? Are we going to stay here until your vacation is over?" She whispered.
Although Jiang Ruolan really wanted to accompany the Old Man and Zhan An more, not to mention that Xian Guiying's matter had not been resolved yet, but since Cui Liuxian, the ticking time bomb was here and the faintly discernible enmity between Jiang Yijun and Xian Zihao, she suddenly missed Greenville Residence.
The home that solely belonged to her and Xian Zihao.
Perhaps it was because the worries in her eyes were easily noticed, Xian Zihao instantly saw through her thoughts.
"Tonight is New Year's Eve, whenever you want to return after this, we will return." He laughed.
"Even if you don't want to let me go, I'll still go." Jiang Ruolan glared at him.
"There are still a lot of restrictions in Xian Residence, especially for Cui Liuxian. She can't do anything. The Spring Festival will take place soon and our family always celebrates it every year. You might have to suffer for a couple of days. Endure it a little longer, hmm?"
Xian Zihao had just said that she wasn't as carefree as a child, and now that he said this in a tone that sounded like he was coaxing a child, Jiang Ruolan's lips curved up into a happy smile. "Then let's spend a few more days with grandpa."
Xian Zihao looked at her with a funny expression. As he spoke, the two of them had already entered the living room.
Zhan An was standing by the window for who knows how long.
Jiang Ruolan paused and thought for a moment before whispering, "Zihao, let me talk to mom for a while."
Xian Zihao didn't need to say much to know what she was thinking. He looked at her and chuckled softly, "What a caring daughter-in-law."
Jiang Ruolan hit him in the stomach and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. After that, she walked to the window and stood beside Zhan An. She didn't say anything at first and just tilted her head to look at Zhan An's expression.
In the end, Zhan An turned around and glanced at her. A trace of amusement flashed across her originally calm eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Mom." Jiang Ruolan smiled as she handed her a glass of water. "Women should drink more water when they have nothing better to do. Although you maintain your appearance well, drinking more water is more useful than any skincare products."
Zhan An took the glass but didn't drink it. She just looked at Jiang Ruolan. "What do you want to tell me?"
As expected, her mother-in-law didn't like to beat around the bush, so Jiang Ruolan didn't have to think about how to get into the main topic anymore. She directly said, "Didn't you already guess Yijun's background when you saw him?"
Zhan An nodded.
"Then, mom, are you blaming me?"
"Why should I blame you?"
Zhan An held the glass of water in her hand, and her voice was very soft, so soft that only Jiang Ruolan could hear it. "Some things have been happening for more than twenty years. Whether Yijun was resentful towards the Xian Family, accepting it, staying, or leaving, it was his choice. Since it's a matter of the previous generation, I will not treat him coldly. Since he was once raised with you, then he should be a good child. Don't worry, mom will not ruin the Old Man's family reunion."
"If Yijun's attitude is too harsh in the future, I hope you don't take it to heart."
Zhan An chuckled. "Good child, mom knows your good intentions."
Jiang Ruolan didn't say anything else and just smiled calmly at her.
Since it was New Year's Eve, and because the Old Man was too old to stay up late, the New Year's Eve meal was three hours ahead of schedule. It started at 9 PM.
Old Man Xian was really in a good mood. He changed into a new set of clothes, walked down the stairs with his cane, and sat down, looking at the sumptuous dishes on the table and then at everyone sitting down. He was smiling so hard that he could barely keep his mouth shut.
Zhan An and Xian Jian sat on the Old Man's right side, while Xian Guiying sat beside Zhan An.
Xian Zihao sat on Jiang Ruolan's left side, and Jiang Yijun coincidentally sat on her right side. Looking at the Old Man's happy smile, Jiang Ruolan also smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"Yijun." She suddenly looked at the person next to her. Jiang Yijun was calm and distant. "This is the first time we've had so many family members with us on New Year's Eve, isn't it?"
Jiang Yijun's lips curled up slightly when he heard her words.
"Ruolan, you and Yijun have been siblings for so many years, you must have suffered a lot outside, right?" Old Man Xian looked at them with eyes full of love. "In the future, the Xian Family will be your home. Every New Year's Eve, we can eat dinner together and you two don't have to starve again."
From the Old Man's tone, he must have sent people to investigate her background after knowing about Jiang Yijun.
Xian Zihao's hand gently grip her's. She smiled at him when she noticed the pure love and concern in his eyes.
At this moment, Zhan An said, "The plum blossom fragrance comes from the bitter cold¹. If Ruolan hadn't suffered so much, how could she have such a strong and heart-wrenching personality?"
"You're right. It's the same for Yijun too. He's quite successful in his career at such a young age." The Old Man nodded, feeling gratified.
Xian Jian, on the other hand, sat beside the Old Man without saying anything. He only looked at Jiang Yijun, but it was hard to tell if his expression was one of joy or anger. He seemed to be thinking about something.
Xian Zihao and Jiang Yijun were serving Jiang Ruolan some food at the same time. Everyone at the table looked at them. Xian Zihao's hand that was holding onto his chopsticks trembled slightly.
He glanced at Jiang Yijun for a moment, then continued to put the food into Jiang Ruolan's bowl. Jiang Yijun also looked at him but did not say anything. After placing the dishes in her bowl, he quietly took back his chopsticks.
"What a rare sight ~~" Cui Liuxian, who was sitting opposite of Jiang Ruolan, suddenly laughed. "I heard that you and Yijun's relationship has always been good. Do you live together all these years?"
It was as if she was speaking a question out of the blue, but the joyous atmosphere at the table suddenly froze. The Old Man stopped picking up his chopsticks right after he finished listening.
.
.
***
Glossary:
¹ It basically encourages people to persist through difficult times. The plum blossom is deeply loved because its bright red blossoms in winter give it the image that it is never overwhelmed by the killing freeze, which has something in common with people not surrendering to misery or evil.
