625 Falling Apart
Yan Zhiyuan did not say anything else.
Yan Qingyun was afraid that he would say something wrong, so he just greeted him.
“Xiaolu, I haven’t seen you in a long time. I missed you very much. Come home with your mother later. I have something good for you.”
Yan Qingyun said gently to Su Xiaolu.
Su Xiaolu smiled sweetly. “Okay, thank you, Grandpa.”
Su Xiaolu bowed to General Qi and said with a smile, “Great-grandfather, Uncle, Aunt, Eldest Cousin, Eldest Cousin-in-law, Second Cousin, it’s getting late. Father and Mother are still waiting for me at home for New Year’s dinner. We’ll go back first.”
General Qi nodded gently. “Go on. Be careful on the road. Come back tomorrow and tell me about the interesting things you encountered outside.”
Su Xiaolu smiled and nodded. She waved at them and turned to leave with Little Niu, Chen Shi, and Chen Xing. This was not the right time. She would introduce Little Niu to them another day.
Everyone noticed that there was a stranger beside Su Xiaolu, but they tacitly did not ask further.
The Qi family knew that the time was not right. Next time, Su Xiaolu would introduce him without them asking.
Su Xiaolu greeted everyone except Yan Zhiyuan. This made Yan Zhiyuan very angry. What an uneducated girl.
Even though Yan Zhiyuan had his head lowered, Yan Qingyun could still feel his anger. Afraid that he would not be able to control it, Yan Qingyun did not delay any longer and left after giving the item to him.
General Qi’s expression was calm. “I won’t keep you guys tonight. Go back.”
“Okay, okay.”
Yan Qingyun chuckled and brought Yan Zhiyuan back.
He hoped that Yan Zhiyuan would be more sensible, but Yan Zhiyuan left with him without even greeting him.
After returning to the carriage, Yan Qingyun’s face turned extremely dark. He glared at Yan Zhiyuan.
Yan Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, and his face darkened.
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
Yan Qingyun couldn’t help but ask coldly.
“What do you want me to say?” Yan Zhiyuan raised his head and said coldly. He looked directly at Yan Qingyun’s face. His father was old and he respected him, but he should not be afraid of him. Thinking about this, Yan Zhiyuan felt more confident and said, “I don’t know why Father keeps sucking up to the Qi family and the Su family, but in my opinion, their families are just so-so.”
“So-so? That’s easy for you to say.”
Yan Qingyun was so angry that his heart jumped.
“Do you know what kind of conditions Su Chong and Su Hua grew up under? What kind of conditions did Yuran and Yuanan grow up under? What kind of position do Su Chong and Su Hua have now? And what kind of identity do your sons, Yuran and Yuananan, have now? It’s really easy for you to say that!”
After the family recognition, he thoroughly investigated the Su family. Under such harsh conditions, Su Sanlang and Madam Zhao managed to make a way out.
Even after more than ten years, there were still people in the village who remembered how Su Sanlang had killed the tiger with his own body. Their family had risked their lives to survive. They were so poor, but their two sons became successful.
The two brothers were so young. Who in the court wouldn’t give them face?
How could such capable people be called so-so?
“Whatever you say, Father. Yuran and Yuanan are average, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to do things. If Father is willing to give them a push, how can they stop? Father has never liked them. Now, he’s blaming them for being disappointing. How does Father know that they’re not disappointed in you, their grandfather?”
Yan Zhiyuan’s heart was filled with anger. How could a family of government officials be compared to a family of farmers?
If that was the case, why didn’t the emperor’s child go to the imperial examination? Even the emperor’s son might not be able to pass the examination. The Crown Prince had always been smart, and he had only gotten the third-scorer title.
Humble families had their own paths, while officials had their own paths. Why did they have to mix them up?
Yan Zhiyuan was very resentful. It was fine if he refused to push him, but he refused to help his sons as well. Now, he was comparing them to other people and blaming them for not being smart enough. But did his father understand that no matter how smart other people were, they belonged to other families?
Su Chong and Su Hua were good, but their surname was not Yan!
The father and son had long fallen out.
Yan Qingyun was furious. He was hurt and disappointed. “How dare you see me like that in your hearts!”
Yan Zhiyuan frowned and sneered. “I wouldn’t dare.”
Even his mother, who had been married to him for more than forty years, could give it up just like that. He had long been disappointed in this father.
Yan Qingyun sighed and closed his eyes. He slowly said, “Later, get Yuran and Yuananan to send his eldest son to my courtyard and let me teach him personally!”
Although his great-grandson was not smart enough, if he taught him well, he could rely on them to establish a foundation when the Yan family fell in the future.
He was getting on in years and his health was deteriorating. He could not control Yan Zhiyuan anymore. Even though he had promised to let it go countless times, he could not let it go.
Yan Zhiyuan frowned at Yan Qingyun’s request and said calmly, “I can’t make the decision. I’ll ask Yuran and Yuanan later. If they’re willing, they can send him over. If they’re not, I can’t do anything about it.”
Yan Zhiyuan was getting more and more disgusted by Yan Qingyun’s meddling.
Many times, he hinted to his father that he should push him from behind. His father always pretended not to hear him and complained that he did not work hard enough. His son was stupid, and his grandson was stupid. He made it seem as if no one in the Yan family was smart except him.
Looking at the old Yan Qingyun, Yan Zhiyuan felt indignant and rebellious in his heart.
Yan Zhiyuan looked at Yan Qingyun, whose eyes were tightly shut and lips were tightly pursed, and said, “Dad, you saw what happened today. General Qi’s health was not well last year, but he has recovered today. I heard that he even asked the emperor to send him to the north border. He must have obtained some divine medicine. Su Chong left the capital with the Crown Prince a few months ago. You’re so good to them. Why don’t you think of a way to get it from them…”
Yan Qingyun opened his eyes and saw the greed in Yan Zhiyuan’s eyes. Yan Qingyun interrupted Yan Zhiyuan calmly and said, “No need. Life and death are up to fate.”
Yan Zhiyuan pursed his lips and did not want to talk anymore. Look, look, it was always like this.
He despised his descendants for being stupid. When he had the chance, he did not think of a way to help them improve.
That medicine was comparable to divine medicine. If they could get ten or so pills to eat, wouldn’t their grandsons and great-grandchildren be successful? He had such an opportunity, but he was unwilling to take it. Why did he always despise them for not being successful enough?!
Yan Qingyun also felt very tired. How thick-skinned must he be to say that? Judging from Yan Zhiyuan’s words, he wanted to get the pills for free. No matter how good their relationship was, it was impossible for him to get it without putting in any effort. How could Yan Zhiyuan not understand such simple logic?
Perhaps it wasn’t that he didn’t understand, but that he was too arrogant and didn’t take others seriously. He didn’t know that others were already not something he could compare to.
Yan Qingyun’s face was cold, and so was Yan Zhiyuan’s. Yan Qingyun’s request to personally teach his two great-grandsons was rejected that night. The reason was that neither Yuran nor Yuanan agreed.
Yan Qingyun didn’t say anything about this answer. He just sighed faintly. The Yan family had already fallen apart. He couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to. Their hearts were no longer together, and nothing he could do would work.
