0p0 Chapter 178: A Loving Mother and Filial Son; A Male Model for the Stepmother
Chapter 178: A Loving Mother and Filial Son; A Male Model for the Stepmother
Jiang Xinghe had just left the funeral home when Jiang Qingkong rushed over.
Actually, she returned to China yesterday, but she didn't attend the funeral.
It wasn't until she received a call from her eldest uncle this morning, informing her that Jiang Xinghe was going to scatter her grandfather's ashes into the sea, that she rushed over, hoping to plead for her grandfather's life.
After all, for the older generation, returning to their roots is the right path.
Just a few minutes ago, the eldest uncle called again, saying that Jiang Xinghe wanted to make his father's ashes into a lucky cat and put it in the Jiang family ancestral hall!
Jiang Qingkong was dumbfounded.
She knew that Jiang Xinghe hated the Jiang family, especially his father and grandfather.
But I never imagined that his hatred would be so deep.
As a son, he actually wanted to make a lucky cat out of his father's ashes. If this got out, everyone would call him a traitor.
Jiang Qingkong did not want to see her father's ashes dishonored, nor did she want to see Jiang Xinghe blinded by hatred and become a heartless person with no way back.
Therefore, she must stop Jiang Xinghe.
But she was still a few minutes late. By the time she arrived at the funeral home, Jiang Xinghe's car had already left.
Seeing Li Xi and Gu Huaizhou walk out of the funeral home, Jiang Qingkong's eyes lit up and she quickly stepped forward to grab Li Xi's arm.
"Li Xi".
"Is my brother really going to burn Dad's ashes into a lucky cat?" Jiang Qingkong couldn't believe it when she heard her mother say this on the phone.
Li Xi nodded. "Yes, he's already on his way to the ceramics shop."
"Why didn't you try to persuade him!" Jiang Qingkong couldn't help but vent her anger on Li Xi. "Aren't you his friend? How could you just stand by and watch him make a mistake?"
"If he really burns my father's ashes into a lucky cat, what will people outside say about him?"
"He'll be talked about behind his back!"
After being scolded by Jiang Qingkong, Li Xi also got angry.
"What are you scolding me for?"
Li Xi retorted forcefully, "When Jiang Zhulang mistreated Jiang Xinghe before, sending him abroad and leaving him to fend for himself without a penny, why didn't you advise your father to be a loving father?"
“When the Jiang family mistreated him, you never condemned them for being immoral, unrighteous, unkind, and uncompassionate.”
“Now that Jiang Xinghe is seeking revenge, you turn around and accuse me, his friend, of not advising him.”
"Jiang Qingkong, don't be so hypocritical!"
After being scolded by Li Xi, Jiang Qingkong regained some of her composure.
Seeing that Jiang Qingkong was still willing to listen to advice, Li Xi reminded her again: "Why don't you think about why your mother and your uncle didn't stop Jiang Xinghe from seeking revenge?"
Jiang Qingkong has been staying abroad recently, engaging in a love-hate relationship with Xie Xingyun, and knows very little about what is happening in China.
Song Yunzhi was a person who cared about her reputation, so naturally she wouldn't tell Jiang Qingkong about the grievances she had suffered.
Therefore, Jiang Qingkong was unaware that Song Yunzhi and Jiang Zhulang's relationship had developed cracks.
"Why don't you go ask your mother why she was heartbroken by your father and why she watched her stepson humiliate her husband's ashes without standing up to stop him?"
After saying that, Li Xi left with Gu Huaizhou.
At Li Xi's prompting, Jiang Qingkong quietly slipped into the funeral home and found Song Yunzhi looking haggard.
Under Jiang Qingkong's persistent questioning, Song Yunzhi finally shed her armor, hugged her daughter, and shed tears of grievance.
"A clear sky."
"Your father and grandfather are no human beings!"
"After learning that Jiang Xinghe's mother was from the Fifth Family, they were worried that the Fifth Family would retaliate against them, so they planned to frame me for Chu Xingchen's death, hoping that my family would bear the Fifth Family's revenge for them!"
"Qingkong, your father deserves to die!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingkong's expression changed drastically.
Seeing the hatred in her mother's eyes, and recalling the strangeness of her father's death, an unbelievable thought suddenly popped into her mind.
"mom..."
Jiang Qingkong looked at Song Yunzhi with suspicion and asked, "Were you involved in Dad's death?"
Song Yunzhi's eyes flickered slightly, but she did not refute him.
Jiang Qingkong was shocked. "Mom! What have you done!"
"...I just hid a locator in his button."
"You hid a tracking device on my father?" Jiang Qingkong's pupils trembled. "So, you revealed my father's whereabouts to our enemies?"
"Mom, you've been married for decades..."
Song Yunzhi interrupted Jiang Qingkong in a fit of exasperation: "Has he ever treated me like a wife?"
Jiang Qingkong was startled by the shout.
A ruthless glint flashed in Song Yunzhi's eyes. She sneered, "I, Song Yunzhi, am an innocent and upright young woman. It's him who's climbing the social ladder by marrying a divorced man with a child!"
"Over the years, I helped him build connections and win over wealthy ladies from various cities by running an etiquette school, which helped him bring the Jiang family to where it is today."
“I helped him rise to prominence, but he wants to push me and the Song family out to take the fall.”
"Shouldn't he have died?"
"If Jiang Zhulang could strangle his wife for profit back then, he could kill me for profit one day!"
"Even if I, Song Yunzhi, die, I will trample his bones over myself!"
So, she sent Jiang Zhulang to hell first.
Deep within Song Yunzhi's seemingly calm eyes lies a dark madness.
At that moment, Jiang Qingkong saw her own reflection in her mother.
It turns out that her mental illness was inherited from her mother.
“...You’re right.” Jiang Qingkong leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. She considered the whole thing from her mother’s perspective and couldn’t help but say, “A man like that deserves to die.”
Seeing that her daughter understood her, Song Yunzhi's resentment turned into grievance, and she shed tears again.
Wiping away her tears, Song Yunzhi held her daughter's hand and earnestly instructed her, "Your eldest uncle and the others want you to plead for them, but they don't have good intentions. If you go, Jiang Xinghe will hold a grudge against you."
“We can’t do something that offends people for the sake of those ungrateful Jiang family members. Just pretend you don’t know anything about what happened today.”
"...good."
*
Before long, an ugly-looking lucky cat appeared in front of the Jiang family ancestral hall. As long as batteries were installed, the lucky cat's paws would wave incessantly.
After that, the Jiang family rarely came to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors anymore, because as soon as they entered the ancestral hall and looked into the eyes of the lucky cat, they felt a chill run down their spines.
After that day, Jiang Xinghe dyed his flamboyant gray-blue permed short hair black.
He put on a suit and tie and successfully took over the entire Jiang family business.
He didn't move back to the Jiang family home, but he replaced all the servants in the Jiang family home from top to bottom, and even specially hired a middle-aged butler with the physique of a male model.
Song Yunzhi's eyes lit up the moment she saw the male model butler.
"Aunt Song."
Jiang Xinghe walked behind Song Yunzhi, placed his hands on the back of the chair, and whispered in Song Yunzhi's ear: "It was a pleasure working with you before."
"To thank you for your help, I specially selected a housekeeper for Aunt Song who is outstanding in every way."
"Qingkong has gone abroad, and I don't come home much either. If Aunt Song gets bored, she can chat with the housekeeper..."
Song Yunzhi: "..."
She subconsciously glanced at the portraits of her husband and father-in-law that had just been hung on the wall, then looked at the butler standing at the end of the restaurant, who was wearing his butler uniform like a runway outfit.
That evening, Song Yunzhi took the two portraits to the storage room.
Even without Jiang Zhulang, Jiang Xinghe and Song Yunzhi managed to create a harmonious family dynamic of 'motherly love and filial piety'.
When Li Xi heard this, she couldn't help but give Jiang Xinghe a thumbs up. "Damn, your stepmother really locked your father's and grandfather's portraits in the storage room?"
"Hmm." Jiang Xinghe, with a lollipop in his mouth, stood in the kitchen of Gu Huaizhou's apartment, chopping potatoes. Tonight, he was in charge of cooking and was going to make braised beef brisket with potatoes.
"This trick was taught to me by Brother Zhen."
Li Xi was utterly astonished. "This kind of despicable thing was actually thought up by my brother Huaizhou?"
Gu Huaizhou was working in his study, and the door wasn't closed, so he heard everything.
His voice came from the study: "Song Yunzhi is still young. If we don't find something for her to do, she will inevitably cause trouble and bother Jiang Xinghe."
"Introduce her to a handsome, tall, strong, and capable man to be her confidante."
"Only in this way can we solve the problem at its root."
That makes sense, but Li Xi also pointed out: "Aren't you afraid that this steward is greedy and might collude with Song Yunzhi to cause trouble?"
"Ms. Song is only in her forties and can still have children. Be careful that they don't give you another cheap younger brother or sister."
Jiang Xinghe's voice came from the kitchen: "That's impossible."
How can you be so sure?
Jiang Xinghe shrugged and said, "The housekeeper was sent by my uncle from Southeast Asia. She has already undergone sterilization surgery and will go for regular check-ups."
"So all your worries are unnecessary."
Upon learning that the housekeeper was someone Lan Yu had hired, Li Xi knew what was going on.
Soon, the food was ready.
The three of them were eating together when Gu Huaizhou's phone, which was on the coffee table, suddenly rang.
Jiang Xinghe was closest to that side, so he got up to get his phone, saying as he walked, "It's Officer Zhou calling."
Upon hearing this, Li Xi and Gu Huaizhou simultaneously put down their chopsticks.
Gu Huaizhou took the phone and got up to go to the study to talk.
After finishing the call, he walked over to Li Xi with a stern face and said, "We've found the real Chen Feng."