Chapter 20: Are You From the Same Hometown?

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Jiang Luan had been born frail and, before marriage, spent most of his time recuperating at home.

Yet whenever he did venture outside, he was certain to attract a swarm of admirers. Otherwise, how could he have earned such a notorious reputation?

Of course, although those men belittled him with their mouths, every one of them secretly kept him in mind.

As another male-born person, Jiang Yan Shu had lived in Jiang Luan’s shadow for years. Thus, upon seeing him now, he felt rather conflicted.

When Jiang Luan saw that the boy who had deliberately crashed into him still refused to say a word, he was just about to ask, “Who are you?” when the other party said gloomily,

“Elder Brother, it has been a long time.”

“…”

Jiang Luan immediately put on a smile.

“Oh my, isn’t this my little brother? Why are you sitting on the ground? It’s cold down there. Come on, get up!”

Jiang Yan Shu: “…”

Abandoning Qi Shaolin, Jiang Luan stepped forward with a bright smile and helped Jiang Yan Shu to his feet. He even brushed the dirt off the back of his clothes.

“Look at this… You’ve gotten your new clothes dirty.”

Jiang Yan Shu had originally wanted to ask what sort of medicine Jiang Luan had taken, but he remembered his mother’s instructions before he left: do not get into a conflict with Jiang Luan while at the Qi residence. He swallowed the words back down.

“Heh-heh, I can manage,” Jiang Yan Shu said with a fake smile. He then turned toward Qi Shaolin. “I presume this is Young Master Qi, your brother-in-law…”

“That’s right. Shaolin, this is my little brother…”

Jiang Luan deliberately paused. Jiang Yan Shu, taking the hint, introduced himself.

“Second Young Master of the Jiang family, Jiang Yan Shu.”

“Yes, yes, my little brother, Jiang Yan Shu,” Jiang Luan immediately added.

He had remembered only that Old Master Qi was celebrating his birthday and had not expected the original owner’s family to come visiting at the same time.

He did not even know what sort of relative Jiang Yan Shu was. Was he his biological younger brother?

Jiang Yan Shu’s feelings were even more complicated.

Not long ago, he had still been mocking Jiang Luan at home. So what if he had a handsome face? In the end, hadn’t he married an idiot?

But now, seeing Jiang Luan living in a grand residence with a handsome husband, and even putting on an affected display of brotherly affection while speaking to him in that sly, sarcastic tone, the imbalance in his heart rose once more.

Qi Shaolin glanced at Jiang Yan Shu without interest, then tugged at Jiang Luan’s hand.

“Wifey, let’s go. Shaolin’s tummy is hungry.”

Jiang Luan could not tell what sort of relationship the original owner had with this brother, so he politely asked Jiang Yan Shu,

“Little brother, it’s getting late. Shall we go in?”

Being addressed as “little brother” made Jiang Yan Shu shudder. He answered awkwardly,

“All right.”

And so Qi Shaolin held Jiang Luan’s hand, while Jiang Luan affectionately linked arms with Jiang Yan Shu.

This strange trio entered the inner courtyard of the main hall, leaving Madam Zhou and Zheng Peiluan staring at them in stunned silence.

“Mother, I’m back.”

Jiang Yan Shu pulled his arm free from Jiang Luan’s and walked stiffly to the seat beside Zheng Peiluan.

The corner of Zheng Peiluan’s mouth twitched.

“You and Jiang Luan…?”

Jiang Yan Shu was still feeling uncomfortable. He complained softly to his mother,

“Didn’t you tell me not to get into a conflict with Jiang Luan at the Qi residence?”

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“That doesn’t mean I told you to hold hands with the boy!”

Zheng Peiluan pressed a hand to the corner of her mouth, but the twitching at the corner of her eye began again.

Jiang Luan, entirely unaware of the mother and son’s complicated feelings, led Qi Shaolin to the main table and took his seat.

Everyone at this table was part of the Qi family. The seat of honor was empty, reserved for the Qi family’s Old Master.

To the left of it sat Prince Siping, Qi Shaoyang, and Qi Shaoyan, with another seat left empty beside Qi Shaoyan.

To the right sat Qi Shaolin, Jiang Luan, Qi Shaokang, and Madam Zhou.

Directly opposite them, in the principal host’s seat, sat Second Uncle Qi Tianxing, who was covering his mouth and coughing softly.

Madam Zhou worriedly patted his back.

“I told you not to come.”

Qi Tianxing smiled at her.

“It is our father’s birthday. How could I, as his son, stay away? Mi’er, you’ve been rushing around all day. You must be tired.”

A faint blush colored Madam Zhou’s face.

“We’re husband and wife. Why speak so formally?”

Jiang Luan watched them and sighed inwardly at the depth of their affection. It was truly enviable.

But when he turned his head, he saw Qi Shaokang propping up his chin and staring at him with lecherous eyes.

Jiang Luan: “…”

Perhaps being too affectionate as a married couple was not a good thing either. They had no time to discipline their son, and he had turned into a lecherous wretch who coveted his sister-in-law.

Qi Yuheng emerged from the inner hall, briefly thanked the guests, then took his seat at the main table and ordered the feast to begin.

Qi Shaolin had been eyeing the adorable roast chicken on the table for a long while. The moment his grandfather picked up his chopsticks, he immediately placed a chicken leg into Jiang Luan’s bowl.

“Wifey, eat!”

“Hey.” Jiang Luan nudged Qi Shaolin’s arm with his elbow and whispered, “Put some in Grandfather’s bowl.”

Qi Shaolin obediently placed a piece of chicken into Qi Yuheng’s bowl.

Qi Yuheng immediately stroked his beard and laughed.

“Good, good! Our Shaolin has married a wife and started a family. He has truly grown up.”

Qi Tianxing and Madam Zhou also added food to each other’s bowls.

Prince Siping glanced left and right, for some reason growing angry once again.

He had never been good at concealing his emotions. Now he threw down his chopsticks and could no longer eat.

“Father, have some of this.”

Qi Shaoyan rarely ate at the main table. Timidly, she picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in the prince’s bowl.

Prince Siping, however, was not appeased by his daughter’s gesture. He glared at Jiang Luan.

“The meat is rotten. How am I supposed to eat it?”

Chewing on his chicken leg, Jiang Luan was utterly baffled.

What the hell had I done to offend you now? I haven’t even started doing anything!

But the prince’s inexplicable anger was simply too rude.

Qi Yuheng’s expression visibly darkened.

Hua Chao had been standing behind Prince Siping and attending to him. At this moment, she covered her mouth and gave a soft cough, then said to the prince in a voice neither loud nor quiet,

“Your Highness, shouldn’t it be time to present the gift?”

“Quite right.” Prince Siping nodded. Then he said to Qi Shaoyang, “Yang’er, hurry and have your grandfather’s birthday gift brought in.”

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“Yes.”

Qi Shaoyang rose and left the table.

Only then did Qi Yuheng’s expression improve slightly. He asked with a smile,

“What is it that it needs to be carried in?”

“Ancestor, you have no idea how much effort I put into this! You are sure to like it.” Prince Siping smiled as well.

Before long, Qi Shaoyang returned.

He was carrying an object about thirty centimeters high, covered with a piece of red silk. He was huffing and puffing, and it was clearly quite heavy.

“This is…”

Qi Shaoyang placed the object on the table, pulled away the red silk, and said with a smile,

“Grandfather, may you enjoy blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and live as long as the Southern Mountains!”

Beneath the red silk was a gigantic longevity peach made entirely of pure gold. It glittered brilliantly, studded with hundreds of pearls the size of grains of rice, along with numerous rubies and sapphires. Anyone could see that it had cost a fortune.

The moment the enormous golden peach was revealed, it drew the attention of several neighboring tables.

“Good heavens, what a huge longevity peach…”

“How much silver must that have cost?”

“Prince Siping is certainly generous. His filial devotion to the Qi family’s patriarch is truly impressive.”

The guests whispered among themselves.

Qi Yuheng was visibly pleased as well. Stroking his beard, he said with a smile,

“Good, good!”

Jiang Luan took one glance and immediately looked away. He put a hand on Qi Shaolin’s shoulder and turned his head aside.

Puzzled by his reaction, Qi Shaolin asked in a low voice,

“Wifey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. My trypophobia just flared up,” Jiang Luan replied quietly.

In order to make the birthday gift look more valuable, Prince Siping had encrusted it with practically every precious thing he could find.

A golden Buddha or a golden bodhisattva would have been perfectly ordinary. But a giant golden peach covered with a hundred or so pearls? Jiang Luan had never seen anything like it.

The densely packed pearls, arranged in a disorderly yet oddly deliberate pattern, made him feel sick just looking at them.

The Jiang family’s table was nearby, and Jiang Yan Shu was sitting with his back to Jiang Luan.

Apparently, this “biological younger brother” shared his “enemy.” He muttered under his breath,

“The year before last, it was a golden mountain. Last year, a golden monkey. This year, a golden peach… Next year, he might as well give a little golden statue.”

Jiang Luan: “!!”

Jiang Yan Shu was still grumbling when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

He turned around in confusion and saw Jiang Luan lean close, his face filled with excitement as he whispered,

“If odd changes, does even stay the same?”

Jiang Yan Shu: “??”