The weather today was much better than yesterday, it wasn't raining, but it was still very cold.

The Jiang family's old house is located in a greenery-filled neighborhood in the center of Huan City, surrounded by lakes and beautiful scenery.

This old house was built in the last century and despite several renovations, the architectural style has remained unchanged.

The red bricks are solemnly and elegantly stacked, surrounded by lush green trees, giving it a grand appearance and a sense of historical weight.

Jiang Shuyi was slow to get out of the car, which earned her a scolding from Tang Wenzhen.

The path leading to the main house appeared very spacious, and the windows of the corridor had been meticulously cleaned, reflecting people's faces beautifully.

It seems that some guests have already arrived, a few formally dressed people passed by each other and greeted Jiang Haichao and Tang Wenzhen.

Jiang Shuyi's grandfather, Jiang Jinian, was a skilled businessman in his youth, known for his well-rounded character.

Although he no longer engaged in business, during the New Year, many people still came to their home to pay their respects.

In this circle, just the knowledge, insider information, and connections that this old man possessed could be exchanged for gold. Thus, during the New Year, many people sought his assistance.

In the hall, there were wines and fruits sent by guests, and gifts piled in one corner of the living room, seemingly about to rot together.

---

Tang Wenzhen, Jiang Haichao, and a few others walked into the living room.

The living room is spacious, with Jiang Jinian sitting on a mahogany sofa while the family doctor is taking his blood pressure.

The living room was spacious, and Jiang Jinian was sitting on a mahogany sofa while the family doctor was checking his blood pressure.

As he aged, the old man's face had become more amiable. Compared to his leaner appearance in his youth, he had gained quite a bit of weight, and his hair had turned gray.

Perhaps to make up for not being gentle with his children when he was younger, he was very forgiving towards them, especially with his granddaughter, Jiang Shuyi, whom he spoiled mercilessly.

"Grandpa, Happy New Year." Jiang Shuyi greeted as she walked in.

"Oh, Shuyi, you're here."

The old man smiled warmly as they approached him.

He patted the seat beside him, signaling for Jiang Shuyi to sit next to him.

"Dad." Jiang Haichao and Tang Wenzhen also greeted as they walked over.

When Jiang Jinian saw Wen Yao, he squinted his eyes.

With a smile, he rolled up his sleeves and waved for the family doctor to leave. "And who is this?"

"I'm Jiang Shuyi's classmate." Wen Yao said, looking respectfully at the old man.

The old man chuckled and glanced meaningfully at Jiang Shuyi. "Oh, a classmate?"

He waved his hand, inviting her to sit. "Sit down, no need to stand."

"This young classmate, sit next to Shuyi."

Everyone settled into their seats quietly.

The old man glanced at Wen Yao, then leaned closer to Jiang Shuyi and teasingly remarked:

"This young girl is quite pretty."

". . ." Jiang Shuyi's ears turned red.

Jiang Shuyi was a little shocked. She actually felt somewhat intimidated by Jiang Jinian.

So even though she knew he was her grandfather and the father of Jiang Haichao, and that he was very fond of his granddaughter, she still felt a bit afraid of him.

Now, this person was behaving just like any other kind old man, which surprised her a bit.

The old man looked at Jiang Shuyi's expression and laughed heartily. "Do you want to eat some jujube flower pastry?"

He had someone bring out the snacks that the original owner liked to eat when she was young.

"I remember Shuyi loved these, she used to run into the house specifically shouting, 'Grandpa, I want to eat jujube flower pastry!' And she would always finish a whole plate..."

Every year, the old man would bring up this story, and this year, perhaps due to the presence of new guest, he spoke with even more enthusiasm, adding many details.

The original owner liked these snacks, but Jiang Shuyi didn't really like them...

However, considering it was the old man's kind intention, Jiang Shuyi slowly used a small fork to cut a piece and brought it to her mouth.

Jiang Jinian gently patted Jiang Shuyi's head, as if she were still a child, his hands covered in wrinkles.

Although Jiang Shuyi no longer looked like a child, this old man still treated her as one, as if she would never grow up.

"Does this young lady like it too?" Jiang Jinian asked Wen Yao.

Jiang Shuyi knew that Wen Yao didn't like such sweets, but Wen Yao nodded politely and said, "Yes, thank you, Grandpa."

—Wen Yao was just putting on a show.

Jiang Shuyi wanted to tease Wen Yao a bit, but the old man immediately joked:

"Good that you like it."

"If you marry Shuyi in the future, you can come to my house often to eat, our pastry chef can make many other things..."

Jiang Shuyi suddenly coughed at this remark, scattering bits of flaky pastry across the table.

Wen Yao took out a napkin and wiped the table in front of Jiang Shuyi.

"Oh, why are you getting messier when you eat? Look at this young lady..."

The old man chuckled, his voice hearty, "And look at you, you're not refined at all."

Jiang Haichao laughed it off, while Tang Wenzhen shook her head.

Once the old man started a joke, he couldn't stop. During lunch, he jokingly asked Wen Yao when she would come to their house as a bride. Jiang Shuyi felt a mix of pride and embarrassment, eating an extra bowl of rice.

Wen Yao took the jokes calmly, nodding without much reaction, looking quite composed.

---

After lunch, Tang Wenzhen had to go out to sign some documents for a new product being developed by her company, so she left, leaving only a few of them at home.

Every day at two o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Jinian would sit in front of the TV to watch a commentary on the game of Go.

Not only did the old man watch, but he also played along with the board.

Jiang Shuyi sat on the side, not understanding the game, nor wanting to learn, lazily lying on the redwood sofa in the living room to bask in the sun.

Perhaps because she woke up too early today, she fell asleep not long after.

Jiang Jinian lowered the TV volume and had someone bring a blanket for Jiang Shuyi to cover herself with.

The room was filled with the commentary from the television and the sound of chess pieces being placed on the board.

Before long, Jiang Haichao came over and placed the old man's health supplements on the table.

As soon as Jiang Haichao set the medicine down, his hand accidentally hit the TV remote, causing the screen to go black suddenly.

Jiang Jinian frowned.

"Sorry, I pressed the wrong button."

Jiang Haichao hurriedly fumbled to turn the TV back on, and by the time he adjusted the channel, several moves had already been played on the board. The commentator exclaimed,, "Ah, to come up with such a move..."

Jiang Jinian looked at the TV screen with a puzzled expression, as if asking, "How did it come to this?" After failing to figure it out, he glared at Jiang Haichao.

Jiang Haichao remained silent and stepped away a few paces.

Wen Yao glanced at the board, walked over to the old man, and slowly rearranged the pieces that had just been moved.

"It might have been played like this." she said.

Jiang Jinian looked at the board, his expression shifting to one of understanding as he nodded. "Ah, like this..."

"Do you play Go?" the old man glanced at Wen Yao.

Wen Yao quietly nodded, "A little."

Jiang Jinian was somewhat intrigued, as most people of Jiang Shuyi's age didn't play Go.

He actually wanted to teach Jiang Shuyi, but his granddaughter simply didn't have the patience to sit in front of a board for long...

"Let's have a game." Jiang Jinian smiled.

". . ." Wen Yao didn't refuse, obediently sitting in front of the old man.

In the beginning, Jiang Jinian asked Wen Yao if she wanted him to give her a handicap, but after half an hour, he silently watched her, as if caught in deep thought.

Wen Yao looked at Jiang Jinian and quietly raised her head to look at him.

Jiang Jinian placed the pieces he was holding back into the wooden box. "You won."

Wen Yao nodded in thanks.

"You played very well."

Jiang Jinian sighed, though his tone seemed to convey something entirely different.

Jiang Haichao smiled and poured tea for the old man. "I heard from Shuyi that Wen is the top student in her school, and she earned the scholarship all by herself. She's quite brilliant..."

"Oh, is that so? You've been spending the New Year with us these days, are your parents at ease?" Jiang Jinian slowly collected the pieces, his gaze sharp.

When Jiang Haichao heard this question, he immediately leaned in and whispered something to Jiang Jinian.

"Dad, Wen's parents are gone."

However, the old man paused in his actions, and his expression turned complicated as he looked at Wen Yao. "Gone? Have they passed away?"

Wen Yao spoke calmly, without any change in her expression. "My mother has passed away."

"And your father?" Jiang Jinian asked next.

Jiang Haichao tugged at Jiang Jinian, signaling him not to press further.

"My father is in debt, his whereabouts are currently unknown." Wen Yao said calmly, looking directly at Jiang Jinian.

Jiang Jinian frowned as he looked at Wen Yao's eyes. "You don't have any other relatives?"

Wen Yao silently shook her head.

"Hmm..." Jiang Jinian's expression turned unpleasant, and he fell silent after that.

". . ." Wen Yao sat across from him, slowly putting the pieces away.

"Grandpa, do you want to play another round?"

"No, thank you."

Jiang Jinian waved his hand stiffly, then began to set up a game on the TV by himself.

Jiang Haichao patted Wen Yao's shoulder, "Don't take it to heart, the old man can be like this sometimes. You've been playing a long time, why don't you go rest for a bit?"

Wen Yao politely greeted the people in the living room as she stood up and walked to the bathroom at the end of the corridor.

---

Water continued to flow from the faucet.

Wen Yao glanced at her reflection in the mirror, as if confirming something.

She felt the coldness of the water gradually spreading through her body.

For Jiang Shuyi's family, understanding their situation was as easy as pie, so Wen Yao had no intention of hiding her family circumstances from the beginning.

Perhaps because Tang Wenzhen and Jiang Haichao had reacted too casually, she had let her guard down. However, the old man's reaction earlier gave her an uneasy feeling:

—Jiang Jinian would probably never bring up the topic of her marrying Jiang Shuyi again.

Wen Yao slowly withdrew her hand and dried it with a towel.

She knew that Jiang Jinian's response was the normal reaction.

In terms of family background, the gap between her and Jiang Shuyi's family was something anyone could see. Who would want their child to be with someone from a family like hers?

As she thought this, she slowly turned off the faucet, feeling as if her heart was being gripped tightly.

---

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