Lu Chaoge came down from upstairs and the servants had already prepared breakfast in the dining room.
Jiang Zhuliu was sitting at the dining table reading a newspaper. When he saw Lu Chaoge coming downstairs, he closed the newspaper and said, "I was wondering who would be the first to come downstairs to have breakfast with me. I don't have much appetite for all this food on the table."
Lu Chaoge pulled out the chair opposite Jiang Zhuliu and sat down, then asked, "Where are my uncle and aunt?"
"My dad is entertaining his old friends at home today. He doesn't have to go to work, so he may sleep longer. My mom played several rounds of mahjong with Mrs. Li and Mrs. Wang last night. It was already early in the morning when she came back. I guess she won't be able to get up for a while." Jiang Zhuliu picked up the chopsticks in front of him and said, "No need to wait. Let's eat first."
Lu Chaoge nodded, picked up the knife and fork and began to cut the fried eggs on the plate.
"Are you busy with work recently?" Jiang Zhuliu asked while stuffing fresh broccoli into his mouth.
"Not bad." Lu Chaoge said expressionlessly.
"Have you sorted out the relationships in school? If you have any difficulties, I'll go to Zheng Tiancheng for a cup of coffee. I think he will still give me this little face." Jiang Zhuliu said with a gentle and confident smile.
Perhaps for many people it is an insurmountable gap, but for people like them it is just a simple problem that can be solved with a phone call and a cup of coffee.
"No need." Lu Chaoge refused bluntly.
Jiang Zhuliu smiled and said, "In fact, I have also thought about buying Suzaku Middle School directly, or at least becoming the largest shareholder of Suzaku. I want you to be the principal, so that you can fully exert your abilities. Being dragged around by a bunch of useless old antiques all day long, restricting your hands and feet in everything you do, is really a waste of your precious time."
Lu Chaoge looked up at Jiang Zhuliu in surprise and said, "You never had such thoughts before."
"Because I know you." Jiang Zhuliu said. He added a pack of milk and half a pack of sugar to the coffee cup and stirred it gently with a spoon. "I know if I make such a request, you will definitely refuse."
"Then why do you think I will agree now?" Lu Chaoge asked back. "Because you think I can't hold on any longer?"
"I hope you agree." Jiang Zhuliu said with a smile. "This will save some time, right? Only by becoming the actual controller of the school can you plan and design it completely according to your ideas. Otherwise, how long will you waste in that quagmire? One year? Two years? Maybe three to five years?"
"I'm not in a hurry." Lu Chaoge said. As long as she was given a little more time, she believed that she could gain a firm foothold in Suzaku. Now more and more people were approaching her, and she just lacked some "experience" and convincing results.
"But someone is anxious." Jiang Zhuliu smiled helplessly. "You only come back every two days, so you can't understand my pain. My mother calls me every day to urge me to go home, and when I get home, she asks me when I'm getting married. I don't want to put any pressure on you. I don't want to push you too much. But you know, it's really hard to judge a woman in menopause by common sense. So, should we put this matter on the agenda?"
"Schedule? What schedule?" Lu Chaoge's tone became cold, as if he was keeping people at a distance.
"Wedding schedule." Jiang Zhuliu said with a smile. "Of course, there is also a schedule for having a baby. Or, there are many other schedules."
"I haven't thought about it." Lu Chaoge said. "If you and Auntie are in a hurry, you might as well go and see if other women are willing. Of course, I know there are many women who are willing to marry into the Jiang family and become Jiang's daughter-in-law."
"You don't want to?" Jiang Zhuliu asked, staring at Lu Chaoge with burning eyes.
"I haven't thought about it." Lu Chaoge said. He picked up a piece of egg with a fork and put it into his mouth, chewing it without tasting the food. It was really annoying. I could encounter such a depressing forced marriage incident just for breakfast.
What exactly do the Jiang family want to do
"Why?"
"No reason."
"I first met you when I was three years old. You moved to my house when I was six. We lived together for twenty years. During all these years you were in my house, how did my parents treat you? How did I treat you?"
"So, you want me to repay you with marriage?" Lu Chaoge counterattacked.
"Repay?" Jiang Zhuliu's facial muscles twitched with anger. "You call this a payback? Can't I, Jiang Zhuliu, find a woman? Do I need you to repay me with marriage? I like you, I fell in love with you many years ago - I hope you can be with me, I hope to marry you, I hope I am qualified to be the man who brings you happiness - is this a payback?"
"I don't like you." Lu Chaoge said.
"Because of Fang Yan?"
"Fang Yan?" Lu Chaoge frowned, shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with him."
Snapped!
Jiang Zhuliu slapped the table and roared like a wounded beast: "Lu Chaoge, you don't even dare to admit what you did? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of my revenge? Revenge on that pretty boy who lives off women?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. Fang Yan and I are just ordinary colleagues." Lu Chaoge said calmly, eating the eggs he had cut into strips in small bites.
"Just an ordinary colleague relationship? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Jiang Zhuliu sneered. "Lu Chaoge, are you afraid that I will retaliate against him? You are really considerate to him, but you really don't trust my character."
"I'm not afraid of your revenge." Lu Chaoge said. "You can't beat him."
"------"
"What are you yelling about so early in the morning?" Jiang Longtan, who was wearing a grey robe and pajamas, shouted as he walked downstairs. "Zhuliu, apologize to Chaoge."
"Apologize?" Jiang Zhuliu felt like he was about to explode. "What did I do wrong? I just told the truth. She was photographed with that wild man, and you still had the nerve to lie and say there was no relationship at all?"
"What does Chaoge's friends have to do with you?" Jiang Longtan said sternly. "As long as Chaoge is not married and has not become someone's daughter-in-law, she has the right to make friends freely. Apologize."
clang!
Jiang Zhuliu threw away the fork in his hand, turned around and walked outside.
"Bastard." Jiang Longtan pointed at Jiang Zhuliu's back and cursed.
After Jiang Zhuliu's car drove away, Jiang Longtan walked over to Lu Chaoge and sat down, comforting her, "Chaoge, don't take it to heart. Zhuliu has no bad intentions. We, as his parents, know his feelings for you very well. For so many years, Zhuliu has never had a serious girlfriend. We know why even if he doesn't tell us."
"People outside praise him as one of the Four Beauties of Huacheng. What are they showing off? They are just four young people from good families who get together to spend their days. He is still young and has not experienced much. It is understandable that he loses control of his emotions when he feels that things are out of his control or that the things he cares about are moving away from him. No matter what, we are still a family after all."
"Uncle, I understand. I'm not angry." Lu Chaoge said calmly.
Jiang Longtan carefully looked at Lu Chaoge's expression, and after making sure that she was not angry, he smiled and said, "It's good that you are not angry. Your parents entrusted you to me, and I was afraid that you would suffer any grievances in this family. Tell me directly if there is anything, and don't keep any grievances in your heart. You can give up your son, but Chaoge will always be my favorite daughter."
"Thank you." Lu Chaoge's expression was moved, and his voice trembled as he said, "Thank you, uncle."
Jiang Longtan patted Lu Chaoge on the shoulder and said, "I'll go upstairs and wash my face first. You should eat more and don't follow other girls to lose weight. You have lost weight recently."
"I will." Lu Chaoge said.
Jiang Longtan smiled, turned around and walked upstairs.
When Jiang Longtan returned to his room, his wife Ren Jin was already standing by the window smoking in a black gauze nightgown.
Jiang Longtan raised his eyebrows and said, "Smoke less."
"What? You can't stand my mother smoking a cigarette at home? That woman is domineering at home, but you have never been impatient?" Ren Jin looked unhappy, and his words seemed to carry thorns, piercing people and causing them bloody pain.
"How did Chaoge bully us again?" Jiang Longtan said with a dark face. "She is a poor child. She has been very sensible since she was a child. She has never made us worry about anything. You said she bullied us at home. Do you feel guilty?"
"Do you feel guilty?" Ren Jin sneered. "Zhuliu said a few words to her, and you ran to ask someone to apologize. Zhuliu is a face-conscious person, so aren't you deliberately driving people out by doing this? Do you feel guilty for treating us mother and son like this?"
"Men should give in to women. If they quarrel, should I ask Chaoge to apologize to Zhuliu? I can't do such a thing." Jiang Longtan said. "Also, I have told you many times not to interfere in their affairs."
Ren Jin suddenly turned around, stared at Jiang Longtan with a mocking look, and said, "Jiang Longtan, do you know what my father said about you when he first saw you? An ox and a dog. You look diligent and hardworking, like an old ox, but you are a dog at heart who wants to bite everyone you see. You don't let me get involved in their affairs because you don't want them to be together, right?"
Ren Jin put the cigarette butt in his hand on the windowsill and extinguished it. He said in a cold voice: "You don't want Lu Chaoge to be your daughter-in-law, you want her to be your son's stepmother, right?"
Snapped!
Jiang Longtan slapped Ren Jin on the face.
(PS: Thank you friends for the rewards and blessings to little Liu Xiafan. I took her to watch a cartoon at noon today and she was very happy. I also wish all the dear children a happy holiday!) (To be continued)