Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

Chapter 361: 236 Ginger Candy CP negotiating engagement, someone playing themselves to ruin? (2 updates) _2

"Coo-coo—" Hua Mei cawed excitedly, like a proud victor.

Shen Shuci stood in the corridor, unable to hold back a mixture of laughter and tears. He never seemed too bright, and to think, he was indeed that foolish.

...

Xie Jing had lunch at the Tang Family’s home. This family, they must hate not locking him up and crippling him, or executing him on the spot, but they were just holding back their rage, creating a particularly eerie atmosphere at the dining table.

It was the transition from spring to winter, and the temperature was warming up. Last year’s dead branches and leaves should have been cleared away by now. Plus, with Jiang Zhenhuan and his wife visiting tomorrow, the Tang Family needed to clean up. Xie Jing didn’t dare act like he was some honored guest, so he volunteered to sweep the yard. That’s the scene Jiang Jinsang came upon when he returned.

"Fifth Master." The look on Xie Jing’s face was more excited than if he’d seen his own father. "You’re finally back. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about..."

He’d rather go out and be the talk of the town than stay at the Tang Family’s.

"What is it?" Jiang Jinsang asked, his expression composed.

"I feel it’s too much trouble for the old folks at the Tang Family to have me here. I should..."

"What, you want to leave?" Tang Lao came out of the house leaning on a cane. "Do you think our Tang Family’s hospitality is lacking?"

"No, I didn’t mean that!" Xie Jing quickly explained.

"Then settle down and stay."

A definitive decision, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"Wanwan..." Old Lady Shen came out of the house, holding Tang Wan’s hand, repeatedly checking to make sure she was truly alright before she could finally relax. She turned to Jiang Jinsang, "Xiaowu, are your parents settled in?"

"Yes, I’ve sent them back to the hotel to rest."

"That’s good."

Everyone went inside, pulling Tang Wan in with them to ask more details, leaving Xie Jing alone in the yard with Hua Mei, staring at each other, human and bird, wide-eyed.

Hua Mei chirped and squawked, making Xie Jing’s scalp tingle...

Not only are the people formidable here, but even this bird is fierce!

**

Tang Wan slept poorly the previous night and had been busy all morning. In the afternoon, sleepiness overwhelmed her, her eyelids droopy, nearly unable to keep them open. Yet the study was a mess, and since Jiang Zhenhuan and his wife were visiting tomorrow, and might have a look around, the place couldn’t possibly be left in chaos. Despite her groggy head, she still managed to tidy up the study a bit.

"Let me clean up for you." Jiang Jinsang saw she was nearly falling asleep, his heart aching.

"You don’t know how to organize this stuff, let me do it." The study was also her workshop, with professional tools piled up on the workbench.

Just then, Tang Wan’s phone vibrated. She had been somewhat dazed but perked up at the caller ID, coughed to signal Jiang Jinsang to stay quiet, and answered the call.

"Hello—Master! Why are you calling me?"

Jiang Jinsang raised an eyebrow. She had a master?

"...I’m fine, the news reports are totally unreliable... Yes, I should be getting engaged soon... Thank you, Master..."

Tang Wan hung up the phone and finally took a deep breath, waking up fully.

"You have a master?" Jiang Jinsang said with a smile.

She looked just like a student dozing off in class, caught by a teacher calling her name.

"Otherwise, you think I’m self-taught? Then I would really be a genius," Tang Wan said with a laugh.

"Should we invite him to our engagement?"

"I called him before, but he’s probably busy, off abroad spoiling his grandson. He only called because this incident blew up so big; the whole industry’s buzzing, and he heard the news."

"You seem quite scared of him?" Her entire demeanor had changed upon seeing the caller ID. Tang Wan wasn’t the type to hide her emotions, but it was rare for her to lose her composure like that.

"Learning the craft was hard, I’ve slacked off too. He said I started learning late, and if I’m just dabbling without serious intent, he doesn’t have the time for me and would have me ’roll out’ of his house!"

"I still remember him hitting my hands with a stick."

"After I became skilled, he even warned me, saying I was no good and told me not to go around using his name to swindle people..." Tang Wan shrugged, "I know my skills aren’t perfect, where would I dare bring shame to him?"

Jiang Jinsang just smiled, "He does care about you, though."

"He says..." Tang Wan coughed and impersonated his voice, "I’m calling you not because I care about you, but because I’m afraid you’ll get into trouble and drag me into it. I’m old, and I’m worried about ending my days in disgrace."

Jiang Jinsang chuckled softly, apparently another tough on the outside, soft on the inside type.

Now that the news had been clarified, did he not have a clear conscience about whether he had preserved his reputation? If he truly didn’t care about Tang Wan, he wouldn’t have bothered to call specifically.

...

The Tang Family was busy cleaning and receiving guests, and in the evening, Shen Shuci’s grandmother even criticized Tang Wan for not being dressed properly and specially took her to pick out two more appropriate "serious" outfits.

The next morning, before dawn, the Tang Family started bustling around.

The elderly usually slept little, and today was a Good Day for the Jiang Family to visit, naturally making sleep even more elusive, which also scared Xie Jing into "standing guard" before it was even light out.

Even though there wasn’t anything he needed to help with, he didn’t dare fall asleep. He just stood in the courtyard, keeping the birds company.

Jiang Jinsang went to pick up his parents from the hotel around 8:30 AM, and they arrived at the Tang Family around 10:30 AM. Although it was a gathering of acquaintances, today felt different, and when everyone came together, it created a festive scene.

Old Tang kept giving Tang Yunxian meaningful glances.

[Just start giving him a hard time already! What are you playing dead for?]

After yesterday’s events, Tang Yunxian had a change of heart towards Jiang Jinsang, and naturally did not want to trouble him at this time, so he simply ignored his father.

Jiang Zhenhuan coughed and said, "Here’s the thing, since the two kids like each other, we thought it would be best to settle the matter sooner. Today we’ve come to formally ask for her hand in marriage. From now on, we’re family. Xiaowu is a bit peculiar..."

Jiang Jinsang sat to the side, his eyebrows slightly raised. Peculiar?

Was his own temperament odd?

"In the future, if he does anything unsatisfactory, just treat him like your own child and don’t hesitate to scold or discipline him, no need to be polite."

"Our family likes Wanwan very much, and after she joins our family, we’ll surely take extra care of her. Here are a few dates for the engagement, you can take a look and pick a suitable day for both families to have a meal together."

An engagement is not like a wedding, neither family intended to make a big fuss, just a simple dinner gathering.

"Following our grandmother’s wishes, once the engagement date is set, considering Uncle Tang’s health, we’ll come to Pingjiang. The engagement banquet can be held here," Fan Mingyu said with a smile.

The Jiang Family had a humble approach to marrying Tang Wan, considering things thoughtfully and carefully, which left nothing to criticize. The atmosphere was especially pleasant.

Tang Wan hadn’t felt much about the engagement initially, but at this moment, she started to feel inexplicably nervous...

**

In the courtyard

The Jiang Family members and Xie Jing were all waiting outside.

Xie Jing felt as if these past few days had been a dream. He never imagined that he would witness Jiang Wuye proposing to someone in person. Just yesterday, he had been so arrogant and domineering, demanding Tang Wan spend a night with him, so how could today have turned out like this?

What the hell is going on! noveldrama

Inside the house, after more than an hour of pleasant discussion and having settled things down, Fan Mingyu took out stacks of red envelopes from her bag, nearly one for everyone. Since it was still not past the first lunar month, it was considered part of the New Year and taken as a good omen.

Xie Jing didn’t expect to receive a red envelope—the money inside couldn’t be much, it was just for the festive spirit. But when it was his turn to be given one...

The red envelopes were gone!

Jiang Cuo looked at him with a smile, "Chubby, even if I gave it to you, would you have the nerve to take it?"

Chubby? That was a personal attack!