“Qingfeng really lives up to his reputation as a returnee; well done!”
Everyone cast admiring and appreciative glances at Jiang Qingfeng, offering words of praise, and Jiang Qingfeng responded politely.
Jiang Shouren said with a face full of joy, “In that case, for Grandfather’s upcoming seventieth birthday celebration, we should pull out all the stops and organize a grand event. Everyone, invite any distinguished old friends and associates you have who are presentable! We need to let all the major families in Jinling know that the Jiang family’s situation is excellent!”
“Hehe, eldest brother, you’re a deputy department-level cadre with extensive connections. All you need to do is say the word, and there will definitely be no shortage of attendees!”
Second Aunt looked at Jiang Shouren and said flatteringly.
“Yes, eldest brother has been steadily building his career over the years, step by step, with very impressive political achievements. I think he could become a full department-level official before retirement!”
Second Uncle Jiang Yangming also chimed in with praise, then slammed the table forcefully and said, “Once eldest brother becomes the department head, let’s see which hospitals dare not purchase products from our Pharmaceutical King Group! It would scare them to death!”
Jiang Shouren smiled proudly and said, “Those famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and pharmaceutical company bosses don’t amount to much. This time, I’ll strive to invite one or two major leaders from the provincial or municipal government!”
“Having such figures attend would make all the difference!”
“Yes, then the Jiang family’s prestige will truly be established!” Everyone immediately looked excited.
As the conversation drifted, the eldest aunt suddenly said with a teasing smile, “Now that Zhi Xing has also been promoted and become a county chief, if he has any connections or resources, he shouldn’t hide them away. It would help bolster the Jiang family’s reputation…”
The others looked at Jiang Zhi Xing’s family with playful, mocking expressions, their eyes full of ridicule, curious to see how the third son of the Jiang family would respond.
Jiang Zhi Xing had originally been just the deputy county chief in charge of agriculture, and having only assumed his new post a few months ago, what important people could he possibly know?
A minor county chief couldn’t compare to a powerful division chief in a provincial department; the caliber of people they associated with was entirely different.
Second Aunt even let out a snort of laughter, her face full of contempt as she said, “Zhi Xing’s starting point was too low. Qixia County is such a godforsaken place. What political achievements could he possibly make there, and what important people could he possibly get to know?”
Hearing this, Zhang Wanqing frowned slightly with displeasure and said, “Zhi Xing, didnn’t the Guo family from Southeast Asia invest in our county?”
“They… probably can’t be invited.” Jiang Zhi Xing shook his head with a bitter expression.
When Guo Lili decided to invest, it was indeed because of him, and the credit was attributed to him.
But since then, she had never shown her face in Qixia County again, only dispatching a few senior executives to oversee the construction of the factory.
Moreover, the Guo family were like gods of wealth; the county officials couldn’t wait to flatter and pamper them, so how could they dare to trouble them.
“Zhi Xing, you need to understand the principle that ‘water clear has no fish’. You can’t just rely on your scholarly integrity! You have to build good relationships with all kinds of people. Look, the Guo family invested in your county, and you can’t even invite them. Tsk, tsk, such capability…”
Second Aunt shook her head, her face a mixture of pity for his misfortune and anger at his weakness, smacking her lips in disapproval.
“Yes, Third Uncle, you’ve worked for twenty years and only made it to deputy division level. Look at Cousin Banxia, she’s only been working for a few years and is already at the deputy division level. Your promotion is way too slow, like a turtle!” Jiang Chao also chimed in, chattering endlessly, his eyebrows raised so high they seemed ready to fly off his face.
The whole group then launched into a chorus of comments that sounded like advice but were actually ridicule, with even the younger generation like Jiang Chao starting to criticize Jiang Zhi Xing.
The Jiang Banxia he mentioned was the eldest aunt’s daughter, Jiang Qingfeng’s younger sister.
This girl graduated from Tsinghua University with a degree in finance and now works as the deputy director of the investment department at the Provincial State-owned Investment Company, also holding a deputy division-level position. She is one of the most outstanding members of the third generation.
With the conversation reaching this point, Jiang Zhi Xing’s face was full of embarrassment.
He had originally been happy about his promotion, but unexpectedly, in the eyes of his siblings, sisters-in-law, and even these younger relatives, it was merely a crawl at a turtle’s pace, even inferior to his niece’s achievements, making him seem increasingly dull and incompetent.
Zhang Wanqing, who was strong-willed by nature, had a face ashen with anger, like a sheet of frost.
She was about to retort when a voice full of arrogance and coldness rang out:
“What’s so great about a mere municipal or departmental level cadre? If I gave the word, my father could achieve it easily. It’s just that my father wants to rely on his own solid political achievements and doesn’t want to resort to投机取巧 (opportunism/taking shortcuts)!”
“What did you say?”
Everyone’s gaze snapped towards Jiang Tian, and they all collectively gasped in disbelief.
This was too arrogant!
Municipal and departmental level cadres hold significant power and high positions, coveted by many, with fierce competition. But in Jiang Tian’s words, it sounded as easy as taking something out of his pocket.
“Pfft!”
Suddenly, Jiang Chao, who had been puffing out his cheeks, sprayed a mouthful of tea onto the table, causing a series of startled exclamations and light scolding from everyone.
Jiang Chao apologized while wiping the table, then looked at Zhao Xueqing and asked, “Sister-in-law Qing’er, I heard from friends in Linzhou before that my cousin Jiang Tian was mentally unstable. Is that really true?”
“What’s this about, Qing’er?” Zhang Wanqing also felt something was off.
For over half a year, she had been unable to contact Jiang Tian directly; each time, Qing’er answered the phone on his behalf.
Actually, Zhao Xueqing could have made up an excuse, but she was utterly sincere. She believed it was her fault for not taking good care of Jiang Tian and already felt deeply guilty. Unwilling to lie now, her eyes reddening slightly, she said: “Mom, Dad, this is my fault. Jiang Tian had alcohol poisoning once, and for a while, his mind wasn’t quite right, but he’s fully recovered now!”
“What? Jiang Tian’s mind is damaged!”
“That serious!”
“No wonder he talks like that; it turns out he’s not right in the head!”
The crowd suddenly understood, letting out a series of exclamations.
Their gazes towards Jiang Tian were complex – scrutinizing, sympathetic, mocking, contemptuous, gloating… a mix of everything.
Zhang Wanqing, heart aching for Jiang Tian, turned pale and felt a flicker of resentment towards Qing’er.
Jiang Zhi Xing sat on pins and needles, his face flushed with shame.
His son acting like this was utterly ridiculous and embarrassing! So ignorant, practically a lunatic!
He slammed the table and said through gritted teeth, “You drank yourself until your brain was damaged! What am I supposed to say to you?!”
“Jiang Tian isn’t crazy, he’s a master. How could he be crazy?” Jiang Lin suddenly stood up, speaking up for Jiang Tian.
“You shut up!”
Second Uncle scolded harshly and sternly: “If he wasn’t crazy, would he talk such nonsense!”
Jiang Lin pulled a long face and dared not speak further.
“Jiang Tian, stop talking nonsense. Especially at Grandfather’s birthday banquet, you are not to attend! You’ll only make a fool of us!”
Jiang Shouren, exuding official authority, suppressed his anger and slammed the table.
Jiang Qingfeng looked utterly contemptuous, casting a cold sidelong glance at Jiang Tian, sneering inwardly: “Worthless fool, now you know the consequences of being arrogant and blind to everything, don’t you!”
And Jiang Chao didn’t miss the chance to add insult to injury, shaking his head and saying, “I was wondering why he was so arrogant, not even putting Yu Qiang in his sights. Turns out he’s crazy! And he even won a sports car from Yu Qiang this morning!”
“What?”
“Is that the son of Secretary Yu from the Politics and Law Committee?”
Everyone was shocked and turned their heads in unison to look at Jiang Tian, their faces full of disbelief.
“You bet!”
Jiang Chao said lazily, picking his teeth with a toothpick, and sneered, “I ran into Young Master Qiang a few times while gambling on rough stones. I was originally planning to introduce him and Cousin Qingfeng. But after Yu Qiang lost the sports car, the look in his eyes was murderous!”
“Later, I took Cousin Qingfeng to Liuchao Residence to find him, but he completely ignored us. Guo Yinlin was there too…”
Jiang Chao recounted everything that had happened.
“Qingfeng, is what Jiang Chao said true?” Jiang Shouren asked sternly.
“It’s true…” Jiang Qingfeng sighed, full of regret.
Smack!
Jiang Shouren slammed the table, trembling with rage, and pointed at Jiang Tian, “Such a rare opportunity, and this kid completely ruined it! Even Jiang Chao understands the importance of networking with them, but you…”
The eldest aunt was so angry her hands were shaking.
Jiang Zhi Xing quickly interjected, “Eldest brother, please calm down. Xiao Tian said he would return the car…”
“The damage is done, what use is returning it now?” Jiang Shouren said angrily.
“Why should I return it? Eldest Brother, don’t you understand such a simple principle as accepting the consequences of a bet? Accepting his car was doing him a favor. He should be grateful I even took it!”
Jiang Tian took a leisurely sip of his tea, looking completely at ease.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shouren’s face turned ashen with fury. He clutched his chest in pain, his hand trembling as he fumbled for a small medicine bottle, nearly suffering a heart attack.
“Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, don’t stoop to his level!”
The eldest aunt quickly fed him the medicine and massaged his chest for a while before color returned to Jiang Shouren’s face.
“How dare you say your eldest brother doesn’t understand principles? What kind of talk is that!”
Jiang Yangming’s face was pale with anger as he pointed at Jiang Tian, “You’re truly mad! Apologize to your eldest brother immediately!”
“That’s right! Kid, showing no respect for your elders, not even listening to your eldest brother!” Second Uncle echoed.
“Apologize immediately!” First Aunt also scolded.
“You’re not even as good as Jiang Chao. As reckless as Jiang Chao is, he just drinks and has fun, he never causes trouble. But you? First you offend that young master from Yanjing, and now that you’re finally back, you start causing trouble again!”
Little Aunt also had a look of sorrow over his misfortune and anger at his weakness.
“Jiang Tian, you really made a mistake this time!”
Jiang Qingfeng sighed and shook his head, the depths of his eyes filled with schadenfreude: “You won a car, how much money is that really? But the potential losses from offending Yu Qiang are incalculable. This is like sacrificing the greater good for a small gain!”
“Apologize!”
Third-generation members like Jiang Banxia and Jiang Chao shouted angrily, hating Jiang Tian to the core, as if they wanted to tear him apart to vent their anger.
“What’s wrong with you all? Why are you scaring Uncle Jiang Tian!”
Seeing this, Jiang Wan’er burst into loud wails.
The eldest aunt, however, yanked her over and scolded, “Stay away from him from now on! He’ll teach you bad things!”
“Hurry up and apologize!”
Many of the Jiang family members stared at Jiang Tian, who was seated at the lowest seat, their eyes full of anger, contempt, ridicule, and hatred.
Jiang Zhi Xing was both angry and distressed, feeling utterly disappointed in Jiang Tian.
Jiang Tian, you’re so disappointing! How many more disasters will you cause? How many more messes can I clean up for you?
At this moment, even Zhang Wanqing was speechless. This mistake of Jiang Tian’s was indeed difficult to remedy or fix.
In that instant, only Zhao Xueqing stood firmly by Jiang Tian’s side, about to speak up for him.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tian spoke before she could: “Who does he think he is, worthy of an apology from me?”
Everyone was stunned, their faces full of disbelief.
They were so accustomed to reprimanding Jiang Tian, never expecting him to push back so forcefully.
