“What did you say?”
Jiang Qingfeng slammed the table, his face contorted with anger. He hadn’t expected Jiang Tian to openly burn bridges with everyone like this.
“Since I sat down, all I’ve heard from you is currying favor, networking, and taking shortcuts…”
Jiang Tian’s expression was calm and leisurely as he took a satisfied sip of his tea, speaking slowly. “But can a big family stand firm relying solely on these things? You need to understand, to forge iron, you must be strong yourself! Instead of working hard to govern and strengthen yourselves, you only know how to cling to those in power and borrow the strength of others. Don’t you realize that when a real crisis comes, if you aren’t strong yourself, the mountain will collapse if you lean on it, and the tree you lean on will run away?”
Jiang Tian’s words landed like a heavy slap on everyone’s faces, causing them to flush crimson with shame and embarrassment.
“How could he say something like that?” Jiang Zhi Xing looked at Jiang Tian, momentarily stunned, unable to believe it.
It was as if a chord deep within him had been struck by Jiang Tian’s words. He felt a resonance from the depths of his soul.
“You, you… what did you say?”
Eldest Uncle Jiang Shouren was dumbfounded, staring at Jiang Tian flusteredly.
“I said, you are just frogs at the bottom of a well. You have no idea what the real world is like, and your methods are just scratching the surface. They won’t save the Jiang family!”
Jiang Tian said calmly:
“This world is originally a bloody and cruel jungle. If you run into a fierce tiger or a lion, no amount of kowtowing and pleading will help. It won’t change your fate of being devoured. Please, have some self-respect. Be a bit more tough, like Grandfather, like my father. Show your sharp fangs! Stop kneeling!”
“But at this moment, you absolutely won’t understand. Leave it all… to time!”
“You, you’re saying…”
A succession of emotions—shock, shame, anger, embarrassment—flashed across Jiang Shouren’s face. He couldn’t believe his own ears.
“Alright, I’m full. You all take your time eating.” Jiang Tian stood up, and Zhao Xueqing immediately followed.
Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “I’m full too. You all take your time.”
Seeing her follow Jiang Tian out, Jiang Yangming called out loudly, “Jiang Lin, what are you doing going with him? Come back!”
But Jiang Lin completely ignored him, not even turning her head back. She stubbornly straightened her back, like a soldier following Jiang Tian to a heroic death.
Outside the private dining club.
The vegetation was lush, the air fresh, and the night was as cool as water. The oppressive atmosphere was swept away, leaving one feeling completely at ease.
“Jiang Tian, that speech just now was so satisfying!”
Jiang Lin, carrying her small clutch purse, quickened her pace to follow Jiang Tian towards the parking lot. The turmoil in her heart gradually calmed down.
Noticing that Jiang Tian’s expression seemed a bit heavy, Jiang Lin turned her head and asked softly, “Do you regret it? You’re not scared, are you? Since you confronted Eldest Uncle and the others like that, do you really have the confidence to suppress them?”
“Ah… it’s not because of them.”
Jiang Tian looked at her worried face and said somewhat gravely, “Over in Hong Kong, there’s a photographer surnamed Chen who took some photos unsuitable for children, and they got leaked. Among them is a female celebrity I like!”
If we go by the solar calendar, it was already 2008.
Jiang Tian felt a sense of time flying by, slipping away like quicksand.
On January 28th, a photographer surnamed Chen from Hong Kong would burst onto the scene.
Seeing Jiang Lin’s dumbfounded expression, Jiang Tian said with a faint smile, “If you have any resources, send a copy to my email later, okay?”
By the time Jiang Tian and Qing’er got into the car and sped off into the distance, Jiang Lin was still standing there, staring blankly, her eyes wide.
A moment later, amidst the fading lights, Jiang Lin’s unwilling roar erupted:
“Oh, come on!”
“You just stood your ground and practically infuriated them all! You nearly scared me to death!”
“And you still have the mood to be thinking about this?!”
“How twisted can you be!”
…
The next morning, as the auspicious purple air arrived from the east, Jiang Tian rose early and sat cross-legged in the villa’s courtyard to meditate.
“Jiang Tian…”
Jiang Zhi Xing walked over, holding a Zisha mug and taking small sips of tea.
“What’s up, Dad?” Jiang Tian opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and studied his father.
“That speech you gave yesterday, it was quite right. You could say it was domineering yet incisive and profound!”
Jiang Zhi Xing said a bit awkwardly, “Dad shouldn’t have scolded you, but you also know our family’s situation… I did it for the sake of harmony, right?”
The next moment, he became a bit angry again, saying irately:
“But you have to know when to say certain things. You need to learn how to handle people! Can you be a bit more mature?”
“Oh, I’ll remember that…” Jiang Tian’s gaze was calm and clear like an autumn lake, as he replied flatly.
“Besides, you might understand these principles, but putting them into practice is another issue. You have to achieve results!”
Seeing Jiang Tian’s unconvinced expression, Jiang Zhi Xing immediately straightened up again and lectured earnestly, “If you don’t achieve results, all these words are just empty talk, nonsense! Also, behave yourself at your grandfather’s birthday banquet. Greet friends from all sides properly—be polite, but neither obsequious nor supercilious. And most importantly, you must admit your mistake to your grandfather and ask for his forgiveness! If you perform well, I’ll reward you with a sports car!”
“Alright, alright!”
Jiang Tian was inwardly exasperated. Ever since he was in elementary school, his father had loved to nag like this.
In the remaining days, all aspects of the Jiang family mobilized. Invitations were sent, banquets booked, venues decorated—a flurry of activity.
But aside from his parents, no one from the Jiang family contacted Jiang Tian. It seemed the younger generation had been strictly ordered by their parents to stay away from him. A rift had appeared between Jiang Tian and the Jiang family.
Jiang Tian, however, didn’t take it to heart at all. He spent his time leisurely strolling around with Zhao Xueqing, visiting various places and tasting local snacks, having a wonderful time.
Finally, the day arrived for the seventieth birthday celebration of Jiang Changgeng, the esteemed traditional Chinese medicine expert from Lingnan.
They were headed to Jiang Village, under Qixia County’s administration, for Grandfather Jiang Changgeng’s birthday banquet.
The Jiang family had practiced medicine for generations. Jiang Changgeng graduated from Jinling College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and subsequently held positions at Jinling Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, the Jiangsu Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Provincial Health Department, and the Provincial Government Health Care Committee. He retired from the position of Deputy Director of the Health Care Committee.
Although his official rank wasn’t high, the Provincial Government Health Care Committee served as Jiangsu Province’s “little imperial medical academy,” specifically providing medical services to provincial leaders.
His medical skills were superb, his medical ethics noble, and he had formed deep friendships with many leaders.
The Jiang family, relying on a few herbal formulas, grew into the nationally renowned Pharmaceutical King Group. Zhang Wanqing’s personal business acumen went without saying, but Jiang Changgeng’s relationships across various sectors within the province were also indispensable.
Based on Jiang Changgeng’s connections in Jinling and supported by the vast Pharmaceutical King Group, Jiang’s descendants also developed quite well. Many held important positions in the provincial and municipal governments. With Jiang Changgeng at the center, they formed the Jinling Jiang family.
Although the Jiang family had only a few decades of history and wasn’t a top-tier family, it could at least rank within the top thirty in Jinling.
Jiang Changgeng embodied the style of an old-school intellectual. He revered the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, was honest and sincere by nature, valued filial piety and fraternal duty, and placed great importance on clan relationships.
Every year on his birthday, he insisted on holding the celebration in his ancestral home, Jiang Village. He would invite fellow centenarians from the village to share a toast of longevity wine, and perform ceremonies to honor ancestors and heaven, remembering those who came before and inspiring the younger generation.
Around eight in the morning, Jiang Village.
Many of the young people in Jiang Village could find various jobs, big or small, within the Pharmaceutical King Group, earning a generous salary.
As a result, Jiang Village had become the wealthiest village for miles around. Every family had built small Western-style houses and owned cars, their lives sweeter than honey.
Under a large locust tree by the village entrance road, several sturdy men in suits and bright red ties, their hair slick and shiny with mousse, were either standing or squatting, smoking and chatting.
Some worked as basic employees in the Pharmaceutical King Group, others were the village’s strong laborers, all here to welcome the guests.
“Whenever you see a Linzhou license plate, you must stop the car! Nine times out of ten, it’ll be Jiang Tian’s car. Pay special attention to Chevrolets.”
A man called Jiang Daya said.
His real name was Jiang Dayong, but he was nicknamed “Daya” (Big Tooth) because of his two prominent front teeth.
This guy had served a few years in the Nanjing Military Region, then later became the Security Director at the Pharmaceutical King Group’s headquarters. He married a company receptionist.
In everyone’s eyes, Daya was someone who had been to the big city, seen the world, and was their backbone.
“Brother Ya, what if he refuses to stop?” a young man asked.
“Then we beat him up!”
Jiang Daya sneered, revealing his large buckteeth, with a contemptuous smile.
“But he’s the third son of the Jiang family’s third branch. If we lay hands on him and word gets upstairs…” The men exchanged uneasy glances.
“Hey, you don’t know. This guy is a good-for-nothing in the Jiang family. He offended some big shot from Yanjing. The old man has already kicked him out of the family.”
Jiang Daya pulled out a plastic comb and meticulously arranged his side-parted hair, saying contemptuously, “He hasn’t attended the old man’s birthday banquet for three years now. Didn’t you all know that?”
The men nodded, indicating they knew.
“Strictly speaking, since he was kicked out, he should take his mother’s surname. He’s not even considered part of the Jiang family anymore!”
Jiang Daya, having perfected his hairstyle, shook his head and said contemptuously, like someone in the know:
“Right now, in the Jiang family, he’s worse than a dog. He’s not even qualified to sit at the banquet table. I don’t know what got into him this year, insisting on coming back. And surprisingly, the old man agreed!”
“The old man dotes on him too much. If you ask me, for a trouble-making, disaster-bringing, useless idiot like him, we should just break his legs and never let him in again…”
A man said resentfully.
One summer during vacation, Jiang Tian had stayed in the village. This man claimed Jiang Tian had once climbed onto his roof to peek at his wife taking a bath through the window.
At that time, Jiang Tian was already thirteen or fourteen, not a little kid anymore, and this man had held a grudge ever since.
“Anyway, Young Master Qingfeng said there’s a big reward for stopping Jiang Tian!”
Jiang Daya opened the trunk of a nearby car, took out a carton of soft-pack Zhonghua cigarettes, and threw a pack to each man.
The men beamed with delight. Suddenly, one of them pointed at a Chevrolet speeding towards them and said, “Hey? A Linzhou license plate!”
“Jiang Tian, it’s that punk Jiang Tian!”
Those with sharp eyes had already spotted the handsome face in the back seat.
“Stop the car! Stop the car!”
Jiang Daya charged forward, arms outstretched, looking arrogantly triumphant.
“What are they doing?” Shen Mange, who was driving, looked puzzled.
“Turn off the engine!”
Jiang Tian said calmly, “My grandfather said that any member of the Jiang family, upon reaching the entrance of Jiang Village, must get out and walk, as a sign of respect for the people of our hometown.”
Shen Mange stopped the car. Jiang Tian got out and, hand in hand with Zhao Xueqing, walked forward.
“You’re not allowed in!” Jiang Daya said with an arrogant look.
