Chapter 941
Be Fair
Lin Ruoxiâs face twitched but she maintained the composed smile on her face. She turned to face Cai Ning who was standing by her mother.
Cai Ning looked back at her apologetically.
She walked in front of Yang Gongming and nodded her head softly as a greeting. âSir, my apologies for disturbing you at his hour. My mom insisted on visiting today.â
Yang Gongming chuckled. âItâs not a crime to visit me, thereâs no need to be forgiven. Iâve heard that youâre part of the Group of Eight in Yellow Flame Iron Brigade. I see youâre both young and capable.â
âThatâs right.â Jiang Shan moved forward immediately. âMarshal Yang, Iâm always worried about Ning Er. Sheâs too naive and lacks any form of confidence, I hope that you can take care of her. Oh, I also brought a gift for you.â
Having said that, she placed the red box onto the marble table.
Yang Chen didnât know if he should laugh or cry. His mother-in-law was really milking her visit to the Yang clan.
He winked at Cai Ning and pouted.
Cai Ningâs eyes glistened but she kept quiet.
From the moment Cai Ning entered the pavilion, Yang Chen could tell that she had entered the Xiantian stage. It wasnât hard to figure as the scripture he provided her was more than enough to guide her into the Xiantian stage.
Also because of her improvement in cultivation, she seemed more calm and collected than before.
Yang Chen was glad to see that he made the right decision.
At the same time, Guo Xuehua opened up the gift given by Jiang Shan.
In the middle of the box was a wild ginseng plant!
There werenât a lot of roots on it but they were so long that the roots had to be wrapped around the plant multiple times.
Yang Gongmingâs eyes brightened. âThis is high-quality ginseng from Changbai Mountain, isnât it? Judging from the looks of it, it should be more than a hundred years old!â
Jiang Shan smiled brightly. âYou have such a great eye, Marshal. Youâre right, this wild ginseng is from Changbai Mountain. It has been a family heirloom for over a hundred years.â
âOver a hundred years sounds a little too exaggerated.â Yang Chen didnât really believe it.
âSon-in-law, you canât say that. There might be many fake ones in the market but this is the real deal,â Jiang Shan said cheerily.
Lin Ruoxi puffed her cheeks when she heard her call him son-in-law. She pinched Yang Chenâs waist from the back, wanting to leave right away.
Yang Chen felt helpless. If Lin Ruoxi wasnât here, he would have hugged Cai Ning tightly since he hadnât seen her in a long while.
It was quite sad that he had to restrain himself.
Yang Gongming picked up the box with a look of approval. âWe always look at the shape and color of ginseng. Look at this. There are four lines here indicating itâs maturity. The color is full and the roots are clean and long. I can attest to it being over a hundred years old.â
âAre you happy with the gift?â Jiang Shan asked while smiling.
âI canât accept this gift, itâs too precious,â Yang Gongming said courteously.
Jiang Shan quickly declined, âOf course not, Yang Chenâs here and that means weâre in-laws.â
Some things were meant to be left unsaid, even for an unusually blunt person.
Jiang Shan knew Yang Gongming wouldnât reject a woman like Cai Ning as his grandsonâs lover.
Well, this wouldnât have been allowed in the pastâŠ
But who didnât have a messy lifestyle living in one of the four main clans?
Yang Gongming was well aware of the relationship between Cai Ning and Yang Chen, which was why he let them in. He too was fond of Cai Ning.
Now that it had been said out loud, Cai Ning blushed and looked away. Yang Chen could only offer silent apologies to Lin Ruoxi for enduring this.
âI suppose Iâll accept it then,â Yang Gongming said and passed the box to Yan Sanniang.
Jiang Shan beamed when she heard that. Yang Gongmingâs acceptance meant that Cai Ning was accepted by him. And if Cai Ning had been accepted, Cai Yan was sure to follow.
Following that, Yang Gongming ordered the servants to bring more cups and invited Jiang Shan and Cai Ning to stay for dinner.
Jiang Shan was more than happy to oblige. She started chatting with Guo Xuehua while sipping on tea.
Well, Jiang Shan might be of a lower status but that meant that she was much easier to chat with.
Guo Xuehua was able to warm up to her quickly, even though they had only met at a couple of social events.
Cai Ning sat next to Lin Ruoxi and shared simple greetings with each other, not knowing what to say.
Yang Chen, on the other hand, was busy devouring the food before him while thinking about how he should break the ice between them. It was hard since they were both shy, reserved and cool.
Lin Ruoxi couldnât sit still anymore so she got up to pour the tea for everyone.
It was right at this moment that Jiang Shan set her eyes on Lin Ruoxiâs wrist.
âAh, your jade bangle is really pretty,â Jiang Shan commented.
Only then everyone noticed a bangle had appeared on her wrist, something that wasnât there before.
Yang Gongming, Yan Sanniang, and Guo Xuehua were the only ones who knew about the meaning behind it. Yang Gongming glanced at Guo Xuehua with satisfaction.
Cai Ning wasnât really interested in jewelry but this one caught her eye in particular.
Yang Chen took a closer look and hummed when he saw that it was something special.
âRuoxi, where did you get the bangle from?â Yang Chen asked.
Lin Ruoxi didnât like to show off feeling embarrassed by the stares she was getting. âMom gave it to me earlierâŠâ
She then retold the story she heard from Guo Xuehua.
Jealousy flashed through Jiang Shanâs eyes when she heard that it was a family heirloom for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yang clan. She smiled and said, âXuehua, does it come in a pair?â
Cold sweat formed on Guo Xuehuaâs forehead when she heard her question. She smiled awkwardly and said, âThereâs only one. Itâs made from jadeite so rare that only one was ever createdâ
âOhâŠthatâs too bad. I have not given Ning Er a piece of proper jewelry before. Ruoxi is so blessed to have a mother-in-law like you.â
Lin Ruoxi blushed and glared at Yang Chen secretly.
Yang Chen feigned innocence.
Cai Ning interjected, âThe bangle suits you Ruoxi. It look great on you.â
Lin Ruoxi froze for a second before saying thank you to her with a smile.
A compliment from Cai Ning seemed to have reduced the tension between both of them.
Yang Chen contemplated for a while and asked Yan Sanniang, âGranny Yan, can you tell us whatâs special about this bangle?â
Yan Sanniang was confused. âSpecial? What do you mean?â
Yang Chen thought so. Her cultivation was insufficient to pick apart the true characteristics of the bangle. He wondered who gave them the bangle but he was grateful for it anyhow.
âItâs nothing. It looks great.â Yang Chen looked at Lin Ruoxi. âDear, keep wearing it and donât take it off. Itâs pretty.â
Lin Ruoxi didnât understand what he meant. It sounded completely random to her. Still, she nodded since she promised Guo Xuehua that she would wear it until she gave birth.
Jiang Shan butted in. âSon-in-law, I heard from Ning Er that youâll be holding a wedding with Ruoxi soon. Just tell us if you need help. I know you have to be fair but if you need bridesmaids, Ning Er and Yanyan would be glad to take up the role.â
Lin Ruoxiâs face fell when she heard that.
âMomâŠâ Cai Ning tried to stop her.
Yang Chen frowned and drank tea before saying, âAuntie, if Iâm not mistaken, you kicked me out of the house upon our first meeting. You even welcomed Yong Ye to marry Ning Er. I think some things should really be left unsaidâŠâ
Jiang Shan froze and smiled in embarrassment. She shrank back down into her seat and remained silent
Cai Ning looked at Yang Chen apologetically. Yang Chen obviously wouldnât blame her, but he decided that he would never be nice to Jiang Shan and her mouth of mass destruction.