Chapter 34: Verdant Pastures

Chapter 34: Verdant Pastures

Before attending the Yang family banquet, Ye Le Yao and Mr. and Mrs. Huo returned to the Huo residence first.

Upon entering the door, they heard a faint voice echo, "Back already?"

Ye Le Yao looked up to find not only her eldest brother, Huo Jing, at home but also her second brother, Huo Yan, sitting on the sofa. Hearing their return, Huo Yan's slightly resentful gaze instantly fell upon them.

Ye Le Yao was utterly perplexed:

"Why does Second Brother look as if we owe him a fortune the moment we come back?"

Hearing this, Huo Yan's expression turned even more melancholic.

Being left out of the loop was worse than being owed money!

In the past few days during the variety show recording, Ye Le Yao's name would sporadically trend online, and whenever it appeared, it would be accompanied by a fresh, piping hot scoop.

But Huo Yan wasn't there on-site; he couldn't hear Ye Le Yao's inner thoughts, so naturally, he missed out on the freshest gossip.

No matter how fast netizens' internet speeds were, they couldn't match Ye Le Yao's!

Huo Yan could only ever catch half the story, sometimes barely understanding what was going on.

How could his resentment not grow?

Mr. and Mrs. Huo naturally noticed the resentment on Huo Yan's face, but they pretended not to see it, walking in and asking Huo Jing instead, "Are the tuxedos all ready?"

After signing the last document, Huo Jing rubbed his slightly throbbing temples before lifting his head to say, "They're already prepared; someone will deliver them later."

Mrs. Huo nodded in satisfaction.

Ye Le Yao, holding a bottle of beverage, had just taken a sip when she suddenly paused.

"Eldest Brother... why do you look so much more haggard after just one week?"

Mr. and Mrs. Huo both turned to look at Huo Jing simultaneously.

Huo Jing: "..."

Shouldn't they ask Mr. and Mrs. Huo themselves?

Mr. and Mrs. Huo dared not meet Huo Jing's gaze, each turning away slightly guiltily.

Huo Jing let out an imperceptible sigh. With Mr. and Mrs. Huo busy eating melons and watching the fun, the burden of the company naturally fell entirely on Huo Jing.

Handling the company's big and small matters alone for a week, working overtime every day, how could he not look haggard?!

Thinking about it, Huo Jing's gaze became as resentful as Huo Yan's.

Mr. Huo coughed lightly, masking the smile at the corner of his mouth.

What could he do? His son was simply too outstanding, which was why he felt at ease entrusting the company to Huo Jing!

Mrs. Huo, on the other hand, directly changed the subject, saying, "Why don't you take a good rest tomorrow?"

Huo Jing was indeed thinking the same thing. In recent days, he had been so busy that his feet barely touched the ground, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. It was time for a break.

With that thought, Huo Jing said, "Then I won't attend Uncle Yang's banquet tomorrow."

Mr. and Mrs. Huo immediately looked at him with intense focus.

He really wasn't going?

Didn't they agree to let him rest tomorrow?

So... were they planning to go back on their word now?

Frowning, Huo Jing was about to speak when he heard Ye Le Yao whisper,

"It's better for Eldest Brother not to attend the banquet. After all, I'm not sure if I can prevent a fire from happening. If a fire does occur, I'll have to worry about Eldest Brother's safety."

Huo Jing and Huo Yan's expressions changed simultaneously.

What fire?

Would a fire break out at the Yang family banquet tomorrow?

Why?

Was it an accident or arson?

Mrs. Huo watched the two men's rapidly changing expressions with amusement, her lips slowly curving upward.

Want to know? Why not go and see for yourself?

But you said you wanted to rest tomorrow, so there's nothing to be done about it.

Huo Jing pursed his lips and fell silent.

Huo Yan, however, lit up, blurting out without hesitation, "I don't have anything planned for tomorrow. It's been a while since I've seen Uncle Yang, so I'll go with you guys."

If Eldest Brother wanted to rest, then he should rest well at home. Coincidentally, Huo Yan had finished filming his drama and had nothing to do recently.

Huo Jing: "..."

He could only blame himself for speaking too soon!

Ye Leyao could only look helplessly at Huo Yan.

"Second Brother really likes to join in on any commotion."

Huo Yan paid no heed to Ye Leyao's complaint.

After all, he really loved eating melons—metaphorically speaking!

...

The next day.

Ye Leyao was once again dragged out of bed by Huo Yan for styling.

After recording one variety show episode, Ye Leyao had gradually gotten used to being woken up early for styling. However, since he hadn't gotten enough sleep, he kept his eyes closed the entire time, allowing the stylist to do whatever they wanted with his face.

Once everyone in the family had finished their styling, they all got into the car heading to the Yang family banquet.

However—

Ye Leyao looked at Huo Jing across from him in surprise and confusion.

"Didn't Big Brother say he was resting today? Why is he coming with us to the banquet?"

The others in the car couldn't help but curl their lips in amusement.

There were naturally more important things than rest.

Huo Jing turned his head slightly awkwardly and cleared his throat.

Who said attending a banquet wasn't rest?

As long as there was no work to handle today, it was rest!

What kind of work was socializing?!

An hour and a half later, the Huo family's car stopped in front of the Yang family villa.

Today was Old Master Yang's ninetieth birthday, which was worth celebrating. However, since the elderly man was quite old, he couldn't withstand too much excitement, so the Yang family simply chose to hold the birthday banquet at their ancestral villa.

The ancestral home was located halfway up a mountain. The front yard was a large lawn, and the backyard had a scenic forest. Even if a banquet was held, the venue wouldn't be crowded.

Upon getting out of the car, Ye Leyao couldn't help but exclaim,

"No wonder the villa burned down in a fire. This ancestral home is in such a remote location. It takes half an hour for the fire trucks to arrive."

Upon hearing this, Father Huo paused for a moment, lagging behind Ye Leyao by a few steps. He instructed the driver to contact someone to bring over several water trucks, preferably with dozens of fire extinguishers, to prepare in advance.

The driver was quite puzzled after listening.

Why would they bring water trucks to the Yang family's birthday banquet?

And prepare fire extinguishers?

Did people send water trucks and fire extinguishers as gifts?

The driver was full of doubts, but since the boss had given instructions, he didn't ask further and turned around to take care of it.

The family walked into the villa and went to wish Old Master Yang a happy birthday first.

Old Master Yang's hair was completely white, but he appeared energetic and robust. Seeing Ye Leyao, he smiled and said that his son Xiao Yuan was about the same age as Ye Leyao and had just returned from abroad recently.

"Uncle Yang Kun seems to have only one son?"

"So this Yang Yuan is the unlucky guy whose grain got burned?"

Qin Yao was chatting with Yang Kun when he suddenly heard this voice. He subconsciously raised his head and scanned the inner hall, but he didn't see Ye Leyao.

However, being able to hear Ye Leyao's voice meant that he indeed came to the banquet.

But what did he mean by Yang Yuan's grain getting burned?

What was grain? Could it be some rare cereal crop?

Did Yang Yuan have a peculiar hobby of collecting grains?

Even if Yang Yuan really liked collecting these things, who was so excessive as to burn his grain at his house?

Thinking of this, Qin Yao interrupted Yang Kun. "Uncle, where's Xiao Yuan? Why haven't I seen him?"

Yang Kun laughed. "He probably went out to pick up his friends? You know he hasn't been back for years. He hasn't seen his group of friends for a long time."

Ye Leyao also thought of this matter.

"Hmm, which one is Yang Yuan? If he's here, I can remind him—"

"How come there's still a troublemaking kid causing a scene at the banquet? Wait, could it be that this little fatty went to Yang Yuan's room and tore up his limited edition grain?"

Limited edition grains?

Was it encrusted with gold or emeralds?

Qin Yao finally realized something belatedly. He must have misunderstood.

The grain Ye Leyao mentioned was definitely not the grains he understood, but regardless of what it was, Ye Leyao said it was limited edition. The value of this grain wouldn't be low, and Yang Yuan kept it in his own room, indicating that this thing was very important to Yang Yuan.

Qin Yao wasn't someone who liked to meddle in other people's affairs, but he had a pretty good relationship with his cousin Yang Yuan.

Ye Leyao's voice sounded again:

"It's confirmed! It's this little fatty! But looking at him... he doesn't seem like a child? He looks more like a middle school student."

"Kindergarten teachers educate about fire safety; there's no way he wouldn't know the dangers of arson."

"Knowing the harm of starting fires and still deliberately setting one at the Yang family's home—"

The more Ye Leyao thought about it, the angrier she became: "He's just plain bad!"

How could he have started a fire? Could it have endangered the entire old Yang family residence?

Qin Yao furrowed his brows, instantly realizing that this matter might not be trivial. So, he directly said, "Uncle, could you please call Yang Yuan and tell him I urgently need to speak with him?"

"What urgent matter?" Yang Kun was puzzled.

Qin Yao replied, "Please ask him to return as soon as possible."

"Alright," Yang Kun liked his nephew Qin Yao very much. Since he had spoken so earnestly, making a phone call was no big deal. "I'll call him right now."

Qin Yao stood up, preparing to find Ye Leyao: "Good, then I'll also go out to make a call."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Qin Yao got up and headed for the outer hall. Just as he reached the main hall, he saw Ye Leyao standing in the center at once.

Mr. and Mrs. Huo, along with Huo Jing and Huo Yan, were all standing nearby. Ye Leyao stood by the food area, her gaze occasionally falling on a little fatty sitting in the resting area ahead.

Qin Yao took a closer look, and it was a coincidence—he actually recognized this little fatty.

The little fatty's name was Yang Tian, the youngest son of Yang Kun's younger brother, Yang Jie.

Because he had two older sisters, Yang Tian was the youngest son of Yang Jie and thus grew up being doted upon excessively.

This led to Yang Tian developing an exceptionally arrogant and domineering personality. Not only did he rule over his home, but even outside, he acted as if he was the king of the world.

Yang Tian had caused no small amount of trouble throughout his life, countless incidents large and small, but each time, Yang Jie never disciplined him. Instead, he would proudly tell others that Yang Tian was indeed his son, sharing his character traits most closely.

Yang Kun had tried to advise Yang Jie, and even Old Master Yang scolded him for his poor parenting, but Yang Jie didn't listen at all. He felt they had issues with his son and didn't visit Old Master Yang at the old residence for a long time.

Old Master Yang fell ill from anger, and later, seeing that he couldn't manage the situation, he simply stopped trying.

Thus, under Yang Jie's deliberate neglect, Yang Tian became increasingly lawless, turning into a little tyrant.

It was precisely because of this that Qin Yao's father believed that Yang Jie's family couldn't even handle the basic education of their child, gradually reducing contact with them. Qin Yao hadn't seen Yang Tian for many years.

If the person who burned Yang Yuan's grain was Yang Tian, then it wasn't surprising at all.

It seemed he needed to get Yang Yuan back as soon as possible, after all, those were his own grains, and he alone could protect them.

Qin Yao walked towards Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao was currently using her phone to search how old a minor must be before they're held criminally responsible for arson.

Sensing someone approaching, Ye Leyao looked up and saw Qin Yao.

"Hmm? How come Mr. Qin is everywhere?"

Qin Yao was helpless.

Yang Kun was his cousin, and Old Master Yang was his great-uncle; why couldn't he be here?

As for Ye Leyao—

Qin Yao didn't need to think to know that she had definitely come to join in the fun again today.

But it was fortunate that Ye Leyao enjoyed joining in the fun; otherwise, the old Yang family residence might have truly been burnt down by Yang Tian today.

What kind of birthday banquet would that be?

"How coincidental, Brother Qin." Ye Leyao greeted Qin Yao first.

Qin Yao smiled: "Accompanying your parents to attend the banquet?"

Ye Leyao nodded, then her gaze shifted past Qin Yao to look at Yang Tian ahead.

Yang Tian was currently sitting in the adjacent resting area playing games, his eyes filled with malevolence. After a moment, he suddenly stopped, the screen of his phone showing a black game-over screen, clearly indicating he had lost the game.

The malevolence on his face intensified instantly. Suddenly, he raised his hand sharply, and with a "bang," the phone smashed onto the glass table. Several glass cups shattered instantly, spilling wine all over the floor.

Those around heard the commotion and turned to look.

Ye Leyao immediately frowned.

"Isn't he beyond being a naughty child at this level? Does he have anger issues?"

Qin Yao's brows also tightened.

Yang Tian's mother, Jiang Fang, noticed this scene and hurried over to quietly inquire, "Honey, what happened again?"

"So annoying—It's all your fault! If it weren't for being here, I wouldn't have lost the game!" Upon seeing Jiang Fang approach, Yang Tian found an outlet for his anger and directly punched and kicked Jiang Fang.

Jiang Fang didn't notice in time to dodge and was directly kicked in the stomach by Yang Tian, causing her to hiss in pain. However, she still subconsciously pulled him into her arms, "Okay, okay, don't be angry..."

Ye Leyao felt uncomfortable watching this and asked a soul-searching question.

"Is his mother sick? He hit you, and you're still hugging him?"

Qin Yao nodded noncommittally.

There was something not quite right with their whole family.

Otherwise, their family wouldn't have severed ties with them years ago.

Yang Tian, after hitting Jiang Fang and not venting his anger, raised his hand to start smashing wine glasses, as if he wished to destroy everything around him.

The guests nearby, hearing the commotion, moved further away.

As the disturbance grew larger, Yang Kun arrived upon hearing the news.

Seeing the chaos here and realizing that the troublemaker was his own nephew, his expression turned cold instantly, and he said sternly, "Yang Tian! What are you doing?!"

Yang Jie followed out, and upon hearing Yang Kun scold his precious son, he immediately retorted, "Brother, why are you being so harsh on him?"

Yang Kun was nearly infuriated by Yang Jie: "Today is Father's ninetieth birthday, and you didn't keep your son in check, allowing him to cause a scene here? Whose face do you want to disgrace?"

Yang Jie dismissed it: "It's just that the child is in a bad mood and throwing a small tantrum. He acts the same at home; do you need to be so harsh?"

"Is this what you call a small tantrum?" Yang Kun said angrily, "I've told you before, Yang Jie, not to spoil Yang Tian too much. Look at what you've made of him?"

Upon hearing the name Yang Jie, Ye Leyao's expression changed abruptly.

"The name Yang Jie... seems somewhat familiar?"

At this moment, the He family also approached, with He Jing slightly pulling Ye Leyao back. "Move over here."

It was fine to watch the drama unfold, but they couldn't let Ye Leyao get hurt under any circumstances.

Ye Leyao obediently stepped back a few paces, then took advantage of the He family and Qin Yao's attention being focused ahead to quickly take out her phone and open her notes app.

However, after searching for a while, Ye Leyao found no useful information, only seeing that Yang Jie was Yang Kun's younger brother.

"Could it be that this isn't part of the book's plot?" Ye Leyao pondered, beginning to rapidly recall the novel's storyline she had read before.

While Ye Leyao was recalling the plot, the farce nearby continued.

Yang Tian had been spoiled by his parents since childhood. Not only had he never been scolded, but even his parents hadn't spoken loudly to him, raising him to fear nothing. Hearing Yang Kun berate him like this, without waiting for Yang Jie and Jiang Fang to speak up, Yang Tian shouted fiercely, "None of your damn business! Who are you, and what right do you have to boss me around?!"

Yang Kun was shocked by these words.

Yang Jie and Jiang Fang also regarded Yang Tian as the apple of their eyes. Normally, they themselves were reluctant to scold Yang Tian. Upon hearing Yang Kun's lack of respect for their child just now, they also turned cold.

"Brother, don't go too far!" Yang Jie said solemnly.

Jiang Fang added, "Elder Brother, we will discipline our own child ourselves; there's no need for you to meddle in our affairs!"

"Meddle in your affairs?!" Yang Kun was truly infuriated, "Jiang Fang, I am Yang Tian's biological uncle, and today is his grandfather's birthday banquet. The two of you didn't keep him in check, allowing him to throw a fit and cause trouble. Am I not allowed to say a word now?"

When Ye Leyao heard this, her eyes widened suddenly.

"Jiang Fang?!"

"Is this little fatty's mom named Jiang Fang?" Ye Leyao finally recalled where he had heard Yang Jie's name before.

The Huo family couldn't help but turn to glance at Ye Leyao.

Where had he heard it?

Just tell us already.

Could there be another juicy scandal?

Ye Leyao was oblivious to his family's stares; he lifted his head to observe the situation ahead.

Yang Jie and Jiang Fang didn't appreciate anyone speaking ill of Yang Tian, even if that person was Yang Jie's own brother.

The couple immediately united their front, demanding that Yang Kun apologize to Yang Tian.

Yang Kun was nearly laughing in anger.

Some onlookers couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward to speak up for fairness.

Yang Jie turned around and launched a personal attack on the guest: "What does it have to do with you? Who the hell are you, worthy to lecture my son?"

The guest's face turned green instantly.

Yang Kun's chest heaved violently in rage, pointing at Yang Jie's nose: "Yang Jie! Do you believe I can have the security throw you out?!"

Yang Jie snorted: "Then go ahead and throw me out! I see now, you weren't sincere about inviting me here today! Little Tian just broke a few wine glasses, is it necessary for you, his dear uncle, to get so angry?"

Yang Kun was infuriated by his words.

As more guests gathered to watch, Qin Yao hesitated whether to step forward to mediate.

It was then that Ye Leyao's sigh echoed softly:

"The key is, Yang Kun isn't even Yang Tian's biological uncle."

Qin Yao paused abruptly.

What?

The Huo family wore expressions of shock as well.

Not his biological uncle?

That meant—

"Yang Tian isn't even Yang Jie's biological son!"

Ye Leyao finally found the crucial plot.

"I never expected Jiang Fang to be the down-on-her-luck heroine in the romance novel... Before meeting Yang Jie, she was juggling several supporting male characters. Even after marrying Yang Jie, she continued her entanglements with them—"

Ye Leyao's voice suddenly rose, her tone excited:

"So not only is Yang Tian not his biological child, but even those two daughters he doesn't favor aren't his either?"

"Hehe, Yang Jie is the ultimate cuckold king in the novel. He's literally glowing green, making people feel uneasy!"

Qin Yao's pupils dilated in shock.

Mr. and Mrs. Huo were even more astonished.

None of the three children were Yang Jie's?

The Huo family's gaze towards Yang Jie instantly carried a hint of pity.

Yang Jie had a verdant meadow on his head!

"Let me see why Jiang Fang married Yang Jie?"

Ye Leyao quickly flipped through her notes and soon found the reason:

"It makes sense. Jiang Fang didn't marry Yang Jie because she liked him; she was after the Yang family's wealth!"

"After marrying Yang Jie, Jiang Fang constantly sowed discord. Under her persistent instigation, Yang Jie's relationship with the Yang family deteriorated day by day. Eventually, the Yang family split their assets, and under Jiang Fang's coaxing, all these properties were transferred to Yang Tian's name."

"When the time was right, Jiang Fang divorced Yang Jie outright, taking Yang Tian and the portion of the Yang family's wealth with her to run away with her lover!"

The Huo family felt increasingly stimulated as they listened.

And then? And then?

What happened to Yang Jie in the end?

Ye Leyao now remembered the entire plot.

"And the pitiful Yang Jie, until Jiang Fang ran away with her lover, didn't know that none of his three children were his."

"Yang Kuan was also heartbroken by this brother of his and naturally stopped caring about him. Later, when Yang Jie fell ill and was hospitalized, there wasn't even someone to keep him company."

"Isn't that self-inflicted suffering?" Huo Yan couldn't help whispering.

Huo Jing nodded in agreement.

Seeing that more guests were gathering around, and even Old Master Yang from the inner hall was alarmed, Yang Kuan didn't want to argue with Yang Jie anymore.

"Consider it I'm too lazy to argue with you!" Yang Kuan turned around, began instructing the waiters to quickly clean up the area, and then went off to apologize to the guests who had been scolded by Yang Jie earlier.

Yang Jie, however, looked like he had won a battle, provocatively watching Yang Kuan leave. Then he pulled Yang Tian over, kissed him on the face, and asked with a smile, "Son, is Dad awesome?"

Yang Tian giggled twice: "Awesome!"

"Then remember to learn from me in the future!" Yang Jie laughed.

Yang Tian hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Yang Jie then draped his arm around Jiang Fang, who concealed her disgust in an instant as she lowered her head.

With Yang Kuan gone, the surrounding guests naturally dispersed.

Seeing that there was nothing interesting here, Yang Tian simply headed towards the inner hall.

Jiang Fang quickly called out when she saw this: "Xiao Tian, where are you going?"

"I'm going upstairs to play!"

Yang Tian ran incredibly fast, even colliding with a guest along the way, causing the guest to exclaim in surprise.

Before the guest could say anything, Yang Tian was already out of sight.

Yang Jie laughed heartily at the sight: "Look, our son has such great stamina!"

"How could it not be good? He's almost as fat as a pig."

Ye Leyao really had no affection for the Yang family.

Suddenly, Ye Leyao was startled: "Yang Tian just said he's going upstairs. Isn't Yang Yuan's room upstairs?"

Just then, a cheerful male voice came from behind—

"Brother Yao! My dad said you were looking for me?"

Ye Leyao turned around and saw a handsome young man running quickly in their direction. The young man wore a radiant smile: "I've been back for so long, and Brother Yao only remembers to ask now. I thought Brother Yao had forgotten about me!"

Qin Yao hugged him and said with a smile: "How could I?"

Yang Yuan chuckled happily, pulling on Qin Yao's arm and preparing to walk away.

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back any longer:

"You're still laughing! If you don't go upstairs, your millet will be completely eaten!"

Qin Yao stood still.

"Take me to your room." Qin Yao's tone was calm.

It was also the perfect opportunity for him to see what this "millet" was all about.

Yang Yuan was puzzled and uttered, "Hm?"

Why is there a sudden need to go to his room?

"I'd like to take a look around," Qin Yao casually fabricated an excuse.

Ye Leyao quickly said, "May I join in as well?"

Yang Yuan: "Ah?"

No, what's so special about his room that it's worth visiting?

And who is this charming young man standing beside Qin Yao?

Could it be that he has a boyfriend?

Yang Yuan's eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

If Ye Leyao were aware of what Yang Yuan was thinking, he would surely offer a serious explanation:

No, I am but a warm-hearted valley swordsman!