Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The news that the Jiang Yiyen trio would be returning reached Jiang Cheng a day in advance. After hanging up, he promptly summoned Sister Zhang.

From seafood freshly air-freighted from the deep sea to Australian steaks... In short, whatever was most precious in the house, he instructed Sister Zhang to prepare for the following day.

It wasn't as if they hadn't hosted important guests before, but never had Jiang Cheng been so proactive and enthusiastic. His mood, naturally, was unmatched.

"And..." After giving his instructions, he wasn't sure what else to say. Jiang Cheng simply added, "Use your judgment. You know Yiyen's preferences, so make a few dishes she likes."

"Yes, sir. I've noted everything," Sister Zhang replied, seemingly infected by his good spirits.

Taking advantage of his pleasant mood, she added a few more words.

"A few days ago, you were upset because Miss wouldn't call. Look, she's coming back to see you now. If you'd known she'd return so soon, you wouldn't have been upset for nothing. Next time something like this happens, you should communicate better with her to avoid misunderstandings."

If it were any other day, Jiang Cheng might have gotten angry at Sister Zhang's comments. But today, his good mood made even her words sound pleasant.

"You're right; I misunderstood Yiyen. She's a good child, and I shouldn't have doubted her." Jiang Cheng felt guilty about his recent mistake and silently vowed not to repeat it.

Sister Zhang didn't say more, taking her tasks downstairs to get busy.

Downstairs, Cai Wenqing noticed Sister Zhang coming down at an unusual hour and asked curiously, "Sister Zhang, what's going on? Did Ah Cheng need something?"

Sister Zhang immediately replied, "Miss Yiyen is coming back tomorrow, and the master has instructed me to prepare a grand feast."

"Yiyen is coming back?" Cai Wenqing was stunned.

Why would Jiang Yiyen suddenly decide to return when they had been in conflict just a few days ago?

Cai Wenqing felt extremely agitated but forced a smile. She responded to Sister Zhang, "Yiyen's return is wonderful news. Remember Master's instructions well. By the way, give me a list of the dishes you plan to make later. We don't want anything to go wrong with the food, especially since their relationship has just improved. It wouldn't be worth it if a small issue caused another disagreement."

This reminded Sister Zhang of a previous incident. Once, when Miss Yiyen visited, a dish not to her liking led to a public fallout between father and daughter, making for an awkward scene.

She remembered feeling guilty for a long time afterward. It was only thanks to Madam's comfort and her intervention with the master that she wasn't fired.

Recalling this, Sister Zhang couldn't smile anymore. In fact, she was already nervous even before tomorrow arrived.

"Yes, Madam. I'll start preparing now," Sister Zhang said hurriedly, leaving.

Cai Wenqing watched her go with a meaningful gaze before calmly turning away. Sitting quietly on the sofa, her thoughts were far from the present.

.

Jiang Yiyen took a day off, so early the next morning, after breakfast, the family of three set out for the Jiang residence.

Today, they didn't need Little Chen, as Jiang Yiyen was still excited about her new car and wanted to drive herself. Thus, she became the chauffeur, driving Wen Mochuan and Meimei.

Previously, Mother would sit in the backseat with her, but today, Mother was driving, which piqued Meimei's curiosity.

"Why is Mommy driving today? Where's Uncle Little Chen?" With her seatbelt fastened, Meimei couldn't move closer to her mother.

Jiang Yiyen glanced at her restless daughter through the rearview mirror and warned, "Meimei, don't move around. You can't undo your seatbelt, or Mommy will get mad." She then explained, "We must follow traffic rules. When riding in a car, we must wear seatbelts. Besides, Mommy is a new driver, so the ride might not be smooth. For your safety, you must keep your seatbelt on."

"Okay," Meimei conceded reluctantly.

Though she remained still, Meimei continued to ask, "But why is Mommy driving today? Usually, Daddy drives or Uncle Little Chen takes us."

Jiang Yiyen kept her eyes on the road while talking to her daughter. "Isn't it nice having Mommy drive you? I can drive too. And cars are meant to be driven. If I didn't use it, why would I buy one?"

"But I want Mommy to sit next to me," Meimei pouted.

Jiang Yiyen chuckled. "Mommy is right here. Can't you see me and talk to me whenever you want? It's just that Mommy used to sit next to you, but today, she's in front."

"But... but... I can't lean on Mommy or hug her," Meimei persisted, always ready to chatter if someone engaged with her.

Noticing his wife's tense expression and slow driving, Wen Mochuan feared she might get distracted. He interjected, "Enough with the 'buts' and 'whys.' Today, Mommy just wanted to drive home, so she did. Don't distract her with conversation; it's dangerous."

"Okay," Meimei fell silent.

Meimei leaned against the window, watching the scenery flash by. After a while, she couldn't stay quiet and started squirming.

Looking left and right, she asked her father, "I've been quiet for so long. Can I speak a little now?"

Wen Mochuan and Jiang Yiyen shared a knowing glance through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but laugh.

"Forget it; she's a chatterbox. Letting her talk won't hurt," Jiang Yiyen explained to her husband before addressing her daughter. "Go ahead, you can say whatever you want. Talk to Mommy or Daddy."

Meimei's spirits lifted instantly.

Despite being a novice, Jiang Yiyen drove slowly but steadily, adhering to traffic rules, not rushing through yellow lights or aggressively overtaking others.

They arrived at the Jiang villa around half past nine, roughly ten minutes later than usual with Little Chen driving.

As the saying goes, enemies often cross paths unexpectedly. No sooner had Jiang Yiyen parked than Jiang Xu's car sped past hers.

Jiang Xu's Bentley, worth millions, made Jiang Yiyen's modest vehicle look even more humble beside it. However, Jiang Yiyen didn't care and greeted him cheerfully, "Hi, Big Brother."

Jiang Xu got out of his car with a stern face, ignoring Jiang Yiyen's greeting. As he passed her car, his gaze lingered for a moment before moving on.

Not only did Jiang Xu ignore Jiang Yiyen, but he also disregarded Wen Mochuan, behaving like two empty coffins—indifferent to everyone.

However, the next moment was awkward. Jiang Cheng, hearing the car, came out to greet them. Seizing the opportunity, Meimei loudly complained, "Uncle, my mom waved at you, but you didn't respond. The teacher said it's impolite to ignore someone on purpose."

Jiang Xu stopped in his tracks, his face darkening.

Jiang Yyan gently flicked Meimei's nose: "Don't say that. Perhaps Uncle didn't hear."

Meimei: "But Mom called him Big Brother, and her voice was pretty loud. Uncle was right there, not far away at all. How could he not have heard? Uncle is still so young, his hearing must be great." He's so young, his hearing couldn't possibly be worse than someone in their seventies or eighties, right?

Well, this was awkward. But what could she do, when she had such a smart daughter?

Jiang Yyan even began to take a secret delight in Jiang Xu's predicament. She wanted to see how he would wriggle out of this.

Being publicly accused by a child left Jiang Xu in an extremely awkward position. If his father wasn't around, he wouldn't have cared at all, but unfortunately, his father was present.

So he had to come up with a reasonable explanation.

As Jiang Xu hesitated over what to say, Cai Wenqing and Shu Yao emerged from inside the house at just the right moment.

"Why are you all standing outside? Come in quickly. It's so hot out here, the air conditioning is on full blast at home, and the fruits are all cut up. Come in and rest for a while." Then she moved towards Meimei, seemingly very fond of her, "Meimei, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Did you miss Grandma Cai?"

Meimei blinked, then nodded. "I did miss Grandma Cai, but I missed Grandpa even more." With that, she bypassed Cai Wenqing and reached out her hands towards Jiang Cheng behind her.

Jiang Cheng was already in high spirits today, and seeing his granddaughter wanting him to carry her made him even happier.

"Grandpa will carry you." Jiang Cheng scooped Meimei into his arms, lifting her slightly, "Come, let's go inside with Grandpa."

After Jiang Cheng carried Meimei in, Jiang Yyan and Mochuan followed closely behind.

The remaining three people exchanged glances, then looked away in unison.

"Come on, Xu, come in for some tea." Cai Wenqing seized the opportunity, knowing that there had been some discomfort among the siblings and father, she took this chance to show Jiang Xu more warmth and consideration, "Auntie knew you like your tea, so I got up early this morning to specially prepare some for you."

Xu remained courteous in front of Cai Wenqing: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Aunt Cai." The words were directed at Cai Wenqing, but his eyes glanced subtly towards Shu Yao.