Chapter 941
Be Fair
Lin Ruoxi’s 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. “Sir, my apologies for disturbing you at his hour. My mom insisted on visiting today.”
Yang Gongming chuckled. “It’s not a crime to visit me, there’s no need to be forgiven. I’ve heard that you’re part of the Group of Eight in Yellow Flame Iron Brigade. I see you’re both young and capable.”
“That’s right.” Jiang Shan moved forward immediately. “Marshal Yang, I’m always worried about Ning Er. She’s 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.”
Having said that, she placed the red box onto the marble table.
Yang Chen didn’t 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 Ning’s 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 wasn’t 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 weren’t a lot of roots on it but they were so long that the roots had to be wrapped around the plant multiple times.
Yang Gongming’s eyes brightened. “This is high-quality ginseng from Changbai Mountain, isn’t it? Judging from the looks of it, it should be more than a hundred years old!”
Jiang Shan smiled brightly. “You have such a great eye, Marshal. You’re right, this wild ginseng is from Changbai Mountain. It has been a family heirloom for over a hundred years.”
“Over a hundred years sounds a little too exaggerated.” Yang Chen didn’t really believe it.
“Son-in-law, you can’t say that. There might be many fake ones in the market but this is the real deal,” Jiang Shan said cheerily.
Lin Ruoxi puffed her cheeks when she heard her call him son-in-law. She pinched Yang Chen’s waist from the back, wanting to leave right away.
Yang Chen felt helpless. If Lin Ruoxi wasn’t here, he would have hugged Cai Ning tightly since he hadn’t 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. “We always look at the shape and color of ginseng. Look at this. There are four lines here indicating it’s maturity. The color is full and the roots are clean and long. I can attest to it being over a hundred years old.”
“Are you happy with the gift?” Jiang Shan asked while smiling.
“I can’t accept this gift, it’s too precious,” Yang Gongming said courteously.
Jiang Shan quickly declined, “Of course not, Yang Chen’s here and that means we’re in-laws.”
Some things were meant to be left unsaid, even for an unusually blunt person.
Jiang Shan knew Yang Gongming wouldn’t reject a woman like Cai Ning as his grandson’s lover.
Well, this wouldn’t have been allowed in the past…
But who didn’t have a messy lifestyle living in one of the four main clans?
Yang Gongming was well aware of the relations.h.i.+p 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.
“I suppose I’ll accept it then,” Yang Gongming said and pa.s.sed the box to Yan Sanniang.
Jiang Shan beamed when she heard that. Yang Gongming’s 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 couldn’t 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 Ruoxi’s wrist.
“Ah, your jade bangle is really pretty,” Jiang Shan commented.
Only then everyone noticed a bangle had appeared on her wrist, something that wasn’t 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 wasn’t 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.
“Ruoxi, where did you get the bangle from?” Yang Chen asked.
Lin Ruoxi didn’t like to show off feeling embarra.s.sed by the stares she was getting. “Mom gave it to me earlier…”
She then retold the story she heard from Guo Xuehua.
Jealousy flashed through Jiang Shan’s eyes when she heard that it was a family heirloom for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yang clan. She smiled and said, “Xuehua, does it come in a pair?”
Cold sweat formed on Guo Xuehua’s forehead when she heard her question. She smiled awkwardly and said, “There’s only one. It’s made from jadeite so rare that only one was ever created”
“Oh…that’s 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.”
Lin Ruoxi blushed and glared at Yang Chen secretly.
Yang Chen feigned innocence.
Cai Ning interjected, “The bangle suits you Ruoxi. It look great on you.”
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, “Granny Yan, can you tell us what’s special about this bangle?”
Yan Sanniang was confused. “Special? What do you mean?”
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.
“It’s nothing. It looks great.” Yang Chen looked at Lin Ruoxi. “Dear, keep wearing it and don’t take it off. It’s pretty.”
Lin Ruoxi didn’t 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 b.u.t.ted in. “Son-in-law, I heard from Ning Er that you’ll 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.”
Lin Ruoxi’s face fell when she heard that.
“Mom…” Cai Ning tried to stop her.
Yang Chen frowned and drank tea before saying, “Auntie, if I’m 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 unsaid…”
Jiang Shan froze and smiled in embarra.s.sment. She shrank back down into her seat and remained silent
Cai Ning looked at Yang Chen apologetically. Yang Chen obviously wouldn’t blame her, but he decided that he would never be nice to Jiang Shan and her mouth of ma.s.s destruction.