Watching the father and son battle wits over a single cup of wine, Li Yi found it both amusing and a little enviable.
His own father, though equally devoted and deeply loving,
he was always a man of few words and would never speak to him like that, so their time together was often rather dull.
With Jiang Shiying keeping an eye on things, the old man ultimately didn’t get to drink any alcohol, but everyone still enjoyed the meal immensely.
It’s worth mentioning that Aunt Jiang San’s cooking was truly excellent; the dishes she prepared herself left Li Yi particularly impressed.
To be honest, he felt that with Aunt Jiang San’s culinary skills, if she opened a restaurant in the city, it would surely be packed every day.
Of course, that was just a thought; given the Jiang family’s circumstances, they certainly wouldn’t let her put herself out there to do something like that.
Besides, Li Yi could tell that her health wasn’t the best.
With such a large table full of delicious food, she had only eaten a small bowl of rice and drunk half a bowl of soup before putting down her chopsticks.
Judging by this, she was in a bad mood, had lost her appetite, and lacked any desire to eat—classic symptoms of depression.
He hoped Prozac could keep her condition under control; otherwise, with a constitution so frail it seemed she might collapse at the slightest breeze, Li Yi truly feared she wouldn’t last much longer.
At that moment, Li Yi began to understand why Jiang Shiying had specifically sought him out, asking him to say some kind words to his wife.
Indeed, in a situation like hers, she truly needed some external motivation to reignite the hope deep within her heart.
Otherwise, it’s easy to fall into self-doubt and lose hope in life.
Li Yi wasn’t opposed to white lies; in fact, he was happy to oblige.
But even after the meal was over, he still hadn’t found the right moment to comfort poor Aunt Jiang San.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group returned to the living room.
Just as they were about to sit for a while longer, a soft knock suddenly sounded at the door.
“Come in!” Old Master Jiang said immediately.
Next, a young man pushed open the door and walked in, then approached the old man and whispered a few words in his ear.
Since he was standing close by, Li Yi heard the young man tell the old man who was at the door and that they had urgent news to report.
Hearing this, Li Yi knew it was time to take his leave.
But just as he was about to take his leave, Jiang Shiying suddenly said, “Comrade Li Yi, we’ve hit it off right away. Come on, let’s go sit in my room for a while!”
“Sure!”
Li Yi knew that Jiang Shiying must feel his mission wasn’t yet complete, which was why he didn’t want him to leave.
Then, led by Jiang Shiying and his wife, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng left the main hall and went to the west wing next door.
Since everyone had been dining in the main hall, the lights in the west wing hadn’t been turned on.
Although the faint light from the main hall meant it wasn’t pitch black, the room still felt dark and gloomy once they stepped inside.
More importantly, the moment he stepped inside, Li Yi caught a strong whiff of Chinese herbal medicine.
Clearly, Aunt Jiang was taking herbal decoctions alongside her Fluoxetine—though it was unclear what ailment she was treating!
“I’ve been boiling herbal medicine for a while now, so the smell in here isn’t great—please don’t mind!”
Aunt Jiang San said as she turned on the light.
“The smell of Chinese medicine isn’t that bad; I’ve actually gotten used to it!” Li Yi said with a smile.
The moment the light came on, Li Yi could clearly see the room’s furnishings.
Compared to the main hall, the west wing was a bit smaller, but it was decorated in a more modern style.
Not only had the solid-wood chairs been replaced with cushioned sofas, but the room also featured musical instruments like a piano and a guzheng.
Clearly, Aunt Jiang San was a woman of many talents.
Although the smell in the room wasn’t great, it was very clean and tidy, showing that Aunt Jiang San was also a neat and tidy person.
After the group sat down on the sofa, Aunt Jiang San was about to go make tea for everyone when she was stopped by Jiang Shiying.
“Just sit tight, I’ll go!”
“Okay!”
Seeing the tenderness in both their eyes, Li Yi suddenly felt a lump in his throat; this kind of unintentional display of affection was the most devastating.
At the same time, he felt a touch of envy.
They say beauty fades, but how many people can remain true to each other after their looks have faded—especially men?
Although Aunt Jiang San had a lovely demeanor—and it was clear she must have been quite attractive in her youth—she didn’t look particularly beautiful now.
For one thing, she was too thin—so much so that she’d lost her former features, and the skin on her face had sagged.
Second, her overall vitality was lacking, making her look exceptionally aged and devoid of any beauty.
And yet, even so, someone in a position of such high authority as Jiang Shiying remains utterly devoted to her—so much so that he would even go so far as to beg a young man like me on her behalf.
For a man—especially a powerful figure—to do this is truly commendable!
Perhaps realizing that this behavior had upset the two younger people, Ye Lingyun cleared her throat and asked, “Little Li, I heard you’ve gotten married?”
“Yeah, I got married this summer!”
“Do you have a child yet?”
“Yes, but she hasn’t given birth yet. I plan to go be with my wife for the delivery once I’m done with this busy period!”
Ye Lingyun said with a touch of envy, “Having a child is wonderful. You must treat your wife well—giving birth is no easy feat for a woman!”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right!”
Thinking of Tang Xue, a tender look involuntarily softened Li Yi’s expression.
Seeing the tenderness Li Yi couldn’t hide, Ye Lingyun thought of her own husband; in this regard, the young man did bear a certain resemblance to Shiying.
“Your wife must be very beautiful!”
“You’re absolutely right—my wife really is the village beauty!”
“The village beauty?”
“She’s the prettiest girl for miles around!”
“You young people these days… I can hardly understand what you’re saying anymore…”
Just then, Jiang Shiying walked out carrying a teapot and a teacup, and asked, “What don’t you understand?”
“Little Li said his wife is the prettiest girl for miles around—the village beauty!” Ye Lingyun said with a smile.
“If that’s the case, then your aunt must have been the ‘courtyard beauty’ in her youth—the prettiest woman in the whole compound!” Jiang Shiying said with a laugh.
“You’re just talking nonsense—I’m nowhere near as pretty as you say!” A faint blush flushed Ye Lingyun’s pale face.
She still wasn’t quite used to her husband praising her like that in front of the younger generation. dxmbang
“Of course I am! I’m not making this up—there’s a photo on the wall, isn’t there?”
Saying this, Jiang Shiying pointed toward the piano.
Following the direction of Jiang Shiying’s finger, Li Yi indeed saw several picture frames hanging directly above the piano.
It was very popular in this era to place photos in glass frames and hang them up as decorations.
It wasn’t just the Jiang family; even Li Yi’s own home had such frames, so there was nothing particularly unusual about it.
Suddenly, Li Yi’s gaze was drawn to several photos inside the glass frames on the wall.