Chapter 21: Loved Arguing with People Since Childhood

Peering at Deng Rui's distressed expression, Jiang Yuan said earnestly, "Mom, don't worry. From now on, I'll treat Jiang Die like my own biological sister."

"She *is* your biological sister!" Deng Rui snapped.

Jiang Yuan nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "Right, she's my real sister. I'll definitely treat her well from now on and stop making things difficult for her."

Deng Rui looked at her with suspicion. "Are you serious?"

Jiang Yuan held up three fingers. "I can swear on it."

"Tell the truth." Deng Rui didn't believe she had undergone such a personality transplant. "Are you trying to get a new car?"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

Fine, she had zero credibility with her own mother.

Blueberry snuggled in Deng Rui's arms, giggling secretly.

"Did Dad go to the market?" Jiang Yuan plucked a green grape from the coffee table and popped it into her mouth.

Deng Rui: "He just left. Didn't you run into him downstairs?"

"No." Jiang Yuan picked up her phone to call Jiang Dashan, instructing him to buy plenty of meat.

Deng Rui glanced at her. "Are you really going to invite your sister back for dinner?"

Jiang Yuan: "Just you wait and see. I'm being wonderful to my sister now."

Having said that, she dialed Jiang Die's number.

"Sis, bring Zhanzhan and Momo over for mutton dumplings tonight."

On the other end of the line, Jiang Die instinctively wanted to decline.

But before she could speak, Jiang Yuan anticipated her move: "Sis, if you don't come, I'm not eating tonight."

Jiang Die was powerless against her and could only agree.

Jiang Yuan put down the phone with a beaming smile. "My sister will be here in a bit."

The more Deng Rui thought about it, the more suspicious she became. She frowned deeply. "Jiang Yuan, confess truthfully—are you plotting something against your sister?"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

She turned around, presenting her backside to her mother.

Deng Rui swatted her. "Say something!"

Jiang Yuan said lazily, "I have nothing to say to you."

Deng Rui was both angry and speechless.

After sitting for a while, remembering that Jiang Die and the two little grandchildren were coming over, she hurried to the fridge to take out more meat to defrost.

Emerging from the kitchen, Deng Rui hurriedly changed her shoes and headed out.

Half an hour later, Jiang Yuan saw her returning with two large bags of snacks.

"Did you buy these for me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Deng Rui rolled her eyes at her. "In your dreams."

When Jiang Die arrived, she also brought some vegetables and meat.

Deng Rui said softly, "Xiaodie, you only needed to bring Zhanzhan and Momo. Why buy so much? We have everything at home."

"It's fine, Mom." Jiang Die looked at the two children. "Say hello to Grandma."

Zhanzhan and Momo greeted her obediently, though their hearts had already drifted toward Blueberry nearby.

"Good children, come sit down." Deng Rui greeted her two little grandchildren with a beaming smile; the coffee table was already laden with snacks.

Jiang Die carried the meat and vegetables toward the kitchen. "I'll go help Dad."

"No need, let your father handle it." Deng Rui hurried forward to push Jiang Die toward the sofa to sit. She whispered, "Your father was as excited as if he'd been injected with adrenaline when he heard you were coming."

The corners of Jiang Die's lips curled up slightly. "Where is Yuanyuan?"

Deng Rui smiled. "In her room on the phone."

Jiang Die nodded, following Deng Rui's gaze toward the two little ones playing with the cat.

"They seem to have grown taller again." Deng Rui's eyes were filled with maternal affection.

Jiang Die: "They have."

"Children grow so fast," Deng Rui remarked. Suddenly remembering something, she asked in a low voice, "Xiaodie, Jiang Yuan hasn't been making things difficult for you lately, has she?"

Jiang Die shook her head gently. "Mom, Yuanyuan is very good to me. Don't worry."

"That's good, that's good." Deng Rui replied, but her heart remained uneasy.

She knew her daughter better than anyone.

If Jiang Yuan was being good to Jiang Die, she likely had ulterior motives.

Inside the room, Jiang Yuan was completely unaware of her mother's thoughts.

She had received a call from Mr. Lu Zhihai, the man who had handed her a business card last night.

He wanted to schedule a time to check on the situation in Alaska.

Likely considering that Jiang Yuan was a young woman, Lu Zhihai took the initiative: "We can meet in a park; you may choose the location."

"That works." Jiang Yuan asked for his address, thought for a moment, and chose a midpoint. "Then let's meet at Blue Bay Park tomorrow at 4:30 PM?"

"Alright. I won't disturb you further then. See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

***

The meal was a harmonious affair.

After washing the dishes, Deng Rui sliced a plate of fruit.

Everyone sat in the living room, eating fruit and playing with Blueberry in a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

The doorbell suddenly rang. Jiang Yuan stood up to open it and saw three uninvited guests.

Cao Laoting had come to visit with her husband and daughter.

"Oh my, is little Jiang Yuan at home?" Cao Laoting said in surprise. "I saw little Jiang Die bringing the two kids over this evening, so I thought Jiang Yuan wouldn't be home again."

In the past, Deng Rui would take advantage of Jiang Yuan being out to intercept Jiang Die at the kindergarten gate to invite them over for dinner.

Cao Laoting's words were clearly intended to stir trouble.

The smile on Deng Rui's face cooled. She said indifferently, "Sister Ting, why are you here again? Did you leave something here this afternoon?"

"It's just rare to see little Jiang Die coming back, so I thought I'd come over for a chat." Cao Laoting's family acted like they were at home, pulling up several chairs to sit down.

"Is Sister Jiang Die overworked from taking care of the children?" Cao Laoting's daughter, Wang Xinyue, was dressed in red fur, her hands—adorned with gold and silver—resting on her knees as if she were afraid people wouldn't notice.

Seeing her strike up a conversation, Jiang Die replied politely, "I'm fine."

"Fine?" Wang Xinyue raised her hand to brush back her hair, revealing diamond studs in her ears. "I feel like you've aged a lot. Do you just not have the money for maintenance?"

Jiang Die: "..."

She pursed her lips and said nothing.

Zhanzhan and Momo protested in low voices, "My mommy isn't old!"

Jiang Yuan glared at her, a half-smile on her face. "And do *you* have the money for maintenance?"

Wang Xinyue looked at her and gave a coquettish laugh. "I have a suitor who owns a beauty salon. I don't even have to pay for my treatments."

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Then doesn't his salon get people causing trouble every day?"

"What?" Wang Xinyue asked, confused.

Jiang Yuan's smile brightened as she explained, "I see that your 'maintenance' hasn't had any effect at all. You look almost as old as Auntie Cao. If the doctor's skills are that poor, isn't anyone going to protest?"

Wang Xinyue's face turned red and green with rage. "There's something wrong with your eyes!"

"Your eyes are the ones that are wrong!" Jiang Yuan rolled her eyes and snapped back, "My sister is so much younger than you. You call her old? You must be blind. Why don't you look in a mirror and see what you actually look like!"

"You... you..." Wang Xinyue hadn't expected Jiang Yuan to be so blunt. She began to cry aggrievedly, "Mom, Auntie Deng, look at the way Jiang Yuan is talking!"

Jiang Yuan crossed her arms, looking like a rogue. "I use my mouth to talk, can't you see? I wasn't wrong when I said you were blind."

Wang Xinyue: "..."

Cao Laoting desperately wanted to tear Jiang Yuan apart, but remembering she was there for business, she could only manage a forced laugh.

"Jiang Yuan, that habit of yours—arguing with people since you were a child—it's never going to change, is it!"

"With such a poisonous tongue, be careful you don't end up unmarried!"

"Thanks for your concern, Auntie Cao," Jiang Yuan said with a grin. "You should worry more about Wang Xinyue. She looks so old at such a young age; who would dare marry her?"