The Liao Family's backer was the Jiang Family. As long as they were in-laws for a day, there would always be people weighing the Jiang Family's face.
Unless... the Jiang Family turned to support the Liao Family's opponent.
Like the Jiuzhen Store, which also sold lychees.
"Jiang Sheng had returned to the Jiang Family for so long without acknowledging her ancestry, partly because General Jiang was absent, and partly because Old Lady Jiang wanted to protect her." Chang Yan knocked the back of his left hand with his right, "Old Lady Jiang only announced the former daughter was an imposter, but never revealed the real daughter to the world."
This meant that in the eyes of outsiders, the Jiuzhen Store had no relationship with the Jiang Family.
When Zheng Ruqian sent lychees to the Jiang Family once, it only brought some acquaintances’ orders, such as the Yao Family and Zhao Family, or some ill-intentioned orders, such as the Fang Family and Zhu Family. It did not completely open the market of Fengjing’s powerful families.
If Zheng Ruqian could send lychees to the Jiang Family a second, third or fourth time, the powerful families of Fengjing would mistakenly think that the Jiang Family's position had shifted from the Liao Family to the Jiuzhen Store.
This was borrowing power, just like their earlier intimidation of the magistrate of Yunshui County's Pang County.
But the ultimate goal was not intimidation, but to drive away all the Liao Family's backers and isolate the Liao Family.
"The Jiang Family has no emotional connection with the Jiuzhen Store, but is closely tied to Jiang Sheng." Xu Mo followed up. "As long as she visits with Jiang Sheng, the Jiang Family will definitely not shut the Jiuzhen Store out."
But that would mean their sister, whom they had tried so hard to protect, would have contact with the Jiang Family again.
She might even have to resume her position as the Jiang Family’s daughter.
"No." Zheng Ruqian, who was grinning earlier, now frowned. "I can take the lychees to visit the Jiang Family myself, using business and profits to win them over, but Jiang Sheng must never go there."
But the Jiang Family would always be Jiang Sheng’s kin. Would it really be good to completely isolate her from them?
Chang Yan and Xu Mo were silent, but deeply empathetic.
Only Zheng Ruqian was exceptionally agitated. "My sister is mine, ours. We can’t give her back to the Jiang Family. They lost their child back then. Now that she’s grown up, they want to take her back? Keep dreaming! Where was the Jiang Family during our hardest and most difficult times? If they didn’t even take care of her when she was little, what right do they have to own her when she’s grown up?"
He said this not just for Jiang Sheng, but also for himself.
Of the six siblings in the small courtyard, only the two of them clearly had kinship but still had to struggle desperately to survive.
Whether it was Xu Mo, Fang Heng or Wen Zhiyun, although they had lost their parents, they would always uphold their beliefs and heritage. They grew up surrounded by love.
Only Zheng Ruqian and Jiang Sheng looked back on their pasts with bitter gallbladders.
"We've been through the hardest times. It was hard enough for the Jiang Family to give my sister back. We absolutely can’t send my sister back now that she’s grown up." Zheng Ruqian enunciated each word clearly. "We can give up the Liao Family’s business and even abandon the lychee business, but we must never relinquish my sister again."
Over his dead body!
"Second brother, don't get agitated," Wen Zhiyun gently advised at the side. "No one said to let sister go. Just to visit."
Zheng Ruqian sniffed sadly, "She can't go back. What if the Jiang Family regrets it? We can't beat the Jiang Family either."
So that was what he was afraid of.
Chang Yan and Xu Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but they resonated deeply.
Where Jiang Sheng belonged indeed depended on the Jiang Family. Because of the nobility of great families, their absolute power and skill, their unequal status, because they had no say.
There were certainly many worries that came from high positions, but high positions could also avoid many worries.
Every ambitious person climbing upwards must have someone they want to protect.
Just like Xu Mo working towards passing the imperial civil service exam.
Or Zheng Ruqian doing business.
"Since second brother is unwilling, we’ll find another way," Chang Yan said slowly. "Or work harder and fight the Liao Family in business for a few more years."
Zheng Ruqian sniffed and was about to get up to find a handkerchief.
Jiang Sheng, who had been sitting silently in thought, suddenly spoke up. "I'll go."
Now the small courtyard's eyes fell back on her again.
Zheng Ruqian was so shocked that the mucus didn't get sucked back in. Instead, it slid down from his philtrum. "Little Jiang Sheng, what are you saying? You want to go back to the Jiang Family? Have you lost your mind? Don't you want us anymore?"
Wen Zhiyun's teary eyes also began to glisten.
These two crybabies.
Jiang Sheng grinned. "No, I miss Grandmother and want to visit."
These past twenty days, they had been busy with the workshop, busy with Jiuzhen Store, busy moving things around and preparing new varieties of pastries. They were so busy they didn’t even have time to rest.
Only then did Jiang Sheng realize she missed Grandmother a little, missed Tan Yue, missed the old lady’s kindly and gentle hands, the tranquil and peaceful Deren Hall.
It had been eleven years.
Jiang Sheng had so few relatives. Apart from her brother and auntie, only Elder Sister Yao and Grandmother treated her well. Even if she didn’t originally want to return to the Jiang Family at first, the warmth of those three to five days was enough to melt her guarded heart.
She couldn’t bear to let go of people who were so good to her.
That was the warmth she had yearned for on so many cold nights in her childhood, that she had prayed desperately to Buddha for so many years, but never obtained – care and shelter.
"Although I don't have a father or mother, having Grandmother isn't bad," she blinked her bright big eyes. "Besides, the Jiang Family chef is so skilled. The food he makes is so delicious."
Without the little glutton whirlwind, the chef's enthusiasm for cooking diminished by half.
Just like the few days Jiang Sheng was away from the small courtyard, Auntie Zhang didn't even buy pork elbows. The uncle from the pork stall even came to console her several times, thinking something bad had happened.
"Pfft." The easiest to coax, Wen Zhiyun's teary eyes receded as he laughed out a snot bubble.
Zheng Ruqian's expression also improved somewhat. He used his narrow sleeve as a handkerchief and rubbed it randomly on his face.
Jiang Sheng took the chance to conclude, "Tomorrow I’ll go back to the Jiang Family to visit Grandmother while Second Brother sends lychees over. That kills two birds with one stone.”
Xu Mo nodded slightly without speaking.
But Chang Yan pointed out, "It's best if you don't enter the Jiang Family at the same time. Wait until Jiang Sheng gets Old Lady Jiang’s consent before Second Brother comes to visit."
Jiang Sheng was returning to the Jiang Family for familial affection. Old Lady Jiang could not misunderstand it as being for gain, damaging what little familial affection remained.
People with many reservations really do think of everything. They consider all possibilities in advance, whether relevant or not. That is thorough, but also prone to overthinking.
Although Jiang Sheng felt it was unnecessary, she still nodded in agreement.
Zhang Xianglian had just developed some new lychee-flavored pastries that Jiang Sheng preordered five boxes of. She also wandered the marketplace herself for three rounds and bought many gifts.
She prepared gifts for Old Lady Jiang and Tan Yue, and even for that long-winded little maid.
The next day, after a lot of trouble, the lychees were sorted into basins. Ten catties were set aside for the Jiang Family, and the rest were delivered in batches to the powerful families.
Jiang Sheng also carried the prepared gifts and went to the Jiang Family with Jiang San and Jiang Si.
