The Chen Family's members left one clear morning, still driving that eye-catching car.
The Chen Family's ancestral house was once again locked with heavy iron chains.
Tian Zhennian climbed onto the rooftop, only able to see the clean, empty ground without a single person or even a small cat, just the bare persimmon trees.
Spring hadn't arrived yet.
He had wanted to pick the trumpet flowers for her to see, as well as the small fish in the river after it thawed, and the crickets and grasshoppers in the fields...
Why didn't Miss Chen believe his words? Tian Zhennian chewed on a piece of candy, sitting on the high rooftop, looking at the path Miss Chen took when she left.
The candy was given by Miss Chen. He hadn't been able to bear eating it, hiding it under his pillow.
So sweet, it melted in his mouth, the most delicious candy he had ever tasted in his life.
The previous rumors had long since disappeared and dissipated. People would forget the original incident in their busy days. When they saw the car again, they would still cast envious glances at it.
The words Tian Yinian casually spoke were spread as rumors. At first, he felt very ashamed, afraid that Miss Chen would come to find him. Later, as the rumors grew more and more intense, and Miss Chen never came, he gradually started to believe the rumors, feeling that the facts were as such.
When his younger brother asked him to clarify the matter, he no longer felt embarrassed, but would shout at him for being ignorant and rude.
His younger brother silently looked at him for a while, never coming to find him again.
However, on that day, a sharp and capable man broke in with a group of people, speaking in a tone as cold as ice, frightening, demanding that he apologize to Miss Chen.
Tian Yinian was almost scared to death. He was extremely timid, and when they demanded he apologize, he trembled and apologized in front of everyone.
This kind of incident would be remembered by someone like Tian Yinian for his entire life. Day and night, he thought about it, feeling ashamed and indignant by turns. Even when studying, his level of concentration couldn't match that of his younger brother loudly reading books.
Liu Yue grew up together with him, but she had lofty aspirations, wanting to go farther away, and had only discussed scholarly matters with Tian Yinian.
Learning that Tian Yinian had done such a thing, and seeing his terrible state, Liu Yue advised him out of past friendship, but seeing no improvement, she never came to the Tian Family home again.
...
When Zhang Xuyun led his cousin back to the Chen Family home, Old Master Chen, who had always been polite to him, flew into a rage and threw his crutch at him.
Zhang Xuyun admitted to secretly eating the white radishes Old Master Chen was growing, accepting this beating, and was punished by having to kneel in the Chen Family's ancestral hall.
His surname was Zhang. Kneeling in the Chen Family's ancestral hall was to apologize to the Chen Family's ancestors - for taking away their precious little Miss Chen?
Even while kneeling, Zhang Xuyun still defiantly mocked Old Master Chen's thoughts. If the ancestors had physical forms, they would surely emerge from those spirit tablets and drag him down with them.
As soon as Zhang Xuyun was taken away, Old Master Chen's hands stopped trembling. In front of Jiang Yan, he picked up the crutch he had thrown.
Then, he leaned on his waist and sighed deeply, whispering to Jiang Yan: "The old man has disliked that stinking brat for a long time, finally having the chance to beat him once!"
It turned out that Zhang Xuyun's superficially smooth yet inwardly sinister nature had caused trouble, making this young man appear smiling on the surface while respecting no one's face. He had long vexed Old Master Chen.
After the meal, the elderly Old Master Chen personally taught his daughter the feminine arts of managing a husband, such as being aloof to make him unable to catch her, being hot and cold to make him unable to eat for her, being dramatic to keep him on guard...
Old Master Chen spoke loudly, accompanying with gestures, single-mindedly wanting his daughter to control Zhang Xuyun.
Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh. Madam Chen couldn't stand to watch any longer, instructing her daughter to rest well, then dragged Old Master Chen out by his ear.
Jiang Yan suddenly felt that what Old Master Chen taught might be useful, perhaps gained from practical experience with Madam Chen herself.
