Volume 1, Chapter 117: Turmoil in the Jiang Family

At the entrance of the operating room, the Jiang family waited anxiously. Some paced back and forth in the corridor, while others clutched crucifixes, praying to God for protection.

Chi Xingwan and her two companions sat a short distance away. Finally, the operating room light turned off, and the doctor emerged. Observing the expressions of the Jiang family, Chi Xingwan surmised that the surgery on the elder Mr. Jiang had been successful.

Soon, the old man was wheeled out, but the effects of the anesthesia had not yet worn off; family members were not allowed to see him yet, let alone the three visitors.

Chi Xingwan stood up. "Let's come back tomorrow."

Xiao Yue and Wei Shi'an had no objections; their visit to the hospital had primarily been to confirm whether the elder Mr. Jiang was in any serious danger.

The next day, the trio waited until the afternoon to visit. The elder Mr. Jiang had regained consciousness, but they were still unable to enter the ward to see him.

The eldest son, Jiang Bofeng, looked apologetic. "I am truly sorry. My father’s mental state is not very good right now, and as his children, we want him to rest properly for the next few days."

Xiao Yue asked, "May I ask, is your father doing alright?"

Jiang Bofeng sighed. "There are no major issues for now, but the doctor said he is suffering from internal distress and needs to calm his mind... In short, he needs plenty of rest."

Seeing that he would not yield, Chi Xingwan said, "In that case, we won't disturb him. We will visit again when there is an opportunity."

They left the fruit and flowers they had brought and departed the hospital.

Wei Shi'an asked, "Xingwan, do you think he was lying?"

Chi Xingwan shook her head. "I couldn't tell if he was lying."

"He wasn't lying," Xiao Yue added. "He is genuinely worried about his father. But what exactly happened to the elder Mr. Jiang?"

According to Charlie, the old man had been in good health, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to endure the long journey back from Lancheng to celebrate the New Year.

"It must have something to do with his family," Wei Shi'an speculated. "At the elder Mr. Jiang's age, with his vast wealth, the things that cause him the most worry are usually his children and grandchildren."

Xiao Yue agreed. "You're right. I think we should start with his children and grandchildren."

The elder Mr. Jiang had three children: two sons and one daughter—the eldest son Jiang Bofeng, the second daughter Jiang Zhongyue, and the third son Jiang Shuhai. Initially, only the two sons had accompanied him back to the country, while the daughter remained abroad. Because of his illness, she had returned in an emergency and had only landed that morning.

"It sounds like their family is very close," Wei Shi'an remarked.

Xiao Yue nodded. "It seems so. I've heard the Jiang family is quite well-known in the Chinese community in Lancheng, and many envy their harmonious family life."

"What about the grandchildren?" Chi Xingwan asked.

Xiao Yue glanced at the information sent by his assistant. "The elder Mr. Jiang has five grandchildren. Jiang Bofeng has a son and a daughter, Jiang Zhongyue has one daughter, and Jiang Shuhai has two sons. This time, everyone except Jiang Zhongyue and her daughter returned to the country."

"Let's find a way to meet them," Chi Xingwan said.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the Jiang household was heavy. Jiang Shuhai sat on the sofa, chain-smoking, filling the entire hall with haze. His wife, Zhang Ruijie, sat nearby, weeping bitterly.

Jiang Zhongyue had only landed just before dawn. She had rushed to the hospital to see her father, only to be sent back home to rest by her eldest brother, Jiang Bofeng. She couldn't sleep peacefully while her father was hospitalized, so after only a few hours of light sleep, she came downstairs to find her brother and sister-in-law looking distressed and distraught.

She sighed and sat beside Zhang Ruijie. "I just got back, so what exactly happened? I heard there was an incident involving Xiaozhou?"

Hearing her son's name, Zhang Ruijie began to cry again. "Sister, how did our Xiaozhou end up like this? He used to be so good and obedient..."

Jiang Zhongyue was confused. Seeing how heartbroken Zhang Ruijie was, she looked to her brother, Jiang Shuhai.

Jiang Shuhai extinguished his cigarette, paused, and said, "Sister, what can we do? During his time back in the country, Xiaozhou fell in with the wrong crowd and learned bad habits."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhongyue finally understood what had happened at home and why her father had been so angry that he ended up hospitalized.

Because the entire Jiang family was returning to the country for the New Year, there was much to prepare. The third son, Jiang Shuhai, had returned early with his family to make arrangements. Jiang Xiaozhou was the youngest, having only reached adulthood recently; the family doted on him, so they hadn't assigned him any tasks.

In the days leading up to the New Year, Jiang Shuhai and his wife were busy contacting relatives and friends and arranging ancestral rites, neglecting Jiang Xiaozhou. But since Xiaozhou had always been a good boy—even in Lancheng, he had never caused trouble while playing alone—by the time the family realized something was wrong, things had spiraled out of control.

Jiang Xiaozhou had met a group of bad influences and had learned how to gamble.

The elder Mr. Jiang detested gambling above all else. Years ago, after he left China with his parents for Lancheng, his own father had fallen into the vice of gambling, losing everything and leaving the family destitute. It was his mother who had washed dishes and swept streets to raise him, eventually ruining her own health. When the elder Mr. Jiang later became wealthy, his greatest regret was never being able to provide his mother with a single day of comfort.

So, when he learned yesterday that Jiang Xiaozhou had been out gambling with those hoodlums, he was so enraged that he collapsed.

Jiang Zhongyue found it absurd. The family was close, and although the siblings had their own households, they kept in touch. She had practically watched Xiaozhou grow up and couldn't imagine him turning into a delinquent.

"Where is Xiaozhou now?" she asked.

Zhang Ruijie shook her head, crying, "I don't know. He ran out yesterday and hasn't come back."

"I have already sent people to look for him," Jiang Shuhai said.

Jiang Zhongyue felt a headache coming on. "Find him first, then lock him in a room and give him a thrashing."

Zhang Ruijie still felt for her son. She opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing. If a beating could turn Xiaozhou back into his former self, she wouldn't stand in the way.

Back at the Xiao residence, Xiao Yue received the latest news from his assistant.

"I found it. The one in trouble is the elder Mr. Jiang's youngest grandson, Jiang Xiaozhou. He returned early with his parents and eldest brother, and recently started hanging out with some hoodlums."

"It's very strange," Xiao Yue said. "The files say that while in Lancheng, Jiang Xiaozhou was a model student. It's as if he became a completely different person in just a few days back in the country."

Chi Xingwan rested her chin in her hand. "Can a person's temperament change so drastically in just one month?"

Wei Shi'an replied earnestly, "It's possible. Take me, for example—if my illness were any worse, I might truly lose my mind."

"But Jiang Xiaozhou isn't sick, and he hasn't suffered any major life changes," Xiao Yue noted.

Chi Xingwan stood up. "What's the point of guessing here? Let's find Jiang Xiaozhou and ask him ourselves."