The moment Tang Zengshou walked out, everyone in the room was stunned.
Tang Zijun and Tang Wenya's eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.
Ni Hongyan immediately stood up from the sofa, exclaiming, "Grandpa, you can... you can walk?"
Perhaps hearing the commotion, Tang Tianbao from the study and Tang Shanbao, who was busy in the kitchen, also rushed out.
"It really is. Old man, your paralysis is gone? Could it be that Yunlong cured you?" Tang Shanbao asked, surprised and delighted.
Tang Zengshou initially nodded, intending to confirm, but then he suddenly thought that it would be best not to reveal anything about Yunlong at the moment.
With this thought, he shook his head and said, "You could say Yunlong cured me. Actually, I could always hear what you were saying, but I just couldn't speak. This time, seeing Yunlong return made me so happy that a joint in my body suddenly felt unblocked."
Saying this, Tang Zengshou chuckled, "I suppose this is what they called 'chongxi' in ancient times."
Tang Shanbao nodded, "Indeed. Yunlong is your most beloved grandson. Seeing him alive made you so happy that your illness is gone. This is truly double happiness. We must celebrate properly at lunch today."
"We should indeed celebrate!" Tang Zengshou agreed.
Tang Zijun, standing nearby, muttered to himself, "What's there to be happy about? Double happiness? This troublemaker arriving might just bring more disaster to our family!"
"Exactly. If it weren't for this troublemaker, Grandpa wouldn't have ended up like this, and Uncle and Grandma wouldn't have died either. I feel sick just looking at this menace, I wish I could just throw him out!" Tang Wenya grumbled in agreement.
The hall was very quiet, and although they spoke in hushed tones, everyone present heard every word.
"You two, shut up!"
Tang Zengshou roared, his face ashen, "You two are utterly out of line. Where has your upbringing and etiquette gone? Yunlong is your cousin, he's our family. He's finally back, and instead of welcoming him, you're slandering and humiliating him like this. Is that appropriate?"
Facing the elder's stern reprimand, Tang Zijun and Tang Wenya, who had always been under their grandfather's authority, involuntarily lowered their heads.
Ni Hongyan, seeing this, stepped forward and said, "Old man, you don't need to get so angry. Even if Zijun and Wenya's way of speaking just now was wrong, if it weren't for this Xiao fellow causing trouble back then, would our Tang family have fallen to this state?"
"You talk nonsense!"
Tang Zengshou retorted directly, "How many times have I told you, Yunlong was framed and wronged back then, he was also a victim. You call him a troublemaker one after another, do you have any family affection left?"
"And you, Ni Hongyan, during my paralysis these past few months, I've heard you curse me as an old thing, a good-for-nothing, even wishing I'd die sooner, more than once. Do you really think I'm deaf? Or do you really think I'm useless?"
Ni Hongyan, who had been about to retort, wilted upon hearing the last sentence. She lowered her head, not daring to speak further, clearly feeling guilty.
Even Tang Tianbao wisely closed his mouth at this moment, and the elder cousin in the wheelchair remained silent. The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward.
The stout Tang Shanbao had to step in to smooth things over, "Alright, we're all family, why argue? The food is ready, everyone, let's go to the dining room. Yunlong, help Grandpa over."
Xiao Yunlong couldn't be bothered to say more to his aunt and the others. He signaled to Liu Ruyan, and then the two of them helped the elder to the dining room.
Tang Zengshou then looked at Liu Ruyan and chuckled, "Yunlong, this must be your fiancée, what's her name?"
"Reporting to Grandpa, her name is Liu Ruyan."
"She's a good girl, graceful, dignified, and beautiful. Yunlong, you must treat her well in the future," Tang Zengshou said with a smile.
"Don't worry, Grandpa, I will!" Xiao Yunlong replied with a smile.
Tang Zengshou nodded and then sighed, "This is your first visit, and I, as an elder, haven't prepared anything. By the way, Yunlong, help me upstairs to the attic. I have something to give to my granddaughter-in-law!"
So the three of them went upstairs. Although the villa was not small, it had some age, and the staircase was inevitably a bit dark and damp. The attic looked like a storage room, filled with all sorts of things.
Tang Zengshou walked directly to a safe in the corner, took off a necklace from his neck. It turned out that this antique-looking necklace was the key to the safe.
Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan were very curious, wondering what the elder was preparing to give.
The elder's movements were slow. He slowly opened the safe and carefully took out a square box.
The box was made of fine nanmu wood, an antique.
"This is something your grandmother left behind. Yunlong's parents and elders are gone. Today, I'm giving this to you, consider it part of the betrothal gifts," Tang Zengshou said, handing over the antique box.
Liu Ruyan did not reach out to take it immediately. Instead, she looked up at Xiao Yunlong with a questioning expression.
"Since Grandpa is giving it to you, you should accept it, unless you don't want to marry me," Xiao Yunlong said with a smile.
"Since that's the case, then I'll accept it. Thank you, Grandpa!" Liu Ruyan smiled and extended her hands to take it.
After taking the box, Liu Ruyan realized that it was very heavy, weighing down her hands.
"Aren't you going to open it?" the elder asked with a gentle smile.
Liu Ruyan nodded slightly and opened the box. She was instantly stunned.
The box was filled with gold and silver jewelry. There was a pair of exquisite pure gold hairpins, adorned with several crystal-clear pearls. There was also a set of antique earrings and a ring. The most eye-catching was the large ruby necklace.
These items, passed down to the present, were basically antiques, each worth a fortune!
"This... this is too valuable. I'm afraid I can't accept it," Liu Ruyan exclaimed.
Tang Zengshou smiled, "It's not too valuable. If it weren't for the family's decline, it would be more than just this betrothal gift. Jewels suit beauties, so please accept it. I, as an elder, only hope that you two can have a long and happy future together!"
"Accept it!" Xiao Yunlong said with a smile, helping to close the box.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Yang Liuyi, Tang Tianbao's wife, and Tang Wenya, mother and daughter, rushed in.
"Old man, what are you doing? This was passed down through generations of Mother's family. Didn't Mother say it was to be given to Wenya as her dowry? Why are you giving it to an outsider?" Yang Liuyi questioned directly upon entering.
"Yes, Grandpa, you said that too. When I get married, you were going to give it to me as my dowry. What is this now, giving this box to someone else?" Tang Wenya was furious, her eyes almost spitting fire. If Xiao Yunlong hadn't been blocking her, she might have tried to snatch it.
Tang Zengshou snorted in a deep voice, "She is my granddaughter-in-law, how is she an outsider? Yunlong's parents and elders are gone, so as his maternal grandfather, it's natural for me to decide on the betrothal gifts!"
"We don't have a problem with you making decisions, but you can't give away something that originally belonged to me!" Tang Wenya said through gritted teeth.
"When did this box belong to you? I never said anything like that. If you want a dowry, that's fine, go ask your parents!"
Tang Zengshou said, ignoring the mother and daughter. He then called out, "Yunlong, Ruyan, let's go!"
Xiao Yunlong, with the box in one hand and supporting the elder with the other, led them downstairs.
Tang Wenya stamped her foot in anger, "Mom, say something! I don't care, that box belongs to me. I was counting on exchanging it for a big villa and a luxury car!"
Yang Liuyi sighed helplessly, "My dear daughter, you can say things like exchanging it for a big villa and a luxury car to me, but you must never say that in front of the old man again. That's a family heirloom, it can't be easily sold. If you really anger your grandfather, he might not give you a single cent."
Tang Wenya snorted coldly, "I don't care. I don't want the box, a family heirloom is fine too, then let Grandpa give me money!"
"It's no use talking to me about this, talk to your dad. Grandpa doted on that troublemaker since he was a child. This can't go on. We must find a way to get rid of this brat. Otherwise, if he insists on staying, your grandfather might very well give him a portion of the remaining family fortune!" Yang Liuyi gritted her teeth.
"What? This troublemaker, being a live-in son-in-law and living off his wife's family is one thing, but he actually wants a share of our family's assets?" Tang Wenya exclaimed angrily.
"Alright, let's not talk about this for now, let's go down for dinner!" Yang Liuyi shook her head and turned to go downstairs.
The Tang family living room was indeed spacious, able to accommodate more than ten people for dining. The lunch was also very lavish, with various delicacies filling a large table.
Tang Shanbao gestured for everyone to be seated, and then the feast began.
However, Tang Zengshou suddenly waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said, "Before we start eating, I have a few words to say, or rather, a few requests!"
"First, from now on, no one is allowed to call Yunlong a troublemaker. He is my grandson, he is our family; second, none of you are allowed to drive Yunlong away. If I find anyone daring to do so, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The elder's words were resounding. Upon hearing them, Tang Zijun and Tang Wenya directly slammed their chopsticks onto the table.
Tang Tianbao couldn't help but say, "Dad, you might not know, but Xiao Yunlong, last night at Old Six's bar, he dealt with Master Shu's subordinates..."
Tang Zengshou suddenly waved his hand to interrupt, "Listen carefully, there is no room for negotiation on this matter. From now on, if anyone dares to say anything about driving Yunlong away, I will drive them out of the house first, and they will not get a single cent of my assets!"
Upon hearing the word "assets," everyone present fell silent, as if their fate had been grasped by the throat.
When they fled from Chuan City, although Tang Zengshou had sold off most of the family's industries at a low price, it was still a considerable fortune. Later, upon arriving in Jiangdong, the elder gave a portion to his two sons as startup capital, but there was still a significant amount left, estimated to be tens of millions.
If this were in the past, they might not have valued this money so highly, but now that they had fallen on hard times, especially since Tang Tianbao and Tang Shanbao's businesses in Jiangdong were not doing well, this money was like an astronomical sum.
"I have something to do, I'm leaving now. You all eat slowly!" Tang Tianbao directly put down his chopsticks and left in anger.
Aunt Ni Hongyan and Aunt Yang Liuyi remained silent with stern faces, as did cousins Tang Zijun and Tang Wenya, who were also angry but dared not retort, as the elder still held the financial power.
On the contrary, the elder cousin in the wheelchair kept his head down and ate as if no one else was present. Perhaps with his legs crippled, he had lost all hope and cared about nothing.
The atmosphere at the dining table became awkward once again.
Xiao Yunlong couldn't be bothered by everyone's reactions. He first served Liu Ruyan a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, and then served the elder.
"Grandpa, you've just recovered, you shouldn't get angry easily. Also, pay attention to your diet, try to eat light foods!" Xiao Yunlong said.
"Alright, alright, Grandpa understands. Come, come, you eat too!" Tang Zengshou said cheerfully, using serving chopsticks to place food for both Liu Ruyan and Xiao Yunlong.
"Grandpa, you eat too!" Liu Ruyan also served the elder some food.
Tang Wenya, seeing this, secretly pouted, "What a couple of sycophants, doing anything to please Grandpa. They're just after Grandpa's fortune, it's disgusting!"
With Tang Shanbao's efforts to host, although the lunch was not entirely pleasant, it was at least successfully completed.
After lunch, Xiao Yunlong and the elder were playing chess in the courtyard.
Tang Zijun and Tang Wenya suddenly walked over and said with a smile, "Grandpa, we've thought it over carefully just now and finally realized we were wrong. You're right, Yunlong is our cousin after all, he's our family. We were wrong to treat him like that before, we apologize."
The elder nodded, "That's very good. I'm very pleased that you've come to understand."
Tang Zijun looked at Xiao Yunlong and said with a smile, "Yunlong, you've just arrived in Jiangdong Province, you probably haven't been to many places yet. My cousin and I have opened a Taekwondo gym. Last night, I heard Uncle Six say you're quite skilled. How about coming to our Taekwondo gym to have some fun?"
Xiao Yunlong, being as sharp as he was, immediately understood the intentions of these two. Of course, he couldn't be bothered to expose them, so he smiled and asked, "Cousin, Cousin, you've opened a Taekwondo gym?"
"It's actually just a hobby, for strengthening the body and practicing some martial arts. It's also a chance to meet and make friends in Jiangdong. Yunlong, you're skilled, you can give us some pointers. How about we go?" Tang Zijun suggested again.
Tang Zengshou put down his chess piece and smiled, "Since that's the case, Yunlong, you go. My illness has just recovered, and I'm not yet full of energy. I need to rest well this afternoon."
After all, at his age, how could the elder not understand the little tricks of his two grandsons? However, he was not worried at all.
Who was Xiao Yunlong? He was the King of Zhenbei of Long Country!
The little schemes of Tang Zijun and Tang Wenya were probably like child's play in front of Xiao Yunlong.
With this thought, Tang Zengshou shook his head and said, "It's good to be young like you all, full of energy. However, Zijun, remember, playing is fine, but you must know your limits, don't overdo it!"
"Don't worry, Grandpa. Then we're leaving!"
Tang Zijun's face was full of smiles, but in his heart, he thought, "When we get to the Taekwondo gym, let's see if I don't properly fix and deal with this troublemaker!"