Chapter 493 - 261: A Round of Persuasion, Finally Going to Forgive?

Chapter 493: Chapter 261: A Round of Persuasion, Finally Going to Forgive?

The main hall fell silent.

Jiang Guoqiang set down his long-stemmed pipe, his expression complicated.

He stared at the tabletop without speaking.

Wen Wan sat beside him, her head lowered, not daring to make a sound.

After a long silence, Jiang Guoqiang’s voice softened. "Are you telling me all this because you want me to forgive him?"

Jiang Silu shook her head and said earnestly, "Grandpa, I’m not asking you to forgive him. I just want you to know that he’s not the same person he was before. He’s good to my brother, he’s good to my mom, he’s good to all of us. What happened in the past was his fault, but he’s trying to change now."

Jiang Guoqiang said nothing. He picked up his pipe, then set it down again.

Jiang Silu continued, "Grandpa, I understand that you hate him. Uncle hated him, and I hated him too. But he’s my dad now, and he’s trying his best to be a good father. Can you... it’s okay if you don’t forgive him, but can you not treat him like an enemy?"

Jiang Guoqiang looked up at his granddaughter.

Her eyes were red, but she wasn’t crying. She just looked at him.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, said nothing. He stood up and left the main hall.

Jiang Silu watched his retreating back and sighed.

Wen Wan whispered, "Silu, is your grandpa angry?"

"He’s not angry, he just doesn’t know what to do." Jiang Silu shook her head and sighed. "Grandpa’s the type to talk tough but have a soft heart. If he were really angry, he would have started yelling long ago."

In the kitchen, Pan Lanfang was stewing a chicken, the aroma filling the entire house.

Jiang Sifan crouched before the stove, adding firewood. The flames licked the bottom of the pot with a CRACKLING sound.

Pan Lanfang stirred the soup in the pot with a ladle, tasted it, and added a little more salt. She turned to look at Jiang Sifan and said suddenly, "Sooner or later, your grandpa will have to face this business with your dad."

Jiang Sifan looked up at her.

"Your grandpa talks tough, but his heart is soft," Pan Lanfang sighed. "He’s hated that man for nineteen years. Now that man is right in front of him, being good to him, good to your mom, and good to you kids. How could he possibly feel nothing at all?"

"Grandma, you..." Jiang Sifan faltered, stunned.

"I’ve known for a while now." Pan Lanfang smiled, but it was a bitter smile. "I saw that photo on your mom’s bedside table."

Jiang Sifan lowered his head and said nothing.

Pan Lanfang wiped her hands. "I’ve seen everything your dad has been doing. He is genuinely trying to change. But you know your grandpa’s temper. He has to come to terms with it on his own. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says."

Jiang Sifan nodded.

Pan Lanfang walked over, crouched down, and looked at his face, reaching out to stroke his hair. "Sifan, do you hate your dad?"

Jiang Sifan was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don’t know."

"’I don’t know’ means you don’t hate him anymore." Pan Lanfang laughed. "You have the same stubborn streak as your grandpa."

Jiang Sifan smiled too, though it was a faint one.

To be honest, he really didn’t hate him anymore.

But as a guy, he honestly didn’t know how to bring this up with his father.

Every time, he felt like he just couldn’t get the words out.

Two tables were set for lunch, one in the main hall and one in the kitchen.

Jiang Guoqiang sat at the head of the table in the main hall. Jiang Sifan and Wen Wan sat beside him, with Jiang Silu next to Wen Wan.

Pan Lanfang brought the dishes to the table one by one: stir-fried cured pork with garlic scapes, braised pork ribs, steamed fish, chicken soup, and stir-fried greens, filling the entire table.

"Time to eat, time to eat." Pan Lanfang sat down next to Jiang Guoqiang and picked up a piece of rib for Wen Wan with her chopsticks. "Try this. Grandma’s pork ribs. They were Sifan’s favorite when he was little."

Wen Wan accepted it with both hands, took a bite, and said softly, "It’s delicious."

Pan Lanfang beamed and placed a piece of fish on her plate as well.

Jiang Guoqiang raised his liquor cup, took a sip, and set it down.

He looked at Jiang Sifan and spoke. "Sifan, how is that studio of yours doing now?"

Jiang Sifan put down his chopsticks and answered seriously, "It’s doing okay. It’s stable now. We get a dozen or so clients a month, and the income is enough to cover operations with a little left over to save."

Jiang Guoqiang nodded. "That’s not easy. You’re out there on your own, you have to be careful."

"I know, Grandpa."

Jiang Guoqiang glanced at Wen Wan again and said, "You two get along well. Don’t fight."

Wen Wan blushed, lowered her head, and murmured, "We don’t fight, Grandpa."

Jiang Guoqiang grunted in acknowledgment and said no more, continuing to drink.

Jiang Silu chimed in from the side, "Grandpa, you have no idea. My brother dotes on Wen Wan. The last time she had a cold, he ran out in the middle of the night to buy medicine, and he had to run for several streets before he found a pharmacy that was open."

Jiang Guoqiang glanced at Jiang Sifan. The corner of his mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile but held it back.

Wen Wan’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. She kept her head down, not daring to look at anyone.

Jiang Sifan cleared his throat. "Eat your food. Don’t talk about that."

Jiang Silu laughed and put another helping of food on her grandpa’s plate.

After the meal, Pan Lanfang started clearing the dishes, and Wen Wan rushed to help.

Pan Lanfang tried to stop her but couldn’t, so she let Wen Wan follow her into the kitchen.

Jiang Guoqiang sat in the main hall, smoking his long-stemmed pipe and looking at Jiang Sifan.

Jiang Sifan sat across from him, holding a cup of tea. The tea had already gone cold, but he hadn’t drunk any.

"That father of yours..." Jiang Guoqiang suddenly spoke, his voice very low.

Jiang Sifan looked up at him.

Jiang Guoqiang took a drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled, the smoke unfurling between them.

He watched the smoke as if he were gazing at something far away.

"Is he... really good to you all?" he asked.

Jiang Sifan was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "He is."

Jiang Guoqiang said no more. He stood up, left the main hall, and walked into the courtyard.

He stood under the osmanthus tree, his back to the house, perfectly still.