After that incident, Jiang Yanting used overtime work as an excuse and often only returned home late into the night. The most direct consequence of this was that nobody was available to look after Jiangjiang.
Fan Mingyu could help take care of the child during the day, but given his age, he couldn’t possibly stay up late and tolerate his mischief. Without the energy to cope, before Jiang Yanting returned each evening, Jiangjiang was sent up to the third floor.
"Dad, is it okay for me to go to my uncle’s place every night?" Jiangjiang was quite self-aware.
Jiang Yanting just laughed, "There’s nothing inappropriate about it."
Jiang Jinsang had thrown that mess of a situation onto himself, with Qi Zeyan scuttling back to enjoy his easy life. Now that he was in trouble, he was sure that Qi Zeyan would support him.
He felt absolutely no guilt about having to leave Jiangjiang with him.
So, an environment meant for solitude was forcefully invaded by the presence of Jiangjiang.
"Uncle, Auntie, if you want to do something else and need privacy, I can cover my eyes," Jiangjiang offered.
Tang Wan cleared her throat, "We’re not doing anything."
Jiang Jinsang felt dissatisfied deep down, but he had no choice; after all, this was his own nephew.
However, ever since he and Tang Wan had gotten intimate, whenever they were alone together, the atmosphere was always somewhat delicate. Having Jiangjiang come by to lighten the mood might not be such a bad thing after all.
Qi Zeyan happened to run into Jiang Yanting at a reception that day.
"You handed Jiangjiang off to Jiang Xiaowu?"
Jiang Yanting sized him up, "Are you in a state of heartbreak? You seem more energized than before."
"I’m turning my bitterness into motivation. I’ve been particularly driven at work lately."
"Then it must be tough for your employees these days."
Qi Zeyan choked on his words; he was getting off-topic.
"By the way, didn’t you say you transferred Tang Wan’s best friend to the secretarial section, planning to make a move through her? Now you’re not pursuing her anymore. What do you plan to do about her best friend?"
"She has strong work ability and has adapted well to the new position. For future business with my sister-in-law, she’ll still be in charge. They get along well, so coordinating work should be quite smooth." Qi Zeyan, after all, was a businessman. Setting aside Tang Wan’s connection, he still had to consider the individual abilities of his employees.
"Sister-in-law?" Jiang Yanting scoffed lightly, "Xiaowu is older than you; you should be calling her ’Sister-in-law!’"
"I’m older according to the family registry, so she’s my sister-in-law."
"Jiang Yanting, would you just stop? I’ve already lost my woman, and this is the one place I can take advantage. Can’t you let me feel a bit better about myself?"
Jiang Yanting smiled, "You’re just fooling yourself, and besides..."
"You never possessed her; she was never yours. You need to be precise with your words."
Qi Zeyan was so furious he hopped from foot to foot, "Go home and pamper your child."
On Tang Wan’s side, life had been quite comfortable lately. The old master was recuperating at the Jiang Family’s home, scheduled for hospital admittance after New Year’s Day and surgery at the beginning of the month. If everything went well, he would be discharged before the New Year.
Recently in Beijing, she had found a shop specializing in filigree Cyan Feather craftsmanship where she could practice by herself.
It was similar to molding clay; customers paid while the shop provided everything else. Once the creation was finished, they could take it home.
Tang Wan planned to make a Cyan Feather accessory for Fan Mingyu before returning to Pingjiang. The old master was not yet hospitalized, and while there was time, she often visited the store.
She definitely had no time to accompany Jiang Jinsang, who was also busy with reading and working out. Even Zhou Zhongqing commented that his physique seemed even better than before.
The old lady had initially planned to arrange blind dates for Jiang Yanting, which weren’t really blind dates per se but an attempt to get him to mix more with the opposite sex. He kept dodging, playing a game of hide-and-seek all day, nearly driving the old lady crazy.
But since Tang Family members were still living there, she had to be mindful of her image and couldn’t make a scene in front of them,
As the end of December approached, and with 2019 almost closing, various local television stations fervently promoted their New Year’s Eve shows.
For the Lunar New Year, everyone would certainly return home to reunite with family. Therefore, many young people gathered to celebrate during the New Year’s Eve of the solar calendar. As the national capital, Beijing had even more activities.
"Xiaowu, see if there are any fun activities recently and take Wanwan out for a spin," Fan Mingyu suggested with a smile.
Tang Wan politely declined, "Actually, staying at home is quite nice."
"What’s the fun in staying at home? Young people should go out more. After New Year’s is over, and your grandfather is hospitalized, you’ll want to go out but probably won’t have the time," the old lady said directly.
"Yeah, go out and have fun with Xiaowu for a few days," urged old Tang.