Her life was not that of the girls in novels, reborn only to strive vigorously for success, stand out from the crowd, climb to the top of the pyramid of life, capture handsome men, trample on jerks, outsmart the best, and live a life turned upside down, finally to gain both fame and fortune, and with the one she loves, bear several smart and clever children, then live a blissfully happy life.
Her requirements were very simple, just for her family to live a plain and peaceful life, in good health throughout this lifetime, having enough money and enough clothes to wear.
Lan Tian spoke nonchalantly, leaving Mr. Ji and the others speechless, just because of this reason, she gave up over a decade of medical study; the young girl really... hmm, the elders didn’t know how to describe it better, maybe the young girl was just a bit casual!
While the elder gentlemen made small talk, Mr. Jiao and his group entered the hall, still bearing a grudge over the recent incident, glaring at Mr. Mo with disapproval and constantly huffing coldly, which extended to his view of Lan Tian.
The gentlemen casually asked a few questions, to which Lan Tian replied succinctly and decisively, and after a few questions, they no longer inquired about her, allowing Lan Tian to return to her seat and quietly sit down. After the gentlemen finished their questioning, they introduced the descendants they each had brought along.
Ji Feng and Lan Tian had known each other for a long time, a fact that Old Ji was aware of, but for Lan Tian’s sake, he pretended to be oblivious and made the introductions.
"Girl, this brat is the old man’s grandson, he’s cold as ice, and not very talkative..."
"He’s very good." Old Ji hadn’t finished recounting Ji Feng’s faults when he was interrupted by Lan Tian, who looked at him with earnest and sincere eyes, repeating her words, "Ji Feng is very good, I like him a lot."
The room fell into an instant hush, everyone’s gaze turned to Lan Tian, their eyes flashing with astonishment. Everyone knew Old Ji’s words were just a joke, nobody took them seriously, Lan Tian alone believed them.
No, Lan Tian didn’t believe them, she also knew they were just joking, but Ji Feng was untouchable in Lan Tian’s heart, even if it was in jest, Lan Tian couldn’t bear to hear him spoken of in such a way, even if the person speaking was Ji Feng’s most respected Grandpa.
Mr. Mo’s expression turned grave; the girl was always very perceptive in her actions, what happened today?
Upon hearing Lan Tian’s words, Old Sir Ye and Mr. Yang both felt the girl was somewhat frivolous, the word ’like’ was not to be thrown around casually. According to the information they held, Lan Tian was apparently married, and to a military man at that; and now she’s talking about liking Ji Family’s boy, could it be she wants to throw her previous partner aside?
Coming from the countryside she was still too naive, not understanding that in families like theirs, the least desirable trait was a girl who’s fickle in love.
Old Ji slowly lost his smiling expression, his demeanor became serious; the younger generation held their breath, all but Ji Feng, whose lips curled into a smile.
Time slowly passed, until suddenly, Old Ji laughed out loud, "Girl, not bad, hey Old Mo, you have a great granddaughter, more blessed than I."
"Xiao Lan, you’re the best, and I like you too." Ji Feng’s smile was like a warm spring breeze, walking over and holding Lan Tian’s hand, his smile exuberant and heartfelt, the joy in his heart contagious, making Lan Tian purse her lips into a smile, her eyes curving, sparkling brightly, her stunning smile astonishing everyone in the room.
Old Ji glanced at their clasped hands, the smile on his face growing deeper.
Ji Feng interrupted, and the atmosphere in the room became lively again.
"Lan Tian, come here, this is my good-for-nothing grandson, Ye Junying," Old Sir Ye took over the conversation from Mr. Ji, introducing a few young men and women in the room.
"That one is Grandpa Yang’s grandson, Yang Lan, and the lady beside Yang Lan is Grandpa Jiao’s prized pupil, Mei Lan. She has remarkable medical skills. The kids these days are really impressive, talented and skilled," Old Sir Ye suddenly exclaimed, "Each one is smart and eager to learn, they know a lot because they have learned a lot. Unlike in our days, just having food to eat was already something."
Mei Lan received praise from Old Sir Ye, which brought a trace of a smile to Mr. Jiao’s face. Stroking his white beard, he humbly said, "Oh, don’t mention it. I see your boy, the grandson of the Yang Family, is not bad at all. Each is a dragon among men, few can compare to them. Don’t play coy when you’re already at an advantage! My girl has only achieved a little, don’t praise her, or she’ll get arrogant."
A sidelong glance went towards Mr. Mo, laden with overt sarcasm, "I see someone is so desperate for grandchildren, they’d conveniently pick up a girl along the way to call their granddaughter, afraid all their efforts would be in vain."
Everyone knew that Mr. Mo lived his life without marrying, and a few years ago, he had returned to his hometown and brought back a girl, claiming she was his granddaughter. His old friends in Shanghai had already spread the word among themselves, spoiling the adopted granddaughter as if she were truly related by blood, thinking that sharing a surname made her his true granddaughter.
The atmosphere in the room became awkward once more; the younger generation had never seen their family patriarch being so unreasonable and felt so ashamed they wished they could hide in a crack in the floor.
Lan Tian looked back at Old Jiao, let go of Ji Feng’s hand, and returned to sit beside Mr. Mo, hugging his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t her place to speak in such a situation. Mr. Mo was no pushover; he could handle it himself.
The three elders of the Ji Family remained indifferent, not quite knowing what was going on. Ever since they were young, Mr. Jiao would always jab at Old Mo, often using the people and things Old Mo cared about to provoke him. Mr. Jiao could never outtalk or outfight Old Mo, always ending up hopping mad. Each time after the event, Mr. Jiao would still come back looking for more trouble. It was baffling to see someone so stubborn.
In their youth, others would try to mediate a bit. As time went on, they too became used to it, just a moving of lips without any real pain or loss. After all, once the quarrel was over, both parties would be fine, carrying on with their lives as usual.
Mei Lan’s reaction was curious; it was as if Mr. Jiao was talking about some other girl, not her. She was entirely indifferent, her face expressionless, her gaze subtly shifting to Ji Feng, then drifting aside, seemingly sweeping over Lan Tian inadvertently.
"Alright, you young people have more energy, go for a walk around the yard, have a look, and don’t stick around with us old folks, lest you badmouth us behind our backs as old-fashioned and not understanding your tastes. Go on," Mr. Ji said with a jovial smile, watching the restless group of youngsters below, then turning to scold Ji Feng, "You brat, aren’t you going to take your friends out for a stroll?"
Ji Feng promptly agreed, leading Lan Tian, Mei Lan, and the others to the yard. The elders in the room watched them leave until they vanished from sight, then turned back to reminisce about the old days.
Once out of the main hall, Ji Feng planned to take everyone to the garden. There was a pavilion there, which was the perfect place to sit and cool off in the hot weather. The walk was not far, just a four to five-minute stroll away.
Next to the pavilion was a pond filled with various prized koi fish. Opposite the pond was a gallery covered in wisteria vines. It was the season for wisteria blossoms, and clusters of small purple flowers were incredibly beautiful. Sitting in the pavilion, they could also enjoy the view on the opposite side.
Ji Feng waited for Lan Tian to come over, and the two walked side by side. Ji Feng was about to speak, but Lan Tian signaled him not to say anything. There could be eavesdroppers, so they applied a privacy shield that enveloped them both. "Alright, now you can talk."