After making that phone call, Sisi stopped paying attention to the affairs of the Tang Family. Early the next morning, Zhang Jie rushed over to tell her the follow-up after the call. Sisi was sleeping in late and was woken up by Zhang Jie’s noise, so she could only huddle under the blanket and listen to Zhang Jie ramble.
"It really was poisoning. The doctors at the hospital said, fortunately, it was treated in time, otherwise, there might have been a real risk to life. Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought that Purple Vine Flower Beans are actually poisonous? I was really lucky as a child," Zhang Jie said with lingering fear, patting her chest.
"Is Tang Junfeng okay?" Sisi asked.
"According to Liu Ping, he’s fine now, but he’s still under observation in the hospital. He has to wait until his condition stabilizes before he can be discharged," Zhang Jie said.
"Since when did you get so close with that Liu Ping? Let me tell you, Liu Ping is not a good person," Sisi warned her.
Zhang Jie rolled her eyes at her: "Who would want to be friends with that Liu Ping? I find her demeanor annoying just to watch. She’s the one announcing everything like a loudspeaker in the compound; it’s hard not to hear it."
Sisi wasn’t very interested in the affairs of the Tang Family either. She felt that just calling to warn them was the most she could do. However, she was interested in the reaction of the Jin and Tang Families.
Tang Junfeng, the most cherished great-grandson of the Tang Family, was bullied into taking poison by a child from the Jin Family. One wonders how the Tang Family will respond?
Tang Family
"Dad, I can’t swallow this insult. They’re practically shitting on our Tang Family, aren’t they? No, I have to have a word with Second Son Jin." The Third Young Master of the Tang Family, Tang Junfeng’s grandfather, was furious.
The Second Son Jin mentioned by the Third Young Master Tang was Jin Yujie’s grandfather, Jin Guangrong’s second son, and also the father of Sixth Young Master Jin Yan.
Upon returning from the hospital, Tang Junfeng, under Fang Airu’s coaxing, reluctantly recounted the happenings at school, saying he had eaten it several times over the past few days, but not much. Yesterday, because Jin Yujie was watching, he ended up eating five beans.
After he finished, the foolish boy Tang Junfeng, fearing that his family wouldn’t believe him, pointed to Tang Linlang and said, "Sister Linlang saw it too, I didn’t lie."
Under the murderous gaze of Granny Tang, Tang Linlang nodded repeatedly, recounting everything faithfully, and was subsequently given a severe beating by Granny Tang, her buttocks almost blooming with bruises.
As a result, Tang Linlang ended up hating her brother Tang Junfeng even more, feeling he had thrown her under the bus.
After hearing Tang Junfeng’s account, the Tang Family naturally felt enraged, believing the Jin Family had gone too far.
Tang Anzhe, pained by his son’s suffering and hating the ruthless child Jin Yujie, whose usual mild demeanor was now replaced with an angry demeanor, said with reddened eyes, "Grandfather, Jin Yujie is just an eight- or nine-year-old child. His actions certainly stem from what he learns from the adults at home. The Jin Family must not regard our Tang Family at all; that’s why Jin Yujie treats Junfeng this way."
Tang Anzhe’s speculation turned out to be spot on; Mr. Tang had been pretending to be ill in recent years, following Tang Anzhi’s advice to retire and claim poor health. Several times, Jin Guangrong sought his assistance, but Mr. Tang always had heart attacks or blood pressure issues flaring up, causing chaos. While Mr. Tang managed to evade several times, over time, Jin Guangrong caught on.
The Tang Family wanted to sever ties with the Jin Family!
This naturally incensed Jin Guangrong. In his view, the Tang Family was a vassal to the Jin Family. Even trivial matters required his approval. How could he allow the kite he once held in his hand to fly away?
After several warnings went unheeded, Jin Guangrong instructed his sons and granddaughters to intensely suppress the Tang Family, aiming to squeeze the Tang Family until they were forced to come crying and pleading before him.
But Jin Guangrong forgot about Mr. Yun, who loved opposing him. Following the principle of ’the enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ Mr. Yun enjoyed doing the opposite of anything the Jin Family attempted.
If the Jin Family demoted someone from the Tang Family today, Yun Po Bi would promote them tomorrow.
Over time, Tang Family members learned to calmly accept promotions and demotions, while Mr. Tang remained steadfast in pretending to be gravely ill, eventually ceasing to visit the Jin Family even during important festivities.
After observing for several years, people in the compound finally realized and said that the Tang and Jin Families had fractured!
Because Mr. Yun repeatedly disrupted from behind the scenes, Jin Guangrong was unable to deal with the Tang Family effectively, leading to a less-than-pleasant mood. He had privately threatened several times to destroy the Tang Family, and consequently, the Jin Family did not have many warm feelings towards them.
Jin Yujie, a little tyrant spoiled rotten by his family, heard his great-grandfather’s harsh words numerous times and thought he was naturally inclined to help his great-grandfather share the burden.
Thus, the hapless schoolmate Tang Junfeng became Jin Yujie’s target for his burdensome relief for his great-grandfather.
As for how Jin Yujie knew the Purple Wisteria seed was toxic, it was because his mother was a doctor. At the Jin Residence, a hundred-year-old Purple Wisteria stood, and his mother had warned him since childhood, "Those beans are poisonous. Eating them will kill you."
Thus, Jin Yujie genuinely had a murderous intent towards Tang Junfeng.
No one expected a nine-year-old child would think about killing. The Tang Family merely presumed Jin Yujie was playing a prank.
Only one person knew otherwise, and that was Jin Yujie’s mother. Although shocked, she would never report her son.
However, because of her concealment, Jin Yujie nearly caused a calamity later!
Tang Anzhe’s words set Mr. Tang into deep thought. After puffing on his cigarette for a while, he decided that no one else in the family should handle this matter himself. He alone would go to the Jin Family for an explanation.
How Mr. Tang sought an explanation from Jin Guangrong remains unknown, but after Mr. Tang returned, he once again feigned illness.
People in the compound said Mr. Tang had been driven ill by the Jin Family—his great-grandson had almost been poisoned by the Jin Family’s great-grandson, yet the Jin Family offered no explanation. The fury put Mr. Tang in a sickbed.
Upon hearing Zhang Jie’s recounts, Sisi thought slightly more highly of Mr. Tang; this was a true ’self-mutilation ruse’! And it was utilized very successfully. Now the public opinion was skewed to the Tang Family.
With Mr. Yun privately fanning the flames, the big boss above was informed about the Jin Family’s child almost poisoning the Tang Family’s child.
The big boss called Jin Guangrong for a private talk, and after returning home with a grim face, Jin Yujie, the tiny tyrant, received a fierce thrashing from Jin Guangrong.
Rumor has it that Jin Yujie’s leg was broken by Jin Guangrong.
This rumor was soon confirmed.
Zhang Jie said he saw Second Son Jin escorting the limping Jin Yujie to the Tang Family to apologize.
In this battle, the Tang Family achieved a small victory through Mr. Tang’s ’self-mutilation ruse,’ undoubtedly aided by Mr. Yun.
Afterwards, the Jin and Tang Families were now in an opposing stance.
Sisi thought if there were historians today, they would definitely write: "On such-and-such date of such-and-such month and year, the conflict between the Jin and Tang Families intensified, with the fuse being five seeds of the Purple Wisteria."