Less than an hour later.
Jiang Yuxin had already received over ten phone calls at home.
All of them were from Jiang family relatives, and their tone was extremely uniform.
They cursed her for being unfilial and Li Chonglou for being an ambitious beast who dared to humiliate and disgrace the elder, demanding she drive Li Chonglou away.
"Just as you predicted," Jiang Yuxin hung up the phone again, sighing.
The more calls she answered, the more scolding she received, and the more shocked she felt.
Initially, she was wavering, wondering if she should take a step back and go to her grandfather to resolve the matter herself.
After all, Li Chonglou's determination was too risky; a wrong move could leave her homeless and without support.
When her father returned, he would likely be heartbroken.
But ever since the first call came, she understood.
"People don't do anything without reason. These people usually don't even call you once a year, nor do they care or criticize you. They are all opportunists," Li Chonglou smiled faintly, his expression inscrutable. "Now they are collectively standing up to accuse and criticize you, so it must be Jiang Hongwei's doing."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because the elder is unwilling to back down, forcing him to incite family members to oppose you, wanting to make you waver."
"The more this happens, the more you must hold your ground and absolutely not retreat even half a step."
Hearing this, a hint of hesitation appeared in Jiang Yuxin's beautiful eyes. "Is it necessary?"
"My mother can't take it anymore and has turned off her phone. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."
"Of course it is. If you take a step back, it's a bottomless abyss. They won't show any mercy and will chew you down to the bone," Li Chonglou said sharply. Although his tone was calm, his words made Jiang Yuxin's scalp tingle. "If you can withstand it, then from now on, the Jiang family will be yours to command."
"Even if not for yourself, think of your father and mother."
For anyone else, Li Chonglou would never be so patient in his coaxing.
This was his wife, the person he would spend his life with.
She was family!
No matter what, he couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Moreover, his mother was thinking of holding her grandson one day.
It was just that this matter needed to be handled gradually; haste makes waste.
Similarly, this matter was not only very important to Jiang Yuxin but also to him.
As long as Jiang Yuxin was convinced this time, his family status would naturally rise.
The invisible competition between them would naturally end.
"Alright, I'll trust you this once!" Jiang Yuxin pondered for a long time before finally agreeing.
Seeing her phone constantly lighting up, she simply turned it off like Liu Zhiru, wanting to avoid any further trouble.
Now, it was finally much quieter.
Liu Zhiru was napping in the bedroom, and the two sat in the living room, silent.
The atmosphere was quite awkward for a moment.
"Are you still planning to sell pancakes?" Jiang Yuxin finally couldn't help but ask.
She had been furious about it yesterday, but after returning and hearing that Jiang Hongwei had replaced her, she immediately calmed down.
Later, in her disappointment, she thought that if Li Chonglou really liked a certain profession, letting him do what he liked might not be a bad thing.
Besides, it was too much to care about the ephemeral concept of face.
"No, you don't like it, do you?" Li Chonglou retreated to advance, giving Jiang Yuxin an excuse. "Actually, I found a job. I'm working as an appraiser in a pawnshop."
"It's still ten thousand yuan a month, which is enough."
"Pawnshop?" Jiang Yuxin's beautiful eyes widened. "Aren't those places always known for cheating people?"
"Anyone who enters a pawnshop is desperate and forced to make a losing deal."
"Does it sit well with your conscience to work there?"
Hearing this, Li Chonglou couldn't help but chuckle.
Jiang Yuxin's words were not wrong; on the surface, pawnshops did engage in profiteering.
They obtained benefits at extremely low prices when people were at their lowest and most helpless.
But everything has more than one side.
Every matter needs to be viewed from the opposite perspective.
"You see pawnshops as profiteering and opportunistic, while I see them as offering charcoal in the snow, a mutually beneficial arrangement," Li Chonglou explained. "I won't mention why those people are desperate for now, but when they have sought help from everyone in vain, or are pushed to a dead end, if they can get a moment of respite from a pawnshop, they will have a chance to make a comeback."
"The reason pawnshops are called pawnshops, not cheat shops, is because there are contracts. When they have money, they can redeem their items, only paying a small storage fee."
"I believe this is helping people."
"I've learned some things recently, and you should know about antiques."
"This platform is a good place for me to showcase my skills."
"I know you actually want me to gain experience in the Jiang family company, but I advise you, never have this idea, otherwise, you will be in constant trouble."
"The reason is simple: I'm a live-in son-in-law!"
Since they were talking, they might as well talk thoroughly and openly.
In the past three years, he had never had the opportunity to have an equal conversation with Jiang Yuxin like today.
Reality was cruel; status and position were always valued by ordinary people, and when one was insignificant, they shouldn't expect to influence others.
It was the same for him in the past.
But now, because of Jiang Tao and the Lu Group, his weight had gradually increased.
He had earned the right to have a conversation.
"What you're saying makes sense," Jiang Yuxin savored his words and nodded. "Actually, I don't object to you doing other things. I was impulsive yesterday."
"I just feel that a man should always achieve something, rather than live a mediocre life."
"Since you have your own choices, I respect you."
Chinese people are strange, and Qin Prefecture people are even stranger.
Although manual laborers often earn higher wages, they have always been looked down upon by many.
It seems that only lower-class people exert physical strength.
Working as a pawnshop appraiser is at least respectable on the surface; it is a job that involves intellectual labor.
Li Chonglou smiled and said nothing.
"By the way, when are you planning to move back?" Jiang Yuxin asked, her pretty face blushing slightly.
"When your mother's impression of me completely changes," Li Chonglou glanced at the bedroom door. "Actually, even if I don't move back, you can still find me."
"Just make a phone call, and I'll be there."
"We are husband and wife after all. If we don't stay together, people will talk," Jiang Yuxin's beautiful eyes rippled with affection, and she dared not look directly at Li Chonglou.
Before, she didn't want to see Li Chonglou's incompetent appearance, but now, she would often recall the heroic stance he had when he defeated Jiang Tao.
When she remembered it, a surge of warmth would inevitably rise in her heart.
Perhaps sensing Li Chonglou looking at her, Jiang Yuxin gently lifted her hair to cover her embarrassment.
Revealing the lustrous jade bracelet on her wrist.
This charming gesture made Li Chonglou's heart flutter.
Finding such an excellent wife as Jiang Yuxin, without paying any betrothal gifts and even giving dowry, was a dream come true for many men.
Although he suffered misfortune in his previous life, it wasn't Jiang Yuxin's fault.
Ultimately, it was because he lacked ability and couldn't turn the tide.
But now, everything was different.
In this life, he possessed extraordinary abilities, and when facing Jiang Yuxin, he no longer felt any inferiority.
Only responsibility.
"Jiang Yuxin, as long as you believe in me, I will surely let you live a life that others envy," Li Chonglou vowed, staring at Jiang Yuxin's delicate and pretty face.
As if sensing Li Chonglou's thoughts, Jiang Yuxin's gaze was involuntarily drawn to him.
Their eyes met, sparks flying.
In an instant, the entire living room was filled with an indescribable ambiguous atmosphere.
As if pulled by an invisible hand, the two subtly shifted their seats, leaning towards each other.
Getting closer and closer.
They could even feel each other's hot breath.
Jiang Yuxin's pretty face was as red as a ripe apple, reaching her ears. She nervously closed her eyes, waiting for the tender embrace.
Bang!
Just as Li Chonglou made up his mind and was about to kiss her lips, the bedroom door suddenly creaked open.
Liu Zhiru walked out, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
Startled, Jiang Yuxin's body trembled, her mind instantly returning to reality. She quickly sat up straight.
Her palms were covered in sweat, and she felt flustered and uneasy.
Fortunately, Liu Zhiru didn't sense anything amiss. She said with a frown, "Girl, after thinking about it, I still think we should go and see the elder and apologize to him in person."
"Otherwise, with your grandfather's temper, we don't know how much suffering we'll endure in the future."
"This was Li Chonglou's doing; it has nothing to do with us mother and daughter. Perhaps the elder will forgive us out of respect for you."
Although she had turned off her phone, she hadn't slept soundly all afternoon.
She kept thinking about how her grandfather would treat her and her daughter.
She regretted listening to Li Chonglou's words in a moment of infatuation, leaving them with no room to retreat.
As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Li Chonglou with her eyes, wishing she could hit him.
"Mom, if you want to go, you go. I'm not going." Jiang Yuxin was taken aback. "What Grandpa thinks of us is not important. Li Chonglou is right; what's important is whether we can gain a foothold of initiative in the Jiang family."
"Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain."
"Before it was Jiang Tao, now it's Second Uncle, and perhaps in the future, it will be Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle."
"Are we always going to capitulate and appease them?"
"What I want is not for Grandpa to apologize to me, but for my value to be recognized by the Jiang family!"
Nothing in this world came without risk.
She was gambling, gambling that Li Chonglou's prediction was correct, gambling that the Lu Group's attitude was firm, and gambling that her grandfather would have to put aside his pride for the greater good.
If she won, she would completely turn things around.
If she lost, at worst, she would have nothing, which was no different from her current situation.
"You're being foolish!" Liu Zhiru said helplessly, hating. "You actually believe what Li Chonglou says?"
"If he were truly capable, would he be sitting here cooking and washing dishes for us as a live-in son-in-law?"
"After thinking it over, it's because of this useless good-for-nothing that we are so passive today."
"No, I'm going to take you with me and make him apologize to the elder in person!"
Saying that, she reached out to grab Li Chonglou's hand.
Dong, dong dong!
Almost at the same time, the main door was knocked on again.
"Sister-in-law, open the door. It's Hongwei. I've sincerely come to apologize again." It was Jiang Hongwei's familiar voice, but this time it was tinged with crying, sounding extremely pitiful.