134: Get your son back

Song Liya had dedicated herself to charity for many years, never calculating gains or losses, simply hoping to accumulate good fortune for her descendants.

Now, upon hearing the news that her son was still alive, how could she not be anxious?

She thought of her own young daughter, whom she had doted on and protected as she grew up, while her son’s whereabouts were unknown. What kind of life had he lived as a child?

Had he been able to eat his fill? Had he been warm enough?

Thinking of this, her heart ached to the point of suffocation; that was her son, whom she had carried for nine months!

"Old Ji, I beg you, go find him! Bring our son back!"

It took Ji City a long time to settle Song Liya. She had asthma and couldn't get agitated. He only left after her emotions had calmed down a bit.

When Song Liya gave birth back then, he was abroad, but Old Lady was by her side. There were some details he needed Old Lady to clarify.

Ji City left the main building and went to the adjacent building where Old Lady resided.

Upon entering, he bumped into the nanny serving Old Lady, who was holding a plate of pistachios and shelling them.

Ji City was already restless, and seeing this scene, he angrily swept the plate of pistachios away.

"Didn't I say that this item is forbidden in the house? Why did you buy pistachios again?"

Wang Ma was too scared to speak. She had worked for the Ji family for over a decade, and Ji City had always been emotionally stable. She had never seen him so angry, as if something monumental had happened.

Ji City asked again, his face cold,

"Are you mute? Who bought them?"

Wang Ma stammered in reply,

"Gr-Old Lady wanted them, President Ji. I was just following Old Lady's orders."

Ji City immediately roared for Steward Yang to come in. Ji City sat silently on the sofa, the atmosphere in the hall oppressively low.

"Steward Yang, what did I say last time? Tell me what this is, and why it's in the house?"

Steward Yang felt his scalp tingle, and cold sweat continuously beaded on his forehead.

"President Ji, this wasn't purchased by our kitchen staff. As for how it was bought, you'll have to ask Wang Ma. I already held a meeting with the household staff last time and explicitly stated that buying pistachios is forbidden in the house.

I wasn't aware of this..."

Ji City's voice was cold and deep,

"You're the steward, and you're telling me you don't know? If you don't know, then don't work here anymore. Pack your bags and get out tomorrow!"

The steward's legs went weak. At his age, he couldn't find a better place than the Ji family. More importantly, his son worked as a driver under Ji City, and if he were fired, his son would likely be implicated.

The steward fell to his knees with a thud,

"President Ji, I'll investigate, right now!"

The commotion downstairs startled Old Lady, who was practicing calligraphy with Song Yuan in the study on the second floor. Old Lady descended the stairs, leaning on her walking stick, and upon seeing pistachios scattered all over the hall, she cried out in distress,

"What a sin! Wang Ma, how could you be so careless? You've spilled all my pistachios! They can't be eaten now, they can't be eaten! A Li is coming over tonight, and there won't be any pistachios for him!"

Song Yuan and Gu Shiyu followed behind Old Lady. Having experienced the previous allergic reaction, both of them were a bit wary of pistachios.

Gu Shiyu even took a mask from her bag and handed it to Song Yuan.

"Wear this, just in case of an allergy!"

Song Yuan squeezed her fingers and whispered,

"As long as we don't eat them, it's fine. The smell won't spread into the air."

Gu Shiyu: "Really fine?"

Song Yuan: "Fine."

Old Lady walked down the stairs, looking at the pistachios scattered all over the floor, and angrily struck the ground with her cane.

Ji City's face was dark, and he remained silent for a long time.

There was no need to investigate how the pistachios appeared in the house anymore.

Old Lady had always favored her third son, and even his son, Ji Li, was held dear to her heart.

He couldn't help but wonder, if his son had grown up by his side, would Old Lady have liked him?

She would probably still favor Ji Li.

What angered Ji City was that she bought pistachios for Ji Li of all things, even though she knew someone in the family was allergic to them.

"Mother..."

Ji City broke his silence after a long pause,

"These pistachios are not to appear in this house again. I'm telling you this to your face now. If you insist on buying them, then please shell them and let your precious grandson eat them outside.

If you insist on letting Ji Li eat these in the house, then I will instruct people to monitor him and forbid Ji Li from crossing the threshold of my home!"

Old Lady's face turned green with anger. Her eldest son had always been easy to talk to, the most honest and least calculative among the three brothers, and had never defied her.

Occasionally, she would favor the other two sons, using the subsidies Ji City gave her to help them, and Ji City would not say anything when he saw it.

Today, he actually spoke such distant words, all for a plate of pistachios?

"Unfilial son, what kind of talk is that? Ji Li is your nephew, and you won't let him in? Do you, as his eldest uncle, have no family affection left?"

Ji City said angrily,

"You know that Liya and Qingxue are allergic to this. Last time, Liya accidentally ate pistachios here and suffered an asthma attack. You personally witnessed how dangerous the consequences were.

You say I disregard family affection, but do you regard it?

Isn't Liya your daughter-in-law? Isn't Qingxue your granddaughter?

While you scold me, where do you place them?

I am filial to you, and I also ask you to treat my wife and daughter as human beings. You and they are my dearest family, and I am willing to protect you, just as I will not allow my wife and daughter to suffer any harm!"

Old Lady was speechless, but her lips trembled with anger. Today, in front of the younger generation, Song Yuan and Gu Shiyu, Ji City did not give her any face at all.

"You, you... Ji City!"

Ji City glared at Wang Ma, his face grim,

"Aren't you going to clean up quickly? This is my last warning. If I see this in the house again, I will fire everyone!"

Wang Ma hurriedly went to get cleaning tools, and the steward, clenching his damp palms, also helped with the cleanup.

Old Lady rubbed her temples and sat on the nearest sofa, breathing heavily.

Song Yuan felt a bit awkward. He hadn't expected to stumble upon a family conflict at Ji City's house. Had he known, he would have arranged to meet Old Lady at another time.

"President Ji, Old Madam, we have some matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now. We'll visit again when we have the chance."

Ji City's expression softened slightly, and he said,

"Dr. Qiao is waiting for you in the main hall. Please go there first for your follow-up appointment. I apologize for today's incident."

Song Yuan nodded, took Gu Shiyu's hand, and left. They both breathed a sigh of relief once they were further away.

Gu Shiyu patted her chest,

"I've heard that President Ji is usually calm, but when he loses his temper, he can scare people to death. Today, I've witnessed it. But I stand with President Ji. Old Madam's actions are indeed too self-centered; she completely disregards others' safety.

It's true that every family has its own troubles, and even President Ji's family is no exception."

Song Yuan sighed,

"I didn't expect Old Madam to still have a bit of a preference for males over females. She probably doesn't take Ji Qingxue seriously because she's a girl. If I were Ji City, I'd be especially angry too."

As they talked, they walked towards the main building. Halfway there, Ji Qingxue suddenly appeared from somewhere,

"Brother Song Yuan, Dr. Qiao is waiting for you!"