Xie Nanyou looked at Zhang Rishan. "President Zhang arrived just in time. Besides, who could bully me?"
"Those people were indeed outrageous. They didn't dare to cross Lao Jiu when he was around, and now that Lao Jiu is gone, they immediately want to tear a piece of meat off the Xie Family." Er Yuehong's face was full of indignation, his fists clenched as he spoke. Everyone in the Xie Family belonged to his disciple; now that Yaoyao was back, no one could take away a single cent from the Xie Family. Lao Jiu might be gone, but he was still alive.
Xie Nanyou patted Er Yuehong's hand. "Second Brother, don't be angry. President Zhang will handle it." With that, she looked at Zhang Rishan. "Right, President Zhang?"
Hearing this, Zhang Rishan paused mid-bite of his porridge. Seeing both of them looking at him, he hurriedly nodded. "That's right. It's better not to let such parasites wander around outside; they tend to harm social public order." After saying this, he looked at Xie Nanyou with a smile, feeling a mysterious sense of relief.
Er Yuehong looked at Xie Nanyou, his eyes filled with doting affection. "Yaoyao, hurry up and eat your porridge, it's getting cold." He let go of Xie Nanyou's hand and stood up. "You two go ahead and eat, I'll go check on Xiaohua, and then head to the front to keep an eye on things. Yaoyao, eat, rest for a bit, and then come over." With that, he ruffled the top of her head just like when she was a child and turned to leave.
Although he didn't know why his younger sister, who was ten years his junior, still looked the same, he had seen too much in his life, and she wasn't the only one like this. Instead, he felt very fortunate that he could still see her while he was still alive.
Watching Er Yuehong leave, the corners of Xie Nanyou's raised lips fell. "How long does President Zhang think is appropriate?"
Zhang Rishan was taken aback. Did this mean sending those people inside? Swallowing the porridge in his mouth, he looked at Xie Nanyou and tentatively spoke up, "How about starting tomorrow?" With so many people, they couldn't possibly be all sent in at once; they had to be tracked down one by one.
"Tomorrow, then," Xie Nanyou murmured, saying nothing more. She finished the porridge in her bowl, pushed the bowl aside, stood up, glanced at Zhang Rishan, and walked out of the dining room.
Zhang Rishan looked at Xie Nanyou's departing back. Was tomorrow okay or not? Even so, he took out his phone and sent out two messages. Regardless of whether it was okay or not, he had better start gathering evidence now.
Xie Nanyou came to Xie Yuchen's room and saw Xiao Jiu sitting by the bedside, one hand tightly gripped by Xie Yuchen. "Young Miss, you should go rest, I'll watch over Young Master Xiaohua."
Xie Nanyou's fingers brushed past the corner of Xie Yuchen's eye. "I don't need rest. Is Xiao Ba back?" With her eldest brother having passed away, she was in a bad mood and had sent Xiao Ba out to eliminate the hidden lines of those people in Sijiu City. It seemed she hadn't seen him today yet — had he not returned yet?
"Xiao Ba came back once and discovered there are moles among the mourners from the Nine Gates. He has already gone to investigate," Xiao Jiu said softly, watching Xie Yuchen nervously tighten his grip on her hand while her other hand gently patted his back.
Xie Nanyou nodded. "Send word to Xiao Ba: those collateral relatives who came to make trouble today have legs that are too good, always wandering around everywhere. Pick one first and help him rest for a couple of days." With that, she stroked Xie Yuchen's long hair with her palm. "Take good care of Xiaohua," she said, and quietly left.
Xiao Jiu watched the door close tightly, took out her phone, and drafted a short message to send out. After a moment of thought, she found another recipient and sent out another edited message.
Xie Nanyou walked out of the inner courtyard. Before she could even step out of the main hall, Er Yuehong walked in with two men. "Yaoyao, this is Erbai and Sansheng from Dog Five Master's family. They've come on behalf of Fifth Master to see Lao Jiu off."
Er Yuehong had assumed Xie Nanyou didn't know the two of them, and intended to introduce them and have everyone sit in the parlor, but he noticed Xie Nanyou staring intently at the two men the whole time.
Xie Nanyou's face was completely expressionless. She glanced at the child hiding behind the two men. "Second Brother, take the child to see if Xiaohua is awake."
Er Yuehong looked at the little kid who was secretly peeking at Xie Nanyou, reached out, and took the child's hand. "Second Grandpa will take you to find Xiaohua," he said, leading the child away.
Xie Nanyou stepped into the main hall and led the two men up to the study on the second floor. As soon as she sat down on the sofa, without giving them a chance to offer greetings, she said, "Kneel."
Hearing the ice-cold voice, the two men directly bent their knees and knelt. "Aunt, I..."
Xie Nanyou looked at the two kneeling on the floor. "Wu family boy, get up." As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the side, staring at the faint shadow of her eldest brother lingering before her. What a pity, children grow up and have minds of their own.
"You are an elder; when being punished for a mistake, does it matter whose family one belongs to?" Wu Erbai knelt up straight. He knew all about his younger brother's and Xie Lianhuan's plan, and had even participated to some extent. Kneeling here now, he truly didn't feel wronged.
The man beside him looked at the woman sitting there. He had seen this face many times before in a group photo inside his father's study, where he had watched his father sit and stare desolately at the album countless times.