Chapter 30

"Wh-what's going on here?" Wu Fan smiled as he sized up Tong Jian and Tong Rui, the brother and sister who didn't get along well, even acting like strangers. He said, "There's an old saying, 'Blood is thicker than water'! Are you two... having a spat? Or did your sister-in-law say something? She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, it was probably unintentional, so why are you so upset?"

Tong Jian shook his head, forcing a smile, and said hesitantly, "No... it's not that, it's..."

"What is it then? Hmm?" Wu Fan looked at Tong Jian, seeing him hesitate and glance at Tong Rui. His face darkened, and he put down what he was holding, gesturing to Tong Rui, "Come here! Come here! Tell me!"

Tong Rui lifted her head, her expression a mix of defiance, grievance, and reluctance...

Wu Fan's expression grew even more severe. In the past, he didn't say much because he wasn't familiar with his surroundings and was afraid Tong Rui would realize he wasn't the original Wu Fan. He also felt sorry for the hardships Tong Rui had endured with him, so he indulged her. But some things couldn't be indulged, like the incident with Hu Che'er. He had forgotten to mention it after killing Guo Ye and being questioned by the Thousand-Household Office. Now, he had made up his mind to address this issue and restore his authority.

"I'm asking you a question, did you hear me?" Wu Fan's voice was low, tinged with anger. Seeing that Tong Rui remained silent, he turned to Tong Jian, "Brother! I'll take her home first, and I'll come back to visit when I have the chance!"

Wu Fan gestured to Tong Rui with a smile, "Lady, please!"

Tong Jian was so frightened by Wu Fan's sudden smile that he didn't dare to say a word.

Tong Rui lowered her head, feeling... terrified.

"Ah!"

Wu Fan sighed, straightened up, and said, "You won't speak, and you won't leave. What are you trying to do?" He put on his saber scabbard and roared, "What do you want to do? Speak up! Or leave! Or... I'll give you all the gold and silver, even the house, as a gift for taking care of me all these years! Then, scram!"

"Sniff, sniff..."

Tong Rui burst into tears.

Seeing the scene, Tong Jian stammered, "Brother... Brother... It's like this, your sister-in-law... No, I, I want to ask you something, Xiao Rui feels..."

"What is it?"

Wu Fan calmed down and looked at Tong Jian.

Tong Jian swallowed hard, hesitated, and finally spoke, "Our eldest is of age, and I heard you became the commander of the Western City Office. I was thinking of having Tong Wei join you in service, rather than farming at home..."

"Ah!"

Wu Fan nodded, sat down again, and seemed to be thinking.

Suddenly—

"When did you start making decisions for me?" Wu Fan stood up and shouted at Tong Rui, "Who do you think you are? I've been putting up with you for a long time! Do you know what's most important for a woman? It's being virtuous! It was because of you that my brother Hu Che'er disappeared, and I didn't say anything, hoping you would realize it on your own! You, Tong Rui, are not yet a member of the Wu family, and you can't make decisions for me! Do you understand? Do you understand?"

After a long rant, Wu Fan took a deep breath, removed his saber scabbard, and went to the outer room to fetch a square table, placing it on the bed. He began chopping the five-spice chicken and putting it on a plate, saying, "If you understand, go call your sister-in-law and the three boys. If you don't, stand there. Brother! Come, let's have a drink!"

Wu Fan clearly understood Tong Rui. This strong-willed woman would never admit to being wrong, so he gave her a way out... Sure enough, Tong Rui wiped her tears, glanced at Wu Fan with grievance, and quickly left the room to do as he said, making a swift decision.

Seeing this, Wu Fan smiled. He believed that from now on, Tong Rui would become a submissive little woman... In fact, this also showed that when Wu Fan brought less silver home in the past, he had no status. Now, as the commander of the Eagle-Soaring Guard, with power and wealth, his status had risen. In the past, Wu Fan had to be careful not to lose Tong Rui, but now it was the opposite. If you don't listen? Fine! There are plenty of beautiful women waiting for Wu Fan!

Pouring a bowl of wine for the anxious Tong Jian, Wu Fan said with a smile, "To be honest, it's been... quite a while since I've been here, hasn't it?"

Tong Jian took a sip of wine to calm himself and nodded, "It's been over three years, and we last met more than a year ago..."

Over a year ago was when Wu Fan's father died. Tong Jian had helped a lot with the funeral. Even though Tong Rui didn't like her brother much, why was Wu Fan so friendly to Tong Jian? Because he remembered the kindness.

After two bowls of wine, Tong Jian scratched his dark head, smiled bitterly, and finally dared to speak normally to the now authoritative Wu Fan, sighing, "Your sister-in-law actually took the eldest to see a doctor, along with the two younger ones for some fun... When they were young, it wasn't like this! How did they turn out like this after growing up?"

Tong Jian shook his head, not understanding. Or rather, he couldn't describe what had happened to his son.

Wu Fan had seen Tong Jian's eldest son, Tong Wei, and asked, "What's wrong with him? He was quite strong, wasn't he? Three years ago... at twelve, he was already six feet tall and very robust! How could he get sick?"

Tong Jian shook his head, "I don't know how to explain it, brother. Look at this bed!"

Wu Fan leaned over to see the bed board that Tong Jian had uncovered, and was surprised, "What's wrong with it? It looks fine! Oh, it's even new!"

Tong Jian sighed, "I just replaced it! Over the years, I've replaced it countless times. In his sleep, he can break a three-inch thick wooden board with a single roll. I don't dare let the younger two sleep next to him, or they might get broken bones. For over a year, I've been tying him up with ropes to sleep... but recently, even the ropes can't hold him."

"Bang!"

Wu Fan slapped the table, startling Tong Jian.

Swallowing the chicken in his mouth, Wu Fan said, "Nonsense! What kind of illness is this? It's a good thing!"

Tong Jian was stunned, "A good thing?"

Wu Fan said confidently, "It must be a good thing! This child will have a great future! He's a prodigy! Do you know?"

"Thump, thump..."

Footsteps approached, and Wu Fan saw two eight- or nine-year-old boys peeking from the inner room, staring at the meat on the table with longing...

...

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