Chapter 190 - 144: Conflict Intensifies

Chapter 190: Chapter 144: Conflict Intensifies

The weather was lovely today. Though overcast, it wasn’t the least bit oppressive. In fact, the occasional cool breeze was wonderfully comfortable.

It was only on days like this that Mrs. Yan would take Mr. Yan out for a stroll around their residential community.

After all, he had difficulty getting around. Other seasons were manageable, but summer was the hardest.

No matter how well she cared for him, sometimes the heat would still cause him to break out in a rash.

At two-thirty, nap time was over.

The small plaza in the community was basically an activity center for the elderly.

Some were exercising, some were playing cards, and mixed in among them were a few people watching their grandchildren.

Take Old Ma from downstairs, for example. He was supposed to be watching his grandson, but his eyes were glued to a nearby chess game, unable to look away.

His grandson, desperate for attention, sat on the ground wailing, which made Mr. Yan sigh in spite of himself.

Due to his illness and the year-round medication it required, though he was not yet fifty, he looked as old and withered as a man approaching seventy.

His body was gaunt, his hair flecked with gray, and his face was lined with wrinkles, yet his back remained ramrod straight.

Just like his personality.

Years of inactivity had caused his legs to atrophy significantly, a fact noticeable even through his trousers. That was why, year-round, his legs were always covered with a blanket.

It was as if he wasn’t covering himself with a blanket, but with his dignity.

The dignity of a normal man.

Hearing his sigh, Mrs. Yan couldn’t help but ask with concern, "What’s wrong? We finally made it outside. Why the long face?"

’I haven’t done anything to upset him today.’

Mr. Yan glanced again at Old Ma’s little grandson, who was tugging at his grandfather’s clothes and wailing.

He said, his tone a mixture of frustration and disappointment, "Just look at that. The boy adores his grandpa, but the man can’t even be bothered to watch him properly. All he cares about is that chess game!"

Becoming a grandfather seemed to be Mr. Yan’s only remaining wish.

But with the end of Yan Li and Xiao Ran’s marriage, that wish had been dashed.

He never said anything, but he’d been heartbroken for a long time and still hadn’t recovered.

’If only I could become a grandfather, I’d have no regrets left in this life.’

Hearing this, Mrs. Yan, who stood behind him pushing the wheelchair, glanced over at Old Ma and couldn’t help but sigh as well.

"Don’t dwell on it," she said. "Our children will make their own way."

’It’s not that I don’t want a grandchild, but some things just can’t be rushed.’

’Right now, the biggest headache was the relationship between Yan Xici and Yan Li.’

’Grandchildren could only be a thought for after the family was at peace again.’

She began pushing Mr. Yan toward the chess tables, all the while wondering how to bring up the matter of Yan Xici and Xiao Ran with her husband.

The area with the chess tables was the liveliest spot around.

Mainly because there was a whole cluster of stone tables there.

Beneath rows of shady trees, two tables were set up for Chinese chess and two for poker. It was a very pleasant scene.

Just then, a group of aunties were gossiping as they played cards.

"Oh, by the way, my son was telling me today about this man who married a woman who made a lot of money. But then, after a few years, he fell for her younger sister! The moment he divorced the older sister, he got together with the younger one. It nearly drove the poor woman to her grave!"

Hearing this, the woman across the table paused. "Really? Those parents must have the worst luck, having two daughters like that. It’s enough to give them a heart attack!"

At these words, Mrs. Yan’s heart skipped a beat.

She stopped in her tracks.

Her eyes instinctively darted toward the speaker.

It was Sister Li, who lived in one of the buildings behind them.

’But... why does what she’s saying sound so much like what happened in our family?’

The other woman continued, "Exactly! And that younger daughter... honestly! She knew he was her brother-in-law, but she still had to be with him. Isn’t that just a deliberate slap in the face to her own sister? If that were my sister, I’d break her legs, I swear."

With that, she slapped a pair of fives down on the table.

Seeing the woman’s expression of righteous indignation, an old man sitting nearby chuckled.

He drawled leisurely, "The way I see it, that just shows the man’s got game!"

"The old saying is right: ’A brother-in-law and his wife’s sister, it’s a tale as old as time!’ A man’s sister-in-law is practically his for the taking. It’d be a waste not to dote on her, a waste not to get a little handsy!"

This wasn’t just some random comment. Two sisters sharing a husband, whether in ancient or modern times, has always been a hot topic of discussion.

The woman playing against him threw down a pair of eights.

Then she looked at the old man with disdain. "Bah! You talk a big game. Why don’t you go try that with your own sister-in-law and see what happens? See if your wife doesn’t skin you alive!"

’Such an indecent old man!’

’Good thing he’s not my husband, or I’d really give him a piece of my mind!’

The group was in the middle of a heated discussion.

Listening to all this, Mrs. Yan felt a chill run down her spine.

’People are such gossips these days!’

’Young people are one thing, but when old folks start gossiping, it’s absolutely vicious.’

’Before two days are up, the entire neighboring community will know!’

She wasn’t the only one who heard the conversation; Mr. Yan had heard it too.

Noticing she had stopped, he couldn’t help but crane his neck to look at his wife.

"Why have you stopped? What are you listening to?"

He had never been one for gossip. He didn’t like to spread it, and he liked hearing it even less.

’He always felt that chattering about this family’s business and that family’s drama was just asking for trouble.’

’Instead of wasting their time on such indecent gossip, every single one of them would be better off at home teaching their grandchildren a lesson or two from the classics!’

Hearing this, Mrs. Yan hurriedly started pushing the wheelchair again, heading toward the chess tables.

The Yan Family hadn’t lived in this community the longest, but they had been here for four years, so they still knew a good number of their neighbors.