Chapter 650 - 226: Frustrated Maternal Grandfather (2)

’Mom even urged Dad to take a second wife, just to have a son to inherit the family business. But Dad detested the idea of a child from a concubine being of lower birth and flatly refused. There was nothing Mom could do. If Dad had a son, my second uncle’s family wouldn’t have the guts to covet things that don’t belong to them.’

"Then you..." The Second Great-Uncle bit back the rest of his sentence.

’Every time her father faked an illness to trick her into coming back with the children, Qiao Yanqiu would fly into a rage on the spot and leave immediately. But this time, after finding out he was faking, why wasn’t she in a hurry to go?’

’Something was fishy. Definitely fishy.’

"Second Uncle, it’s getting dark." Mrs. Xie was kicking them out.

The Second Great-Uncle was furious at being so disrespected in front of the younger generation, but he didn’t dare get angry at her. He left with his wife and three sons.

He had brought his sons to watch the drama unfold, but far from seeing a good show, they had been utterly rebuffed.

In the car on the way back, a complaining Qiao Shifeng said from the driver’s seat, "Dad, Qiao Yanqiu has absolutely no respect for you. You’re her second uncle, her elder."

"Dad, I’m serious. You should really think about what I said," Qiao Shijie urged.

"The stakes are too high. I need to think this through carefully." The Second Great-Uncle didn’t dare agree rashly.

"Dad, you’ve lived in your older brother’s shadow your whole life. Do you want to spend the rest of it groveling at Jie Jingchen’s feet? You and him are only half-brothers. By the time you get to our generation, let alone your grandchildren’s, the connection to Jie Jingchen is threadbare. Can you really guarantee he’ll toss us a few crumbs for the sake of some distant family tie?" Qiao Shijie argued.

Qiao Shiren chimed in, "Dad, Jie Jingchen is an outsider. If our uncle really puts the Qiao family business in his hands, it won’t be long before the Qiao Family becomes the Jie Family."

"Dad, our uncle only has one daughter, but you have three sons. If not for us, you should at least fight for the sake of your grandchildren," Qiao Shifeng goaded.

"We have men with the Qiao name in our family! Why should the Qiao family business fall into the hands of an outsider?" Qiao Shiren complained indignantly.

"Sigh!" The Second Great-Uncle sighed and spoke in a low, heavy voice. "If the plan succeeds and I take over, I’ll still be beholden to them. Those people are the kind of devils who eat you alive and don’t even spit out the bones. Do you really think they’ll let me be the true master of the Qiao Family? I’d just become their puppet. If the plan fails, knowing my brother’s temper, he’ll wipe our branch of the family from the official records. Without the great tree of the Qiao Family to shelter us, our branch will find it impossible to get by in Xiangjiang."

Everyone in the car fell silent. The second branch of the family was in a truly difficult position. Colluding with outsiders offered a high chance of success—those people had been coveting the Qiao family fortune for a long time—but after they got what they wanted, they would surely sideline the family and take real control. On the other hand, if they continued to rely on the main branch, the annual dividends were enough to live well, but not enough for any wanton extravagance.

They were content enough with the status quo. But once their uncle passed away and the Qiao Family fell into the hands of Jie Jingchen or Jie Jingjue, would the new master continue to provide for them as their uncle had?

Knowing Jie Jingchen’s temper, the slightest offense could lead him to wipe out their entire branch of the family. The hope of merely surviving under his thumb would be a luxury they couldn’t afford.

The former path was a gamble, but it held the possibility of carving out a new future from the danger. The latter path, however, was likely a dead end with no glimmer of hope in sight. They simply didn’t trust Jie Jingchen’s character or his methods.

"Your biggest fear is simply that Jie Jingchen will tighten the screws on our branch of the family once he takes over," the Second Great-Aunt, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. "Have you ever considered that instead of conspiring with outsiders, we should try to appease Jie Jingchen?"

The Second Great-Uncle felt his wife’s suggestion was plausible, but his brow, which had momentarily relaxed, furrowed once more. "Appease Jie Jingchen? That’s easier said than done."

"I have a plan." The Second Great-Aunt leaned in and whispered in her husband’s ear. Everyone except for Qiao Shifeng at the wheel tried to lean in closer. The Second Great-Aunt shoved Qiao Shiren, who was sitting beside her, away, clearly not wanting the three brothers to meddle in this.

The two brothers touched their noses in awkward acceptance and didn’t insist on listening in. Their parents had their schemes, and they had their own ways of getting things done. In any case, their ultimate goal was the same.

After listening to her plan, a peculiar expression crossed the Second Great-Uncle’s face. "Will that really work?" he asked his wife in a low voice.

"Even the greatest of heroes can’t resist a beautiful woman. Trust me, it’s guaranteed to work," the Second Great-Aunt said with utter confidence.

"Qin Mei is much prettier than that girl from the Li Family," the Second Great-Uncle said, speaking his mind.

"What good is a pretty face? As they say, clothes make the man. Look at how that girl dresses. She’s a total country bumpkin, like some farmer straight out of the fields in Huaxia," the Second Great-Aunt scoffed, her eyes full of disdain.