Chapter 272 - The Mafia King Explains Their Roots
"Aunt Bingqing!" Lihua jumped in her arms and cried. "Do you know how much that idiot Mingshen insulted me today? He is so harsh!"
"What? How dare he?" Yang Bingqing fumed. "That boy is getting more and more out of hand!"
Lihua furiously nodded. "Somebody needs to set him straight."
"And that's why I want him to get a girlfriend as soon as possible! But the idiot son of mine doesn't listen to me!"
"Ugh... sorry to say this but I really pity that woman. I mean being Mingshen's girlfriend is not easy," she consoled.
Yang Bingqing bit her lip. "Ahhh is my son destined to be alone? Will I never have a daughter-in-law? Will I never be able to see my grandchild's face before I die?" She sobbed. "You are right. No sane woman would agree to date him. What will I do, Lixue?" She hugged her.
"Hmph. Mingshen needs a strong woman who could tame him," Lihua said with a serious face. "Otherwise that ruthless man will devour that poor woman!"
She sighed. "Indeed, there are hardly any women who would want to stand up to him. He is handsome so they get attracted for sure but when they learn how dangerous he is, they run away. Some want to stay despite that but because they don't want to offend him, they don't say anything to him. My son scares everybody!" She cried.
Yang Bingqing looked at Wei. "Why can he not learn something from Wei?"
"I said the same thing to him! Hmph, he said he only appreciates himself. Such a narcissist!"
She sighed. "I don't know who he has taken after. Surely, my husband was a little cold and loof like him but Mingshen is on another level! Whereas Wei is so respectful and doting. I am so envious of Jiang Weizhe and Jiang Yubi to have a son like him."
Wei didn't know how to react to her praise, neither did he bother about it so he kept quiet. He would only beam in happiness if Lihua praised him.
With that, she was reminded. "By the way, Wei, how is your mother? I didn't meet her for a long time now."
"She is okay is what Dad says."
Lihua blinked her eyes.
Ah? What does he mean by that?
Yang Bingqing pursed her lips. "Tell me. Is she still not allowed to enter the Jiang mansion?"
"No," Wei plainly said.
"I don't know when Old Madam will accept her? It has been so many years already…"
Lihua got curious so she asked, "Aunt, I don't understand. Why does Old Madam hate her so much? I mean sure she didn't like Dad marrying her but…"
Yang Bingqing sighed. "I know. But...you know how Old Madam is. At that time, it was a huge deal when Jiang Weizhe married her. It caused a huge uproar in society when he married a middle-class woman. Of course, Old Madam wasn't someone who would bear to see anybody saying even a word against the Jiang family. But Jiang Weizhe was stubborn. Once he decided that he wanted her, he didn't bend at all. For the first time in the Jiang family, somebody dared to go against Old Madam. Somebody dared to break the traditions."
"And she hated it," Lihua sadly said.
She solemnly nodded. "Jiang Yubi ran a small flower and arts shop. She was nowhere near the Jiang family's class. But Jiang Weizhe fell in love with her nevertheless. And because of her, it caused the first ever fight in the Jiang family. It was horrible. She, who always thought that he was under her control, broke the strings and opposed her. She even threatened to throw him out of the family but he didn't care. He didn't mind surrendering his Mafia King's position to his younger brother, Jiang Weiyuan. Right, Wei?"
Wei nodded. "Old Madam didn't want it though. Only the eldest son should hold the absolute power."
"Yes. She didn't want to break that tradition and hand the position over to Jiang Weiyuan. He was already handling business. Also, the Underworld is more precious to the Jiang family rather than Jiang Industries."
"Why?" Lihua asked.
Wei answered her question. "Because my great-great-grandfather found his roots in the Underworld and from there on, the Jiang family slowly got its foothold in the Mafia. We originally emerged from that side of the world. It was Old Master, my late grandfather, who thought of stepping into the business world too. So he built Jiang Industries."
Yang Bingqing nodded. "Yes. But their roots lie in the Underworld so the Mafia King's position holds more importance than the CEO of Jiang Industries. The Old Madam couldn't compromise on that. So, she really couldn't throw him out of the house and disown him. No matter what, only Jiang Weizhe could be the Mafia King and then it would pass on to Wei, who is the eldest son now."
"I see…"
"The Old Madam was in a pinch. She couldn't break her ties with Jiang Weizhe but she also didn't want Jiang Yubi to get a place in the Jiang family. So she ordered for her to live in a separate residence just a little far away from the main villa. Jiang Yubi would also never get the rights to participate in any of the Jiang family's celebrations and she would never get the recognition as the daughter-in-law."
Lihua felt as if her heart twisted in pain.
Mom has suffered so much…
"What do you think of her?" She asked.
Yang Bingqing smiled. "She is a wonderful woman. Kind, compassionate but strong. Old Madam had tried a lot of methods to separate them, but Jiang Yubi didn't ever budge under her pressure."
Lihua gleamed. "En! That's what we are talking about!"
"But I think the reason why Old Madam hates her so much is because Jiang Yubi brought a change with her. In that ever unchanging stillness within the Jiang family, her presence was akin to a storm that threatened to shake its very roots."