Chapter 950 - 948 Nagging

Words : 1374 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 950: Chapter 948 Nagging Yang Zongbao’s eyes reddened instantly, suddenly reminded of the past. Whenever he came home from outside, it was always his mother who would make him a big bowl of noodles, topped with meat and two eggs nestled beneath. She would smile at him and say, "Dumplings when boarding the carriage, noodles when getting off. Eat more!" Blinking his eyes, Yang Zongbao buried his head and picked up a chopstick full of noodles. With a taste, a feeling that was both familiar and strange filled him—it was the taste of home. Perhaps he was truly starving. Accompanied by the fragrant and spicy mountain mushroom meat sauce, Yang Zongbao ate two big bowls of noodles, even drinking all the soup dry, before putting down his chopsticks. Full and satisfied, Yang Zongbao signaled for Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu to follow him into the room. Once inside, Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu discovered that the ten or so boxes that had been neatly placed were now opened in an orderly fashion, with the smaller ones on the bed and the larger ones on the floor. The boxes contained gold and silver jewelry, silk, and various foods, making their eyes widen in amazement. From inside, Yang Zongbao picked out two boxes containing headwear jewelry and handed them to Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu, one for each. Old Granny Zhang didn’t dare take them. Seeing the gold glinting, she knew they were worth a lot. To be honest, regarding this not-by-blood younger brother Yang Zongbao, Old Granny Zhang never intended to take advantage. When she recognized him back then, Yang Zongbao was so destitute, yet she didn’t mind. For Yang Zongbao to suddenly bestow such extravagant gifts, Old Granny Zhang’s first reaction was: "Oh, brother, where did you get all these things? You didn’t do anything you shouldn’t have, right? Between our brother-sister relationship, though we aren’t blood-related, I’ve always treated you like a real brother. In a family, we don’t need to be so formal. This is your home. Why buy these things?" "Did you spend a lot on these? Your sister, niece, and nephew-in-law don’t expect you to provide anything. Why waste money like this?" "Hurry and see if you can return these things. Even if you have some money, you shouldn’t waste it like this. You’re not getting any younger. It would be better to save this silver for getting married and starting a family in the future." "Do you think your sister and I care about such things? Quickly—" As she spoke, she moved to personally cover the box lids. Yang Zongbao busily stopped Old Granny Zhang, gesturing animatedly. The gist of it was that these were gifts he specifically brought for Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu, and he had been dealing with past affairs while away. For those years, he’d been mixing in the martial world. Though he hid his identity, in his quest to find that woman, he met many people. Don’t underestimate those seemingly insignificant small characters. Together, they secretly passed and gathered information. Otherwise, how could he have found that woman? Later, he believed he had avenged his great enmity, yet spent money freely because revenge had left him disillusioned, feeling everything in life was pointless. He returned quietly to Jing County, considering ending his days there. He could live lavishly or endure hardship—sometimes the harsher the days, the more at ease he felt in his heart. Only when utterly exhausted could he fall asleep and forget his tragic life briefly. After falling seriously ill at Boss Tian’s place, he thought he was about to die, maybe ending everything once and for all. But Wang Yongzhu saved him, and by chance found the person who had once given him a piece of silver. He then had a sister, niece, and nephew-in-law, had family, and the things he previously didn’t care about became important. This time, Yang Zongbao sought out his old acquaintances to withdraw from the information passing and gathering, only accepting some silver, and two shops and estates. His partners, hearing that Yang Zongbao had found a family, saw he cared more and wasn’t as lifeless as before. Naturally, they wouldn’t insist he stayed. Furthermore, his departure was also beneficial to them, especially since he only wanted silver and properties. How could they refuse? They not only agreed but also prepared gifts, knowing who his family members were. These were the gifts from Yang Zongbao’s friends. Not only did Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu receive gifts, but hearing Song Chongjin, the esteemed nephew-in-law, was a scholar, he had a special box containing inkstones, brushes, ink blocks, and such. Old Granny Zhang, upon hearing Yang Zongbao hadn’t spent his money, breathed a sigh of relief but immediately remarked, "That won’t do. They gave you these gifts; you have to return the gesture." Assuming Yang Zongbao had been out of touch with social customs due to his years outside, she started lecturing him on the need for reciprocity in such kindnesses, pulling him aside. Yang Zongbao could only sit there obediently, listening to Old Granny Zhang’s nagging. There wasn’t a hint of impatience in his eyes; instead, they grew gentler. In his heart, he knew clearly that this was his sister’s care for him. She truly treated him as a real brother, hence her openness and heartfelt concern. If it were anyone else, they’d surely keep all the valuable gifts for themselves without caring if he lost face or not. For a moment, it was as if he returned to the time before his family’s upheaval, when his mother also held him and nagged endlessly. In his youth, he found his mother’s nagging bothersome, but now he understood the intention behind the words. No matter how much Old Granny Zhang nagged, Yang Zongbao listened with a smile. Yet, he refused to take back the gifts, insisting Old Granny Zhang keep them. When pushed, he gestured at Old Granny Zhang, questioning if she didn’t see him as a real brother. Why wouldn’t she accept gifts from her brother to his sister and niece? Was she treating him as an outsider? Rarely at a loss for words, Old Granny Zhang huffed, picking up the boxes with a flourish and leaving with a fierce word: "Fine! All my talking was for nothing! If you like giving, then I’ll take however much you give in the future without a word! Let’s see how you’ll manage when everything’s gone!" Hearing this, Yang Zongbao nodded repeatedly, pulling out two land deeds from his robe to hand to Old Granny Zhang. Opening them revealed a land deed for a small estate in the provincial capital and a deed for a two-entry courtyard in Qingzhou Prefecture City. Yang Zongbao gestured further that this was his property, all entrusted to Old Granny Zhang for safekeeping. Old Granny Zhang felt both amused and touched, thinking her adopted brother, though he had suffered, was just as he was before, remembering even the tiniest kindness. This nature, if not watched carefully, might lead him to be swindled out of everything if he encountered malicious people in the future. Without further ado, she stored the land deeds carefully in the box: "I’ll keep these for you. When you start a family, they’ll be handed to your wife! Lest they’re lost." Yang Zongbao did not object, smiling only after seeing Old Granny Zhang accepted them. After all, Yang Zongbao had traveled for several days. Now, full and relieved, he began to show signs of tiredness. Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu let him rest and withdrew. Back in Old Granny Zhang’s room, she placed the box on the bed with a sigh: "Zhuzhu, your uncle has suffered too much in this life and is so sincere that even though we’re recognized siblings, I’m worried about him being so naive!" Wang Yongzhu knew, however, that if Yang Zongbao had truly been as naive and sincere as before after so many years wandering the martial world, his gravestone would already be overgrown. He simply truly regarded them as family now, wanting to give them everything he had. In her heart, she felt a complexity hard to describe.

Chapter 950 - 948 Nagging

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