A Bit of a Headache

Tang Shu found that he liked his son-in-law more and more. Jiang Fan had courage, talent, ability, and patience with his daughter. At that moment, Tang Wan was squeezing pimples on Jiang Fan's face, something that seemed to be a favorite pastime among women.

Extracting 130,000 yuan from the notorious Tu Xiao? Even though a car was given in return, it was still something worth bragging about for days or even weeks.

Who dared to mess with that notorious rascal all these years?

Would Lin Mengde dare?

Or Gao Luxing?

It wasn't just a matter of money, but Lao Tang wasn't afraid of this guy. Li Jinhe's family happened to have a natural advantage over Tu Xiao. Leaning back on the sofa with his legs crossed, Lao Tang winked at Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket and handed them to Lao Tang. Li Jinhe immediately frowned but refrained from stopping Lao Tang's reckless behavior since it was given by Jiang Fan. Instead, she reached out and patted Tang Wan's shoulder, scolding her playfully.

"Jiang Fan's been working hard all day, stop fidgeting with his face. Jiang Fan, how do you feel about your job at Rongyao? Have you encountered any troubles?"

Tang Wan stopped messing with Jiang Fan's face and stood up, heading to her room. Jiang Fan grinned sheepishly at Li Jinhe.

"No, I haven't encountered any troubles. It's just that the Integrated Department I'm in is a bit complicated... Because... I've gotten into two fights recently, and people are whispering behind my back that I'm violent... So... Basically, someone is watching me every day, worried that I might get into another fight."

Jiang Fan felt a little embarrassed as he said this, lowering his head. In response, Li Jinhe clapped Jiang Fan on the shoulder several times and laughed loudly.

"That's my son-in-law! You need to be tough out there. Don't be like your father, always thinking that taking a step back is the way to go. If you need to fight, fight! If something goes wrong, come back to Mom, and I'll fix it. We have so many relatives in the family; it would be a waste not to use them."

Those claps were meant as praise!

Lao Tang frowned at Li Jinhe and complained.

"In a harmonious society, why do we always have to resort to violence? What's the point of fighting? We need to find a way to eliminate the root cause!"

Li Jinhe turned around, hands on her hips, and frowned.

"So you got kicked out of Changxiang as a way to eliminate the root cause? If a man isn't tough outside, is he even a man? Jiang Fan, don't listen to your father. He's outdated! Outdated, I tell you!"

"Jiang Fan, you're a smart kid. Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. These days, who can get away with hitting someone without consequences? It's fine if you hit someone, but if you get hit, it's us who suffer. No matter how much money we get, we'll still lose. Don't resort to violence unless it's absolutely necessary."

"What do you mean, Tang Shu? You think I'm harming my precious son-in-law?"

"Not harming, Jinhe! Times have changed."

"Bullshit! No matter how much things change, might still makes right!"

Li Jinhe, a military veteran, believed in solving problems with force, while Tang Shu, a scholar, believed that violence was the least desirable solution. Jiang Fan watched his in-laws curiously, wondering how these two had ended up together.

Jiang Fan couldn't help himself and asked quietly, "Dad, Mom, did you two meet through an introduction when you were young? Like, through a matchmaker or something?"

At the mention of this, Tang Shu's face lit up with pride. Glancing at Li Jinhe out of the corner of his eye, he boasted, "What's there to ask? Back in the day, your father-in-law was quite the charmer, with a fine hand in calligraphy. I started doing business in college, and a love letter from me cost a whole yuan!"

A whole yuan! Over two decades ago, that was indeed not cheap. Jiang Fan remembered his grandfather mentioning that ice cream sticks only cost 20 cents back then, and school lunches were a yuan each when he was in elementary school. Lao Tang started college a decade earlier than Jiang Fan, making that yuan seem even more luxurious.

Jiang Fan tilted his head and whispered to his mother-in-law, "Mom, did Dad write you a love letter back then?"

"Hey, child, I already told you it was your mother who pursued me."

"Mom, he's getting a bit cocky. Don't worry about me, you go ahead and teach him a lesson."

Jiang Fan egged Li Jinhe on, and she smiled mischievously at Jiang Fan, her eyes narrowed.

"Don't stir the pot. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing between your father and me either. All things considered, it was more like I pursued him. After all, finding someone easy to bully isn't easy."

As they were chatting, Tang Wan emerged holding a facial mask. Half of her body was sticking out of the corridor as she beckoned Jiang Fan with a crook of her finger, signaling him to come over. Jiang Fan shook his head vigorously at the sight of the facial mask in her hand but noticed Tang Wan was wearing pajamas. Jiang Fan whispered softly, "Haven't you changed yet? It's getting late. Aren't you going home?"

"No, I'm staying. Come here! I'll put a facial mask on you."

Tang Wan beckoned to Jiang Fan with her finger, but he remained motionless like an old monk in meditation. At this point, Li Jinhe glanced at the clock and realized it was almost 11 pm. She stood up, yawned, and prepared to rest. As she walked past Tang Wan, Li Jinhe suddenly turned around and asked, "Jiang Fan, which room are you sleeping in? The guest room hasn't been cleaned in a while."

Tang Wan pushed Li Jinhe's back with a disgusted expression and said, "Don't worry about it. He'll sleep with me."

"Hmm? Oh! I'll get you an extra blanket then."

Li Jinhe was slightly puzzled. She knew that Jiang Fan and Tang Wan's marriage was an arranged one, and in the past, when they stayed here, Jiang Fan always slept in the guest room. Back then, Li Jinhe assumed Jiang Fan was just shy, but now that she knew the truth, things had changed.

Not long after, when Jiang Fan was getting ready to rest after washing up, Tang Wan came in with a grimacing smile. Jiang Fan crossed his arms and kept backing away until he had nowhere to go, then let out a cold chuckle.

"Shout all you want! No one will come to save you even if you scream your lungs out."

The next second, Tang Wan suddenly lifted her leg, her slender, beautiful leg resting on Jiang Fan's shoulder, her pajama pants sliding down her long, white legs.

He had heard of the "wall hug," but was this the legendary "leg hug"?

Despite Jiang Fan's struggles, he failed, and when he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw that the facial mask had made him look like a panda. Tang Wan seemed pleased with her masterpiece, and Jiang Fan had no choice but to accept her impulsive nature, a habit born from being spoiled since childhood.

He waited ten long minutes in the bathroom!

Returning to the room, he pulled back the covers and got into bed. Since it wasn't the first time he was sleeping with Tang Wan, Jiang Fan felt little psychological pressure. He patted the bed and called out to Tang Wan, "Come, sleep by my side, buddy!"

Jiang Fan lay on the inside, and Tang Wan crawled under the covers. Fortunately, there were two blankets, but it was still hot outside. Tang Wan, wearing her pajamas, lay beside Jiang Fan scrolling through her phone. Jiang Fan couldn't understand what was so fascinating about that little square box but was preparing to sleep when Tang Wan suddenly pulled his arm towards her.

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Fan looked down at Tang Wan, who was pillowing her head on his arm, and whispered softly, "Tang Wan."

"Pfft! Don't even think about it, Jiang Fan. Keep your mind clean."

"No... my hand is numb, and your head is a bit heavy."