HBWMA -Chapter 70 Curiosity, Scheming

“Old fossil! Old feudal relic!”

Fu Sui’er was still cursing after leaving the main hall, grumbling all the way. When she noticed Jiang Huashan wasn’t responding, she finally got a little annoyed.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Jiang Huashan glanced at her. “Say what? That actually, being like your grandfather Fu Lingnan is pretty good? That you should clap and cheer when you steal longevity peach buns at the table?”

“……”

Fu Sui’er was left speechless for a moment.

As the saying goes, a river is easy to change its course, but one’s nature is hard to change. Fu Sui’er had been spoiled in the wrong direction for twelve years; those bad habits couldn’t be corrected overnight.

In truth, agreeing to learn proper rules in the main hall earlier had already been a big improvement for her. After all, in her previous life, Fu Sui’er had opposed Jiang Huashan on almost everything—except when it came to resisting Great-Grandma Wu, where the two of them had been unexpectedly on the same side.

Fu Sui’er also realized she might have messed something up. She didn’t care how Great-Grandma Wu saw her, but she didn’t want to disappoint Jiang Huashan.

Back in their room, Fu Sui’er kept sneaking glances at Jiang Huashan’s expression. Several times she wanted to speak, but swallowed her words because she was rarely someone who admitted fault.

Just as she finally worked up the courage, Aunt Feng suddenly came by and said that Shen Jiao had called.

Jiang Huashan and Fu Sui’er were officially staying at the old mansion to reflect on their behavior, so they hadn’t brought their phones. After hesitating for a moment, Fu Sui’er followed Aunt Feng out to answer the call.

“Mom.”

She had barely spoken when Shen Jiao launched into a scolding.

“Fu Sui’er, are you itching for a beating again? What did I tell you before you left? I’m warning you—if you anger Great-Grandma into something serious, I’ll send you straight back to the Fu family!”

“……”

Fu Sui’er replied, annoyed, “Do you have surveillance on me or something? Or did that old feudal relic go tattling? How else would you know everything that just happened?”

Shen Jiao was so furious her head hurt, and she continued lecturing her daughter through gritted teeth.

Fu Sui’er, however, was barely listening. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aunt Zhang Ru walk into the room holding a phone.

The little green-haired girl’s eyes immediately lit up, thinking it must be Jiang Huashan’s mother calling.

She figured that since Jiang Huashan loved her mother so much, getting a call from Fang Mei would probably cheer her up.

But before Fu Sui’er could get excited, Zhang Ru walked back out of the room with a slightly dazed expression.

Fu Sui’er was confused. That fast?

Shen Jiao was still talking, but noticing the silence on the other end, she suddenly deflated. “Fu Sui’er, are you even listening to me?”

Fu Sui’er nodded. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll listen to Jiang Huashan properly. It’s late, I’m hanging up now.”

“……”

Shen Jiao stared at the ended call, completely speechless with anger. That wasn’t what she said at all—she told her to listen more to Great-Grandma!

Fu Sui’er handed the phone back to Aunt Feng and quickly slipped back into the room.

Jiang Huashan was sitting by the bed reading a comic book. When she saw her come in, she greeted her casually, “Finished with the call?”

“Yeah.” Fu Sui’er scratched her head and walked around the room as if nothing was wrong. “I… I think I just saw Aunt Zhang come in earlier. Did your mom call you too?”

Jiang Huashan nodded. “Mm. Aunt Zhang said she called several times, but I didn’t pick up.”

Fu Sui’er froze. “You didn’t pick up?”

Jiang Huashan looked up at her. “Is that strange?”

She closed her comic book, yawned lazily, and added, “I’m going to sleep. Remember to turn off the lights later.”

“Okay.”

Fu Sui’er returned to her bed thoughtfully, staring at Jiang Huashan’s back in silence.

In her memory, Jiang Huashan had always been very dependent on Fang Mei—she used to obey her mother almost without question. That was precisely why she had looked down on Jiang Huashan in the past.

But now… she wasn’t even picking up Fang Mei’s calls?

Fu Sui’er’s gaze grew heavier as she thought about it. Jiang Huashan had said she came from ten years in the future and had already experienced everything.

At the time, she hadn’t explained clearly, so Fu Sui’er had naturally assumed she was only referring to the death of Grandpa. But now it seemed that what she called “everything” was far more than she had imagined.

Then… what exactly had Jiang Huashan gone through?

At the same time, a high-end seaside apartment in Lianshi.

“How outrageous! That damn girl actually dares not answer my calls!”

Fang Mei angrily flung her phone onto the sofa.

Jiang Wanyi was frightened by the twisted expression on Fang Mei’s face and didn’t dare to approach. She asked cautiously, “Mom… what do we do? If Sister keeps not answering your calls, will we never be able to go back to Shen Manor again?”

“Useless ungrateful wretch,” Fang Mei muttered, forcing herself to calm down with her eyes closed.

A few months ago, she had gone with a group of wealthy ladies to make money in the stock market. At that time, Yao Jun was in a strong position, so they heavily invested in pharmaceutical and real estate companies controlled by the Yao family.

Originally, she had only invested the private savings she had accumulated over the years while staying in the Shen family, planning to cash out after a big profit.

But once she actually made money, she wanted even more. Her ambition grew, and she even began borrowing from loan sharks.

She never expected Yao Jun to suddenly collapse. Her stocks were trapped, and her funds kept shrinking.

Now the loan sharks were demanding repayment, and she didn’t have a single cent. Those people were far from merciful—if not for the Shen family’s influence, they would have already given her a one-month grace period. If they found out she had been kicked out of the Shen family, she would likely be dead on the streets tomorrow.

Originally, Fang Mei had planned to call Jiang Huashan to ask her to have Old Master Shen intervene. After all, this amount of money was nothing to the Shen family.

But she had calculated everything—except that Jiang Huashan would be so decisive as to not even answer her calls.

“No. This can’t go on.”

Fang Mei muttered to herself, then looked around the room.

“Whatever happens, I have to find a way back to Shen Manor. I can’t stay here another day.”

Jiang Wanyi’s eyes immediately lit up at the mention of returning to Shen Manor.

To be fair, the place Old Master Shen had arranged for them wasn’t bad—a four-bedroom seaside apartment. With Lianshi’s property prices, it was not something ordinary people could afford.

But once they had experienced the ultimate luxury of high society, how could they be willing to give up the power and status of the Shen family?

After thinking for a moment, Fang Mei walked into the master bedroom and took out an iron box from the deepest part of the wardrobe.

Jiang Wanyi asked curiously, “Mom, what is this?”

Fang Mei’s lips curled into a pleased smile. “These should be enough to pay off the debts. Tomorrow, get ready properly—we’re going back to Shen Manor.”

“Really?!”

At the thought of returning to Shen Manor, Jiang Wanyi was so excited she almost jumped up.

Recently, a few classmates she was close with had suddenly suggested visiting Shen Manor. Afraid her lie about being kicked out would be exposed, she had been pretending to be sick and unable to host them.

But her “illness” had dragged on for so long that people had already started to suspect something.

If she could return to Shen Manor tomorrow, it would solve her urgent problem.

And then…

Jiang Wanyi’s mind drifted to a dignified, gentle face, and her heart suddenly began to race uncontrollably.

She wondered… did Brother A-Ling miss her?