Eternal Beast Taming Family

Jiang Yan's voice was flat. His parents had passed away too early, and his memories of them had been washed away by the years, leaving only scattered and fragmented recollections.

Upon hearing the boy's words, Jiang Nian felt as if struck by lightning. Her body stiffened abruptly, and she murmured, her face frozen, "Dead? How could that be?"

After becoming a contract master, she was able to find those familiar voices and smiles hidden in her memories, but the clearer they were, the more painful they felt in her heart.

Her brother was a kind and gentle man who had tried his best to stop her from getting married.

However, he was stopped by the surrounding villagers. It is said that later, the relationship between his father and brother broke down, and he went to town for good.

Later, her brother also came to see her, but she was stubborn and refused to see him several times.

I always thought it was because of guilt that my brother stopped coming. It turns out that something unexpected happened.

Jiang Nian closed her eyes, and after a while, she calmed herself down.

"Jiang Yan, I don't know if you know about my past, but from the day I married into the Jiang family, I had no relationship with the Jiang family anymore."

You can take that life-saving elixir as repayment for the kindness of those two in raising you, and please don't send them flowers like this again.

Jiang Yan responded softly, "Yes, then Jiang Yan will take his leave."

Looking at the face that so closely resembled his elder brother, he stood up, bowed to him, and then turned and left.

Jiang Nian raised her hand, sighed softly, and ultimately just silently watched him turn and leave.

Led by a maid, Jiang Yan walked out of the front hall and not long after, at a corner, stood a servant who looked older than his age.

The servant smiled at the two of them. "Young Master Jiang Yan, right?"

Jiang Yan cupped his hands in a respectful greeting. "And you are?"

The servant gestured for him to enter. "If you are Young Master Jiang Yan, then that's the right person. My young master invites you in."

Young Master, Aunt Jiang Nian's husband. Jiang Yan paused for a moment, then nodded slightly amidst the servant's unchanging smile.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yan arrived at another courtyard, which looked like a place for handling official business.

Because there are more people coming and going here than elsewhere, and there are always things being carried in and out of the courtyard by servants.

Some of the boxes and cabinets were open, revealing many medicinal herbs and some shiny jade and other objects inside.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees a handsome man in his thirties standing on the steps of the porch, glancing at the account book in his hand while scanning the items in the chests and cabinets, then methodically arranging them:

"One of these two boxes will be sent to the treasure vault, and the other to the medicine storehouse. These two boxes will be packed up and sent to the clinic in town; they've been urging us for these medicinal herbs for a long time."

Upon receiving his order, the servants carrying the boxes immediately sprang into action, carrying the boxes out of the courtyard.

Jiang Yan silently observed the man in his thirties, thinking to herself that this uncle-in-law, whom she had never met before, seemed somewhat different from the handsome and dashing description she had heard about him.

As he was thinking about what to say as his first words, the servant beside him said:

"Please be mindful of your surroundings, Young Master Jiang. We've been quite busy with family matters lately, so there's been a lot of coming and going around here. My young master is in the study up ahead; he'll be here shortly."

The servant's words made Jiang Yan feel awkward for a moment. Fortunately, he hadn't said anything rashly, or he would have wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

As they passed through the entrance of the Second Courtyard, the servant bowed to the man who only knew how to speak and called out, "Steward Zhang, I'm taking someone to see the young master."

The man addressed as Butler Zhang glanced at Jiang Yan but didn't say anything more. It wasn't his place to question the person the young master wanted to see; he simply nodded.

"Go quickly, don't keep the young master waiting."

Upon entering the inner courtyard, the servant knocked on the door of the study in the center and respectfully said, "Young Master, Young Master Jiang Yan has arrived."

"Enter."

With a creak, the servant opened the door and stood to the side of the door, looking at Jiang Yan. "Young Master Jiang Yan, please come in."

Jiang Yan gently rubbed his lowered arm against his clothes twice, then stepped over the threshold and into the study.

The study was large, almost empty, because it wasn't decorated much. There was only a long table, a few potted plants, a bookshelf, and a few chairs for guests.

The person sitting behind the long table looked up at Jiang Yan, revealing a face with a strong scholarly air, a gentle expression, and an air of refined elegance.

He looked at Jiang Yan with a slight smile and asked, as if to confirm, "Jiang Yan?"

This uncle-in-law seemed even more distinguished than she had imagined. Jiang Yan didn't dare to look directly at Chu Qinhui, and lowered her head somewhat reservedly, saying, "Yes."

Chu Qinhui pointed to the seat next to him, "Don't feel constrained, sit down."

"No need, I can reply standing up."

Chu Qinhui didn't press the matter. "Have you read any books?"

Jiang Yan didn't know Chu Qinhui's purpose, so he could only answer truthfully, "I studied for a few years when I was young, but I didn't have any talent, and I could only read."

Chu Qinhui didn't offer an opinion, but instead asked, "So what are you doing now?"

"Take care of the flower fields, or go into the mountains to pick some medicinal herbs."

Chu Qinhui glanced at the boy's somewhat rough hands and knew he wasn't lying. "There are many things you can do at your age."

"Wouldn't it be somewhat frustrating to be confined to the fields like this?"

What can be done about being unwilling? My father used to work in town and should have had a bright future. But he was killed by the beast riot of a wealthy family, and our family was torn apart.

Staying at home like this, by my grandparents' side, is quite nice.

Jiang Yan gently shook her head, "Having family members safe and sound by my side is already a very good life."

Chu Qinhui raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering how much this young man had experienced, that he had come to understand the true meaning of a simple life at such a young age.

"Have your family members told you about what your aunt went through back then?"

Jiang Yan lowered his eyes and nodded gently.

"This matter has nothing to do with you. From an outsider's perspective, what are your thoughts on it?"

Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment, "No, sacrificing one person to save the lives of others is wrong. The villagers of Ziyuan Village are wrong, my grandfather is wrong, and your father and even you are wrong."

"Oh?" Chu Qinhui raised an eyebrow, showing some interest. "What's wrong with it?"

"The villagers are selfish; they pushed a young girl into a fire to save themselves. My grandfather sacrificed his daughter for the villagers; he was not a good father. Your father, in order to find you a good match, used her kindness to blackmail you..."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yan ultimately refrained from saying anything harsh, and instead reiterated, "They're all wrong, they're all at fault, and the only one who got hurt is my aunt."

Chu Qinhui's expression remained unchanged. "You're a bold child, but given the circumstances at the time, how could a simple right or wrong statement possibly suffice?"

Jiang Yan bowed to Chu Qinhui. "That's just my opinion, but given the situation back then, I don't think I would have done any better."

Chu Qinhui stood up from his seat, walked over to Jiang Yan's side, and carefully examined the young man in front of him.

"What happened back then has nothing to do with your father or you. Even if there is something to blame, it shouldn't be placed on you. It would be a pity to sever ties now."

He turned to look at the door, his voice somewhat heavy.

"Jiang Yan, your aunt has lived without a family for over a decade. Are you willing to become the source of her strength and support in the future?"