Chapter 485: Chapter 485: How Did This Melon Fall on My Head?
Grandma Si and the Si Family Master accompanied Elder Si to a guest room for his acupuncture treatment, while the rest of the Si Family was shut outside the door.
Lady Si went to the kitchen and instructed the chef to prepare a variety of refreshments for the Divine Doctor to sample later.
Third Aunt Si was stewing. ’No matter what, I have to make that wretched girl pretending to be the Divine Doctor answer for what she did to my daughter.’
Her thoughts were interrupted by her eldest nephew’s furious voice. "Si Yan, you wretched girl! You’re used to running wild at home, aren’t you!
How dare you offend the Divine Doctor? I’m telling you, I don’t care what it takes—you *will* apologize to her.
Otherwise, the Si Family will disown you. Do you really want to test our family’s rules?"
Everyone in the Si Family tacitly acknowledged the eldest grandson as the next Family Head. Among the grandchildren who weren’t still students, he was the only one who remained in the Imperial City.
The other Si grandsons were all on the front lines, fighting for their own futures and for the glory of the Si Family.
The Si Family’s eldest grandson, Si Jinghao, was not only exceptionally brilliant but also devastatingly handsome and elegant.
With his slender build and refined, gentle temperament, he was the very picture of a perfect heartthrob.
But beneath his flawless exterior was a wolf in sheep’s clothing—a fact the Si Family had unfortunately failed to see.
The Si granddaughters all used their eldest cousin as the benchmark when choosing a spouse, each hoping to find a partner comparable to him.
However, the few granddaughters who were already married had failed to fulfill that wish, as there were very few men in the entire Imperial City who were that exceptional.
Until today, the young women of the Si Family had believed no one in the world could hold a candle to their eldest cousin.
But after they saw Su Shuochi, they realized their cousin was nothing special after all.
Exceptional men did exist; they simply hadn’t encountered them yet!
Si Jinghao was usually very mild-mannered and rarely got angry, but that didn’t mean he had a good temper.
His temper was so placid it was almost unimaginable, but only because his heart was as hard as the abyss.
Ordinary people and events were simply unable to stir his emotions.
The Si Family’s daughters-in-law and grandchildren were all stunned into silence by the powerful aura erupting from Si Jinghao.
They exchanged glances in twos and threes, but no one dared to make a sound.
But Si Yan, used to having her way in the Si household, wasn’t particularly afraid of her eldest cousin.
Reeking of urine, she approached Si Jinghao, leaving a trail of wet drops on the wooden floorboards as she passed.
"Eldest Cousin, on what grounds are you saying this to me? What was so wrong about me asking her a question? What right do you have to disown me?"
Si Jinghao covered his nose, his bottomless black eyes like blades of ice, piercing straight into Si Yan’s heart.
Terrified, Si Yan stumbled back until she reached her mother’s side. Si Jinghao’s blade-like gaze followed her, finally landing on his Third Aunt.
Third Aunt Si felt her skin crawl under her nephew’s frigid stare. His look of utter disgust, in particular, made her breath catch in her throat.
Usually, her nephew seemed like a figure who had stepped out of a painting, always cloaked in a refined, scholarly air. Today, however, he was like a ferocious wolf.
"Jing... Jinghao... I... Can I take Yanyan to change her clothes first?"
"Clean the floor first, then you can go," Si Jinghao said coldly.
"I won’t clean it! I refuse! Why do I have to clean the floor? Why can they just sit on the sofa and not move?"
Si Yan shrieked hysterically. Being afraid of her eldest cousin was one thing, but she was just as adept as her mother at shirking work and had never done housework in her life.
"Clean the floor or get out of the Si Family. I’d like to see who can protect you now," Si Jinghao said, sitting down on the sofa with an air of impunity.
"Jinghao, aren’t you going too far? We’re part of this family too!" Third Aunt Si flared up.
"Oh, my. Third Sister-in-law, you remember you’re part of the Si Family? The way you never lift a finger—I’ve even seen you kick a fallen mop aside—I thought you were an honored guest in our home!"
"Second Aunt, must you kick me while I’m down?"
"Oh, please, Third Sister-in-law. Are you ’down’? I’m just telling it like it is."
"You... you... Just you wait," Third Aunt Si threatened, pointing a trembling finger at Second Aunt Si.
"’Me’ what? Aren’t you going to clean the floor? That’s the very mop you kicked with your foot, you know. Still plan on using it?"
"Pfft..." The younger members of the Si Family couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
"SOB... Mom... I don’t want to clean the floor. I want to go change my clothes right now. What should I do?"
Si Yan whined at her mother, hoping she would hurry up and clean the floor so she could go to her room and change.
’That man will be out soon,’ she thought. ’If he sees me in this pathetic state, he’ll definitely be disgusted.’
Third Uncle Si’s youngest son stood to the side, his face impassive. He seemed neither angry nor annoyed; on the contrary, he looked as if he were just watching a play unfold.
He was sixteen years old and a high school freshman. Ranked fifteenth among the Si Family’s children, his father and two older brothers were fighting for their lives on the front lines.
Meanwhile, his mother and sister did nothing but cause trouble at home all day. His eldest brother was already twenty-three, but he had never seen his mother try to find him a match.
His eldest cousin was only twenty-eight, yet his son was already seven years old.
He had experienced situations like this far too many times. Whenever his sister argued with their cousins...
...Grandma Si and Lady Si would always step in to support his sister, and in the end, they would just smooth things over.
Even the youngest child in the Si Family had to give way to his mother and sister, so he was content to simply watch the show from the side.
His father and two brothers had all taught him to distinguish right from wrong, telling him to learn from his eldest cousin and become a man of good character.
But today was different. His sister had offended the Divine Doctor, and even someone as mild-mannered as his eldest cousin had lost his temper so spectacularly.
This incident definitely wouldn’t be resolved peacefully. He was quite curious to see who would end up cleaning the floor—his mother or his sister.
"Shiwu, you go clean the floor. I’m taking your sister upstairs to change."
Si Shiwu: ...
His mother’s domineering words sent a jolt through Si Shiwu, who had been enjoying the drama with great relish.
’How did this drama end up on my head?!’
"No one is taking Si Yan’s place today. Either she cleans the floor, or she gets out of the Si Family," Si Jinghao said coldly.
He then leisurely picked up the tea from the coffee table before him, took a sip, and continued to speak.
"One must have self-awareness. If your abilities are lacking, then you improve them. Do not covet things far beyond your grasp.
Do not chase a life that your abilities cannot support. Remember, for everything you take, a price has already been secretly marked.
If your abilities can’t match your ambition and desires, the end result is bound to be a disaster."
Third Aunt Si felt her nephew’s words were a veiled criticism aimed at her, but she had no proof. Besides, no one in the Si Family knew of her ambitions.
"Yanyan, quickly clean the floor. Your grandpa and grandma will be out soon."
Third Aunt Si considered herself a person destined for great things, and such people knew when to be flexible.
This only strengthened her resolve to hire someone to cripple that wretched girl. Whether she was a real Divine Doctor or a fake, she would see to it that the girl ended up begging on the streets.
