Seeing the awkward smile on Jiang Tongyuan’s face, Chen Bing hurriedly tried to lighten the mood.

"Elder Jiang, what do you do every day?"

Upon hearing Chen Bing’s words, Jiang Tongyuan knew he was trying to ease the awkwardness. Although the question was somewhat awkward, he had no other choice except to continue the conversation.

"What can an old man like me do? Just eating, drinking, and basking in the sun."

No sooner had Jiang Tongyuan finished speaking than he showed a regretful expression.

His words indeed left no room for further conversation.

After exchanging glances, everyone started to laugh simultaneously.

It seemed that now was not the time for chatting; it’s better to remain silent, or else the atmosphere would only become more awkward.

Once everyone quieted down, time seemed to pass a bit quicker.

With hardly any notice, half an hour had flown by.

What Jiang Tongyuan said was indeed accurate; it really took Jiang Zhi half an hour to arrive. Almost at the moment Jiang Ran looked down at his watch, the door was knocked.

Hearing the knock on the door, Chen Bing immediately stood up, "I’ll get the door."

Seeing him move so quickly, Jiang Ran didn’t compete with him.

In a short while, Chen Bing reached the door and opened it, stepping aside to let Jiang Zhi in from outside.

It’s been half a year since they last met.

To Jiang Ran, these six months might not have meant much.

His face didn’t reveal any changes.

But for someone Jiang Zhi’s age, half a year’s changes were quite evident.

The wrinkles on his brow had deepened; just looking at those lines, you could tell he hadn’t gone without frowning much in these past months.

It seems life hasn’t been too smooth.

They say conflicts are common in big families, so it’s normal for life to be less than smooth.

Jiang Ran took one glance before averting his gaze.

No matter what, Jiang Zhi was still an elder, so Jiang Ran stood up.

He waited until Jiang Zhi came close and sat down before Jiang Ran also sat down.

Jiang Zhi looked at Jiang Ran with some happiness.

But his joy didn’t last long.

Just earlier on the phone, Jiang Tongyuan only mentioned Jiang Ran was here, asking Jiang Zhi to come over, without explaining the reason.

Mainly because it was hard to make it clear over the phone; it needed to be discussed face-to-face.

Now that everyone was present, Jiang Ran didn’t want to engage in excessive small talk.

So he went straight to the point and briefly reiterated his previous words.

As Jiang Ran spoke, Jiang Zhi’s face grew more and more sullen; he couldn’t believe that Jiang Ran sought him out for this reason.

When he heard from Jiang Tongyuan that Jiang Ran had something to discuss with him, he felt happy.

After all, to him, this represented a sort of concession.

It could be considered a good start.

Yet, he could never have imagined the reason would be like this.

At this moment, all feelings of joy had completely disappeared.

Only embarrassment and anger remained.

Thinking of Chen Meirong’s behavior at home, Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but twitch with rage.

No wonder Chen Meirong seemed so strange today; she was worried Jiang Ran might call to complain.

Her worry wasn’t unfounded.

Jiang Ran didn’t lodge his complaint over the phone; instead, he did it face-to-face.

Seeing Jiang Zhi remain silent, Jiang Ran didn’t rush to urge him.

After all, Jiang Zhi was getting older; generally, older people can’t handle stimuli well, so whatever the matter, it’s better to address it gradually.