Tear Off Pretenses

Although An Ziran had only met An Changde once, he could still guess what he was thinking.

Nothing more than seeing that An Changfu was dead and that no adult was currently in charge of the An Family. Relying on his status as An Ziran's uncle, he wanted to get a foot in the door.

However, he had still underestimated the shamelessness of An Changde and his wife.

"First Aunt, I did not quite catch what you said just now. Could you say it again?" An Ziran looked calmly at An Changde's lawful wife, Wu Zhi. Nothing could be read from his dark eyes.

Wu Zhi felt a chill run down her back under his gaze, but she quickly dismissed it as an illusion. How could the lazy, good-for-nothing An Ziran possibly possess such an imposing air? It had to be because the weather was too cold. She hurriedly put on what she believed was a kind and amiable smile.

"Ziran, what First Aunt means is that you are still underage, and you never learned how to manage accounts from your father. Managing the An Family's vast estate all by yourself—"

"—must be exhausting. There are also many things you do not understand. To keep you from being deceived by outsiders, your First Uncle and I discussed it and decided that he should make some time to come help you at the An Family." Wu Zhi sighed. "Your father and your First Uncle were the closest of blood brothers. Now that he has passed away, we are your family. You need not stand on ceremony with your First Uncle."

An Ziran curled his lips slightly. "First Aunt is quite right. However, Father and First Uncle divided the family long ago, and First Uncle now has his own affairs to manage. It would make me feel guilty to have him come help. Besides, I have learned quite a lot from Steward Su recently. He understands the An Family better than anyone, and even he says I have improved greatly. Before long, I will be able to manage the An Family independently."

Their expressions stiffened. His words were plainly a refusal.

Right from the start, he had drawn a clear line between the two families. Since they had divided the family, the elder brother naturally could no longer interfere in his younger brother's affairs. If word got out, people would certainly say An Changde coveted his younger brother's property. But if An Ziran agreed of his own accord, they would have every right to do so.

The two had assumed An Ziran would agree. Who could expect a wastrel to suddenly become a genius? Yet they had not expected him to refuse so decisively, nor had they expected him to know how to use words to block them.

An Changde was a scholar. What family business did he have to speak of?

As the saying went, scholars were good for nothing. This was perfectly embodied in An Changde; otherwise, he would not have been so eager to set his sights on his younger brother's family.

In truth, An Changde was merely an idle scholar with a minor scholarly title. He could neither carry a load on his shoulder nor lift one in his hands. The only thing he could show off was his little bit of knowledge. Other than that, he was utterly worthless.

Still, men like him cared greatly about their reputations. That was why the two had come to play the family card. Otherwise, given their temperaments, they would have long since moved into the An Family home openly, using their status as elders to oppress An Ziran rather than discussing it with him.

Wu Zhi took a deep breath, barely stopping herself from cursing the little brat. Still, she continued to persuade him pleasantly. "Ziran, Steward Su is an outsider after all..."

"First Aunt, Steward Su was Father's most trusted man while he was alive." An Ziran cut her off, making it clear that he trusted Steward Su as well.

If Wu Zhi continued to argue, would she not be saying that An Changfu lacked the judgment to recognize people?

The fact that An Changfu had built the An Family into the largest landowning household in Anyuan County proved his exceptional judgment. Even An Changde and his wife could never refute that. The present-day An Family was the best proof.

The couple's faces shifted between green and white, neither of them knowing how to conceal their emotions.

An Ziran pretended not to see it. They wanted to lay their hands on the An Family? Perhaps that might have been possible before he took over An Ziran's body. But now that he had become An Ziran, not only would he never let them openly enter the An Family and meddle with its businesses, he would not give them even a single coin. He was no saint and had no obligation to support his idle First Uncle's entire family.

The couple's first attempt had ended in failure.

They had originally planned to bring up another matter after he agreed.

After thinking it over, Wu Zhi was still unwilling to give up. She signaled to An Changde, who understood her meaning. His expression eased slightly as he spoke, breaking the silence in the hall.

"Ziran, after your mother passed away, the An Family's inner household has lacked a mistress to oversee it. Though you are now the master of the An Family, you are a man after all. Why not let your First Aunt come and help? Your First Aunt is quite capable at managing a household. She will certainly keep the inner household in perfect order, allowing you to focus on other matters."

After saying that, the couple both looked at him with kindly, benevolent expressions. In the end, they still wanted to get their hands on the An Family.

An Ziran smiled. They truly would not give up until they hit a wall. "First Uncle, First Aunt, I appreciate your kindness, but I do not wish to trouble First Aunt. After all, this is the An Family's affair. Since I can manage the An Family's businesses, I believe I can handle something as minor as the inner household. And if not, I still have three concubines."

Their faces immediately turned livid, and all traces of pleasantness vanished.

He had already put it so plainly, even using the words 'the An Family's affair' to block them. He clearly did not consider them family. No matter how foolish they were, they could hear that this was merely An Ziran's excuse.

What angered Wu Zhi most was that An Ziran would rather let An Changfu's concubines manage the inner household than allow her, his First Aunt, to do it. Was he trying to draw a clear line between them? No chance!

Wu Zhi was so furious that she nearly burst into curses, but she ultimately held it in. She merely stared at him coldly. "It seems you truly have grown up. The moment your father died, you began thinking yourself above everyone else. You no longer hold us in any regard, do you?"

"First Aunt, those are serious words. It is not that I do not hold you in regard. You are my First Uncle and First Aunt, so naturally, I hold you in my heart." An Ziran smiled.

Upon hearing the first half of his words, the couple nearly flew into a rage and denounced him as a junior who showed no respect for his elders. They had even considered simply making a public spectacle of the matter, letting everyone in Anyuan County see what an ungrateful wretch the An Family had raised. His parents had barely died, yet he already had no respect for his elders. But the latter half of his sentence completely choked them.

"I still need to go to the study. If there is nothing else, please make yourselves at home," An Ziran said.

An Changde suddenly gave a strange, mocking laugh. "First Uncle has a word of advice for you: do not be too ruthless in dealing with others, or one day you may fall into a ditch."

If he was heartless, then he could not blame An Changde for being unjust.

Since they were going to tear off all pretenses, An Changde had nothing to fear. Though the An Family was the largest landowning household in Anyuan County, that did not mean it could cover the sky with one hand in Anyuan County.

"Thank you for First Uncle's concern."

After saying that with a smile, An Ziran walked out of the hall, leaving An Changde and Wu Zhi with ugly expressions. Only after he had disappeared from sight did the two spit out several nasty curses before leaving in a huff.