Yang Dani seemed to have met that second cousin only once, the only impression being that Tian Yun had a sullen face throughout and didn’t say a word from beginning to end.
Speaking of Tian Geng, he really was spoiled by the Tian couple, especially by the elder Mrs. An, who was utterly indulgent towards her son, resulting in Tian Geng being even more of a fool than the worst of the privileged.
Luckily for Tian Geng, he had good looks and the Tian Family had some modest wealth, which allowed him to marry a beautiful wife. His wife bore him two sons after entering the family; the elder, Tian Jialiang, turned fourteen this year and had celebrated his birthday early in the year, over half a year older than Yang Ruxin, and the younger, Tian Jiadong, who just turned twelve.
The one who had left with his arm over Chengzi’s shoulder was the elder son, Tian Jialiang.
By all accounts, this should’ve been a perfect family, but the elder Mrs. An, true to being Yang Anshi’s sister, was equally adept at nagging her daughter-in-law. Combined with Tian Geng’s irresponsible behavior, it didn’t take many years for his once radiant and lovely wife to wither away and die of illness.
Over the years, Mrs. An of the Tian Family had been incessantly matchmaking for her son, yet she was unwilling to offer a substantial dowry. Coupled with their poor reputation in the vicinity, no new bride had come forth.
Originally, Tian Geng was nothing more than a hoodlum; Yang Ruxin need not have taken him too seriously. Even if he had harassed Xiaofeng, an opportunity to trap him in a sack and beat him up would have sufficed, but Yang Baihe’s dental incident raised her suspicion that Tian Geng was definitely not on the straight and narrow. Therefore, she had Qian Er and the others keep a close watch on the Tian Family.
She just hadn’t expected Chengzi to become buddies with Tian Jialiang.
Lost in her musings, someone entered the shop and made a beeline for Yang Ruxin, "Sister Ruxin," greeting her with an extraordinary show of respect.
"Things have been progressing well these past few days," Yang Ruxin said, looking up and signaling Qian Er to sit down.
Zhou Xiao took a glance at Qian Er, but said nothing, continuing to eat her wontons with her head down.
Qian Er, however, took a look at Zhou Xiao, whose sharp eyes made him wonder if this kid was also a master. It seemed that anyone around Sister Ruxin had to be skillful. He’d have to work hard too.
If Yang Ruxin knew what Qian Er was thinking, she probably would have died laughing.
"Sister Ruxin, I was planning to go to the village to see you tomorrow," Qian Er said, his eyes shining as he looked at Yang Ruxin. "Ever since you had us keep an eye on the Tian Family, we’ve been closely monitoring the movements of everyone in the family... Chengzi even took the opportunity to become sworn brothers with that Tian Jialiang... These past few days, he’s been preparing to introduce me and Liang Zi to his dad..." It was Chengzi who had just now caught a glimpse of someone in the shop who resembled the signal given by Sister Ruxin, "It’s just the right time to consult with you."
The three of them took turns staying at home to take care of Old Man Qian, with the other two teaming up to keep a close watch on the Tian Family. But since Chengzi was able to come and go from the Tian household freely, it was now just Qian Er and Liang Zi taking turns.
Yang Ruxin frowned, "What does Tian Geng need people for?"
"I don’t know yet," Qian Er shook his head. "But according to Chengzi, Tian Geng used to hang out under Boss Zhao’s wing, but for some reason, they had a falling out recently. He’s connected directly with some people in the county, needing reliable hands for something... We were planning to..."
"Boss Zhao? Is it Zhao Feihu?"
"Yeah." Qian Er nodded vigorously, "That’s him. He’s the big shot in our town, owns a brothel, and has more than a dozen toughs under him... It seems he has connections higher up..."