Jiang Ruyi was stunned for a moment: "So your son is only worth a job? That's ridiculous."

"Hmph, insatiable greed. I'd like to see how far you two can go." Gu Wei intended to let his second son go out and live alone with Jiang Ruyi, to show him what it meant for poor couples to suffer a hundred misfortunes. Without his father's care, what kind of happy life could they possibly have?

Jiang Ruyi gritted her teeth. This old fox was really so ruthless and stingy.

"Hmph, then let's see how it goes, you'll regret it." She glanced at Lin Hong again: "Your son and I are both willing to give and receive, he's only falling for my tricks because of you."

Jiang Ruyi left with a wild laugh, leaving behind an enraged Lin Hong and Gu Wei, who was pondering how his neglect of his youngest son had led to his current state.

When Jiang Ruyi arrived at the entrance of the military region, Gu Changzheng had just arrived. Seeing Jiang Ruyi, who had obviously lost weight, Gu Changzheng was filled with mixed emotions.

"You're back. Let's go. I rented a place. It's not as big as this one, but it'll be enough for us."

Jiang Ruyi finally let her tears fall after holding them back for so long: "Are you stupid? You asked your dad for this job, what will you do in the future? Is it worth it for someone like me?"

Looking at Jiang Ruyi's tears, Gu Changzheng felt a pang of emotion. This time, her tears were genuine, for her own sake. There was no ulterior motive, so his efforts hadn't been in vain.

"Let's go, why are we saying all this? Let's go back, look at you, you even smell." Gu Changzheng deliberately said this to provoke Jiang Ruyi.

Jiang Ruyi glared at him: "Where is our son?"

Gu Changzheng paused for a moment before saying, "Dad is taking care of him. Our personalities aren't suited for raising children. Let's not spoil a good child."

Jiang Ruyi was once again silenced by him: "That's my son, how could I not raise him well?"

"Let's go. You can rest assured that he's with Dad. It's better for him than with the two of us."

Surprisingly, the couple became of one mind at this moment, and their words and actions became less calculating.

On the way, Gu Changzheng said to Jiang Ruyi, "I don't know what kind of conflict you have with your family, but you have to think about your child. If you do something illegal, we don't care, but it will affect your child's future prospects."

Jiang Ruyi clenched her fists and her voice turned cold: "What impact? If I have to worry about these things when I do something, what's the point of living?"

Gu Changzheng said, "If you want your child to join the army or work in a government unit in the future, neither you, as the mother, nor I, as the father, can have any bad deeds on our records. Once a criminal record is left in the file, the child will not pass the political review in the future. Think about it yourself."

Jiang Ruyi didn't understand these things, and hearing this made her even more upset.

"So, am I just destined to live such a miserable life?"

Gu Changzheng's ambition vanished when he asked his father for that job, and now he just wants to live a peaceful life: "You just feel that your parents and your family look down on you, so just wait and see. In ten or twenty years, you'll see whether they are more capable or our son is more successful. I'm not saying this to be rude, but with your father personally guiding him, Shao Ming's future is bound to be bright."

Jiang Ruyi's thoughts were hit by Gu Changzheng's words. She knew that if they relied on themselves, they would definitely not be as good as Jiang Ruyu and the others. Moreover, they had been kicked out of the military compound. Although her father-in-law had given her a job as a ticket seller, the job paid little and offered little prospect.

After much thought, it seems the only way is to wait for her son to grow up, make her proud, and allow her to use him to suppress those who look down on Jiang Ruyu.

Gu Changzheng persuaded Jiang Ruyi to temporarily abandon her desire for revenge.

Back in the tenement, right after the New Year, Jiang Lin received an urgent telegram from the army, ordering him to return to his unit immediately.

Jiang Ruyu had a premonition in her heart, and had prepared a lot of food during this period, some for Jiang Lin and some for Jiang Hui.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Lin boarded the train with a bundle of meat sauce, pickled vegetables, clothes, socks, and shoes prepared by his sister and grandmother.

The fifteenth of the month had just passed, and it was time for Jiang Hui to go back. This trip back had taken quite a long time.

Jiang Ruyu also prepared a bar of soap and a bottle of Ya Shuang for Han Ling: "They're not anything expensive, just gifts because I consider her a friend."

Jiang Hui put it away: "Looks like I need to step up my efforts to win her back. Look how anxious you are, sis."

"You brat, who am I doing this for? Let me tell you, good girls are rare. Be careful someone beats you to it." Jiang Ruyu patted her younger brother.

"I understand, sister. Don't worry, I'll try my best to bring her back to visit us during the Chinese New Year."

Jiang Ruyu laughed: "That would be great." Then, thinking of Han Ling's family situation, she couldn't help but tell Jiang Hui: "Tell her more about her father's situation, and it would be a good idea for you to send him some things."

"I understand, sis. Don't worry about me. I don't even know if I'll have a little nephew to hold when I come back for Chinese New Year."

Zheng Yang patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder with a smile: "There definitely will be. Just wait and see how you pay with a red envelope."

After Jiang Hui left, the once lively house suddenly became quiet again. In order not to make her grandmother too sad, Jiang Ruyu asked Li Xiuying, who lived in the west, to go and chat with her grandmother every day.

Jiang Ruyi's incident was a huge blow to Jiang Jianguo. He went to bed after returning home that day and was sick for a week before recovering. After recovering, he felt that his health was not as good as before.

Wang Shuhua hasn't had a good time either. She deserves all the credit for Jiang Ruyi's current situation. This past year, she's been taking care of Jiang Jun's child, rarely going out, and not talking to anyone. The resentment she's harbored for decades seems to have slowly faded away.

However, Jiang Ruyi's actions filled her with remorse and anger. She felt guilty for her narrow-mindedness, which had led a child astray and almost caused her to make a grave mistake.

She herself had already suffered losses; her eldest son Jiang Kai's family only showed her superficial kindness, and he wouldn't come back unless the family called him.

Jiang Jun's feelings towards his mother were quite complicated. On the contrary, only his daughter-in-law, Kong Xuefang, had never suffered any mistreatment or humiliation at her hands. In fact, she had taken his job and showed him some respect and filial piety.

Ever since her husband told her that he had signed an agreement to sever ties with their youngest daughter, Wang Shuhua looked like she had aged ten years. Her hair, which used to have only a few strands of white hair, was now half white.

Jiang Jianguo also harbored resentment towards her: "Now you know you regret it, but it's too late. You'll spend the next few decades in regret."

Isn't he the same?

In March, as spring warmed and flowers bloomed, forsythia with yellow blossoms climbed up the walls of the courtyard. I don't know who planted them, but they were quite beautiful.

Jiang Ruyu has been working at the department store for five years. Some time ago, the warehouse was short of a team leader to manage the inbound and outbound accounts. Manager Wang organized an internal exam to select someone from among them who was both qualified and educated, and who could also do accounting.