Chapter 172 No Freedom at All

Upon arriving at the educated youth settlement, Jiang Shang led his parents to his resting place. Jiang's mother looked around and expressed some dissatisfaction, but the place was big enough and acceptable.

Only when they were truly left alone did Jiang's mother finally look at Qin Jiajia.

She's good-looking, with a pretty face and a good temperament.

The anger that had been rising within her gradually subsided. She found a stool, sat down, and lifted her eyelids slightly: "Her name is Qin Jiajia, right?"

"Hello, Auntie." Qin Jiajia pursed her lips.

"Well, tell me, where are you from, who are your siblings, and what do your parents do?"

"Mom!" Jiang Shang said.

"Shut up, this is no place for you to speak."

Jiang Shang wanted to say something, but his mother glared at him, so he could only shut up and look at Qin Jiajia with a comforting expression.

Qin Jiajia took a deep breath and briefly introduced her family background. She was the eldest daughter in her family, with seven siblings. Both her parents were workers in the city, making it a dual-income family.

After listening to Qin Jiajia's introduction, Jiang's mother looked up at her son and asked, "Do you think this kind of family is good enough for you?"

"Mom, liking someone doesn't depend on their family background."

"I had no idea my son was such a romantic," Jiang's mother scoffed.

"mom!"

"Alright, I'll say it again: I don't agree to your proposal."

"You have to agree whether you like it or not."

Are you arguing with me?

"Mom, although I am your son, I am in charge of my own life. I love Qin Jiajia and want to spend my life with her. So, no matter how much you disagree, I have promised that we will support each other and spend our lives together."

Jiang Shang looked at the person beside him with deep affection. Qin Jiajia was also moved by Jiang Shang's affection, and a gentle smile appeared on her usually cold face: "Yes, we won't separate."

Jiang's mother almost laughed in anger. Looking at the two affectionate people, one was the son she had raised, and the other was a clueless female educated youth: "Fine, if you two don't want to separate, then you don't have to separate. But from today onwards, Jiang Shang, you will never get a single penny from me again. From now on, you will be in charge of your own life, and don't even think about what your father and I have!"

"Mom, don't worry, it's your business how you and Dad deal with your things."

"Good, good, good, he's really my good son." Jiang's mother was almost furious, while Jiang Yan shrank into a corner, looking at Jiang Shang with admiration. She had never realized that Brother Jiang Shang could have such a courageous side. Amazing!

However, Jiang Yan was not optimistic about the future if her family really cut off her source of income.

But this is not the time for her to speak.

"Old Jiang, it seems we came at the right time today. Our son rejected us right in front of you. Since that's the case, let's not make him an enemy. Let's hurry home so our son won't be unhappy and call us snobs."

"Mom, that's not what I meant."

"I can't understand what you mean. Since you don't care about my and your father's things, we won't stay and bother you. Old Jiang, let's go."

Jiang's father stood up; he was actually disappointed in his son.

"Mom and Dad, it's so late..."

"It's not too late, you can still make it to town."

"Mom and Dad..." Jiang Shang said helplessly.

"If you want us to stay, then you have to break up with this Qin Jiajia!"

"impossible!"

"Alright, if we can't reach an agreement, we'll stick to what we agreed on before." With that, he pulled Jiang's father away.

"Mom and Dad, can you please stop pressuring me!"

"Force you? What did we force you to do? We raised you with good food and drink from a young age, and now that you're grown up, you've flown away and become a heartbreaker, abandoning your parents. Is that what we call forcing you?"

"What else is this but coercion!" Jiang Shang exploded, "From childhood, you've demanded that I do this and that. Even Zhu Zhu was someone you wanted me to marry, without ever asking if I liked her. Fine, I agreed. Even when I went to the countryside, I took my younger brother's place. I could have a job, but I'm the eldest son, so I should give way. I've agreed to everything you've ever done since I was little, and you think I'm unfilial just because I didn't agree this one time? Mom and Dad, have you ever really loved me? Am I really your son? Why have you controlled my life since I was little, wanting me to be like a puppet with no freedom, not even the freedom to like what I want!"

After yelling all that, Jiang Shang stared at his mother, his emotions running high, wanting an answer. His mother's lips moved, but in the end, she just sneered: "Yes, we controlled you. My mother didn't give you freedom. Now look what's happened, we're going to give you freedom. You're free now, so why are you still stopping us!"

"mom!"

Jiang's mother ignored him and walked past Jiang Shang with a cold face.

Jiang Shang grabbed his mother's hand: "Why are you still forcing me!"

"I forced you? No, it's you who can't live without me." Jiang's mother pulled Jiang Shang's hand off her arm and left without looking back.

Jiang Shang knelt on the ground, Qin Jiajia stayed by his side, and Jiang Yan looked left and right and quickly slipped away.

However, she didn't dare to look for Jiang's parents, but instead went to the arm to find Sister Zhu Zhu.

"Sister Zhu Zhu, you're here."

"Hmm." Zhu Zhu calmly folded the clothes.

"You heard what your uncle and aunt said just now, right?" They must have heard it since we were so close.

Zhu Zhu looked up at her: "What do you want to say?"

"I think Jiang Shang and Qin Jiajia are impossible. Um, Sister Zhu Zhu, are you really done with it? Do you want to try again?"

Zhu Zhu put down the clothes in her hand: "Jiang Yan, why do you always try to match me up with Jiang Shang? If it's impossible, it's impossible. I won't lower myself."

Jiang Yan scratched her head sheepishly: "I just feel it's a pity. You two have had such a long-standing relationship. Even if there's no romantic love, there's still familial affection. It's Jiang Shang's bad luck to break it off like this. Right now, Jiang Shang is still angry, so his feelings are just so-so. After a while, once he really breaks up with Qin Jiajia, you two can still be together."

"So, this is what the Jiang family thinks, while I am surnamed Zhu."

"No, Sister Zhu, that's not what I meant."

"Whatever your meaning, Jiang Yan, I told you long ago, stop associating me with Comrade Jiang Shang. Since you always pretend not to hear me, I think we can stop being friends."

"Sister Zhu Zhu..."

"Okay, please go ahead."

"Sister Zhu Zhu".

"Or do you want me to invite you in person?"

Jiang Yan quickly got up and left. It was the first time she had been so rudely driven away. Jiang Yan felt so wronged that she was about to burst out, and of course, there was also a hint of anger that she herself did not notice.

After shooing Jiang Yan away, Zhu Zhu sighed and continued folding clothes.

Since it's over, why drag her into someone else's emotional mess? In the end, she'll only get hurt.

While others have passionate and exciting relationships, she'll just be the pitiful one, or even less than that. She might even be a stumbling block on someone else's path to love. People would applaud if she were thrown away or destroyed, so why bother?

She just wants to be herself and doesn't ask for anything extra; she only hopes for a peaceful life and good health.

(End of this chapter)