Chapter 26 The Ungrateful Childhood Sweetheart

Everything good belongs to Jiang Shengyao; these worthless girls can only follow behind him and pick up what he doesn't want.

Sons are the apple of one's eye, daughters are a waste of money, they're just there to do chores.

Thinking about all this, Jiang Ermei glared at them resentfully.

From the look in her eyes, Jiang's father knew that she hated them.

He slapped her across the face: "You hate us? We're your parents, and you still hate us?"

"Do we lack you food or clothing? Look at yourself now! Have you become like your older sister? Did you get wild after coming out for a while?"

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you out."

Upon hearing the sound of slapping, Ji Huaizhi looked over.

Jiang Ermei clenched her fists tightly.

The police officers from the local station were all beheaded: "What are you doing? What do you think this place is for?"

"If you want to call, go outside and call!"

"If you still can't understand human language, you'll be sorry!"

Jiang's mother tugged at Jiang's father's arm.

He grabbed Jiang Ermei's arm and shook it hard: "See? You made your dad angry, didn't you?"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

Jiang Ermei turned her head and bit her lip, not saying a word.

When Ji Huaizhi and the police arrived, both the Ji family and the Jiang family came forward.

"I've already looked into the matter. The two sides are giving conflicting accounts, but let me say a few words first." The police officers called them all into the meeting room.

Otherwise, it would look like a mess if we all gathered here.

The main concern is that they might start arguing again.

"He got into university on his own, without asking you for a single penny. You can't make him drop out unless it's either him or the school," the police officer said to the Ji family, pointing at Ji Huaizhi.

"Why not?" Ji Xianglong slammed his hand on the table.

The police officer pointed directly at him and said, "Try taking another picture of me?"

“If it weren’t for the fact that you’re from out of town and don’t know anything, I would have already hit you with my baton.”

Ji's mother quickly pulled him back, saying, "I'm sorry, comrade, we'll keep an eye on him and prevent him from causing trouble."

The police officer, his face dark, continued, "To put it bluntly, these are all domestic disputes. He's so young, and he came all this way from the village. Why are you making such a fuss? Aren't you just hurting him?"

"Logically, this is a matter of bringing honor to the family and ancestors. Isn't he your biological son?"

Mother Ji waved her hand: "No, no, no, he is my own son, he is my own son."

Father Ji: "Uncle Policeman, you don't know, after he got out, he never contacted the family again, as if this family never existed."

“They make money outside and live a good life on their own. How do you think we parents feel?”

"He even got into a fight with his older brother. What kind of behavior is that?"

The police officer then looked at Ji Huaizhi: "They are still your parents, and it's wrong of you not to contact them after being away for so long."

"We're family, not enemies. Now that we've made up, please keep in touch with your family more often."

"Nothing serious, go back."

The police officers always try to smooth things over in these situations.

"No, that's it?" Ji Xianglong didn't believe it.

"What else do you want to do?" The police officer looked at him and said, "I know you too well. Your younger brother is successful, but you feel ashamed and think you are inferior to him, so you want him to drop out of school and go back to farm with you."

Ji Xianglong's face turned red and white from being talked about.

He didn't want to admit it.

But I just can't stand it.

"You two old folks, shouldn't you be happy that your child has made something of himself? What kind of behavior is it to make a scene with your eldest son!"

"That's enough," the police officer waved his hand.

"Wait a minute, officer, where's our daughter?" Jiang's parents stood up. "He took our daughter away."

"Didn't your daughter come back?" the police officer asked, pointing to the little girl beside him.

“No, it’s our boss,” Jiang’s mother quickly said.

The police officer frowned and looked at Ji Huaizhi: "Is that really true?"

“We were both adults when we left. I brought her to the city to find a job. She won’t go back, and she doesn’t want to see them.”

Ji Huaizhi's words infuriated the Jiang family, and the police shouted at them twice, "Sit down!"

"Then that's where you're wrong."

“What’s wrong with that? It was consensual, a free love relationship.” Ji Huaizhi said calmly, “You’ve seen it yourself, my girlfriend and I both came from messy homes, and we’ve been relying on each other since we got out.”

"My parents are biased, and her parents favor boys over girls. Now we're working and studying at the same time. Don't you think we're a perfect match?"

The police officers didn't know what to say; it was indeed the case.

These two are pitiful little kids who rebel against their families of origin.

"Bring your partner along."

"No." Ji Huaizhi refused without even thinking.

Before the police officer could get angry, he continued, "You saw it too, her parents hit her. Her face has been swollen ever since Jiang Ermei came in, and it will only get worse when she comes in."

“I will also send her back to her hometown; I won’t let her come.”

The police officer said impatiently, "These are her biological parents. No matter what, they gave her a life and raised her."

"This is unfilial."

“I won’t abandon them when they get old, but we won’t go back now.” Ji Huaizhi refused: “There are plenty of unfilial people in our village, and no one arrests them.”

The police officer pointed at him; this guy was stubborn too.

There are countless reasons for this.

"Call your girlfriend now, I want to hear if she doesn't want to go back."

After getting the phone, go outside to make the call.

The Chiang family was furious: "You're saying she doesn't want to see us?"

"You've corrupted her! She used to be so obedient at home, doing everything for her. Look what you've done to her!" Mr. Jiang slammed his fist on the table in anger.

“We won’t leave until we see her. You took my daughter away, so your Ji family must pay a bride price and return all the money she spent raising you over the years. Money a woman earns before marriage belongs to her maternal family.”

"Furthermore, you must go back and get married immediately!"

Jiang's father gritted his teeth: "This is utterly shameful! What's the difference between this and eloping?"

Ji Xianglong stood up: "What dowry? Why should a country bumpkin like her ask our family for a dowry?"

"Can we please not mention the Ji family?"

"Isn't Ji Huaizhi a member of your family?" Jiang's mother roared.

“All the things in the Ji family belong to me, the eldest son. You can ask him for them. Isn’t he making money?”

“I will ask him for it, but your family has to pay the bride price.”

The group started arguing in the meeting room.

Ji Huaizhi suddenly looked outside, got up, and went out.

But when I went out, I saw Xiaomei standing at the door talking to the police.

The man saw Ji Huaizhi come out and said, "I haven't even called yet, and you've already come straight here. What's wrong with you coming?"

"Why are you here?" Ji Huaizhi frowned.

"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known you were at the police station." Jiang Xiaomei was extremely anxious: "Did they call the police?"

She was just about to go back, but then she suddenly felt something was wrong. Where was he going to run errands that Ermei could take him there?

The police station was near the school. They noticed he was heading in that direction and took a few steps in that direction, which made them realize that they must have called the police.

Fearing something might have happened to Ji Huaizhi, I couldn't help but come and check.

After asking them a couple of questions, the police gave them a few more words of advice, telling them that even if they didn't go home, they should still let their families know they were safe. They said that if they had contacted them earlier, the police wouldn't have come all this way to find them.

It all boils down to the same few sentences.

Anyway, the parents are at fault, but you kids are wrong too.

“There was no abduction. I went with him voluntarily, and we were already adults when we came out,” Jiang Xiaomei said directly.

The others looked at her strangely, and the person who asked the question also spoke sarcastically, saying she lacked self-respect and self-love.

She ran off with someone at such a young age.

Ji Huaizhi looked at him: "I'll say it again, we fell in love on our own. If I don't take her away, what do you think awaits her in our small town?"

“Uncle, you’re just talking without understanding the situation. Did I break the law?” Jiang Xiaomei straightened her back and retorted.

"You haven't broken the law." But if it were his daughter, he would definitely break her legs.

It's always shameful to talk about running away with a man, no matter when you do it.

“Yes, we haven’t broken the law, so it’s none of anyone else’s business. My partner wasn’t abducted either. It’s those people who made a false police report.”

After saying that, she tried to pull Ji Huaizhi away.

"You've come all this way, why don't you see your parents?" the police officer asked, puzzled.

In his eyes, his parents were wrong, but the young people were even more wrong.

"I won't go. I'm afraid they'll see me and take me back to exchange for the bride price!" Jiang Xiaomei's demeanor was somewhat like Ji Huaizhi's.

"Otherwise, why do you think I ran away? How could you possibly understand my situation?"

“You all think I’m a disobedient bad girl. If I’m a bad girl, of course I wouldn’t want to meet my parents.”

As Ji Huaizhi left, he made a farewell gesture: "Since we haven't broken the law, we'll be going now, officer."

"I'm not a very filial son, so I'll trouble you to take them to the train station."

"After all, it's about serving the people."

"Huh?" The police officer didn't expect the two to run away without following the expected pattern.

They even asked him to take them to the train station: "This young man is really not afraid of people."

"Captain, send them away, they're so noisy." Others complained. They'd been told countless times not to be loud, and they'd shut up for a second, but then they started again.

"Okay, okay." The man scratched his head. "Kids these days are really something."

"They're not afraid of people or trouble; if you say two words, ten will come to your defense."

"People these days mature very early. I think that young couple was pretty good; at least they can support themselves and even found a job for their girlfriend." The speaker was another person reading the transcript.

“There are all kinds of people in this society, and parents aren’t always right.” He pointed to the people inside who had started arguing again: “Look, here we go again.”

"Isn't it our rule to give everyone equal punishment?"

The police officer muttered this as he walked inside: "Still making noise?"

What's all the noise about?

"We've told you so many times, all you do is argue. Don't you ever think about your own reasons? Do you really think we wouldn't dare arrest you?"

Ji Xianglong retorted, "We haven't broken any laws, so why are you arresting us?"

"You made a false police report, how can that not be illegal?"

Ji's mother quickly pulled her son back, saying, "Stop arguing, stop arguing, let's stop arguing."

Jiang's mother waved her hand and said, "We're not arguing anymore. Has our eldest son arrived yet?"

"They're gone."

Jiang's mother: "What?"

Mr. Jiang stared wide-eyed: "She dares!"

"And what about our second child?" Mrs. Ji asked as well.

"They've left too." The police officer was really at his wit's end.

"How can we let them leave?" Mr. and Mrs. Ji raised their voices again.

“Why not? What do you mean by trafficking women? Your daughter came here voluntarily.” The police officer pointed at Mr. and Mrs. Jiang: “Your daughter was already an adult when she left.”

"And you all too."

Mr. and Mrs. Ji stared wide-eyed: "We just want him to come back during his holidays, but he doesn't acknowledge us as his parents."

"This is your family matter, we have no say in it." The man waved his hand: "To put it bluntly, you don't even know what you're going to sue your son for."

"Why would you need to support yourselves in old age when you're so young?"

Jiang's mother stepped forward: "What about us? We made her drop out of school and did some chores at home, but she ran away. What are we supposed to do?"

"What will other people think of us? That we couldn't raise our daughter well and she ran off with a man?"

"That's your family matter. She did it voluntarily, and it's none of our business."

The police officer almost cried himself hoarse: "Besides, if you treated your daughter better, why would she run off with a man?"

"Give her a bite to eat and you don't even kill her, what more do you want?" Jiang's father roared.

The police officer didn't want to talk anymore.

Just kick them all out.

"Go back, you should all go back."

"I can't explain it to you."

"To be honest, with parents like you, it's no wonder these two kids ran away so fast and managed to take good care of themselves outside."

Jiang's mother beat and scolded Jiang Ermei, saying, "If you follow your sister's example, I'll beat you to death!"

Jiang Ermei screamed as she was beaten.

The police officer gritted his teeth and said, "You dare to lay a hand on her in the police station? Lock her up for two days."

Jiang's mother quickly stopped, saying, "I won't hit you anymore, I won't hit you anymore."

"Stop making a scene. You're only pushing the children further away. Maybe they'll grow up and come back in a few years. The more you do this, the less likely they are to go back. Kids these days are very shrewd."

"Your family favors sons over daughters, and you're biased."

"They must be resentful right now."

Ji Xianglong was surprised that these people were so irresponsible: "Are we just going to leave like this?"

"What else can we do?" Father Ji knew better than to come: "We can't do anything about them."

Jiang's mother also said to Ji's mother, "Now that she can earn money, she gives it all to your Ji Erwa. You still expect her to send money back? It's like your daughter is being raised by someone else."

The group sighed and lowered their heads. Mr. Jiang was also very agitated: "This trip was a complete waste, and we've suffered a lot."

“You even saw your unfilial son? We didn’t even get to see our daughter’s face.”

Jiang Ermei lowered her head and pursed her lips.

She remembered her eldest sister's appearance, and she knew she had to leave home.

If the older sister can run, she wants to run too.

The group realized they couldn't get anything out of Ji Huaizhi, so they had no choice but to slink back.

But Ji Xianglong was truly unwilling to accept it.

I'm so unwilling to accept this.

Thinking of Ji Huaizhi's appearance, I really hate him to the core.

His university acceptance letter should have been burned back then, so he wouldn't have the chance to go to university.

No one expected that a village girl named Jiang Xiaomei would support his education.