Zhao Wenshan sneered, "Do you only have one son? There's plenty of grain and vegetables in the countryside. If you don't want to grow them yourselves, have your third brother and fourth sister bring them over. Your eldest and second uncles don't even need two hundred yuan a month, and they still live very comfortably. If you don't know how to manage, go ask your eldest and second aunts for advice."

Although he doesn't go back to his hometown often, he still goes back every few days. When he goes back, he chats with his three uncles and has a general understanding of the living standards in his hometown. Many elderly people in the village don't even spend 100 yuan a month. They basically just buy some daily necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and toilet paper. They don't have any other expenses and don't spend much money.

Moreover, most of the elderly people in the village live very frugally. For example, his three uncles rarely eat meat more than a few times a month. Usually, they slaughter a pig at the New Year, sell most of it, and keep a small portion for themselves to make cured meat, which can last them a year. Unlike his family, who eat meat at every meal, the villagers usually eat vegetables and tofu, and at most, they stir-fry an egg to improve their lives. Yet, no one in the village suffers from malnutrition. The children in the village are all stronger than his son, Xiao Jie, and they rarely go to the hospital.

Grandma Xiaojie was dumbfounded. She had never known what it meant to be thrifty and manage a household well in her entire life. She had just lived in a daze. Now that she was old, her second son wanted her to learn how to manage a household from her sister-in-law. How could she possibly learn that?

"Second son...you can't do this! I...I'm your mother!" Grandma Xiaojie was on the verge of tears.

Why did my second son suddenly turn his back on me and disown me?

Zhao Wenshan used to be so filial, always indulging her every whim and giving her whatever she wanted. He never skimped on money. Now, however, he only gives her six hundred yuan, leaving her destitute.

Zhao Wenshan's face was ashen. "If you weren't my mother, I wouldn't even give you six hundred yuan."

Grandpa Xiao Jie couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up angrily and shouted, "You think you're all grown up now? I worked so hard to send you to school and get your doctorate, and this is how you repay me and your mother? Don't you have any conscience?"

Ye Qingqing shook her head. Zhao Wenshan had finally come to his senses. If he had come to his senses sooner, Lin Baiwei wouldn't have had to divorce him.

Zhao Wenshan was also furious, and retorted with a stiff neck: "I have no conscience? All these years, my salary has been used to support your children. They live a life of luxury in their hometown, living in villas, doing no work, and waiting for me to pay them their salaries every month. I have long since repaid the favors I owed you when I was in school. Besides, did you really support my education?"

Grandpa Xiao Jie was stunned for a moment, his eyes flickered, and his voice rose even louder, "If it's not me, then who is it that I'm supporting?"

"My grandparents paid for my tuition before high school. Back then, we hadn't separated the family and we used the common account. You and Mom were lazy and loved to eat. You were more eager to eat than anyone else, but when you did work, you always had stomach aches, backaches, or leg pains. You slacked off for more than ten years and didn't contribute a single penny to the common account. You never supported me before high school."

Zhao Wenshan finally realized his mistake and started calculating the costs one by one. He decided he would no longer be the kind of blindly filial son Lin Baiwei had described, otherwise his career and life would be ruined sooner or later by his troublesome parents and his bloodsucking brothers.

"For three years of high school, I relied entirely on my eldest sister's dowry. I am truly grateful to my eldest sister. As for you, I didn't see you working hard during those three years. The fields were left to lie fallow. My tuition for the first year of university was raised by my three uncles. After that, I worked part-time, tutoring during winter and summer vacations and weekends to earn money. I basically didn't spend any of my family's money. So, what did you support me for?"

Zhao Wenshan laughed mockingly. The more he thought about it, the colder he felt. He had been so stupid before. No wonder Lin Baiwei wanted to divorce him. He had only himself to blame!