Chapter 158 Dying with Unresolved Feelings: If Line

“With this little money, how can we save any? We need to increase our salary to save any money,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"With your meager salary, you're still thinking about a raise?" The plump woman found it laughable. "You're just a lowly employee in the factory. You think you can get a raise?"

Sister Pang felt it would be difficult for Zhang Xiaohu to get a raise, as his job was easily replaceable. He wanted a raise, and so did everyone else. If he didn't get a raise, that wouldn't do.

“I asked you to learn something more technical, but you weren’t willing,” said the fat woman. “Now you’ve made such a mess of things… I don’t even know what to say to you, and I don’t want to say anything to you.”

"Mom, does my brother earn a high salary as a teacher?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

“He can support himself; he doesn’t need money from his family,” said the plump woman. “But you, you still need money from your family.”

“I’m working now, but you’re not paying me much.” Zhang Xiaohu was in a bad mood. He had originally thought that once he left school and started working, he would be able to earn a lot of money, at least enough to cover his expenses.

After Zhang Xiaohu started working, he discovered he wanted to buy far too many things, and his salary was simply not enough. Since he didn't have enough money, people suggested he take out a loan, but Zhang Xiaohu shook his head, knowing he couldn't touch high-interest loans. They might initially say the interest was low, but that didn't guarantee it would last; they might still charge exorbitant interest.

One good thing about Zhang Xiaohu is that he doesn't borrow money from loan sharks. He knows his own earning capacity and at most, he can only get some money from his parents and his brother.

"Mom, what do you think I need to do to make a lot of money?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

“Your Aunt Yani said that all the jobs that make money are written in the criminal law,” the fat woman said. “Making big money, making big money, where is it so easy to make big money? You don’t have any skills, and you still have to rely on physical labor. You’re not very smart, so it’s even harder to make money with your brain.”

"Mom, how can you talk to your son like that?" Zhang Xiaohu said.

"If you were more capable, I wouldn't be saying these things, but unfortunately you're not capable at all," the fat woman sighed.

Zhang Xiaohu's life was predictable from beginning to end.

Sister-in-law Pang was at her wits' end. She'd tried to persuade Zhang Xiaohu to study hard in his younger days, but he'd always refused. Now, all he did was complain about his low wages, but that was no use. Making big money was going to be difficult for them.

Days passed, and Lin Jiajia married Zhang Wen. The fat couple gave Zhang Wen some money, which Zhang Wen and Lin Jiajia used to buy a house or other things.

Even so, the Lin family still had their grievances, but they didn't say much about it in front of Fatty and her husband.

Lin's mother asked Lin Jiajia to manage the money in Zhang Wen's hands, so that Zhang Wen would stop subsidizing his parents. Subsidizing his parents was one thing, but subsidizing his younger brother? What kind of nonsense was that?

During dinner that evening, Lin Jiajia told Zhang Wen that Zhang Wen was getting married, and that Zhang Xiaohu would be getting married later.

"You're helping your brother so much now, will you still be helping him after he gets married?" Lin Jiajia asked.

"Did your mother say something again?" Zhang Wen knew that Lin's mother was not very satisfied with this matter.

“My mom did say that, but was she wrong?” Lin Jiajia said. “We’re planning to have a baby, and you’re always subsidizing your brother like this. Your brother can’t grow up at all.”

“My brother is just having some temporary difficulties,” Zhang Wen said.

"What difficulties are you facing?" Lin Jiajia said. "He has a job, he's not unemployed, he gets a salary. He lives at home, so he doesn't spend much money. Except for lunch at the factory, he can have breakfast and dinner at home. He doesn't have to worry about anything at home, he doesn't need to use his salary to solve household problems. He's taking money from you and your parents like this now, how long is he going to keep doing this? After he gets married, are you still going to indulge him like this?"

Lin Jiajia was furious just thinking about it. If Zhang Xiaohu had only taken money once or twice, that would be one thing, but he'd taken it more than once or twice. Lin Jiajia married Zhang Wen not to help Zhang Xiaohu; they had their own lives to live. Zhang Xiaohu was her younger brother, not her son.

“If I don’t tell you about this, you’ll say I’m holding a grudge. If I do tell you, you’ll say I’m petty,” Lin Jiajia said. “Think carefully: do you want to live with your brother or with me? If you choose to live with your brother, I’ll divorce you without hesitation.”

Lin Jiajia originally thought that Zhang Wen wouldn't help Zhang Xiaohu much after getting married, but she never expected that Zhang Wen would still help Zhang Xiaohu even after marriage. Lin Jiajia thought that their salaries weren't particularly high, and if they kept giving money to Zhang Xiaohu, he would get used to it, and wouldn't he keep asking them for money in the future?

"I……"

"Think it over carefully," Lin Jiajia said. "If you can make it work, great; if not, then forget it."

Lin Jiajia didn't want Zhang Wen and Zhang Xiaohu to break up, but that's just how things are. If Zhang Wen always helps Zhang Xiaohu, their family won't have an easy time. The young couple needs to think about their own family, not always about Zhang Xiaohu.

When Fatty Sister learned that Zhang Wen and Lin Jiajia had a fight, she sighed. She'd only heard about it from others, who all said Zhang Xiaohu had gone too far. It was one thing for Zhang Xiaohu to ask his parents for money, but why did he have to ask his brother for money too?

So when Zhang Xiaohu returned home, his sister-in-law said to him, "You should go to your older brother's place less often in the future, and don't ask him for money anymore."

He said he borrowed money, but how many times did Zhang Xiaohu actually pay it back?

It's no wonder Lin Jiajia was unhappy. Lin Jiajia wanted to live a good life, not always give money to others while not spending any of it herself.

"Did your older brother tell you this? Or did your sister-in-law tell you this?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

“You’re not a child anymore, don’t always act like this. Your older brother and sister-in-law have their own lives to live. You’re always asking your older brother for money, and he can’t make a living like this,” said the plump woman.

“My older brother and sister-in-law both have jobs, and their salaries are higher than mine. Their school has a cafeteria, and they have housing. They…”

“They deserve it,” the plump woman said. “You didn’t find them the jobs, so none of those things are yours. Do you still think you’re young? Can you still ask your brother for snacks and money like before? Your brother is already married. When you get married and have a wife, you’ll know that a small family has a lot of expenses. Don’t go looking for your older brother anymore.”

"How could this be?" Zhang Xiaohu said with dissatisfaction. "My brother married such a wife, she..."

“This isn’t your sister-in-law’s fault,” the fat woman said. “It’s your fault. You have no sense of propriety at all, and you still have the nerve to borrow money from your brother. You say you’re borrowing money, but how many times have you actually paid it back? Your sister-in-law isn’t blind; how could she not know how much money we have? Your brother is always like this; how will he raise his children in the future? And you, I’ve told you so many times to be frugal with your money, to be more frugal, but you just don’t know how to be frugal.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to save money, it’s just that I spent all that money at once. I didn’t even notice, and the money was gone,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Sometimes I don’t even know where the money went.”

“Then write it down,” said the plump woman.

“Writing it down won’t help. We’ll still have to spend money the same way later. There’s no way to avoid it. There’s just no other way. We still have to spend it,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I’m considered to spend relatively little money. Some of the people I work with spend much more. The money just flows out like water.”

“Don’t compare yourself to others. This is just our situation; we don’t have that much money,” said the plump woman. “I’m telling you, you just don’t understand. Other families have money, so they can spend more. We don’t have money, so we have to spend less.”

To have more money for household expenses, Fatty's sister-in-law even did chores for Fan Yani. Fan Yani was already quite good to Fatty's sister-in-law, letting her do chores so she could earn a little more money. Fan Yani could have easily had someone else do the work instead of Fatty's sister-in-law.

“Listen to your mother,” the plump woman said. “You can’t possibly let your older brother and sister-in-law get a divorce.”

"Let them get a divorce, what's wrong with them..."

"Zhang Xiaohu!" The fat woman's voice turned cold. "What do you mean they can just get a divorce? They're your older brother and sister-in-law. Do you think divorce is so easy? Does divorce sound nice? Why don't you understand? You're not a child anymore. You need to know what you're doing, understand?"

“Mom, it’s not that I don’t understand, it’s just… Big brother… Big brother and I are brothers.” Zhang Xiaohu said, “Alright, alright, I won’t borrow money from Big brother anymore, okay? I didn’t say I wouldn’t pay back the money I borrowed from Big brother, it’s just that I’m a little short on cash right now and don’t have that much money.”

"Spend less, and stop thinking about going out to play all the time," said the plump woman. "Is it reasonable for you to always be thinking about going out to play?"

"Mom, how am I supposed to find a boyfriend if I don't go out and have fun?" Zhang Xiaohu said.

"Find a partner?" Of course, Fatty Sister-in-law hoped that Zhang Xiaohu would find a partner soon, but there was no need to rush. Waiting a year or two was still fine. "If you want to find a partner, you have to save money. Don't just spend money."

"Saving money, saving money, Mom, all you ever talk about is saving money," Zhang Xiaohu said. "It's like I don't want to save money. I do want to save money, but my salary is too low, so I can't save much."

After Sister-in-law Pang said those things to Zhang Xiaohu, Zhang Xiaohu stopped constantly asking Zhang Wen for money. Zhang Xiaohu didn't want his older brother and sister-in-law to divorce; if they did, it would be embarrassing for him, and people would say he was being unreasonable.

In the capital city, after graduating from university, Song Zihang planned to start his own business; he wanted to create a research-oriented company. Song Zihang believed he could do many, many things, and didn't necessarily have to work in a research institute.

Song Zihang told Song Fenglan about this, because he was afraid his mother would be unhappy.

“If you want to start a business, then go for it,” Song Fenglan said. “Your family has the money to start a business. If you want some patents, I won’t charge you.”

“We still need to accept it. What if there are other investors in this company in the future?” Song Zihang said. “We need to give them shares. We can’t just take advantage of you, Mom, for nothing.”

“Okay.” Song Fenglan nodded. “Then that’s the draft contract.”

Song Fenglan's idea was to leave the contract there so that things could be clarified later. Song Zihang wasn't wrong either; after starting the business, the company wouldn't necessarily belong to Song Zihang alone.

Qin Yizhou was quite surprised when he learned that Song Zihang wanted to start his own business. Qin Yizhou had originally thought that Song Zihang would go to the research institute and work there.

"Didn't your mother object?" Qin Yizhou asked.

“No.” Song Zihang sat with Qin Yizhou in the coffee shop. “My mom has always respected me. She wasn’t disappointed, and she didn’t say she wouldn’t let me do it. She even offered to let me use the patent for free, but I said no. This company might have other shareholders in the future, so of course I can’t just use my mom’s things for free.”

“You’re right,” Qin Yizhou said. “Your mother is just very soft-hearted.”

"Yes," Song Zihang said, "I've chosen the company location. The equipment and medicine cost quite a bit of money."

"I have some money here," Qin Yizhou said.

“I don’t need your money,” Song Zihang said. “Over the years, Mom has given me a lot of money. She gave me all the dividends from my uncle’s company, and the shares are in my name. My mom said that I can spend that money however I want, and I can do whatever I want.”

"Your mom gives you a lot of money," Qin Yizhou remarked. On the contrary, he himself hadn't given Song Zihang nearly as much; he could give his son far too little.

"Dad, do you think you've given me too little?" Song Zihang asked.

"..." Qin Yizhou didn't say anything, but that was indeed the case.

“Actually, you don’t need to give too much,” Song Zihang said. “Mom said that there are all kinds of different people in this world. Not everyone is rich. It’s okay if you don’t have money. Even if you don’t have money, you can still play a role in other ways, such as providing emotional value.”

Song Zihang thought that if the Qin family hadn't had so many problems, his mother might still have been willing to give his father a chance. But as it turned out, the Qin family had too many troubles, one after another, and Qin's older brother even had an illegitimate child.

This struck Song Zihang as utterly absurd. Were those people just giving up? Didn't they ever think about living a decent life?

Anyway, Song Zihang didn't like the Qin family's way of doing things, and he still wanted to live a peaceful and stable life.

Song Zihang experienced a lot in his childhood. He was bullied and talked about his family background when he was very young. Later, he went abroad with his mother. Having gone through so much, Song Zihang didn't want to follow a conventional path. Running a company didn't mean he couldn't conduct research in related fields; he certainly could.

“Your mother knows a lot,” Qin Yizhou said.

“Of course,” Song Zihang said. “Mom has always been like this; she has never forced me to do anything.”

"That's good, that's good," Qin Yizhou said. "Since your mother has agreed to let you do those things, there's even less reason for me to object."

“Yes.” Song Zihang nodded. “Even if you object, I have to do it.”

"No objection, no objection," Qin Yizhou said. "Even your mother supports you."

Qin Yizhou thought he didn't know much about these things, and since Song Fenglan didn't object, he naturally couldn't object either.

Song Zihang respected Qin Yizhou, and his mother and the others all spoke highly of Qin Yizhou.

Qin's mother was seriously ill. Since Song Fenglan wasn't Qin's mother's daughter-in-law, she naturally couldn't visit her. Song Zihang, however, went to see her. Qin's mother was still there, criticizing Song Fenglan and demanding that Song Zihang change his surname.

“You are a member of the Qin family, you should bear the Qin surname,” Qin’s mother said. “Your mother is very cunning, she…”

“I am also my mother’s son, so I can take the surname Song,” Song Zihang said. “People from the Song family are far more outstanding than those from your Qin family.”

Song Zihang was speechless. Didn't Qin's mother have any idea what kind of people the Qin family were? Song Zihang would never change his surname in his entire life, absolutely not. Song Zihang would never change his surname just to make Qin's mother happier on her deathbed, nor would he pretend to agree.

“He’s right.” Qin Yizhou already knew what kind of person his own mother was. For her to say something like that at this time only made him more unhappy. “It’s good that Zihang’s surname is Song. Since his surname is Song, people won’t ask him about his cousins.”

Thinking about all the messy things that had happened to his elder brother's branch of the family, Qin Yizhou felt it was wonderful that his son was surnamed Song. Those messy affairs wouldn't involve Song Zihang, and no one would talk about the Qin family in front of Song Zihang.

Those things have nothing to do with Song Zihang; they are all Qin family matters.

"I'm already like this." Qin's mother was trying to force Song Zihang to agree.

"No matter what you do, the result will be the same," Qin Yizhou said, looking at Song Zihang. "You go back first, I'll take care of things here."

"Okay." Song Zihang nodded.

Qin's mother watched helplessly as Song Zihang left, and she was extremely unhappy. She wanted Song Zihang to stay, and to incite him to resent Song Fenglan. However, Song Fenglan completely ignored Qin's mother.

“He is your biological son.” Qin’s mother looked at Qin Yizhou. “He should take the surname Qin.”

“He is also Song Fenglan’s biological son,” Qin Yizhou said. “Song Fenglan is much more capable than me. At most, I can only be her guard. There are many other people who protect her. It has many advantages for Zihang to take her surname.”

Qin Yizhou was speaking the truth. Song Zihang would gain many benefits by following Song Fenglan, but by following Qin Yizhou, he would only encounter endless trouble. Qin Yizhou didn't want his son to get involved in those matters. He didn't care what the rest of the Qin family did, as long as Song Zihang stayed out of it.

As a father, he hasn't been able to help his son much, so he shouldn't cause him any trouble.

“Zihang owes us nothing,” Qin Yizhou said.

"You...you...you're willing to accept this?" Qin's mother asked.

"I'm willing, I'm willing," Qin Yizhou pointed out. "It's you who are not willing."

Whether Song Zihang's surname is Qin or Song is fine. Qin Yizhou has no problem with it; he can't possibly say that having his son's surname Qin is the best choice.

"..." Qin's mother was indeed unwilling, extremely unwilling.

Qin's mother couldn't understand why Song Fenglan had become so powerful. She had hoped Song Fenglan would lead a miserable life, but no, Song Fenglan lived a glamorous life, with so many people valuing her. Conversely, the Qin family wasn't doing so well; Qin Li'an was in jail, and Qin's eldest brother was fired and had to find another job.

"Yizhou, do you hate me?" Qin's mother asked.

"Hate?" Qin Yizhou looked at his mother with a complicated expression. "I have my own shortcomings too, why should I hate you?"

Qin Yizhou didn't want to resent these people; it was pointless. No matter who he resented, it wouldn't make a difference; Song Fenglan couldn't be with him anymore. Song Fenglan had more important things to do; she had no time for romantic entanglements. Qin Yizhou didn't want to appear narrow-minded; Song Fenglan was now working for the country.

"You..." Qin's mother didn't know what to say.

“We were all wrong,” Qin Yizhou said. “At this point, there’s no point in blaming anyone.”

"..." Qin's mother remained silent.

It wasn't that Qin's mother didn't want to say anything else, but what could she say? Qin Yizhou was clearly not on her side; whatever she said would be useless, only making Qin Yizhou hate her more. Qin's mother never imagined that this day would come; she suddenly felt as if her family had already fallen apart.

Brother Qin and his wife have fallen out and are on the verge of divorce. Brother Qin also has a mistress and an illegitimate child. Qin Yizhou is single and has not remarried. Qin Li'an committed a crime; he is now married, but he doesn't dare to say much and basically listens to his wife.

How did this house end up like this?

Yes, it's Tian Keshu!

Qin's mother quickly found a way to vent her anger: she wanted Tian Keshu to divorce Qin's older brother.

Even though Qin's mother was seriously ill, Tian Keshu still couldn't agree to a divorce. If they really divorced, wouldn't Qin's older brother be able to hand over all the things in the house to his mistress?

Although a written agreement was drawn up, that agreement can still be changed; it's not that it can't be changed. Under these circumstances, Tian Keshu is determined not to get a divorce, and these people shouldn't try to force her.

"If you're going to die, then hurry up and die."

“I can’t divorce your son. Don’t just think about your grandson outside, think about Li’an too.”

"If I divorce your eldest son, will Li'an still be able to get those things?"

...

Qin Li'an is still living in the big house because Tian Keshu and Qin's older brother are not divorced. If Tian Keshu and Qin's older brother were to divorce, Qin Li'an and his wife would likely be kicked out.

Tian Keshu wouldn't agree to divorce Qin's older brother just so Qin's mother could die in peace. Was Qin's mother already thinking about her grandson again? It's truly despicable. Tian Keshu believes her son's current state is entirely Qin's mother's fault. Yet, even on her deathbed, Qin's mother is trying to dig a pit for herself and her son, and she's determined not to fall into it.

“If you really want to talk about it, then make sure your eldest son never divorces me for the rest of his life, so you can protect Li’an,” Tian Keshu said. “Li’an grew up in your care; he’s your own grandson. You can’t not think about Li’an.”

Brother Qin hoped that Tian Keshu would listen to his mother and divorce him, but Tian Keshu simply refused. Brother Qin was at a loss with Tian Keshu; no matter how much he pressured her, it was useless.

In the end, Qin's mother died with her eyes wide open in resentment. No matter what she said, no one would agree with her, and she failed to achieve her goal. Qin's mother was filled with hatred; why couldn't these people listen to her?

Song Fenglan did not attend Qin's mother's funeral; Song Zihang did. Regardless of whether Qin's family was arguing or what Qin's mother's relatives were saying, Song Zihang remained silent, waiting for the appointed time to file for divorce.

"Zihang, can't you change your surname? Your grandmother wanted you to change your surname before she died." Qin's mother's relative grabbed Song Zihang, who was about to leave. "Your grandmother really meant well for you. Don't listen to your mother's nonsense, your mother..."