Su Changzhi shook his head repeatedly as he looked at his wife, who was in tears.

No, that's not how it is.

But he couldn't find the words to refute it.

Liao Fengmei is truly a qualified and good wife and a good mother.

She took excellent care of her husband, the home, and even the children. She was always so gentle, as if she had no temper at all.

But at that moment, her words felt like a knife stabbing into her.

Looking back over the years, Su Changzhi wondered what he had done for his family.

It seems not.

He saved most of the money he worked hard to earn, and his family ate and used the worst food and supplies. His efforts did not allow his children or wife to live a comfortable life.

And the child, he doesn't even know how he grew up, it's as if he didn't notice, in the blink of an eye they were born and grew up on their own.

He often goes for days without speaking a word to his family, because when he returns home, most of the children are already asleep, and when he leaves in the early morning, the children are still asleep.

Every time he came home, his wife would immediately serve him hot food and water, and seeing how tired he looked, she wouldn't dare to nag him too much.

He never took the children out for walks or play, and he never even had a chance to hold his children.

He harbored his own obsession; everything else seemed to have taken a backseat in his past...

This includes his wife who bore him children.

Su Changzhi recalled that once when he came back from work, the children surrounded him with joy, holding up their certificates of merit for him to see.

How did he do it?

Exhausted, he shouted, "What's all the noise about? Go back to your rooms... Those two are being unreasonable, and Si Gui, as their older brother, aren't you reasonable too?"

It seemed that in that instant, the children looked at him timidly, and the light in their eyes dimmed.

"Dad, it's my birthday tomorrow, can you come home early?"

"Dad, Acong said his dad is taking him to town to see the lanterns tomorrow. Can you take us too?"

"Dad, Mom is sick. Can you stay home for a day?"

"Dad, why are you always so busy...?"

How did he react to the child's pleading face?

"Birthdays come every year, but you ask Mom to cook you a bowl of noodles. Dad's never around..."

"Dad has to work, maybe next time."

"If this family stays at home, what will they eat?"

......

Scenes flashed through Su Changzhi's mind, making it hard for him to breathe.

He gave a bitter smile. It turned out that he was not only an unfit son, but also an unfit father and an unfit husband.

Faced with his wife's tear-filled eyes, he felt embarrassed and dared not meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry~"

“Over the years, I have neglected you. I am not a good husband, nor am I a good father.”

"You're right, I am a selfish person."

“But, Fengmei, you’ve said something wrong.”

"It's not that I don't have any attachment to this home; on the contrary, I love our home very much."

“I love my children very much, and I have never felt wronged by coming to the Liao family.”

"I am very grateful for your dedication and companionship over the years. You and the children have always been very important people in my heart."

Liao Fengmei didn't understand, "If you care about us, then why do you insist on going back?"

Su Changzhi was puzzled, "Going back and caring about you don't conflict, do they?"

“I am now a husband and a father, but I am also someone else’s child.”

"My mother, she has been waiting for me. She is getting old and can't wait much longer. If I don't go back, I may never see her again in my life!"

Liao Fengmei burst into tears, recalling the gossip she had heard over the years and how her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was young.

She was in terrible pain.

The scene of her and her mother being bullied is still vivid in her mind even after so many years.

Their village was poor and also a patriarchal society with a severe preference for sons over daughters.

In the village, almost every wife was beaten. Many families even relied on the woman to support them, while the men did not work and instead beat and verbally abused their wives and children.

Although Su Changzhi wasn't particularly considerate of his family, he had a good temper and worked incredibly hard.

He never laid a hand on Liao Fengmei or her children, and even Sixiang was envied by the girls her age in the village.

Some people who were resentful and jealous would remind Liao Fengmei from time to time.

"Fengmei, your man makes so much money, you'd better keep an eye on him. Don't end up like your mother, whose husband ran off with the money without her even knowing it. What would you do if you were left with an orphan and a widow?"

"Fengmei, I heard that your man was someone you and your mother picked up from outside? And that your mother forced him to marry into your family before she died, using the excuse of saving her life? You'd better be careful, lest you leave behind a bunch of kids and he goes back to his own family~"

"Fengmei~"

……..

Sixiang and Sijia, who were outside the door, listened to their mother's crying inside and looked at their brother with fear on their faces.

"Brother, is Dad leaving?"

"Aunt Cuifen said that Dad will return to his home one day."

"Aunt Dakou also told Guangzi that once our father's family finds him, he won't want us anymore..."

"The lady who came today, is she a member of Dad's family?"

"Is he leaving? Just like Hongyan's father, going to the city and never coming back, abandoning her and her mother?"

Nine-year-old Scarlett held her sister's hand tightly. "Sister, let's go in and tell Dad that we'll be good and that we can earn money in a few years. Please beg him not to leave."

“We can earn a lot of money to treat his illness, buy him medicine, and I can also massage his legs.”

Si Gui grabbed her younger sister's hand, "Don't go!"

He had heard a lot of the gossip in the village, and he understood his father's obsessions just as well as his mother's.

He rarely saw his father happy, from childhood to adulthood.

If that's what he's been pursuing his whole life... then what's wrong with letting him go?

"Don't be afraid, your brother has grown up now and can earn money. I can support you and Mom."

“We shouldn’t interfere in adult matters. If we are important, he will not abandon us. If we are not important, why should we become a burden to him? Over the years, it’s not just us and Mom who have suffered, he has also had a hard time…”

Sixiang and Sijia looked at their stubborn brother, and with blank expressions, they were led back to their room by his hand.

That night, Su Changzhi and Liao Fengmei talked all night long, releasing all the emotions that had been building up in their hearts for so many years.

It was only then that Su Changzhi realized how much his wife and children had endured on a daily basis.

"Fool, you're so old and still so stubborn. Who said I was going back alone?"

"I've never felt forced to be with you. If I were wronged, how could Sixiang and Sijia have come about later?"