Chapter 188: He didn't come when it was time to water and fertilize, but now he wants to pick the fruit?
The cub's cries successfully drew the attention of the two brothers.
Jiang Yan stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at Zhi Zhi.
But Zhizhi ignored him completely and ran straight to Jiang Anchao's side, trying her best to pull her father up with her little hands.
"Dad, get up! I won't allow anyone to bully you!"
As it spoke, the little cub clenched its fist and slammed it at Jiang Yan, shouting, "You bad guy, you're a big bad guy, get away! Get away from me!"
Her soft, sweet voice held a lump in her throat; only a child wouldn't understand the difference between a biological father and a stepfather.
All she knew was that in her heart, Jiang Anchao was the father she had personally chosen.
“I am your biological father, Zhizhi… …Have you forgotten? I showed you a picture of your mother. You… …Didn’t you see that he was the one who attacked me first?”
Jiang Yan released Jiang Anchao, his expression full of hurt.
He was so busy with work that he showed almost no emotional fluctuations, as cold and indifferent as a large, sophisticated instrument.
But now he felt as if his heart was being pierced by a needle with every beat, the sharp, piercing pain making it almost impossible for him to maintain his composure.
Zhizhi spat at him hard, her big, dark eyes filled with anger.
She stood in front of Jiang Anchao, her arms outstretched as if protecting her own.
"Go to hell with your biological father! I only have one dad, and his name is Jiang Anchao! Oh wait, no!"
Zhizhi remembered that they had just said that Jiang Yan's name was fake, and that he was the real Jiang Anchao.
The little cub's rosy eyes shone with an unprecedented determination. She grasped her father's broad, strong hand and solemnly declared, word by word, "My father is a true man. No matter what he's called, he's Zhizhi's father. Today he's called Jiang Anchao, so Jiang Anchao is my father. If tomorrow he returns to his original identity and changes his name to Jiang Yan, then my father will be Jiang Yan. And you... no matter if you have the same name as your father or use a different name, I will never acknowledge you as my father!"
The cub's voice was childish, but that's how the world of children is—right and wrong are exceptionally clear.
She stared intently at Jiang Yan, afraid he wouldn't understand, and added, "I can tell you clearly and plainly that even if we are related by blood, you are nothing but a stranger to me! I don't acknowledge you!"
Jiang Yan clenched his fists, closed his eyes tightly, and took a deep breath. "Why? Even though you already know I'm your biological father, why do you still say such things? Zhizhi, don't be so cruel to me."
When Zhizhi heard his words, the sarcasm on her face almost overflowed.
"Cruel? Don't mistake selfishness for a virtue! Why should I acknowledge you?"
"Where were you when my mother had a difficult childbirth? Where were you during the years I suffered in Sangjiapo?"
“It was my stepmother who stayed with me. Even though life was hard in Sangjiapo, she still protected me and let me grow up safely. The first time I called her ‘Mom’ was when I was little. But I will recognize Enning as my biological mother because I know that Enning loves me. Otherwise, she would not have risked her life to bring me into this world. But what about you?”
As the little cub choked out her words, tears involuntarily streamed down her face. She reached out to wipe them away, forcing back the dull ache in her heart, and spoke again:
"Deng Qiu's mother could have easily divorced and returned to her parents' home in Suzhou. She was an educated youth and had a respectable and stable job. As long as she didn't have a child to take with her, her life would have been much better. But she didn't. She would rather have nothing and suffer a great loss than not take Zhizhi with her. A stepmother, a stepmother with no blood relation, could do this for Zhizhi!"
"Where were you back then? Hmm? Do you know that when Sang Lao Er was venting his anger on me, it was always my stepmother who stopped him? Do you know how much An Chao's father helped when they got divorced? When my mother and I were kicked out and had nowhere to live, An Chao's father gave up his bedroom to live in. When the three of us only had two eggs, my mother would put the whole egg in my bowl, and my father would give the egg to my mother. I will never forget that bowl of steaming noodles."
Zhizhi's vision gradually blurred with tears. She reached out her sleeve and wiped her eyes again and again, trying her best to put on a big smile.
"Dad's salary isn't high, and he hands it all over to the family. Mom is very busy with work, doing laundry, cooking, and raising our child to be healthy and chubby. I have the best parents in the world, and I don't need anyone to love me. You're now openly stating that we're father and daughter, but why have you never asked me what I want, or whether I want to acknowledge you as my father!"
"It was Mom who rescued Zhizhi from that hellhole, and it was Dad who raised her to be so beautiful. Now you're using blood ties as an excuse, trying to get me to acknowledge you the moment you open your mouth. Isn't that robbery? I'm the flower that Mom and Dad nurtured with their love. When they were watering me, giving me sunshine, and feeding me manure as fertilizer, you weren't there. Now that the flower buds have sprouted, you're the one who wants to pick them first. Is it me who's out of my mind, or you? Bah!!"
"puff!"
Deng Qiu was sitting to the side drinking water when he heard the word "dung" and successfully spat it out.
She turned her head to teach her daughter that this wasn't how things were described, but when she turned her head, she saw that her husband's face was covered in tears.
Her expression was somewhat complicated. This riverbank... ...is sexy, huh?
Jiang Anchao held his daughter's small hand tightly, "Listen! Listen to the voice of the people! How well Zhizhi spoke! How right she was!"
He didn't cry when he was hitting his older brother, and he didn't cry when he was being hit either.
But when his daughter stood in front of him without hesitation, he almost couldn't hold back his tears.
Now that he'd heard all that Zhizhi had to say, he was really about to pee his eyes.
He choked back tears as he opened his arms and hugged his daughter.
"My daughter, whom I finally managed to abduct, is my grown daughter. This thief just wants to take her away like that. I raised her with my own hands, feeding her every drop of sweat!"
Jiang Yan's brow twitched violently as he looked at his younger brother with a complex expression.
My parents used to say my younger brother was stupid and that I should give in to him. I didn't accept that back then and thought, why should I?
Looking at it now, he really wasn't very smart.
“Zhizhi won’t learn anything good from you. She’s already three and a half years old, her speech is unclear, but she has a whole repertoire of swear words. What kind of good living environment can you give her? What kind of good education can you give her? Isn’t her current unruly and impolite behavior a failure on your part as parents?”
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