Chapter 140 (Two-in-One)
After he finished speaking, he looked at Liu Zhengjun and said, "Although Liu Zhengying and I have physical disabilities, we are not stupid. We know who is good to us and who is not, and we know who we should be wary of. Brother, you don't need to worry about us."
Liu Zhengying also said, "That's right. We are able to live the life we have today because of my baby. I raised her little by little. I know her personality best. If I don't even trust her, who can I trust? We know who we should be wary of and who we shouldn't be wary of."
I don't know where they got the nerve to come to their house and say those things. Even if they are siblings, they have no right to do that.
Liu Zhengjun looked embarrassed. No matter how he appeared in front of outsiders, he was the eldest among his three married sisters and the brother-in-law. His two younger sisters had always valued him, and while their families might not have fawned over him, they would never have embarrassed him. Yet, his youngest sister and brother-in-law had treated him so disrespectfully. It seemed they had really grown too big for their bridal party and no longer respected their own family.
He suppressed his anger and said stiffly, "Don't worry, I'm only thinking of you."
Liu Zhengying chuckled twice: "I never expected to hear such words from my elder brother. It seems that you have grown up. Back when I was still unmarried, you never thought about your younger sister. You only thought about yourself. If you wanted to get married but didn't have a dowry, you would let your older sister get married and use the dowry money to marry your sister-in-law."
"Later, my sister-in-law became pregnant and suffered from morning sickness, unable to eat anything. You wanted to help her recover, but the family didn't have the money, so you set your sights on my second sister. Within two months, my second sister got married..."
"Speaking of which, of your three younger sisters, I'm the only one who didn't contribute to your marriage, and you all complain that I'm useless."
Liu Zhengjun, his face grim, said, "Liu Zhengying..."
Liu Zhengying: "Brother, we all know what kind of relationship we have, so don't use the excuse of doing what's best for me to interfere in my family's affairs and even meddle in my daughter's business. Whether you really care about me or not, you know in your heart and I know in my heart too. Let's not say those empty words."
Liu Kaiyuan was young and easily embarrassed. Hearing this, he felt extremely uncomfortable and wished he could leave immediately.
Zhu Hongyuan was alright, since he was only talking about his uncle, not his parents, and besides, his mother was portrayed as a victim in his words.
The older sister felt increasingly uneasy as she listened. If only her older brother hadn't made such a fuss about getting married so quickly, she wouldn't have had to rush into marriage.
She glanced at the older brother next to her, stood up and said, "Yingzi, it's getting late, let's go back. Let's visit the county town next time we have time."
“Okay, we now have each other’s contact information, let’s keep in touch.” Liu Zhengying didn’t try to stop her, and said a polite remark.
When Liu Zhengjun saw that his younger sister, son, and nephew had stood up and were about to leave, he didn't want to leave either, so he had no choice but to get up.
Liu Zhengying and his wife saw them off to their car. As they drove away, Lin Shuhe asked, "What did they come here for?"
Liu Zhengying said, "Last time I met my older sister in the county town, she said that Liu Kaiyuan was making a fuss about his father buying him a house. My older brother has two sons, and Kaiyuan is the younger one. The older son got married and bought a car and a house, so the younger son definitely needs to buy one too. I guess he came to borrow money."
Lin Shuhe: "They come to borrow money during the New Year? When we were building our house, no one lent us a single penny. It took us two years to build our house, and now we are all supported by our daughter and son-in-law. Where would we get the money to lend to others? Even if they asked, we wouldn't lend them any money, let alone be too embarrassed to ask."
They weren't afraid to offend me before, and now I'm not afraid to offend them either.
The group sat in Zhu Hongyuan's car. Liu Zhengjun, his face dark, said, "Why are you leaving already? I haven't even mentioned borrowing money..."
Liu Zhenghong: Did Yingzi borrow money from you when she built her house?
Liu Zhengjun: "She's already married, how could she have the nerve to go back to her parents' home and ask her brothers for money?"
Liu Zhenghong sneered, "She's too embarrassed to ask you for money, how can you ask her for money? Just like I didn't lend her money back then, now that Hongyuan Company has gone bankrupt, I'm too embarrassed to ask them for help."
Liu Zhengjun got even angrier after being mocked by her: "If you won't let me borrow from her, then you lend it to me."
Liu Zhenghong snorted, "You're the only male in the family, so you dare to speak up. I wouldn't dare to be so shameless. Your son wants to buy a house and get married, so does that mean my son won't buy a house or get married? I ran away to get married so you could get married, and now that your son is getting married, does that mean my son has to make way for your son?"
Liu Kaiyuan: "Auntie, don't say anymore. Don't worry, we won't borrow money from you. We'll figure it out ourselves."
Liu Zhenghong: "It seems that there are men with backbone in my family."
Liu Zhengjun's face turned ashen, and he said in a muffled voice, "You don't need to be sarcastic. I'm not asking you for money."
Liu Zhenghong: "Hongyuan is having a wedding on the eighth day of the lunar new year, and we don't have any money to lend you."
Liu Zhengjun could tell that his younger sister also had a lot of opinions about him.
Liu Zhengying was unaware that her older brother and sister had gotten into a fight, and even if she had, she wouldn't have cared.
When Lin Yi'an and Zhou Mingshi arrived in the capital, it was already dark.
As soon as Lin Yi'an got out of the car, a figure suddenly appeared beside her, startling her. Zhou Mingshi grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, then kicked the person.
Caught off guard, the man was kicked to the ground.
Zhou Mingshi ignored him and hugged his wife tightly, saying, "It's alright, it's alright."
Lin Yi'an: "I'm fine. Who is this?"
Zhou Mingshi sneered: "Zhou Mingyuan."
"What's wrong, Mr. Zhou?" Assistant Chen and Ye Lingzhi quickly got out of the car.
Hearing the car, Zhou Kanghui ran out and asked, "What happened?"
He ran up to the person and saw him getting up from the ground. He leaned closer and asked, "Zhou Mingyuan, what are you doing here?"
Zhou Mingyuan grabbed his arm: "Dad, Huihui is sick, and I'm out of money. Dad, can you lend me some money so I can get Huihui medical treatment..."
Zhou Kanghui pushed him away: "Who is Huihui?"
Zhou Mingyuan: "Huihui is your granddaughter, she is our Zhou family's granddaughter. Dad, I know I was a scoundrel before, but Huihui is innocent. Please save her."
Hearing the commotion, Yu Minhua came out leaning on her cane and said to her son expressionlessly, "Go over there."
Zhou Mingyuan's eyes lit up with joy. He knew that if something really happened to him, his grandparents wouldn't abandon him.
Yu Minhua didn't look at him, and said to her son, "You go with him, just pay for the child's medical expenses, don't worry about anything else. Of course, you also have to pay back the medical expenses, pay back exactly what you spent, not a penny less."
The joy in Zhou Mingyuan's eyes vanished instantly, and he hurriedly said, "Grandma, I... I haven't been able to find a suitable job..."
Yu Minhua: "If you don't have a job, go find one. If you really can't find a job, go work on a construction site and carry bricks. You have such backbone, and you've always said you don't want to rely on your family. I think you still don't want to rely on your family now. I think as long as you're willing, you can always earn money."
Zhou Mingyuan's face flushed red, and he said disappointedly, "Grandma, aren't you going to ask Huihui what illness she has?"
Yu Minhua looked at him: "When your grandfather was hospitalized, did you ask him even once?"
Zhou Mingyuan clenched his hands and remained silent.
Yu Minhua: "Everything has a cause and an effect. You did it yourself, so you can't blame others. If you have to blame someone, blame your arrogance, incompetence, and lack of filial piety as a child."
Zhou Mingyuan's face paled.
Zhou Kanghui: "The child is sick, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go."
Lin Yi'an and Zhou Mingshi entered the house, and Zhou Songran ran over and hugged her: "Yay, my second aunt is back."
Lin Yi'an smiled and bent down to hug him, but couldn't lift him up: "Have you gained weight again?"
"I'll do it." Zhou Mingshi picked him up and held him in his arms, weighing him in his arms: "You've gained weight. What have you been eating every day?"
Zhou Songran hugged his neck: "Great-Grandma said that chubby ones are cute, and Second Uncle's thin face is not cute."
Zhou Mingshi: "If you dare say your second uncle isn't lovable, I won't hug you anymore."
Zhou Songran didn't mind. He didn't want his second uncle to carry him anyway, so he pulled his second aunt to sit on the sofa and said, "Second aunt, play Lego with me."
Zhou Mingshi sat down next to them and pinched his cheek: "Do you know who your second aunt is?"
Zhou Songran: "I know, Second Aunt is Second Uncle's wife, that's why I call her Second Aunt."
Lin Yi'an laughed: "Our Ranran isn't stupid."
Zhou Mingshi looked at him: "Knowing that your second aunt is my wife, you still dare to say I'm not cute, and you still want your second aunt to keep you company? Aren't you stupid?"
Zhou Songran leaned against his second aunt's chest: "Second aunt likes me. Even if she weren't your wife, she would still like me. She only likes me because I'm cute."
Lin Yi'an laughed: "Ranran is right. Second Aunt likes Ranran, not because of your Second Uncle, but because Ranran is cute."
Zhou Songran was smug.
Zhou Mingshi pinched his smug face: "You little rascal."
Zhou Kanghui and Zhou Mingyuan went to the hospital. He Xishan was holding her child, who was receiving an IV drip. When she saw her father-in-law arrive, her eyes lit up: "Dad..."
Zhou Kanghui ignored her and looked at Zhou Mingyuan: "Where do I pay the bill?"
He Xishan's smile faded.
Zhou Mingyuan could only take him to pay the fee, and after the fee was paid, Zhou Kanghui left.
He Xishan asked, "What did they say?"
Zhou Mingyuan sat by the hospital bed, head down, without saying a word.
Seeing that he didn't speak, and recalling her father-in-law's attitude just now, He Xishan understood everything.
She said, "How could they do that?"
After a while, Zhou Mingyuan finally spoke: "Didn't we say ourselves that we wouldn't rely on them? Didn't you say that the child shouldn't recognize his great-grandparents?"
He Xishan asked incredulously, "Are you blaming me?"
Zhou Mingyuan took a deep breath: "I don't blame you, but I can't blame them either, can I?"
He later revised his resume and found a job, but as soon as he joined the company, he ruined a project that the company had just negotiated and was fired. Forget about his salary, it was a blessing that the boss didn't make him pay compensation.
Later, he found other jobs, almost got into a fight with the boss's son, and had to leave.
Later on, he became too lazy to look for a job.
He Xishan pursed her lips: "They look down on me, and they look down on you too..."
Zhou Mingyuan smiled bitterly: "Haven't you realized yet? They didn't look down on you, nor did they look down on me. I'm just incompetent. I've been living alone for so long, and I haven't earned a single penny. In fact, I've lost all my money... They're right, I'm completely incompetent. The Zhou family was right not to let me inherit the family business..."
He Xishan: "No, if they had trained you properly, you definitely would have..."
Zhou Mingyuan said self-deprecatingly, "Even my eldest brother wasn't trained. With my second brother being such a shining example, how could they possibly train me? You don't need to flatter me."
Is it only after experiencing a series of setbacks that a person can finally wake up?
Why couldn't he have been enlightened from the beginning, given that he was one of the five siblings? Why did he have to break with his family before he finally realized his mistakes?
He Xishan stared at him blankly: "So you're giving up? What about us, mother and daughter?"
Zhou Mingyuan: "I will look for a job, but life may be tough from now on. I can't spend as lavishly as before, and our wedding will have to be postponed..."
He Xishan: "I can endure hardship, but I can't let my daughter suffer with us, can I?"
Zhou Mingyuan touched his daughter's face and said with pity, "She's destined to have parents like us."
He Xishan: "But she is the granddaughter of the Zhou family. Why? She is also a descendant of the Zhou family. Zhou Songran is only five years old and has a large amount of property under his name. Yet you want our daughter to live a hard life with us?"
Zhou Mingyuan looked at her: "Because my elder brother and sister-in-law are sensible and filial, they don't cause trouble. They often take Songran to visit my grandparents, and my grandparents are willing to love their child. What have we done? We angered my grandfather to the point of hospitalization, and we didn't even visit him once. If the parents are not doing well, the child will suffer as well. It's just her fate."
He was in pain after figuring this out. Nothing is more devastating than knowing you are incompetent. He didn't want to admit it, but the facts left him no choice but to.
His grandmother's attitude today was especially disheartening, and he clearly understood that the Zhou family had abandoned him.
From now on, he will really have to rely on himself.
If he can't figure this out and doesn't work hard, he might not even be able to support his own daughter.
He Xishan's eyes reddened instantly: "You said you didn't blame me, but your words clearly imply that I'm not as sensible or filial as my sister-in-law, which is why Grandpa and Grandma dislike me."
Zhou Mingyuan took out a tissue and handed it to her: "I don't blame you. I chose you. I was the one who did those things back then. We were both wrong."
He Xishan looked at him, and for some reason, she felt a sense of panic: "You were clearly a rich young master, but you've ended up like this. Do you regret it?"
Zhou Mingyuan twitched his lips: "So what if I regret it? My grandparents will never forgive me. They didn't even ask what illness Huihui had. They've completely given up on me."
He Xishan gripped his hand tightly: "We'll go and beg them, apologize to them, and ask for their forgiveness..."
Zhou Mingyuan shook his head: "It's no use."
He Xishan persisted, "How do you know it won't work if you don't try? We can suffer, but Huihui isn't even a year old yet. She's the Zhou family's granddaughter. She could have lived like her aunt, living whatever she wanted, studying abroad whenever she wanted, buying whatever clothes and jewelry she wanted, never having to worry about money for the rest of her life. She could have had a good life..."
Zhou Mingyuan looked at her: "Then let's send the child to the Zhou family and let my father raise him, while we earn money outside. Are you willing to do that?"
He Xishan hugged her daughter tightly and said angrily, "This is my child. Do you want to separate us, mother and daughter?"
Zhou Mingyuan: "Then take good care of her, I'll go out and earn money."
He Xishan didn't say anything more.
Zhou Zhihui had pneumonia, and Zhou Kanghui stopped paying attention to them after she was discharged from the hospital.
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