Seeing the elderly couple greeting him with smiles, Xu Jianguo couldn't help but wonder if they were being kept in the dark or just pretending to be calm.
Yesterday, Zhao Futang saw him and he looked worried, telling him to keep it from Xu Qingning. How come he's like a completely different person today?
"My dear in-law, have some tea." Yang Yuelan brewed a cup of tea for him. "This is wild mountain tea from our hometown, roasted by Jingyu's father himself. Please try it."
Xu Jianguo took a sip and praised, "It tastes good."
It's sweet and has a hint of grassy scent.
It's different from the Monkey King Tea he's had before.
"I brought several packs with me when I came, and my in-laws liked them. I'll take two packs with me when I leave," Zhao Futang said with a smile. "I made them myself, they're not worth much, so please don't mind."
Yang Yuelan immediately took out two packets of tea, tied them with a rope, and placed them in front of Xu Jianguo.
Xu Jianguo was, after all, their in-law, and they couldn't let him go back empty-handed.
"Not at all, not at all." Xu Jianguo seemed a little embarrassed. After a pause, he explained his purpose, "Father-in-law, I'd like to invite Qingning to stay at our home for a while. She hasn't been home since she married into the family!"
"Qingning isn't feeling well, so it's best not to make her travel back and forth." Yang Yuelan knew that Xu Qingning definitely didn't want to go back, so she directly refused. "If you miss her, come and see her. We won't feel at ease if she goes back to her parents' home."
In case the daughter-in-law goes back to her parents' home and falls or bumps into something.
Who can take on this responsibility?
“Yes, we appreciate your kind intentions, in-laws.” Zhao Futang knew all about Xu Qingning’s family situation and said calmly, “If she misses home, we’ll accompany her back to visit in a few days.”
He heard that Xu Jianguo did not want Xu Qingning to keep the child and had even forced her to have an abortion.
Therefore, he would absolutely not let Xu Qingning go back to her parents' home at this time. Xu Qingning is carrying the child of their Zhao family. Now that there are rumors going around, what if Xu Jianguo has other ideas?
Anyone who dares to harm his grandson, he'll fight them to the death!
“Father-in-law, I know you are good to Qingning, but I am still Qingning’s biological father, and I also care about her.” Xu Jianguo was a little embarrassed when he saw the old couple’s tense attitude. “I don’t mean anything by it. I just want to take her home to stay for a few days.”
Even if Zhao Jingyu really died, he wouldn't force Xu Qingning to have an abortion.
If that's the case, what kind of person would he be?
Xu Qingning couldn't listen anymore. She put down the scissors, left the bedroom, and said coldly, "That's just your opinion. What makes you think I'd want to go back?"
She disliked the original owner's father; he was shallow-minded, stubborn, and self-righteous.
The original owner suffered a tragic end in the original story because of having such a father; she was framed, ridiculed, and eventually died of madness.
She worked hard to change the plot, and finally had her current leisurely life, but Xu Jianguo came to bother her time and time again. He really doesn't deserve to be a father.
“Qingning, I admit I made mistakes before, but everything I did was for your own good.” Xu Jianguo guessed that Zhao Futang was keeping it from Xu Qingning, not letting her know that Zhao Jingyu had an accident. He couldn’t point it out in front of the old couple. “Your aunt and I have already discussed it and decided to let you go back and stay for a while to change your environment.”
"I told you, I don't want to go back. Don't you understand, or are you deliberately trying to upset me?" Xu Qingning really didn't want to see Xu Jianguo and said impatiently, "Why can't you listen to anything I say?"
She found that every time she spoke to Xu Jianguo, it was like talking to a brick wall.
She said hers, he said his.
“Qingning, since you don’t want to go back, I won’t force you. I just want you to know that I care about you.” Xu Jianguo didn’t know how to make Xu Qingning believe that he, as her father, had good intentions.
"Tang Wenya and I were pregnant at the same time, and you made me have an abortion and go to the countryside, while you let her stay in the city to get married. Is this how you show concern for me?" Xu Qingning said as if she had heard a joke. "You're always like this. Whenever there's something good at home, you always make me give it to Tang Wenya. You'd rather I suffer than let Tang Wenya be wronged, because you want everyone to think you're a good stepfather and treat Tang Wenya as your own daughter."
“Qingning, I’m doing this just so you can have a better life at home.” Xu Jianguo’s face flushed red and then turned pale as his thoughts were exposed. “I treat her the same as you so that your aunt will treat you the same as Wenya.”
Zhao Futang and Yang Yuelan looked at each other.
Listen quietly to the father and daughter talking.
“Jiang Yumei is not my biological mother. I never expected her to treat me and Tang Wenya the same. It’s human nature, and I’ve never complained.” Xu Qingning wasn’t angry. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door, looking at him disdainfully. “You want to treat them equally, not because you’re so selfless, but because you’re hypocritical. You’re not even as realistic as Jiang Yumei. You only have one biological mother. Once you lose her, you can never have her again. No one can replace her.”
"Besides, you haven't truly treated everyone equally. You've trampled your own daughter underfoot to elevate Tang Wenya. It's because of your favoritism that Tang Wenya dared to frame me so brazenly. She knows that with her own mother protecting her, you won't doubt her; you'll only blame me. That's why you forced me to have an abortion and go to the countryside to demonstrate your authority and fairness."
"Qingning, in your eyes, am I really that worthless?" Xu Jianguo felt ashamed.
He never knew that Xu Qingning hated him so much.
Pregnancy before marriage is something that is shameful in any family. As a father, what other remedy can he think of besides abortion?
At that time, he did not know that the child was Zhao Jingyu.
Besides, Zhao Jingyu isn't a good person either; he didn't think much of this son-in-law.
“Yes,” Xu Qingning answered readily. “If you just pay a little attention, you’ll know what kind of people Jiang Yumei and Tang Wenya are. You’ll know how I was framed and got pregnant by Tang Wenya. Your daughter isn’t as promiscuous as you think. Don’t say you’ve been kept in the dark, because you’ve never believed what I say.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Jianguo felt as if he had been slapped in the face in public. He couldn't sit still any longer, so he got up and left, saying, "If you don't want to go back, then don't go back. Just pretend I was never here."
"If you really care about me, then don't bother me anymore," Xu Qingning said coolly. "From the day I came back with Zhao Jingyu, our father-daughter relationship was severed."
Xu Jianguo's lips trembled slightly. He seemed to want to say something, but he said nothing and left the room without uttering a word.
Yang Yuelan quickly took the tea leaves and, together with Zhao Futang, quietly escorted him to the front door, insisting on stuffing the tea leaves into his hands: "In-law, come again when you have time."
Zhao Futang remained silent, his face hidden in the night, his expression unpredictable.
Xu Jianguo couldn't refuse, so he accepted the tea. He wandered around the streets for a while before returning home with heavy steps.
He stood at the door, took a deep breath, and was about to take out his key to open the door when he heard Tang Wenya's voice from inside: "Mom, don't bother tidying up. You know Xu Qingning isn't coming back."
“Of course I know she won’t come back, but I still have to put on a show for your dad.” Jiang Yumei said smugly. “We’re living with your dad, not with Xu Qingning. As long as your dad believes in us, that’s enough.”
Xu Jianguo opened the door and walked in with a livid face.
The mother and daughter were startled.
Thank you to Huayu and Feng for the monthly tickets.
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