Qi's mother had the kind of mentality that resented those who had things, laughed at those who didn't, disliked those who were poor, and feared those who were rich. When she learned that Wei Shuqing was doing well, she always managed to find something to balance things out.
He cooked absentmindedly, a burning resentment simmering within him, a feeling of something stuck in his throat. He muttered under his breath, "What's with the arrogance? You can't hold back your pride. Behind that glamour lies either hardship or filth. You'll regret it someday! We may be poor, but we have integrity and upright character! Fortune's wheel turns, and one day you'll be begging me for help!"
Actually, when Fangzi was first publicly criticized, she had already considered it and wrote an anonymous letter to report her, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea. She went to the street office to report her twice, and finally the street director told her personally.
I can still recall the neighborhood director looking at her sideways and saying, "Old lady, we're ignoring you because of your age, but if you keep going on and on, don't blame us for being impolite. You need to provide evidence to report someone. This isn't a place for you to settle personal scores. Making baseless reports will get you arrested."
She then realized that the chef Wei Shuqing had hired was no ordinary chef.
Hearing the noise, she peeked out and asked, "Zhijun, you're back?"
A moment later, Qi Zhijun came in and said, "Mom, I'm back."
Qi's mother smiled gently, "Alright, go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon. We'll eat when Fangzi comes back."
Looking at her tall son, whose face was weathered by life, Qi's mother was furious. After a moment of reflection, she suddenly noticed something she had overlooked for a long time. Looking at Qi Zhijun, she slowly said, "Oh, by the way, why isn't Xiao Cui pregnant yet? She's almost 40, how can you not have a child?"
Qi Zhijun froze after washing his hands. In fact, he had also had doubts. He had been married to Wei Shuqing for less than two years, had given birth to one child and miscarried another. Logically speaking, there should be no problem with his fertility.
However, thinking about his relationship with Xiao Cui, he sighed and thought that not having children might not be a bad thing. Looking at Qi's mother, he said, "Let nature take its course. If we have children, we have them; if not, so be it."
Madam Qi glanced at Qi Zhijun with displeasure, then turned to fetch the food. "What do you mean by 'just let it go'? Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring. Are you planning to have no descendants?" Then, as if she had thought of something, she asked, "Is it Xiao Cui's problem? Is she unable to have children, or does she not want to?"
Qi Zhijun sat in the chair and thought for a while before saying, "I don't know. Mom, don't worry about it, this can't be rushed!"
Mother Qi slammed a pair of chopsticks on the table and said sternly, "Tell me the truth, what really happened? If you really can't have children, go and get Aiguo back for me. I can't lose a daughter-in-law and then lose a grandson too!" So she plopped down in a chair, wiping away her tears as she said, "You only have one son, and that woman surnamed Wei took him away. After she remarried, the child doesn't even know that you, Qi Zhijun, are his father."
Qi Zhijun was immediately struck by a terrible headache. After calming down for a while, he said, "What can I do? You guys forced me to get a divorce back then. My dad said he would kill himself if I didn't show him the divorce certificate. What can I do? I can only try to save one side first!"
Besides, I never imagined she would be so heartless as to remarry with the child. I initially thought it wouldn't be easy for her as a woman raising a child alone, and besides, we're both patriots in the end, right? That's why I gave her the house and the child during the divorce. But who would have thought she'd remarry?
Qi's mother angrily said, "So you're still blaming me and your father? Do you think we deliberately harmed you? Don't you remember what Wei Shuqing did back then? She almost turned the world upside down."
If you don't deal with her soon, she'll never know her place. Does your dad really want to ruin your marriage and your family? Isn't he just trying to force Wei Shuqing to back down?
She's just an uneducated factory worker, yet she thinks she can boss us around in our house? Does she deserve it? She wants to cause trouble in our home. Shouldn't we teach her a lesson, or the neighbors will laugh at us?
Seeing Qi Zhijun's expression turn sour, he changed his tone and softened, "We just wanted to scare her with the threat of divorce, to make her realize what she did wrong. But this girl from a humble family has no shame. She remarried in less than six months, isn't she afraid of being drowned in spit? She's truly shameless!"
Qi Zhijun, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Mom, that's enough! Our own family is in a mess, we haven't even figured it out yet, why are you worrying about other people's lives! If the child doesn't want to acknowledge me, then so be it. I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a father either. I haven't visited him in all these years, nor have I given him a single penny. I have no face to fight for the child."
Qi Zhifang had just returned from get off work and, seeing the expressions on her mother and Qi Zhijun's faces, asked, "What's wrong?"
Qi's mother glared at Qi Zhijun with a disgruntled look and angrily said, "What else is wrong? Listen to what your brother is saying! Even Fangzi knew to go up and tell Aiguo that he was a member of the Qi family. What about you? You are his biological father! Is this a matter of fighting for him or not? He is your child! Your own flesh and blood! You don't even want your own flesh and blood?!"
Qi Zhijun stood up, looking at his mother with disappointment, and said, "Mom, let's leave it at that. Even if it's really for my child's good, I can't let him come to our house. Don't you know what our family is like now? What kind of reputation do we have? We are talked about and cursed behind our backs when we go out."
Mother Qi trembled with anger. "No matter how bad the family's reputation is, he has to put up with it! He's still a child of the Qi family! How can even you look down on our family?"
Seeing Qi's mother's murderous look, Qi Zhijun felt a tightness in his chest and said, "Mom, that's not what I meant. I meant that in this situation, our own family should just bear it. Why drag the child into it with us?"
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