Perhaps it was because time had passed too long, but in the past two years, Wen Yulong had rarely thought of Cao Aimei. Even when he did, her face seemed hazy in his mind. He only remembered that Cao Aimei had the same almond-shaped eyes as Wen Ziqing, and that she looked at people with a certain fierceness.
He had ultimately failed her. He had clearly agreed to accompany her during childbirth, but now that the mission had arrived, he couldn't leave. By the time he finished his mission and rushed to the hospital, Cao Aimei had already passed away from postpartum hemorrhage.
Whenever Wen Ziqing's eyes, identical to Cao Aimei's, were seen, Wen Yulong would recall Cao Aimei's final moments. Those sharp eyes were filled with reproach, yet also a hint of reluctance. He blamed himself and felt guilty. Wen Ziqing's presence had severely impacted his work and life, which was the main reason he had sent her to live with Wen Yiran and the others.
After Wen Ziqing left, Wen Yulong felt his heart return to peace. Over the years, with Wu Xiuli and their two children by his side, Wen Yulong rarely thought about his eldest son, whom he had sent to live with his parents. He thought, perhaps, their bond was too shallow.
It had been eight years since Wen Ziqing had left. During those eight years, every time Wen Yulong returned to Qingshan City, he'd try to express his love for the child. Unfortunately, the child, perhaps due to some silliness or other, remained indifferent to Wen Yulong's family. No matter how Wen Yulong tried to please him, his face remained expressionless.
Over time, Wen Yulong gave up the idea of being close to his eldest son. In his view, as a father, he had to fulfill his responsibilities and raise his child. As for whether the child would be close to him when he grew up, it all depended on fate.
If Wen Ziqing knew what Wen Yulong was thinking, he'd probably laugh at him. He'd come up with such a powerful excuse for not raising a child. I really don't know what Wen Yulong's nerve was made of.
Wen Yulong likes the twins Wen Ziyun and Wen Ziqiu very much. These two children are just like Wu Xiuli. They never say anything he doesn't like to hear, nor do anything he doesn't like to do. Unlike the eldest child, Wen Ziqing, who is silent all day long, like a gourd with a sawed-off mouth. Even when Wen Yulong wants to get close to Wen Ziqing when he has free time, the two of them can't say more than two words together. The reason is that Wen Ziqing is unwilling to respond to Wen Yulong's concern. Wen Yulong asked Wen Ziqing if he had any difficulties? Wen Ziqing just shook his head. Wen Yulong asked Wen Ziqing if he had any requests? Wen Ziqing also shook his head.
Thinking of Wen Ziqing, Wen Yulong couldn't help but think of his ex-wife, Cao Aimei. Like Wen Ziqing, Cao Aimei had a rather quiet personality, remaining quiet throughout the day, yet maintaining a meticulously organized household. During those years, Wen Yulong was able to devote more energy to his work, laying the foundation for his subsequent promotion.
Wen Ziyun and his sister left the study after staying in it for a while. They both remembered the teachings of their mother, Wu Xiuli. No matter how much fun they had playing with Wen Yulong, they could not play for more than twenty minutes and could not leave until Wen Yulong felt impatient.
When Wen Ziyun and his sister returned downstairs, Wu Xiuli was mopping the floor with great effort.
"Mom, you've worked hard." Wen Ziyun said sweetly. Seeing that Wu Xiuli was so busy that sweat was coming out on her forehead, he quickly took a towel to wipe the sweat off Wu Xiuli.
"It's okay, mom is used to it." Wu Xiuli looked at her two children tenderly, her heart full of pride.
"It's all the fault of those country bumpkins. They don't know the etiquette when visiting someone else's home. Look what a mess they've made of our living room." Wen Ziqiu started complaining as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Yes! They have no manners at all, and they deserve to be poor in the countryside. I really don't know where your grandfather found so many poor people." Wu Xiuli had two children to support her, and she thought that Zhao Qingshan and the others had all left the Wen family, so she spoke without any scruples.
After Feng Xueying moved back from the hospital, she had to stay in bed to recuperate. Wen Yiran had trouble sleeping at night, so the couple temporarily moved into separate rooms. Wen Yiran's current bedroom was on the second floor, closest to the stairs.
In the room, Zhao Qingshan had just inserted the sixth silver needle into Wen Yiran's brain when the conversation between Wu Xiuli, her mother and son downstairs reached the ears of Wen Yiran and the others.
Looking at Zhao Qingshan's gloomy face, Wen Yiran felt his face flush. What sin had he committed? Brother Zhao was doing his best to save Wen Yiran, but what about his Wen family? His eldest daughter-in-law was secretly plotting against the Zhao family behind his back. Perhaps Zhao Qingshan had been reluctant to bring his family to visit over the years because of this concern? After all, no one likes to be disliked.
The conversation of the mother and her two children continued downstairs. Anyway, the study was well soundproofed, so even if they said something unpleasant, Wen Yulong couldn't hear it.
Wen Ziqiu just found a way to vent her anger and belittled Zhou Yuanyuan in front of Wu Xiuli. Although Wen Ziyun disagreed with her sister's statement, she would not defend Zhou Yuanyuan in front of her mother and sister and make them unhappy.
Wen Yiran's face grew redder and redder. The more Wu Xiuli and her son talked, the more it revealed the Wen family's poor upbringing. Wu Xiuli herself was a taciturn mother, and her two children, likewise, were fond of gossiping. Being competitive isn't a bad thing, but simply elevating yourself by putting others down instead of striving to surpass them is ridiculous.
Wen Ziqing and Zhou Yuanyuan also heard the conversation downstairs between Wu Xiuli and her son, but neither of them said anything. Some people are like that: they smile warmly in front of you, but turn their backs on you and look completely different. Getting angry at someone as unrefined as Wu Xiuli would be like lowering your own character.
Zhao Qingshan didn't take Wu Xiuli's words to heart. To be honest, he came to treat Wen Yiran because of their friendship, and he didn't think that as a country boy, he could climb the ladder of Wen Yiran, the city party secretary. He had no desires, so no matter how harsh Wu Xiuli's words were, Zhao Qingshan felt uneasy.
Wen Yiran, however, didn't see it that way. He was the patriarch of the Wen family. The Wen family's younger generations' disrespect towards Zhao Qingshan was due to his failure as the head of the family. He was also to blame for his overindulgence of Wu Xiuli over the years, for the sake of the twins, leading her to believe she was so insignificant that she looked down on everyone. Listening to Wu Xiuli and her son's increasingly outrageous words, Wen Yiran was shaking with anger.
"Old Wen, don't get angry." Zhao Qingshan saw this and knew Wen Yiran was angry. Wen Yiran's condition was particularly sensitive to anger, especially during acupuncture. If Wen Yiran got angry, it could have serious consequences.
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