"You bastard, everyone in the village knows that Chang Jing won millions gambling on stones, but you, as his father, know nothing about it. Do you even consider Xiao Jing your son? You never care about him. Is this how I raised you?"
Originally, Old Master Chang wasn't very nice to Chang Guomin, but now his skill at shifting blame is top-notch, leaving Chang Guomin completely bewildered.
"Dad, are you sure you're not mistaken? Xiao Jing really has that much money?"
Chang Guomin was used to being scolded by his father, so he wasn't angry at all. He was just shocked and surprised to confirm Chang Jing's condition again.
“Brother, I went back to the village today on business. The village head told me that Xiao Jing demolished your house and built a six-story building, saying that he was going to rent it out.”
The more certain Chang Guomin was of his son's wealth, the uglier his expression became. He himself was incompetent, yet his son had casually built a six-story building. Wasn't this a slap in the face to him?
“Brother, your son is only sixteen! He is surnamed Chang, so you should be in charge of his money. Last time, when Mom and Lu Xiao went to the market, they heard that Chang Jing’s mother had a lover there. If Song Huizhen remarries, the situation of Xiao Jing and his sister will be not good.”
Provocation is something that Jianmin and Lu Xiao are both good at, and Chang Guomin was easily swayed by these words.
Chang Guomin is a very patriarchal person, so in his mind, as long as Chang Jing is his son, he must listen to him and be filial to him.
“Jianmin, you’re right. Chang Jing is my son and his surname is Chang. His money absolutely cannot be taken by Song Huizhen when she remarries.”
Chang Jianmin hoped his brother could coax Chang Jing back, but he didn't know that Chang Jianmin's idea was that he was Chang Jing's father, and if he ordered Chang Jing to come back, Chang Jing had to come back.
Chang Jianmin and his grandfather had always treated Chang Guomin like a fool, but now that they had bigger plans, Chang Jianmin was even more attentive in preparing meals for Chang Guomin.
"Mom, please add two extra eggs when you cook noodles for my older brother. He's so thin, he needs to eat more."
"Brother, I'll get you some fruit. Have some fruit after you finish your noodles, it'll be a good dessert."
What a harmonious scene of brotherly love and respect! Chang Guomin once again felt that being respected and admired by his younger brother was a very pleasant thing. Old Mrs. Chang seized the opportunity to subtly encourage her eldest son and brainwash him.
“Your brother is right. Song Huizhen has found someone else and definitely doesn’t want to take care of Xiao Jing and her brother anymore. As their father, you should care more about Xiao Jing. Xiao Jing is the eldest grandson of our Chang family.”
“Your brother is doing this for your own good. You should know the truth and not hurt your family’s feelings, and don’t let your son become estranged from you. You are the one who makes your mother worry endlessly about interpersonal relationships.”
What was clearly meant to be a rebuke was interpreted by ordinary citizens as concern and care. It's pitiful that he's been brainwashed like this since childhood, and his perceptions are so different from others.
"Okay, Mom. I'll call Xiaojing and ask her in a bit."
Now that Chang Guomin has listened, Old Lady Chang is about to push her luck.
"Why don't you call now? I've heard my grandson's voice for a long time. You can press the speakerphone button, and Mom will be listening right next to you."
Chang Guomin naturally accepted his mother's request. He finished his noodles in a few bites, wiped his mouth, and immediately called Chang Jing from his home.
Chang Jing's phone number wasn't in the Chang family's possession, so they called the landline in Song Huizhen's rented apartment, a number that was leaked by Chang's aunt.
"Hello?"
After Chang Jing and Song Huizhen got cell phones, people would call them by their cell phone numbers, and the landline almost became Chang Ling's exclusive phone. At this time, Chang Ling thought it was her classmates or friends calling her.
"Chang Ling? Is your brother here? I need to talk to him. Let him answer the phone."
Chang Ling was tired of hearing that familiar commanding tone; for over a decade, the people of Changmin had always spoken to her with the same attitude and tone.
"My brother isn't here." Too lazy to say anything more, Chang Ling hung up the phone and rolled her eyes several times.
After a moment of silence, Old Lady Chang muttered something like, "She has no manners at all," and then told Chang Guomin to continue making the phone call.
"What's wrong? I told you my brother isn't here."
When the phone rang again, Chang Lingren was a bit of a shrew, her tone impatient. In the past, Chang Guomin would have already started cursing, but this time, because she wanted to inquire about Chang Jing, Chang Guomin was more tolerant.
"Don't hang up, Xiaoling, I have a question for you. Did your brother win a lot of money gambling on jade?"
The blunt questioning made Chang Jianmin's teeth ache, confirming once again that his brother was a bit dim-witted and didn't know how to get along with people at all.
"How did you know? You actually care about my brother? Yes, my brother won a lot of money gambling on jade, but that money belongs to my brother and has nothing to do with your family, so don't even think about it."
After Song Huizhen divorced with her child, Chang Ling developed a strong grudge against Chang Guomin, and even grew to hate this father.
“I’m your own father, how dare you speak to me like that? Is this how Song Huizhen raised you? Damn it, I knew it was your mother…”
Before Chang Guomin could finish cursing, Chang Ling hung up the phone and put it on standby, leaving it busy. No matter how many times Chang Guomin tried to call back, he couldn't get through.
With no one to bother her, Chang Ling quietly started doing her homework again. Her family was no longer short of money, but Song Huizhen still diligently ran the fruit shop business. After school, Chang Jing would either go to the fruit shop or help out at the clothing store.
“This is your good daughter. She has no manners at all. She’s so unruly at such a young age. She even dared to hang up on her own father on the phone. Ah Min, you must give Chang Ling a good talking-to when you see her. And you have to make it clear to Song Huizhen that she can’t raise her child like this.”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. How could Old Lady Chang be willing to be dismissed by Chang Ling like this?
“Amin, go directly to Song Huizhen’s fruit shop tomorrow and try to win custody of the two children.”
Chang Jing has become wealthy, though his net worth is still only a few hundred yuan—more than most people could earn in a lifetime. Old Mrs. Chang now wants custody of Chang Jing, but she believes that if they're going to fight for custody, they should fight for it together with both children.
If it's truly impossible to win custody of both children, then at least both sides should compromise and have a proper discussion. Hopefully, they can at least get custody of one child!
With this in mind, Old Lady Chang had carefully instructed Chang Guomin on how to speak and what to ask when he went to see Song Huizhen.
"Okay, I'll go see Song Huizhen tomorrow at noon."
In fact, Chang Guomin had wanted to find Song Hye-jin for a long time, as the gap between their lives after their divorce was widening.
After her divorce, Song Hye-jin opened a fruit shop, while he almost couldn't afford to eat and had no one to take care of the housework.
Even after her divorce, Song Hye-jin was rumored to have a lover, but he couldn't find even a fly of the opposite sex around him after the divorce.
Now that I've heard that Chang Jing won millions in jade gambling, Chang Guomin is really getting restless. With a net worth of several million, he'll never have to worry about anything in his life.
With the idea that Song Hye-jin shouldn't keep all the money, Chang Minguo will inevitably come knocking on their door.
Chang Jing had anticipated these events and had discussed them with his mother, Song Huizhen, resolving to ignore them and resolve the issues through legal means.
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