It was never a real home
"That's enough! When will you understand that walls have ears?!" The man's face twisted as he lowered his voice and asked, "What if someone hears you?!"
"You see, Shuangyu is right. We can't even talk in our own home! It's all because of that troublemaker..." The woman cried, but her voice was still low.
The man slowly stepped back, leaning against the wall dejectedly. He sighed and said weakly, "Didn't I ask you to change her temper a few years ago..."
He spread his hands and said, "It's still the same, still the same, no change at all. If there's no change, who would still have the patience to waste on her?"
"I dare not even breathe a word in front of her every day. I speak to her very carefully, for fear of upsetting her. How can I change her?!"
The woman stood up suddenly, rushed forward, and growled, "Just say it! You sound so relaxed, pretending to be some kind and taciturn father every day, ordering me to be any bad guy or villain. Of course it's relaxed for you!!"
"What about me? I have to swallow all the grievances and anger by myself. How dare you blame me?!"
The man quickly raised his hand to block her arm and said, "Hey, hey, how did I blame you? Let me explain the reason to you!!"
"What reason?! What's the point of a reason?" The woman was furious. "If you hadn't insisted on taking it in the first place, there wouldn't have been so many problems!"
The man said with a headache, "If I had known this would happen, whoever wanted to take it could have gone ahead. Why would I have worked so hard to get connections and rob it?! I was wondering why those old guys were lying there in silence. It turns out they knew about this and were just watching us rob and laugh at the joke!"
"But now that things have come to this, what's the point of bringing up the past?" He frowned and soothed, "What's the point of arguing with me? It's better to let her contact the ancestral land. Maybe she'll leave soon! If she can't leave, it's better to take some extra things with her!"
The woman calmed down and stopped hitting him. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were red and swollen with tears. "She'll leave after wreaking havoc on our family. Then we'll have fewer resources. Wouldn't all the suffering we've endured over the years be in vain? Who can we turn to for justice?!"
The man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed, "Yeah, Shuangyu and the others shouldn't have suffered in vain. Qili finally got a spot in the assessment, so just think of it as enduring a little longer for Qili and the other three!"
"You Jiang family members are all so hypocritical and disgusting..." The woman covered her face with her hands and cried, "A bunch of cold-hearted and cold-blooded people..."
The man took the opportunity to put his arms around her.
The woman threw her shoulders and pushed him away, crying softly, "What kind of fate do I have? To have to deal with your family..."
The man hugged her tightly again and said softly, "My wife has suffered... Ask her to contact the head of the family tomorrow and have a good talk. You can't let my wife suffer such a great injustice!"
"I think the people in the ancestral land will ignore her at all!" said the woman angrily.
The man hugged her and walked towards the room. Hearing this, he suddenly became tough: "The head of the family doesn't care about her anymore. You don't have to give in. Just talk and scold! This is our family. My wife is the boss in our family. No one can let my wife suffer any grievances!"
The woman uttered a muffled "hmm" and sobbed softly, as if she had heard what he said.
The man breathed a sigh of relief calmly. Fortunately, although he had a bad temper, he was still easy to coax.
In his arms, the woman turned her head to the side, and suddenly she thought of something, tears welled up in her red and swollen eyes.
It’s not that she is easy to coax, but that she has to be coaxed.
Accompanied by soft sobs, the two walked into the room hugging each other and closed the door.
In a shadowy corner not far behind.
A figure stood motionless in it.
Suddenly, a figure moved, and a hand raised the glass to the mouth. Jiang Yunshu took a sip with a calm and indifferent expression.
She took the cup of water and continued walking upstairs.
No, not at all.
No one ignored her.
…………
A week later.
Jiang Shuangyu appeared at the lunch table. The impatience between her brows was worn away, and she smiled at the people around her, as if the previous disagreement had never existed.
"Shuangyu has really grown up..." The adoptive mother's face showed relief, but her eyes could not hide her heartache.
Jiang Shuangyu smiled at her and said, "It's my duty. I want to share my worries with Mom and Qili."
The woman smiled sweetly and opened her mouth, about to say something complimentary.
"clang!"
The sharp sound of gold and jade clashing suddenly rang out.
The silent Jiang Shuangli suddenly dropped the cutlery, slammed the table, stood up, wiped his tears fiercely, turned around and left.
"Double gift?!"
The foster mother and Jiang Qili were startled and quickly stood up and grabbed his arms, "What's wrong with you?"
"Shuangli, why are you so sad? Tell your mother." His adoptive mother looked at him worriedly. "You've only eaten a little. No matter how unhappy you are, you can't skip a meal."
"Double gift?" Jiang Qili also asked worriedly.
Jiang Shuangli's eyes were red and he was gritting his teeth. He was led sideways by the two men. Tears flashed in his eyes and he glared hatefully at Jiang Yunshu who was sitting at the dining table.
Both the woman and Jiang Qili saw it.
Jiang Qili suddenly fell silent, holding Jiang Shuangli, waiting for his adoptive mother's decision.
The woman paused for a moment, then pulled Jiang Shuangli back to the dining table and said softly, "Shuangli, don't be unhappy. Eat your meal first."
Letting him go means that he can avoid Jiang Yun and leave without seeing him; letting him stay means that no matter how reluctant he is, he still has to put on a good show.
And the adoptive mother has made her decision.
——Let him suppress his dissatisfaction and resentment, get along well with Jiang Yunshu, and praise...Jiang Yunshu.
Tears welled up in Jiang Shuangli's eyes and he stood still, refusing to move.
"Double gift..." The woman's tone became heavy, with a strong warning tone.
At the dining table, Jiang Yunshu put down the cutlery slowly.
She stood up, walked around the table, and passed by them calmly.
Everyone was shocked.
"Yun Shu!"
Jiang Qili shouted subconsciously.
Jiang Yunshu stopped, looked back at her, and asked, "What should I do now?"
Jiang Qili opened her mouth in a daze and did not answer for a while.
"Should I apologize to him?"
Jiang Yunshu asked again.
When these words came out, Jiang Qili's heart skipped a beat. She immediately thought that she was angry and looked up at her hurriedly.
But the girl's eyes were dark and thick, like a cold pond without waves, or an endless abyss.
She looked at him calmly and indifferently, as if she was just asking a question out of genuine doubt.
Jiang Qili was speechless.
"Of course not." Jiang Shuangyu, who was standing behind him, gently put down the cutlery, stood up, walked to the side of Jiang Shuangli, and said to Jiang Yunshu with a smile, "He's in a bad mood, it has nothing to do with you. Are you full? Do you want to sit down and eat some more?"
Jiang Yunshu nodded knowingly, said "No thanks", turned around and continued walking.
They said that last time she just stood there without any reaction, which made people unhappy, but this time, that person's dissatisfaction and hatred were directed at her, and if she followed their example and tried to comfort him, it would only backfire.
If I can't comfort you and can't continue doing my own thing, then I have no choice but to leave.
"How strange..."
Jiang Yunshu felt a little doubtful in his heart.
Doesn’t she want to be a human being just to make herself happy every day?
Why has it become a matter of making others happy and satisfying herself?
It’s so annoying to have to pay attention to and consider so many people... Annoying?
Jiang Yunshu was stunned, feeling the anxiety and displeasure rising in his heart.
It feels stuffy and depressing, as if haunted by a water ghost... Yes, I was not mistaken.
Jiang Yunshu blinked and paused as he was going up the stairs.
Has she learned to be a human being?
But the feeling of being a human being seemed... she didn't like it very much.
She is not happy, maybe, if she is happy she will like it?
Then when can I be happy...?
"Happy, happy." Jiang Yunshu walked up the stairs, muttering to himself, "I want to be happy. I want to be happy every day."
…………
downstairs.
The woman and Jiang Qili let go of each other's hands. Jiang Shuangli staggered two steps, his eyes red, and he didn't speak or move, just stood there straight.
Stubborn temper... The woman glanced at him and sighed inwardly.
There are some things and some words that cannot be expressed directly from her mouth. Whether she can understand them and whether she can act accordingly after understanding them depends entirely on herself.
This child is smart, but he is too straightforward and stubborn and doesn't know how to adapt.
But she could only soften her tone and said softly, "Shuangli, go eat first, okay?"
Jiang Shuangli shed tears and did not respond, as if his feet were rooted to the ground and he did not move.
Impatience flashed in the woman's eyes. Shuangyu's matter had just ended, and he was making this trouble again. It was endless, and she had to stay here to accompany and persuade him and could not leave.
"Mom, it's okay. We still have afternoon tea. He won't be hungry." Jiang Shuangyu smiled and said, "Mom and Qili can eat first. I'll take him upstairs to rest for a while."
Jiang Qili also smiled and said, "Yes, Mom, they both always have something to talk about, so we won't disturb them."
The woman immediately took advantage of the situation and nodded with a smile, "Okay, Shuangyu, you and Shuangli go up and have a good talk with him."
Jiang Shuangyu smiled brightly at them, nodded obediently, and reached out to take Jiang Shuangli away without saying a word.
Jiang Shuangli's eyes were red, tears were rolling in them, and from time to time two drops slid down his cheeks, but his feet obediently followed her back to his room.
After closing the door tightly, Jiang Shuangyu took him to the table and chairs in the room and sat him down.
Jiang Shuangyu leaned over and hugged him, saying softly, "Don't be sad, I'm fine."
"How can it be okay..." Jiang Shuangli choked up and whispered, "You clearly hated her so much before, but after not seeing her for a week, you seem like a completely different person..."
Jiang Shuangyu's throat rolled for a moment, and he spoke with difficulty, his voice dry: "I'm fine, I just... figured it out."
"Those of us who were thrown out of our homeland early and lack talent have no resources without strength, and without resources we have no strength. We will always be stuck in the same place."
She took a deep breath and spoke softly in a trembling voice, "But as long as we maintain a superficial harmonious coexistence with her, we can get more resources and opportunities... Do you remember the quota that Jiang Qili got a few months ago?"
She sniffed and said, "Those places weren't originally meant for marginalized people like us, but as long as we get along with her harmoniously, we'll have a chance to get them in a few years."
Jiang Shuangyu released his hand, straightened his back, and looked at the young man in front of him with tears in his dark eyes. He choked up and said, "This is an opportunity that Mom and Dad fought for us. We just need to endure it. No matter what we think in our hearts, we can just be friendly on the surface."
Jiang Shuangli closed his eyes with tears in his eyes.
He understood it all, but... he couldn't explain what he was thinking. He just felt angry and unwilling.
Many images flashed through his mind, including Jiang Yunshu's cold face. From childhood to adulthood, they had never been able to see their figures in Jiang Yunshu's eyes.
Even though he was the one living in their house, he never showed any kindness to them.
Jiang Yunshu is so aloof and arrogant that it makes people hate him.
Jiang Shuangli cried and said, "But this is our home..."
Jiang Shuangyu shed tears and said with a wry smile: "Have you forgotten...
"Our family, from the beginning to the end, is only one Jiang family."
A few people get together and live in a house that feels like home, but is never a real home.
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