Chapter 154 (Advance): If Scenario
Aunt Pang was quite dissatisfied with Zhang Xiaohu's behavior, but Zhang Xiaohu didn't think his actions were bad at all. He wasn't the only one who acted that way; others played along with him. Many students in the class didn't do very well academically, and the teacher always complained about their grades. Zhang Xiaohu thought the teacher wasn't much better; all the teacher did was complain to the parents.
"Stop right there! Stop right there!" the fat woman said.
“Mom, I’m just not cut out for studying,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “It’s not like I can’t make a living even if I don’t study. As long as I can make a living, that’s fine.”
This is Zhang Xiaohu's mindset. Even though the fat couple told him that studying is very important, they weren't highly educated and didn't know how to properly educate their child. They kept repeating the same few sentences to him, never getting to the point.
The fat couple didn't have any schooling at home. Zhang Wen tried hard, but his grades weren't good. Zhang Xiaohu felt that all his efforts were in vain; bad grades were never a good thing. If effort were everything, why didn't his brother get into high school?
“My brother’s grades aren’t good either,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Mom, you didn’t hit my brother.”
“Your brother knows how to work hard, but you don’t even know how to work hard.” Fatty’s sister-in-law got angry just thinking about it. Zhang Xiaohu was too hateful. “How many times have I told you? You just don’t understand what we’re saying. You just have to mess around. What are you going to do in the future if you keep going like this?”
"We won't starve," Zhang Xiaohu said.
The fat woman threw down the bamboo stick in her hand; she really had no other choice.
At the dinner table, Qin Yizhou didn't say much and remained quiet. Song Fenglan also didn't speak. After finishing her meal, she watched TV for a while and then read a book. Song Fenglan also needed to go for a walk in the yard to relax a little.
Of course, Song Fenglan might not necessarily go for a walk in the courtyard; she might also go for a walk in the study.
Seeing that neither his parents spoke, Song Zihang remained silent. If he spoke directly, his mother would scold him. Song Zihang then looked at his father, who was such a coward that he didn't dare to say more than a few words.
After dinner, Song Fenglan got up and turned on the TV.
"Dad, come to my room and see what kind of mosquito repellent sachet you like," Song Zihang said deliberately.
Song Fenglan pretended not to hear anything. She watched the news broadcast; watching the news was always beneficial. Song Fenglan rarely watched these kinds of news programs. By the time she learned of something, the situation was truly tense, and if there was a serious problem, she might not have seen it on the television news.
If it's actually broadcast, the so-called big problem won't be a big problem at all; it'll just be a small problem.
Song Fenglan leaned back on the sofa and took a sip of water.
Qin Yizhou saw Song Fenglan sitting there and glanced at her a few more times.
"Dad, let's go," Song Zihang reminded Qin Yizhou.
Looking at it again, it's just like that. His mother is unlikely to divorce his father, and his father won't say those things, so he'll just have to let it drag on.
Song Zihang led Qin Yizhou to his room. "You haven't been to my room before, have you? I didn't bring back most of my clothes from abroad. I didn't bring any toys or books either. My mom said I was visiting relatives in China and it wasn't appropriate for me to bring so much stuff. It's not just my things that I didn't bring back; a lot of my mom's things are still abroad."
“Those things aren’t that important,” Qin Yizhou said. “Your safe return is the most important thing.”
"Yes, that's what Mom said too," Song Zihang said. "Those things are just material possessions; you can have them or not."
Qin Yizhou glanced at Song Zihang's room. If Song Zihang were with him, he definitely wouldn't be able to stay in such a nice room.
“It’s not bad that you’re living with your mom,” Qin Yizhou said. “It’s much better than living with me, it’s just that your mom has to work hard.”
“Abroad, my mother hired someone to take care of me, and she would also ask about my situation from time to time,” Song Zihang said.
“Your mother is a good mother,” Qin Yizhou said.
“Of course.” Song Zihang nodded. “When I was abroad, someone confessed their feelings to my mother.”
"Your mother is very outstanding." Qin Yizhou had always known that Song Fenglan was very popular, and that he himself wasn't as popular as Song Fenglan. "Where's the mosquito repellent sachet?"
"Dad, won't you sit down for a while?" Song Zihang said. "Are you worried that Mom will be unhappy and you're in a hurry to leave?"
"I still have to be on duty outside," Qin Yizhou said at work. "Even if I'm not the only one, I still have to go back to my post."
“Okay.” Song Zihang wanted to say that his father was stubborn, but he knew that his father was right, and everyone should do their job.
A moment later, Fatty went to Fan Yani's place and started complaining about Zhang Xiaohu.
“I really don’t know what to say to him. I’ve told him countless times, but it’s no use at all,” said the plump woman. “All he does is say that since we parents can’t study, we shouldn’t expect him to be good at studying. His brother is much better than him. I don’t know what he’ll do in the future.”
“He’ll regret it later,” Fan Yani said.
"It will be too late to regret it later," the chubby woman sighed. "It's true, I don't even know how much hair I've lost."
"I've thought a lot about Xiaohu's situation, but I don't have a single solution," said Sister Pang. "I've said everything I can think of, but he's still the same. He doesn't take our words to heart at all."
"Actually, you two are doing alright. You two can earn some money. Xiaowen will become a teacher in the future, and Xiaohu can just drift along. You'll still have a good life." Fan Yani knew about Fatty's worries, but there was nothing they could do.
Few of the children in the neighborhood near Fatty's house like to study. They all dislike going to school and prefer climbing trees to steal bird eggs.
Fan Yani was determined to educate her child and ensure they studied hard, lest they encounter any problems. Even if the family was wealthy, if the child didn't do well in school and didn't want to study, then the child was useless. It would be too late to regret it when the child grew up. Fan Yani thought there was a reason why Mencius' mother moved three times to find a good neighborhood; having good neighbors was crucial. Look at the children of people like Fatty Sister; they were all competing to see who was the least academically inclined.
"That's true, but Xiao Hu can't always rely on his brother," said the plump woman.
“He doesn’t necessarily rely on his brother,” Fan Yani said. “There are so many ways to make money. If he doesn’t study, forcing him won’t help. It will only make him rebellious and less willing to study.”
"Sigh, that's exactly what I was afraid of," said the plump woman. "When he was in elementary school, we told him to study hard, but he just wouldn't. We've tried beating him and scolding him, but he's still the same, like a dead pig that doesn't care about boiling water."
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Fan Yani said. “You don’t need to worry too much.”
"If I'm not worried about him, who will?" the plump woman said. "By the way, did Li Hui run off with someone?"
“She did run off with someone else.” Fan Yani said speechlessly, “My brother had no choice but to go through with the divorce.”
"Your older brother has terrible taste. How could he end up with someone like Li Hui?" the fat woman said. "Li Hui isn't even as good as one of your toes. And yet, she ran away, leaving you with her niece. Are you going to send her back?"
“We can’t send her away. The people over there don’t want this child. We can only keep her.” Fan Yani had no choice. The world is not good to girls. If this girl goes back, the Li family will never treat Furong well. “Let her stay here. We will always have food for her. She won’t starve to death.”
“That’s true. This child originally grew up here with you, and Li Hui’s family probably didn’t want the child,” the plump woman said. “It has caused you a lot of trouble.”
“I’m doing a good deed,” Fan Yani said. “My older brother is going to remarry, and I can’t let him raise the child. He doesn’t want to see Furong at all right now. Originally, my mother was taking care of Furong. It’s the best choice for my mother to stay with me and for Furong to continue to stay with me.”
That evening, Qin Yizhou waited outside Song Fenglan's house. He needed to survey the surroundings; he wasn't alone, there were others too. Qin Yizhou had never imagined that Song Fenglan would become so formidable. He thought that if he hadn't divorced Song Fenglan, and he had clipped her wings, she wouldn't have become so powerful.
Qin Yizhou had once thought Song Fenglan could take the college entrance examination in China, but he knew that the Song family had only recently been exonerated, and Song Fenglan might not be able to choose those specialized majors. Even though Song Fenglan was Qin Yizhou's wife, it might still affect her choice of major. Now, Song Fenglan had returned from studying abroad, and she was already very accomplished there. People in China had to acknowledge her abilities, and no one was stopping her from researching those fields.
When asked if he had divorced Song Fenglan, Qin Yizhou said he regretted it, regretting that he hadn't treated Song Fenglan well enough. As for divorce, Qin Yizhou knew he had no right to say he regretted it; Song Fenglan had soared so high now, so the two of them should divorce.
On his day off, Qin Yizhou wanted to go out and see Song Zihang, and buy him some things. It wasn't that Qin Yizhou didn't want to buy things for Song Fenglan, fearing she wouldn't need them; he was thinking of buying her some food—no, more food for Song Zihang, who would invite Song Fenglan to eat with him.
"Where are you going?" Qin's mother came over and stopped Qin Yizhou.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yizhou frowned.
"I've already arranged for you to go on a blind date," said Qin's mother. Since Qin's eldest aunt was unwilling to introduce Qin Yizhou to potential partners, Qin's mother decided to find someone else herself.
"I don't go on blind dates," Qin Yizhou said.
“Song Fenglan is back, and she’s doing so well. If you’re not going on blind dates, what are you going to do?” Qin’s mother said. “Do you want others to think you’re still hung up on her?”
“This has nothing to do with her,” Qin Yizhou said. “I have no intention of going on blind dates with anyone, that’s all.”
"You..." Qin's mother said angrily, "Wasn't I just doing this for your own good? You're always..."
"What's wrong with me all the time?" Qin Yizhou said. "My affairs are none of your business."
“I’m your mother, I…”
“I can’t change my background,” Qin Yizhou said. “That doesn’t mean you can arrange things for me.”
"you……"
“If you like your older brother and want to give everything to him, then give it to him,” Qin Yizhou said.
Qin's mother was furious; Qin Yizhou didn't understand anything at all. Qin Yizhou was going to do other things and ignored his mother.
When Qin's mother returned home, she learned that something had happened to Qin Li'an. Qin Li'an had been with some thugs and had raped a minor girl. Qin Li'an himself was still in his final year of junior high school, not even graduated yet, and he had already done such a thing.
Qin Li'an is only fourteen years old, almost fifteen, and he has already done such a disgusting thing.
"How could this be?" Qin's mother exclaimed, her eyes wide.
"Mom, what should we do?" Tian Keshu asked anxiously. "Could you ask my younger brother to think of a solution?"
This matter has been taken to the police station, and a case has already been filed.
“Li’an is still so young,” Tian Keshu said. “He doesn’t know anything about those things. He was just fooled by others. He did this because he listened to them. Now he’s been caught and detained. Mom, you have to think of something.”
Tian Keshu and Brother Qin were not divorced, yet Qin Li'an got into trouble so quickly. Tian Keshu and her husband had always spoiled Qin Li'an, as had Qin's mother. They all indulged Qin Li'an's every whim. When Qin Li'an's grades were poor and he didn't want to study, Tian Keshu gave him extra money.
With more money in his hands, Qin Li'an could hang out with those people even more easily. Those thugs weren't exactly good people; they only hung out with him because of his money. Qin Li'an's family background was decent, but in the capital, it wasn't anything special. They were just playing him for fools.
On the other side, Qin Yizhou bought pastries and other things for Song Zihang, who accepted them at the door.
Qin Yizhou's gaze fell on the courtyard; he wanted to see Song Fenglan.
“Mom isn’t home,” Song Zihang said. “She went out with Uncle Li.”
"Uncle Li?" Qin Yizhou asked, puzzled.
“Yes,” Song Zihang said, “It’s my mother’s senior from abroad. He came back.”
"Senior?" Qin Yizhou didn't understand.
“He’s a little younger than my mother, but he went to university earlier than her,” Song Zihang said. “He’s very attached to his mother; when she went back to China, he came back with her.”
Song Zihang didn't really like Li Yu. He had his own father and didn't want Li Yu to be his father.
“Dad, you need to be careful. You’re a bit older than Mom, aren’t you?” Song Zihang said. “It’s okay. Being older is fine. Just be more considerate of Mom. But don’t worry, Uncle Li isn’t as capable as Mom. He’s much worse than her.”
"..." Qin Yizhou didn't know if Song Zihang had said that in front of Uncle Li, and his heart ached. Yes, even without him, there were others with Song Fenglan; Song Fenglan didn't need to rely on him.
“Dad, are you feeling discouraged?” Song Zihang said. “Although he and Mom have the same major, he’s really not as good as Mom. Mom is sought after by various companies, while he might not have been able to graduate if it weren’t for the high salary.”
"..." Qin Yizhou really didn't know what to say.
"Dad, please stay with me at home today..."
"No, I'll go back." Qin Yizhou was somewhat flustered; he didn't know what to do.
If Song Fenglan hasn't started a new relationship, then he can come over more often. But if Song Fenglan is preparing to start a new relationship, his coming over will only affect her.
Qin Yizhou felt bitter inside. He clearly loved Song Fenglan very much, but he didn't want to ruin her future.
“It’s good to go back and rest. Mom might not be back this early,” Song Zihang said. “Uncle Li said he wants to invest and needs Mom’s help.”
"Hmm..." Qin Yizhou said.
"Dad, aren't you going to ask Uncle Li what he does now?" Song Zihang was anxious when he saw his father like this. "Uncle Li is just a businessman. He's different from Mom."
Song Zihang didn't want his father to back down like this. If his father backed down, would his mother end up with Uncle Li?
In reality, Song Fenglan had no intention of being with Li Yu at all. Li Yu wanted to invest in China, and Song Fenglan was just helping to make the connection. As for what Li Yu would do next, that wasn't Song Fenglan's concern. Song Fenglan had also told others that they needed to have their own judgment.
Song Fenglan knew that the Li family had indeed made a lot of money overseas and owned factories there. However, Song Fenglan wasn't a businesswoman; she was unaware of the intricacies of the business.
Li Yu's household registration is abroad, as is that of his entire family. They emigrated years ago and thus did not experience the turbulent times in China. Li Yu's return was with his family's permission. With China opening up and seeking foreign investment, there was an urgent need for foreign capital. The Li family also wanted to take this opportunity to invest in China. Even though they held foreign citizenship, their hearts remained with their motherland.
With Song Fenglan's guidance, she told the relevant departments about the Li family's situation, and the relevant departments will investigate.
Song Fenglan had those people talk to Li Yu, but she didn't stay there; she quickly returned home.
Song Zihang was surprised to see his mother return so quickly.
"Mom, you didn't eat lunch outside?" Song Zihang asked in surprise.
"No," Song Fenglan said. "I came back as soon as I finished my business. What's wrong?"
"..." Song Zihang felt guilty. He had just told his father that his mother wouldn't be back so soon. "I thought you were going to have dinner with Uncle Li."
“No, he was having dinner with other people,” Song Fenglan said. “They were discussing business, so I didn’t stay there.”
"I see," Song Zihang said.
"Don't you want me to come back?" Song Fenglan asked.
"No, no, it's great that you're back to have dinner with me, it's really great!" Song Zihang said quickly. "It's super great, very good, very good."
"You look guilty," Song Fenglan said. "Did you do something?"
"No, how could there be?" Song Zihang said. "Mom, would you like some pastries? These are your favorite pastries."
Song Fenglan glanced at the pastries on the table. She could tell at a glance that they weren't made by her mother. "Did your father buy them?"
"Mom, you can tell just by looking at it?" Song Zihang didn't expect his mother to find out so easily.
“Your little tricks might fool others, but they won’t fool me.” Song Fenglan usually spends a lot of time on research, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about her son. She knows exactly what her son is thinking.
"Mom, are you... are you unhappy?" Song Zihang asked cautiously.
“I can’t remarry your father,” Song Fenglan said.
“It’s just that we won’t remarry. We can still meet even without remarrying,” Song Zihang said.
"..." Song Fenglan discovered that Song Zihang was very good at grasping the key points.
Qin Yizhou was summoned to the Qin family residence. He truly hadn't expected Qin Li'an to be so audacious. Who on earth gave Qin Li'an the courage to do such a disgraceful thing?
“I can’t help him,” Qin Yizhou said.
With a thud, Tian Keshu knelt down on the ground. "Little brother, please help your nephew. Your older brother only has one son!"
“No matter how many sons he has, if he makes a mistake, he has to pay the price,” Qin Yizhou said. “I can’t help Qin Li’an.”
“Yizhou.” Qin’s mother stared at Qin Yizhou. “Your sister-in-law is right. Your eldest brother only has one son. You can’t not help him.”
"I can't help him," Qin Yizhou said. "And don't try to help him in my name. I'll talk to people and tell them to follow the laws and regulations."
"You...you really don't care about your nephew, don't care about your elder brother?" Qin's mother said, "Please help me, what's wrong? Those people are the ones who fooled Li'an, those people..."
“You should be glad that Qin Li’an is still young, so he won’t be executed for committing such a crime,” Qin Yizhou said. “You should try to get the woman’s forgiveness instead of wasting your time talking to me.”
Qin Yizhou felt that the Qin family was utterly terrible, a complete mess, with no one capable of anything. These people didn't even realize it was their own problem; they blamed everyone else.
"Qin Yizhou!" Qin's mother saw Qin Yizhou about to leave and chased after him.
*Slap!* Qin's mother slapped Qin Yizhou across the face. How could Qin Yizhou treat his nephew like that? How could Qin Yizhou not help Qin Li'an?
"If you don't help Li'an, don't call me Mom anymore!" Qin's mother said cruelly.
"Okay," Qin Yizhou said, and he walked out.
"If you leave this house today, don't ever come back," Qin's mother said. "If you don't help Li'an, don't ever come back!"
Qin's mother thought to herself that she only had this one precious grandson. Song Zihang's surname was Song, not Qin; Song Zihang was a child of the Song family. Qin's mother resented Qin Yizhou; Qin Yizhou was too cold-hearted. Qin Li'an was the lifeblood of the Qin family.
Qin Yizhou walked out without hesitation. Qin Li'an had been spoiled by these people. Now that Qin Li'an was in this situation, all they knew to do was ask Qin Yizhou for help. How could Qin Yizhou possibly help Qin Li'an?
What do these people take him for? Do they see him as a wish-granting machine? Is he destined to spend his entire life sacrificing for his older brother's family?
Qin Yizhou was unwilling to accept that, and Qin Li'an had to be punished. If they continued to help Qin Li'an escape punishment, he would only become more ruthless in the future. Qin Li'an had already raped a minor girl; next time, he would commit murder and arson.
"Mom, what should we do? What should we do?" Tian Keshu asked with red eyes. "I only have one son, and you only have one grandson. If Li'an goes to jail, his life will be ruined. Mom, you must think of a way to save Li'an. We can't let Li'an go to jail."
Tian Keshu had thought that by kneeling on the ground, Qin Yizhou would agree to help, but he simply left. Tian Keshu hated Qin Yizhou; if it weren't for his connections, she wouldn't have bothered asking him for help. Qin's father was old and had retired early; his connections might not be of much use.
"Mom, what about Dad..." Tian Keshu pursed her lips, "We have to think of something. We can't just sit here and wait to die. That woman isn't a good person either. She's dressed so provocatively; she's clearly doing it on purpose to attract men to her. She's no good!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
