38. Argument
"You went to see your mother?" He maintained a stern fatherly demeanor, though he was pleased inside. He said, "It's been half a year. At least you still remember to come back and visit."
"I just came back to see my mother, I didn't expect to run into you." Ye Zhenzhen followed him into the main hall and sat down. After hearing his words, she couldn't help but retort.
"You brat, how dare you talk to your father like that!" Ye Fengxing couldn't help but scold softly.
"Weren't you in a hurry to marry me off so I wouldn't get in your way? What am I doing back here, trying to annoy you?" Ye Zhenzhen was seething with anger, unsure whether it was the original owner's or her own, making it impossible for her to speak calmly to her father.
"What do you mean by 'marrying out'?! That's marriage, a union of two families. This is your home now that you're married! Why can't you come back?!" Father Ye slammed his hand on the chair, his beard bristling and eyes wide with anger. But his disheveled white hair could no longer support his stern demeanor, making him look rather pitiful and heartbreaking.
Ye Zhenzhen sneered, "You now know this is my home?! Why were you so eager to kick me out as soon as my mother left? You didn't want to raise me anymore, so you just found me some random family and forced me into a marriage alliance. And now you're putting on this benevolent father act?!"
"What do you mean, just find anyone? A marriage alliance?! You're our only daughter, how could we bear to let you marry into an arranged family? Ting Shen is such a good boy, and your Aunt Lin has watched you grow up since you were little. I've worried myself sick over your happiness for the rest of your life, and you think so much about your father?! Huh?!!"
This anger had been building up inside her for too long, and Ye Zhenzhen was equally unable to calm down, her words becoming incoherent. "Why should you decide who I marry? What gives you the right to think I can't control my own life? If Mom were alive, she would never have let you disregard my wishes like this. You're so self-centered and controlling!! My grandfather didn't approve of you back then. If he were like you, my mom would never have had a chance to marry you!!"
"It turns out my mother misjudged you; my grandfather was the right judge of character. You simply don't know how to love. All you do is weigh interests and calculate gains and losses! Even my own father isn't willing to take responsibility for my future, so why do you think Gu Tingshen would willingly be a sucker to raise your daughter?!"
"You?!" Ye Fengxing's hands trembled with anger. "Who do you think I'm doing this for? You know nothing about company management. Handing over such a large group to you is tantamount to ruining you! If I'm gone one day, who will protect you?!"
"Why aren't you here?! You were perfectly healthy. If you hadn't ruined yourself, you might have lived longer than me!" Ye Zhenzhen's eyes reddened as she heard him finally speak his true feelings. She glared at him hatefully. "Do you think that just because Mom is gone, you're the only one heartbroken and don't want to live?! You want to starve yourself to death so you can reunite with her? Dream on! The moment you leave, I'll divorce you and go find you in the afterlife. I'll let Mom see how you've treated me since she left! Then the three of us will be a complete family, and you won't have to worry anymore!"
"You dare?!" Ye Fengxing's chest heaved violently. He reached out to cover her mouth. This brat, she had no sense of propriety at all! "Pah, pah, pah, children's words are innocent, let the wind blow them away..."
"You're allowed to do it, but I'm not allowed to say it?! I'm going to say it..." Ye Zhenzhen shook off his hand and was about to say something more when she heard a knock on the door.
Gu Tingshen was originally looking at the peach tree in the yard. Perhaps because he loved the house, he found the peach tree, which had grown up with Zhenzhen, particularly lush and lovely.
But as they watched, they heard arguing coming from the front yard, and Zhenzhen's voice sounded faintly like she was crying.
He glanced at Gu Sinan, who was quietly reading, and then strode forward.
"I just told the kitchen to prepare lunch when I heard the commotion over here," Wang Lin said. He was also standing at the entrance of the main hall in the courtyard. When he saw him coming over, he quickly said, "Keep an eye on things. When it's almost quiet, knock on the door and tell them to tidy up and get ready for lunch."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
Gu Tingshen saw that Wang Lin looked completely normal, clearly having seen this kind of scene many times before.
He stopped rushing and stood on the porch to wait. Neither of them had closed the windows inside, so he was forced to overhear most of what was happening.
At first, he was a little curious. He had never seen Ye Zhenzhen like this before. She usually seemed to have no temper, especially when she was with Gu Sinan, she spoke gently.
When he heard the word "divorce," his eyes darkened.
Upon hearing the rest of the conversation, he raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. This father and daughter, together, were like sworn enemies, constantly at odds.
I've never seen her lose her temper like this before. When she gets angry, she throws everything out, saying things like "we'll be there right away" and "the three of us will be all together." She doesn't hold back at all.
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Gu Tingshen reached out and knocked on the door.
The room fell silent for a moment. After a while, Ye Zhenzhen came out first. When she saw him standing outside the door, she pursed her lips and lowered her head so that he wouldn't see her red eyes.
"Dad, Uncle Wang asked me to call you for dinner." Gu Tingshen didn't enter the house. Hearing a reply from inside, he turned around and took Ye Zhenzhen's hand, leading her towards the backyard. "I'll take Zhenzhen to the back to wash up."
"Sigh, go ahead, come out for dinner later." Ye's father's voice came from inside the house. The old man didn't want to lose face in front of his son-in-law, so he simply didn't come out.
Lunch was very plentiful.
The chef showcased his skills, preparing dishes that the host family loved, as well as some sweet and sour dishes that the children enjoyed.
When Ye's father came out, he had changed his clothes and styled his hair. He didn't look so haggard. He sat upright with his hands on his hips, exuding an imposing aura when he didn't speak.
He lost his composure as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Zhenzhen, eat some greens. This pickled mustard greens were specially stir-fried for you, eat more."
"Try this shrimp ball, don't you love shrimp balls?"
"Don't put meat on my plate!" Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, still furious that Wang Lin had said she was malnourished from eating vegetarian food. She said sarcastically, "Don't you fast and eat vegetarian food every day? I think eating vegetarian food is great, so I'm switching to vegetarian food from today onwards."
"Nonsense, you've gotten so thin, why are you still eating vegetarian food? Don't be picky about food." Ye Fengxing was instantly displeased and said to her, "Why are you making such a weird face? Speak properly."
"Why are you allowed to eat vegetarian food, but I'm not? What gives you the right?"
"Why are you so stubborn? You're still growing, how can you not eat meat!"
"If you don't eat, I won't eat! I'm already twenty-two, what kind of body am I supposed to have? I'm not eating!"
......
"Fine, I'll eat it, okay? Eat up!"
The father and daughter argued for a long time, and Ye Fengxing finally gave in, eating much more than usual and constantly urging them to eat more.
"This squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is your favorite. Come on, have some more. Tingshen, Nannan, eat more too."
"Don't be a picky eater, eat some carrots, they're good for your eyes."
Wang Lin mentally gave Ye Zhenzhen a thumbs up. There's always someone who can handle someone else! Only his own daughter could keep him in check!
...
"I'm so full, I'm not eating anymore!" Ye Zhenzhen initially kept quiet because Nannan was watching, but seeing the old man piling more and more food onto Gu Sinan's plate, which was also overflowing, she stopped him, saying, "Nannan can't finish it either, she'll get a stomachache from eating too much. You're talking about us, why are you only eating a little and then stopping?"
He picked up his chopsticks again and put food on Ye Fengxing's plate, giving him a lot of light-tasting meat.
Gu Sinan breathed a sigh of relief as the small mountain on his plate finally stopped growing. He opened his eyes wide and looked around, somewhat intrigued by the lively dinner table.
Although Mom spoke fiercely to Grandpa, Grandpa seemed quite happy.
In addition, it turns out that not only children are picky eaters, but mothers are picky eaters too.
During her lunch break, Gu Sinan chose the sunroom, and Ye Zhenzhen lay down with her on the soft sofa and fell asleep.
Gu Tingshen covered the two of them with blankets, but instead of going to the bedroom to sleep, he turned around and went to the front yard.
Wang Lin had deliberately avoided Ye Zhenzhen, indicating that Ye's father wanted to talk to him. He had the same idea and readily agreed.
"Ting Shen is here, please have a seat." Father Ye was very satisfied with the son-in-law he had personally chosen. He sat down behind the tea table and greeted him with a smile.
Gu Tingshen sat quietly, admiring Ye's father's smooth tea-making movements. He took the celadon cup from Ye's father with both hands and took a small sip.
The two exchanged pleasantries about their experiences in group management for a while. The more Ye Fengxing listened, the more satisfied he became with his son-in-law. He was meticulous, pragmatic, and responsible. He had indeed made the right choice.
"I'm sorry you had to see this. We've spoiled this child since he was little. He doesn't know his place at all." Ye Fengxing poured tea for Gu Tingshen with the fairness cup, sighed, and said, "I'll have to put up with you from now on."
“Zhenzhen is fine. We are husband and wife. It would be too formal to say that she should take care of me.” Gu Tingshen shook his head, put down his cup, and answered seriously, “I didn’t know she could throw such a tantrum before today. Maybe she’s more relaxed around you and speaks more casually.”
Mr. Ye remained silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was somewhat hoarse. "Yes, her personality is like that. Don't be fooled by her gentle and quiet exterior; she's actually quite stubborn at heart. I was short-sighted in the past, always thinking I could protect her for life, raising her to be innocent and naive. Now it's too late for regrets. I only hope you'll take better care of her in the future."
"She's only in her early twenties, and she's smart and hardworking. It's never too late for her to learn anything. Fengming and Taoyao have been doing quite well under her guidance recently, so you should have more faith in her."
"These are all minor incidents," Ye Fengxing said modestly, though the worry between his brows had lessened somewhat, and his tone was not without pride.
"She's loved gold and jade jewelry since she was little. Having seen so much, she has high standards and always finds other people's designs unattractive. When she was seven or eight, she even designed a kitten ring for her mother. When Su He wore it out, many of her friends loved it and praised her for being lucky..."
As Ye Fengxing spoke, his eyes were filled with nostalgia. How happy his family of three was back then...
As people get older, they like to reminisce about the past, and Gu Tingshen spent an afternoon having tea with the old man.
As Ye Fengxing got into the conversation, he took out several photo albums from home and told him about Zhenzhen's funny childhood stories.
-----
When Ye Zhenzhen woke up, she went to the front yard and saw the father-in-law and son-in-law chatting happily. She pursed her lips and went to find Wang Lin.
"Uncle, please keep an eye on his meals. I called Dr. He earlier and told him that he eats too much vegetarian food. At his age, he's not getting enough nutrition, and his body definitely won't be able to handle it."
"After you finish eating, make sure you exercise properly. Don't just lie around all the time; you'll ruin a perfectly healthy person if you do that. When Dr. He comes over, he'll prescribe some medicine to help him recover. If he doesn't take his medicine properly, just give me a call."
"Don't worry," Wang Lin nodded in agreement, and then advised her, "You know your dad's temper; you're the only one who can say a few words to him. Bring Ting Shen and Nan Nan back to visit more often when you have time."
Ye Zhenzhen nodded upon hearing this, and felt a pang of sadness as she thought of her father's gray hair.
The atmosphere in the afternoon was fairly harmonious. Ye Zhenzhen played with Gu Tingshen and Gu Sinan in the small garden in the backyard for a while. Ye's father sat in the pavilion, listening to the long-lost laughter and joy, with a faint smile on his face.
But when they parted, the father and daughter started arguing again after only a few words.
"Since Fengming has been doing well lately, he shouldn't go back to acting. He should focus on learning how to manage the company. Once he's gained enough experience, he can come back to the group..."
Upon hearing these words behind him, Wang Lin knew things were going to get bad.
As expected, Ye Zhenzhen snorted coldly, "I can act if I want, it's none of your business. Whoever wants to join your company can go, what does it have to do with me?"
"You..." Ye Fengxing was pulled away by Wang Lin before he could finish speaking.
Gu Tingshen, with a furious Ye Zhenzhen in his arms, hurriedly said goodbye and got into his car to leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
