Jingjing is about to take her final exams. After these exams, she will be a second-grade student when school starts again.
Tianbao is different. His kindergarten doesn't have winter or summer vacations. Since he has paid for the whole year, he can ask for leave if he doesn't want to go. It's much more relaxed for him.
Fang Zeyu had always remembered Shu Yan's suggestion to go on a trip together during the summer vacation. These days, he had been thinking about where to go. Originally, he was planning to go abroad, but Shu Yan said that they should wait until Tianbao was a little older before going together. He was thinking that maybe they could go to the grasslands within China.
“I lived there for two years before, so I know the area well. I can also ride horses. I can take you out to play. The people there are very hospitable, and there are many activities available.”
Shu Yan had originally planned to go to the beach, but the grasslands were also an option; she had considered it before, but things were still a bit chaotic, and she was worried about safety. Since Fang Zeyu had said so, it must be fine. In that case, they would go to the grasslands in July and the beach in August.
When the two children came home from school, Shuyan said, "Our itinerary might need to be changed. How about we go to the grasslands first, and then go to see the sea in August?"
"Shall we go to the grasslands this month and the sea next month?" Jingjing and Tianbao looked at Shuyan with delight. Both places were places that the children loved.
“Yes. But it’s a bit unsafe for just the three of us to go out alone. Uncle Fang will come with us.” Shu Yan carefully observed the expressions of the two children.
“Great! With Uncle Fang around, we won’t be afraid of bad guys anymore,” Tianbao immediately agreed.
This time, Jingjing didn't object. She still remembered the fear and trepidation she felt on the train from the west to the south of the city. Her mother was too scared to even sleep and kept her and her younger brother close at hand. If Uncle Fang were with her, her mother wouldn't be afraid, right?
Jingjing has to go to school for the last day tomorrow. After packing, she won't be able to leave until after the 5th.
After taking a shower, Shu Yan sat in the living room with a face mask on, glancing at her phone every now and then. When she heard the phone ring, a slight smile appeared on her lips, and she answered it immediately.
"Yan Yan, it's me."
"Third Brother?" Shu Yan was taken aback when she heard Shu Jianyang's voice. He rarely called her this late; he usually called during the day. "Is there something wrong?"
“Your mother is sick. She said she has a stomachache, and I helped arrange for her to go to the First Hospital of Xicheng District. They couldn’t find anything wrong, but she just keeps crying in pain and insists that she has a terminal illness and needs to go to Beijing for treatment. She cried and begged me to call you, but I didn’t call until I got home.” Shu Jianyang rubbed his temples. He really felt sorry for his cousin having parents like that.
"Is she sick or faking it?" Why was Shu Yan so suspicious?
"She doesn't seem to be faking it; she looks like she's really in pain. She's lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw her, and her face is pale. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even called you." Shu Jianyang frowned. "But the doctor couldn't find anything. Your mother's condition was so bad that even the doctor was a little scared. He suggested that she go to a big hospital in Beijing for a checkup."
In other words, they are genuinely sick, but no illness can be detected during examination.
"Then go get checked out. Are her three sons just for show? Why do they have to call me?" If she's really sick and her third son doesn't have money for treatment, Shu Yan will definitely pay for it. But now that nothing has been found, she's already thinking of calling her over. What does that mean? So when there's good news, she thinks of her son, but when there's a problem, she remembers this daughter they sold long ago?
Shu Yan wasn't afraid to spend money, really. Tens of thousands or two hundred thousand yuan was nothing to her now. The problem was that the original owner's parents' attitude made her uncomfortable.
“I told them I was taking her to the capital for treatment, and that we could use whatever money we had at home first, and if it wasn’t enough, I would pay for it myself. How could I just stand by and watch her die? But they absolutely refused, saying I had to come back, and even brought up some fortune teller who said that she would get better once I came back. They said if I didn’t come back, it would be my problem if she died. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Shu Yan rolled her eyes and sneered, "The fact that you can still say these things means your illness isn't serious yet."
They insisted she go back for whatever illness she had, even bringing up fortune telling; it was all quite ridiculous.
"Third Brother, just tell them directly. I can't go back. Didn't she always say that raising a son is for old age security? Now that she's sick, her son won't show up, and what does it mean to find a daughter they sold long ago?" Shu Yan truly felt sorry for the original owner of this body. What kind of parents were they?
Shu Yan also felt that her second aunt's family was acting unethically. "I know how to handle this. Don't worry about things back home. I'll call you when I have a result."
"Okay, thank you for troubling me again, Third Brother," Shu Yan said apologetically.
"Why are you being so polite with me? I don't even know if I'm helping you or hurting you. Sometimes I think, if we hadn't kept in touch, you could have lived your life quietly out there, unaware of all this mess back home. That might have been better." Shu Jianyang hesitated for a long time before making the call.
Shu Yan paused for a moment, then said, "You're not wrong. It's me who put Third Brother in a difficult position."
What did Shu Jianyang do wrong? He was caught in the middle between the mother and daughter. If he spoke up, he was afraid of causing trouble for Shu Yan. If he didn't speak up, he was afraid something bad would really happen and Shu Yan would regret it later.
Inside the First Hospital of Xicheng District, Lin Zixiang groaned and turned over, "Did you think Shu Jianyang call Shu Yan?"
"Mom is in so much pain, how could he not call?" Shu Jianbin said confidently, sitting on a stool with his legs crossed.
"That's not necessarily true. Your sister has become a completely different person since her divorce. She's hard-hearted now," said Wu Xianfeng, Shu Jianbin's wife, holding her child, in a sarcastic tone.
"How could she not come back when I'm in so much pain? She'll definitely come back. If she does come back this time, I'll skin her alive." Lin Zixiang gritted her teeth as she mentioned Shu Yan.
"Mom, Mom, Mom, Shu Jianyang is here." The second son, Shu Jianxiang, who was guarding the door, ran in.
"Ouch, my stomach hurts so much! Doctor, my stomach hurts so much!"
As soon as Shu Jianyang entered, he saw Lin Zixiang lying there with a pale face. He frowned and said, "The patient is in so much pain, can we give her some painkillers first?"
"I've already eaten, I can't eat anymore."
The doctor asked her the usual questions, pressed on Lin Zixiang's stomach, and then, unable to do anything else, told her to just bear with it for now.
"Did you call Shu Yan? What did she say?" Shu Youfu asked Shu Jianyang anxiously.
"I made the call." Shu Jianyang saw the people in the room light up and said calmly, "Shu Yan said that ever since she was old enough to understand, you and Second Aunt have always told her that raising sons is for old age security, and daughters belong to other people's families. Now she is already married and belongs to another family. Since you are sick now, isn't this the perfect opportunity for your three sons to come in handy? If you need to go to Beijing, I have a car to help you get there. No matter how much it costs, she and her three brothers will split the cost."
"She, she wants me dead~~~~~~~" Lin Zixiang rolled around on the bed, clutching her stomach. "I don't want to live anymore! I'm so sick, and she, as my daughter, hasn't even come back to see me. Is she going to wait until I close my eyes before she comes back?"
"You seem to be in good spirits right now. You're definitely not going to die anytime soon. If you want to go to the capital, you can go right away. If you don't go today, I won't serve you anymore. If I were like Shu Yan, I would have given birth to three sons and served them like ancestors. What kind of behavior would it be to seek out a married daughter instead of them?" I've never heard of anything like this in the surrounding villages.
“Aren’t daughters also born and raised by their parents? Isn’t it said that men and women are equal, and sons and daughters are the same? How come it’s only a son’s problem?” Wu Xianfeng jumped out.
“That’s right. I asked around, and the police said that daughters should support their parents in old age just like sons. If she doesn’t support us, she’s breaking the law, and we can sue her.” Lin Zixiang sat up from the hospital bed.
Shu Jianyang was delighted.
"You two should treat your sons and daughters fairly! Fine, you want your daughter to support you in your old age, but the family property should be divided equally. Where did your three sons get the money to get married and build houses? Don't think others don't know how much income you have. You used the money from selling your daughter to pay for your three sons' weddings, and then took money from your daughter to build houses for them. Now you want your daughter to support you in your old age? What kind of logic is that? Go ahead and sue me, believe me, the court will make you give the houses to Shu Yan and her daughter. Don't embarrass yourselves. Not only will you lose face, but you'll also embarrass the Shu family. I could beat you both to death."
Shu Youfu and Lin Zixiang exchanged a glance. The old man was very concerned about his reputation. If they really did something to disgrace the Shu family, he might actually hit them with his cane.
"Don't try to fool me. You think you're so great just because you're a boss now? How can you talk to your elders like that?" Shu Jianbin had disliked Shu Jianyang for a long time. "You can make money, but isn't it all thanks to Shu Yan? If it weren't for her, where would you get the money to start a business, buy a big house and a car? All of these were originally mine."
Shu Jianyang looked at Shu Jianbin with a half-smile. He had finally spoken his mind. It hadn't been easy!
"Well, there's nothing I can do. Shu Yan only recognizes me as her brother. Who told her her own brother to be so inhuman? I may be rich and powerful now, but what can you do to me? I'm telling you this now: don't bother looking for me in the city anymore. Going to the old man won't help either. You'll see." Shu Jianyang stared at them sharply, and they all shrank back instantly, not daring to meet his gaze.
He's now a businessman, always dressed in a sharp suit and acting like a boss, making everyone forget what he used to do.
Whether in the past or present, Shu Jianyang's gang of brothers are no pushovers. Besides, because he's rich, he's also made connections with many influential figures in government. Now, when he goes back, even the township officials have to treat him to a meal, not to mention the village officials. Next year there will be a reshuffle, and some people have already suggested that Shu Jianyang's father be the village head, with quite a few others agreeing.
That's how people are. When you're nobody, no matter how well you do, people will find fault. But when you've achieved success, everyone will praise you no matter what. What does it mean to say that country folk are simple and honest? Country folk are the most shrewd, and they often haggle over trivial matters.
Now that Shu Jianyang has become a big boss, his past actions have become proof of his abilities. Even his grandfather and father no longer treat him as a junior. His influence in the family has long surpassed that of his eldest brother. In fact, his grandfather and father sometimes consult with him and listen to his decisions.
With Shu Jianyang being so assertive, Shu Youfu's family had no choice but to back down.
After waiting for several days, not only Shu Yan, but even Shu Jianyang had disappeared. The deposit they had paid was long gone, and they had been urged to pay the fees several times. With no other option, the family completed the discharge procedures and went home.
Along the way, Shu Youfu kept cursing Lin Zixiang, "What kind of stupid idea did you come up with? You didn't even manage to get her back, and you ended up spending a lot of money on medical bills."
"Do you think I'm comfortable? I've been starving for so long, I've lost so much weight, and I've taken so many weird medicines." Thinking of Shu Yan, Lin Zixiang gritted her teeth again. "Just like Xiao Feng said, that girl has become a different person since the divorce. Before, she would come running back if I had even a slight headache or fever, but now she wouldn't come back even if I were dying. Could it be that Shu Jianyang didn't call at all?"
"Who knows? We didn't see him make a phone call." Shu Jianbin thought it was indeed possible. "Mom, do you think Shu Jianyang might have done something to my sister..." He wiped his neck with his hand.
Lin Zixiang was startled. "No way, your sister gave your dad a thousand yuan when he fell last time."
“That was given by Shu Jianyang. Who knows if my sister asked him to pass it on?” Shu Jianbin thought about it more and more and it seemed possible. “Think about it, my sister? She doesn’t dare to raise her voice at all in front of her husband. How could she dare to have someone take photos to threaten him into a divorce? And make him leave with nothing? My brother-in-law said there was 1.6 million in cash alone, and so many houses, worth at least 2 million. Such a large sum of money, aren’t you tempted?”
Shu Youfu and Lin Zixiang exchanged a glance, while Wu Xianfeng, her eyes darting around, suddenly slapped her thigh, "Oh my goodness, Second Aunt! You died so tragically!"
"Call the police! Let's call the police right away!"
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