You said Zhanshan!
Old Chen kept shaking his head.
"No, no, that ungrateful wretch is useless. He's as stingy as a miser, unwilling to part with a single feather."
If he had any conscience at all, secretly bringing us a few pieces of meat during holidays would be considered filial piety.
But he's like someone who popped out of a rock—heartless and completely ungrateful.
"Old woman, you'd better stop trying to get close to that ungrateful wretch. In the end, you'll gain nothing and only get a lot of anger. It's not worth it."
Even if I'm furious, I still have to make him feel disgusted.
Old Mrs. Chen scoffed dismissively and continued,
"Old man, you know Chen Zhanshan is now wearing only his underwear in the dead of winter, shivering all over. His family is rolling in money."
I heard that his good-for-nothing son opened a big restaurant in town, and that damned brat, even the wilted spinach that's been doused with water, has perked up again.
Although they weren't as wealthy as the richest people in the area, they were still considered one of the wealthiest households around here.
As the saying goes, "Those with thin skin get nothing, those with thick skin eat their fill." If we're willing to be shameless, even a little bit from our boss's fingers could feed us for a month or two.
Old Chen frowned. He knew all about these things; his eldest son's family was living a very prosperous life.
If they hadn't separated from the family and severed ties, he would be the patriarch of a wealthy family now.
They used to eat well, live well, and even have time to play with crickets and birds. Now, however, they're struggling to even get enough to eat.
As the saying goes, "When a woman is in charge, the house collapses; when a woman is in charge, she suffers hardship and poverty."
It's all my fault for being such a damn coward, letting that spendthrift woman ruin our family like this.
If she hadn't been so headstrong and self-willed, things wouldn't have come to this.
Old Chen grew angrier and angrier, feeling increasingly aggrieved. He really wanted to show some manly spirit and vent his anger.
Let that old hag know just how big a mistake she made...
Seeing that he was keeping his head down and not saying anything, Old Mrs. Chen raised her voice and said with some dissatisfaction, "I'm talking to you, what are you doing with your head down? Why don't you fart something loud!"
Old Man Chen didn't want to pay any attention to Old Woman Chen, but he was afraid that if he angered her, he would get a good scolding.
Although I wasn't afraid of her, her crying, screaming, and threatening suicide were terrifying.
Forget it, I've been a loser for half my life anyway, why bother her? At least I have a wife, which is much better than those bachelors.
Thinking about it this way, I felt calm again.
He grinned, revealing a row of yellowed teeth, and said, "Whatever you say goes, I'll listen to you, okay?"
"Okay, I'm relieved to hear you say that. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury. If we can really make some money, the two of us old folks will go out to eat too."
"Alright, old woman, stop with the nonsense. Tell me quickly, how do you plan to squeeze money out of the boss?"
“What’s so difficult about that? We’ll just play the weasel game and see what happens.” After saying that, Old Mrs. Chen turned and walked outside.
Old Chen was taken aback. "Old woman, where are you going?"
"You idiot, of course you should go ask that heartless bastard for money!"
"Going already? Isn't that a bit rushed?"
"Haste my ass! Let's catch him off guard, let's get going, stop dawdling."
Old Mrs. Chen pulled Old Mr. Chen out of the house.
At this moment, Chen Zhanshan returned from the sugar mill. He had just brewed a cup of tea and hadn't even taken a few sips when he heard footsteps outside the door.
He looked up and saw that it was Old Man Chen and his wife, and he frowned.
A night owl coming into the house—that's never a good thing, these old couple must be up to no good...
While he was still in a daze, Old Mrs. Chen had already stepped in, her face plastered with a fake, loving smile.
"Hey~~ Zhanshan, you're home?"
Chen Zhanshan came to his senses. Although he was facing his parents who had raised him, his heart was as still as a deep pool, without a ripple.
But he still stood up and said indifferently, "Do you have business at my house?"
Chen Zhanshan deliberately emphasized the words "my home" to let them know that this was his home, and that they shouldn't talk nonsense or covet things they shouldn't be coveting.
"Look at what you're saying! Can't your mother come to see you if there's nothing wrong?" Old Mrs. Chen said, nudging Old Mr. Chen with her hand.
Old Chen understood and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, your mother is right. These days your mother keeps having dreams of you when you were little, crying and fussing, pooping and peeing. Your mother is worried about you, so she wanted to come and see you."
Chen Zhanshan was disgusted by the old couple's pretentious act and said coldly,
"Didn't we sever ties a long time ago? I'm doing just fine now, you don't need to worry about me."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen was so angry she wanted to bang her head against the doorframe, and she really wanted to slap him hard, just like she used to.
You're really giving him too much credit. If I weren't trying to get something out of him, I wouldn't even give a damn about you!
She took a deep breath, desperately suppressing her anger, and forced a stiff smile.
"Zhanshan, what kind of talk is this? Although we have separated our families and severed ties, you are my son and I am your mother. This is an indisputable fact. As the saying goes, 'A son is flesh of his mother's flesh.' What mother in the world doesn't miss her son?"
"Yes, Zhanshan, your mother is right."
Old Chen quickly picked up the conversation,
We've had our disagreements in the past, but no matter what, we're still your parents.
As the saying goes, "The sky is vast and the earth is wide, but nothing is greater than the kindness of one's parents."
If your mother and I hadn't raised you from infancy, would you be all grown up? Would you be living such a good life now?
You can ignore us, but as parents, we can't be heartless.
In our hearts, you'll always be a child who never grows up!
As soon as she finished speaking, Old Mrs. Chen was very satisfied and gave Old Mr. Chen an approving look with a smile.
Seeing this, Old Man Chen became even more interested and, before Chen Zhanshan could speak, began to talk incessantly again.
"Zhanshan, actually we don't have any deep-seated hatred between us. It's just a little family matter. We shouldn't act like enemies."
No matter where you go, I'll always be your father.
It's only because your dad is reasonable that you have parents who are unreasonable and argumentative that you'll have a headache.
They'll block your door every day and make a scene, just to see if you're not annoyed.
But then again, your mother and I aren't that kind of people, and we wouldn't do something so shameful..."
......
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