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Wang Qian looked at Fang Ben, who was happy, but when she raised her head and saw the expressions of her elder brother and elder sister, something seemed amiss. “Brother, sister, did you not see their relatives at Grandpa Chen’s house?”
Wang Qian felt that seeing such expressions on her siblings’ faces shouldn’t be related to academics. Since everything went smoothly in their studies and business, it must be a family matter. Her brother and sister staying at Grandpa Chen’s house without any reason probably meant something was wrong with their family.
Wang Xuan hesitated for a moment and nodded. “Yes, I saw them. After Grandpa Chen distributed some allowances, they started coming one by one. Some wanted to borrow money, some wanted to move in to take care of Grandpa, but Grandpa Chen refused them all. Later, they started coming over frequently to freeload, sometimes even taking things back home. A lot of the oil we brought for Grandpa Chen was taken by them.”
Wang Xuan and Mingcheng felt angry when they remembered this, but fortunately, they had hidden some for themselves. Otherwise, when everyone came over for a meal, there wouldn’t have been much left.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but sigh. “Ah, Uncle Chen is also having a hard time. He finally looked forward to a better life after his sentence, but now this happens. Xuan’er, Mingcheng, don’t let Grandpa be angry. If there’s something good to eat, let Grandpa have it first. He’s been through a lot. Grandma Chen passed away early, otherwise, the old couple would have had each other.”
Wang Qian felt that it wasn’t good to meddle in Chen’s family affairs; they should focus on their own responsibilities. After all, they were all family, and some things couldn’t be untangled, just like in their own family.
While they were talking, Wang Zhenhai and his wife entered. “Younger brother, Youngest Brother wants you and your wife to go over. It seems Mother fell into a coma yesterday; we don’t know what happened. Fourth Brother said this much and asked us to find you.”
Wang Zhenhe became anxious upon hearing about his mother’s health issues. “Brother, did Zhenguo mention anything else? What caused her to faint? I hadn’t heard that mother was sick; she was in good health, right?”
Suddenly, Wang Qian remembered seeing Wang Mei and Wang Zhi return yesterday. Could it be related to this incident? Whenever those two were together, trouble was sure to follow.
“Dad, Aunt Mei and Aunt Zhi came back yesterday.”
With Wang Qian’s words, everyone in the room started to speculate. It couldn’t be just a coincidence. Wang Zhenhe took his elder brother and left, while Wang Juan and Zhang Lan followed behind. Wang Qian felt uneasy; if Grandma was sick, she should just be taken to the hospital. Why drag her mother into this?
“Brother, when you get to Grandma’s place, check things out. I’ll follow soon. Let’s not let Mom get taken advantage of.” She said to Mingyuan.
Mingcheng also wanted to go because of his concerns but was stopped by Wang Qian. “Brother, you’re still in your military uniform. It’s better not to get involved in these family matters right now. Dad is there; everything will be fine. Let brother and sister go check. If it’s serious, you can always go help later.”
Wang Qian didn’t want Mingcheng to be dragged into this. After finally getting into the military academy, she didn’t want others to criticize her brother for getting involved in family conflicts.
Accompanying Zhang Lan, Wang Qian arrived at the old house. Zhu Qiyu lay on the heated brick bed, groaning. To outsiders, it seemed like she was gravely ill, but Wang Qian, peering through the door crack, could see that Grandma’s complexion was actually quite good. This didn’t look like an illness—more like a charade.
She stayed outside, listening in. She just wanted to know what Grandma was up to. As long as her parents weren’t being deceived, she was fine with it.
Inside, Wang Zhenguo briefly explained the situation at home to everyone, and Zhu Qiyu started groaning.
Understanding the situation was one thing, but everyone was unclear about why Grandma had summoned them—whether to stand up for Wang Zhi or for some other reason.
Wang Zhenhai spoke first, “Mom, are you suggesting we go teach Li Changhai a lesson so that he treats my sister better in the future? I’m his elder brother, and in a way, this is his fault. Giving him a beating is justified.”
At this point, Zhu Qiyu wanted to slap her eldest son. How could this thick-headed guy not understand? “Son, even if your sister is in this situation, resorting to violence won’t solve anything. Zhi doesn’t have children now, but what happens when she gets old? My intention is to see how many children you brothers have and consider having one of them adopted by your sister. At least, she would have someone to rely on in her old age.”
Wang Juan, not very pleased with this suggestion, spoke up, “Mom, look at our three children. The two elder ones are about to get married. Our daughter is our precious one. Besides, the age gap between Wang Zhi and a child meant to be adopted must match. The new daughter would be the same age as her adopted mother; who knows who will take care of whom in old age?”
Ignoring her second son, Grandma spoke directly to Wang Zhenhe, “Third child, I’ve never asked for anything in my life, but you wouldn’t want to see your sister without anyone to rely on, right? How about having your Mingyuan adopted by your sister? After all, they would be aunt and nephew. Daughter-in-law, if I’ve made mistakes in these years, I hope you can bear with me. I’m getting old and forgetful. I’ve done some foolish things, and I can’t remember how. Please don’t argue with this old lady.”
Wang Zhenhe and Zhang Lan were stunned. It seemed like Grandma’s plan was mainly targeting their children. Wang Zhenhe, who had regretted not being closer to his mother, felt a chill run down his spine.
“Mother, what are you saying? I’ve raised Mingyuan with so much effort, and he’s about to succeed. Your schemes are too cunning. I disagree.”
Listening from outside, Wang Qian understood everything clearly. What kind of thoughts ran through these people’s minds? Both families were in turmoil, and now they were eyeing her younger brother for solutions. Quite interesting.
Zhu Qiyu held Wang Zhenhe’s hand and pleaded, “Third child, please don’t reject so quickly. I have no other choice. Your sister can’t go on like this. You wouldn’t want to see Zhi end up divorced. Give Mingyuan to Zhi; he will still be your son, just with a different name. Nothing else will change. He’ll still be your blood, and this way, your sister will have a successful son who can stand firm in the Li family. Mingyuan can continue his studies, and your younger sister can even help with his expenses.”
At this point, Zhang Lan couldn’t stay silent. She stared at Zhu Qiyu and said, “Mom, I disagree with this. Look for another family.”
Seeing that Wang Zhenhe and his wife both disagreed, Zhu Qiyu sat up in disappointment. “Zhenhe, if even you can’t help your sister, then Zhi and I might as well die now. We have no way out. I raised all of you, but none of you can support us. What was the point of raising children?”
The more Grandma talked, the sadder she became. Wang Zhenhe felt uneasy. “Mom, is this really fair? If Zhi wants to adopt a child, she can do so from another family. Why target Mingyuan from our family?”
Observing from outside, Wang Qian sensed something was amiss. Grandma seemed to be resorting to emotional tactics. Her father was soft-hearted; she hoped he wouldn’t fall for this strategy.
Quickly entering the room, she saw the tense atmosphere. Zhu Qiyu hadn’t noticed the presence of an additional granddaughter. Upon hearing Wang Zhenhe’s tone, she intervened, “Third child, today Mom is in the wrong, but I have no choice. I wouldn’t suggest this if I wasn’t forced. Though it’s a difficult decision, my daughter is married now, and I feel her pain. You all are flesh of my flesh, and I care for each of you. Zhenhe, I’m begging you for this. I’ll even kowtow to you both.”
As Grandma knelt on the heated brick bed to kowtow, a pair of hands firmly pulled her up from behind before she could lower her head.
The people in the room were stunned by Grandma’s actions. A mother kowtowing to her son and daughter-in-law was unprecedented. Wang Qian couldn’t allow this gesture to proceed; if Grandma kowtowed, it would cause chaos in their household. Even the incomprehensible spittle flying around the room could drown someone.
“Hey, Grandma, what play are you staging? Even if you’re teaching Dad to kowtow to our ancestors, there’s no need for this extreme demonstration. We still have uncles; you don’t need to show it yourself. Quickly get up. If anything happens to you, my parents won’t be able to bear the guilt.
By the way, why did I hear bits and pieces about my aunt adopting a child when I came in earlier? What’s so difficult about it? Don’t we have me in our family? Aunt, you can adopt me. In the future, all the houses and money will be mine. That’s not a bad deal. Mom, don’t worry. Wherever you go, I’ll be your daughter. When they grow old, I’ll give them back everything they did for you.”
Zhu Qiyu couldn’t help but feel like wailing. Where did this brat come from? Today’s carefully planned drama was being completely disrupted by her.
Wang Zhi, ignoring everything else, was fuming upon hearing Wang Qian offer their family’s houses and money to Wang Zhenhe. The anger surged through her, and her trembling arm pointed at Wang Qian as she started to scold, “You little brat! You think I would want anything from your family? If I wanted you to be a part of our family, I might as well be dead! You’re not here to take care of me; you’re here to torment me purposefully.”
Upon hearing those words, Zhang Lan didn’t hold back and swiftly delivered a resounding slap, a crisp sound that shocked everyone in the room.
At that moment, she bravely stood in front of her daughter, resembling a lioness protecting her cub. Zhang Lan’s gaze was icy as she stared down the somewhat arrogant sister-in-law before her.
“Wang Zhi, let me make this clear. If you dare to insult my children again, I will not spare you today. If I don’t discipline you, I’m not worthy of being surnamed Zhang. For all these years, my children have respectfully called you ‘aunt,’ but you haven’t even shown basic respect to them. From today onwards, I will not tolerate this behavior. If you can’t speak respectfully, then keep your mouth shut. If you dare to scheme against my son, I advise you to bury that thought now. I won’t give any of my children to you. Even if we starve, we’ll starve together. No one can separate me from my children. And let me make this clear: even if you offer me the moon from the sky, I wouldn’t accept it. Dream on.”
As Zhang Lan spoke, her tone grew increasingly menacing, striking Wang Zhi like a fierce spirit.