Chapter 176: Qiao Dongliang Stood Up for Her
Elder Zhu was worried that after becoming a soldier, Zhu Baoguo might end up as cannon fodder in the future.
But judging from Zhu Baoguo’s performance today, Elder Zhu was sure that his grandson would not end up as cannon fodder as long as he was taught well. He would be a good politician instead!
“Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa. Both Grandpa and Maternal Grandpa had put in so much effort to groom me. I would be letting both of you down if I do not make any improvement.” Zhu Baoguo was not used to sitting next to Elder Zhu, but he remembered what Qiao Nan once taught him. Zhu Baoguo extended his hand awkwardly and placed it on Elder Zhu’s shoulders as if they were buddies. “Grandpa, don’t worry. I am sensible now.”
“…” Elder Zhu was not very accustomed to his grandson’s affectionate gesture. It was usually his maternal grandson who would be affectionate to him. But he was very happy. In fact, he was delighted that his grandson was being close to him.
Elder Zhu quivered, taking a sip of the tea that Zhu Baoguo poured for him. He softened his tone. “Well, you have made improvements. There is nothing better than this. You are right. Your father is in charge of the Zhu family now. When you are able to manage the Zhu family in the future, it will be the day I can finally rest assured.”
When Wang Yang came in, he saw the grandpa and grandson sitting side by side, having an animated conversation. Wang Yang’s face stiffened. Still, he had to plaster a smile on his face.
In the past, Wang Yang was the only one who used to sit beside Elder Zhu. Now that there was Zhu Baoguo, Wang Yang felt that there was no place for him.
“Yang Yang is here.” Elder Zhu was all smiles when he saw his maternal grandson coming his way. But Wang Yang could clearly feel that his grandfather was not as happy as he used to be when seeing him.
Wang Yang was angry. Elder Zhu no longer cared about his maternal grandson because he had a grandson by his side. Was that how it was now?
Sure enough, his father was right. The people from the Zhu family were heartless. They did not care about family ties!
“Grandpa, Brother Baoguo.” No matter how angry Wang Yang felt, he had a bright smile on his face. On his refreshed face was a smile as bright as sunshine. Zhu Baoguo sized up Wang Yang. He had to admit that Qiao Nan was right. Wang Yang was very good at pretending. Everyone liked the bright and sunny person that Wang Yang pretended to be.
“Yang Yang, come and have a sit.”
“Okay.” Seeing that Elder Zhu motioned him to sit on another sofa, Wang Yang felt gloomy. “It is so rare for Brother Baoguo to be here and have some time to chat with Grandpa.”
In the past, whenever Zhu Baoguo was free, he would mix with the bad company outside.
“I suddenly realized that I have a lot to chat with Grandpa. This is how we develop relationships with others. Anyway, since I am free, I must spend more time to chat with Grandpa.” Initially, when Zhu Baoguo sat next to Elder Zhu, he could not help but felt uncomfortable.
Now that he noticed that Wang Yang seemed to value sitting next to Elder Zhu, Zhu Baoguo felt comfortable in his seat.
No wonder Wang Yang liked to snatch his things in the past. The feeling of having someone else’s stuff for oneself was really cool!
Zhu Baoguo placed one hand on the back of the sofa, leaning against it and sitting with his legs crossed, one foot poised in the air. To Wang Yang, Zhu Baoguo’s lazy stance suggested provocation.
“Well, it is rare that the three of us can get together. Let’s have a good chat.”
If there was any misunderstanding, one should clear them up.
Now that Baoguo and Yang Yang were on bad terms with each other, it might be good to spend some time with each other.
He always believed that his grandson and his maternal grandson were well-behaved children.
Baoguo used to be naughty and wild, but he could change for the better. Therefore, there was no way that Yang Yang, who used to be well-behaved, would turn naughty and no longer mend his ways.
Qiao Nan did not know that under her guidance for the past one year, Zhu Baoguo was now crafty and clever, someone Wang Yang was not able to handle.
Zhu Baoguo had learned to be sharp and would be able to deal with Wang Yang. Unfortunately, no matter how sharp-witted Qiao Nan was, there was no way she could deal with Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin.
Zhu Baoguo returned to the Zhu residence, and of course, Qiao Nan went back to Qiao residence.
Coincidentally, the family of four met at the door.
Ding Jiayi, who was filled with pent-up anger by the Zhu family’s words, pulled a long face, whereas Qiao Zijin kept her silence on the way back.
When Qiao Nan was in the hospital looking after her father, the attitude of the Zhou couple was very good. From time to time, they would talk about Zhou Jun who had returned to the army.
However, when Qiao Nan was not around, and it was Qiao Zijin’s turn to take care of Qiao Dongliang, the Zhou couple never took the initiative to talk about their son, Zhou Jun. They simply did not chat with Qiao Zijin and only talked with Qiao Dongliang.
When there was a comparison, one’s feelings would be hurt.
Ding Jiayi was boiling with anger when she saw how her favorite elder daughter was wronged and humiliated in front of the Zhou family. She could not vent her anger on them, but she could take it out on Qiao Nan who was the apple of their eyes.
“I have already told you that your dad will come home from the hospital today and that you must clean the house. Where have you been loitering around that you only come back now!” Ding Jiayi glared at Qiao Nan, her voice rising, sounding as fierce as a tigress.
Qiao Dongliang, who needed someone to support him on his way back, had a stern expression on his face. “Stop yelling! Isn’t it disgraceful? I suppose no one cleaned the house during the time I was in the hospital. How could Nan Nan finish such an arduous task by herself? You could have come by yourself to fetch me when I was discharged from the hospital and left Zijin at home so that they could clean up together. That way, both of them would take a shorter time to finish the cleaning!”
“It’s just easy chores that one can finish easily! Since she stays at home every day, what is she good at if she cannot do such an easy task?!” Ding Jiayi refused to admit that cleaning the house was a very tiring chore and insisted that Qiao Nan was useless.
“Is it?” Qiao Dongliang sneered. “Since you have said so, fine. Nan Nan, Zijin, help me to the room to rest. Both of you do not have to bother yourselves with the household chores. Since children are capable of such simple tasks, it must be an easy feat for your mom who is an adult. Just leave it to your mom.”
Qiao Dongliang lifted his hand and his daughters supported him into the room.
The moment he woke up in the hospital, he had said to himself that in the future if Old Ding would dare to bully Nan Nan in front of him, he would not let her off!
Even if he was injured and could not do anything to Old Ding, he would not allow Old Ding to bully Nan Nan like how she did in the past.
“I work for the whole day! I am tired!” Ding Jiayi kicked up a fuss immediately.
Qiao Dongliang had not been home, so he was clueless about the situation at home. On the contrary, Ding Jiayi went home almost every day and knew that their house was very dirty at the moment as compared to how it used to be before.
In the past, all the chores were done by Qiao Nan. As a mother, Ding Jiayi only helped out here and there. As for Qiao Zijin, she did not even lend a helping hand.
Now that Qiao Nan refused to do the household chores, the Qiao residence was no longer as clean as it used to be in the past. It would be very tiring to clean up the house!
Chapter 177: Don’t You Feel Shameful
Ding Jiayi would only leave the worst job to Qiao Nan.
This time, Qiao Dongliang threw the task of cleaning up back to her. Ding Jiayi was dumbfounded, perplexed. Recently, Old Qiao had been very meddlesome with the affairs at home. She used to have the final say for things at home.
Thinking of the situation at home, Ding Jiayi had a terrible headache, her heart trembled. If she was to clean up by herself, there was no chance that she would able to sleep tonight.
It was impossible to make Qiao Nan do all the work at home anymore. In this house, Ding Jiayi, who had lost her sovereignty, was like a frosted eggplant. She felt weak and listless.
When Ding Jiayi stepped into the house and saw that her two daughters had helped Qiao Dongliang back to the room where Qiao Nan used to sleep in, she turned angry. “How foolish the both of you are! That room is so small, and your dad is recovering from his injuries. Why did you both bring him into that room?!”
She and Old Qiao did not intend to divorce, so there was no need to stay in separate rooms. Zijin was as foolish as Qiao Nan to have done such a thing.
Qiao Zijin was angry at being scolded by Ding Jiayi. “Mom, what are you yelling at? I did not want to help Dad into there as well. It was Dad who insisted to sleep in that room!” It had nothing to do with her. Her mother had no right to yell at her. If she dared, she should yell at her father.
For every grievance, someone is responsible. For every debt, there is a debtor!
As a mother, there was nothing wrong with lecturing her daughter, yet the elder daughter lashed back at her. Ding Jiayi would not take it lying down.
But Qiao Zijin was her favorite daughter after all. She was the one who made her proud. Ding Jiayi glared at Qiao Nan and released her pent-up frustration at her. “Are you stupid? Why do you bring your dad into that room? Do you wish for your dad to move about at home and aggravate his injuries? Do you have that much money to splurge?”
Qiao Dongliang was very disappointed by Ding Jiayi’s reaction.
The elder daughter had told the wife clearly that he asked for this room. It had nothing to do with the two daughters. At the very least, one could say that the two daughters were very obedient to him.
If the wife was angry, shouldn’t she direct her anger at him?
Parents always have their good reasons. Old Ding was biased toward Zijin and always sided with her, but Nan Nan never once yelled or disrespected Old Ding.
Old Ding pampered and doted on Zijin. She had wished to give her all the valuables in the house. Even though Zijin treated her disrespectfully, Old Ding did not reprimand her. Instead, she vented her anger on Nan Nan. Why was she so unreasonable?
Qiao Dongliang was not only disappointed with Ding Jiayi but also disappointed with Qiao Zijin.
Qiao Zijin had been spoiled by his wife and developed bad character traits all because of Ding Jiayi.
Nevertheless, his wife was oblivious to it and still indulged her elder daughter until now. Whenever he wanted to correct her, Old Ding would stop him and remind him that Zijin had a hard life and was very sensible.
Qiao Dongliang smiled sarcastically. Zijin might be wrong to lash out at her mother, but Old Ding asked for it herself!
“Have loads of money? Even if you do not have any money, you are still very capable, aren’t you? You can just borrow it from others, so what are you afraid of?” Qiao Dongliang’s eyes were red when he was reminded of what happened when he was sent to the hospital. “Zijin, Nan Nan, both of you should go out. I have something to discuss with your mom.”
“Wait!” Ding Jiayi panicked. Did Old Qiao know about what happened that day?
Ding Jiayi glared at Qiao Nan. It must be that wretched girl who told Old Qiao about what happened that day. If she knew this would have happened, she should not have given birth to her.
“You don’t have to blame everything on Nan Nan. You were shouting that day, and I was woken up by you. Everyone in the hospital would have known about it. There is no need for Nan Nan to tell me about what happened. I already heard it from someone else.” Qiao Dongliang sneered. “Both of you be good and leave us alone for now.”
“Both of you cannot leave!” Ding Jiayi’s face was pale. She quickly grabbed at both of her daughters, stopping them from leaving. They were her shields. “I… We are one family, and there should be no secrets between us all. They have the rights to listen to what you want to say.”
Ding Jiayi knew that Qiao Dongliang would be furious when he found out that she borrowed money from his comrades.
Regardless, she would not mind being disgraced. She placed Zijin’s future above everything. At most, she would be reprimanded by Old Qiao and it would pass eventually.
Ding Jiayi had never imagined that after spending all the money they had at home, Qiao Dongliang would be hit by a car, and that he would require major surgery at the hospital. What was worse was that it was a hit-and-run accident.
Things were totally different under such circumstances.
Whenever it crossed her mind that if Qiao Nan had not managed to borrow the money at that time, Qiao Dongliang could not have undergone the surgery and might have died, Ding Jiayi would break out in cold sweat and had nightmares for several nights. She would dream that she was a widow and had to raise two daughters by herself.
“Are you sure?” Ding Jiayi was so afraid that her legs were shaking from fear. She had no likings for Qiao Nan, yet she grabbed onto Qiao Nan now. Qiao Dongliang let out a long sigh. “Old Ding, I regret it. I really regret it.”
“Okay, all of you leave the room. Old Ding, you should do what you are supposed to do. Remember to clean the house. Otherwise, I will settle scores with you.” It was inconvenient for Qiao Dongliang to bring up certain stuff in front of the two children, especially in front of Qiao Nan. He did not want to hurt her.
In the past, Qiao Dongliang was a careless father. Now, Qiao Dongliang could not ignore her feelings anymore.
Since Ding Jiayi refused to face reality, Qiao Dongliang would just let her be. However, even though he did not say it out loud, it did not mean that it did not exist.
“It will be too tiring for me to clean up the house alone. I have to work tomorrow. Can Nan Nan help me with the cleaning?” Ding Jiayi was scared out of her wits. She gave in and agreed to clean the house. But at the very least, Nan Nan should help her out. Otherwise, she could not finish it by herself.
“You’re too tired to clean up? Didn’t you say that it’s easy? Ding Jiayi, as a mother, you should make your words count in front of your daughters! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?!” Qiao Dongliang thought that Old Ding would not say another word and would finish the chores by herself.
It seemed that he thought too highly of Old Ding.
“Zijin, help me with the chores.” Ding Jiayi compromised once again and asked her beloved elder daughter for help.
Old Qiao stood firm and left no room for discussion. It must be his plans to make Zijin help her.
“Zijin can help you, but Nan Nan cannot.”
“Why!!!” Ding Jiayi screamed. Even if she had made a mistake, though she did not admit it verbally, she had acted submissive and apologetic.
She gave in to Old Qiao once and again. He should not go too far. “Didn’t you always say that we should treat the two daughters equally?”
Chapter 178: So Rare That She Was Well-Behaved
“You said we have to treat them both equally—that we can’t be biased toward either of them and ill-treated the other. But what do you mean today?! Are you targeting me, or are you against Zijin?”
Qiao Nan’s eyes widened, casting Ding Jiayi an incredulous glance. Was her mother trying to sow discord between Qiao Zijin and father?
Qiao Nan wanted to ask her mother what she meant by saying such words.
“Fine, since you want to be fair, let me tell you why I refuse to let Nan Nan help you with the chores. I will let you know what fairness is.” Qiao Dongliang gasped a few breaths. “Look at my room. Isn’t it clean as compared to other places in the house? Look at my bed and feel my quilt. Obviously, the quilt cover was washed and dried! Are you telling me you and Zijin did all these? Are you telling me you both cleaned this room up?”
After hearing what Qiao Dongliang said, Ding Jiayi was all the more furious.
There were so many rooms in the house, yet Qiao Nan only cleaned up that particular room. Had she been hoping or planning for her to quarrel with Old Qiao and prepared the room for Old Qiao in advance just in case?
If this room was dirty, messy, wet, and dark—given Old Qiao’s physical condition—it would not be suitable for him to stay in the room even if he was willing.
Though the couple would quarrel, they would always resolve their differences. As long as the couple shared the same bed and the same blanket, they would patch up after the quarrel.
No matter what kind of serious mistakes she committed, Old Qiao would forgive her after a few days.
For Qiao Nan to do this, was she hoping for them not to patch up?
It must be under Qiao Nan’s influences that Old Qiao was no longer as understanding and objective as he used to be.
“Mom… mom…” Ding Jiayi’s face was getting redder, like a kettle with boiling water. Her non-stop complaints were like the sound of boiling water. Qiao Zijin hurried to stop Ding Jiayi. “Mom, Dad is right. This room must have been cleaned by Nan Nan. Nan Nan is still young. As her elder sister, I should do more. Since Nan Nan can do it, I could as well. Both of us are your children. Mom, let’s clean up together. Dad, you should have a good rest. Mom and I will clean up the house.”
With that, Qiao Zijin dragged Ding Jiayi away.
“You…” Ding Jiayi was angry and discouraged. “Are you capable of helping me with the cleaning? Forget it. You don’t know how to do all these. Don’t create troubles for me.” She had spoiled this daughter of hers. She did not know how to do household chores, just like the mistress of the house.
She hoped Zijin would not end up like her, whose husband was penniless and had a nasty temper, but be blessed with a better husband.
“Zijin, you must bear this in mind. If you wish to lead a pampered life and do not wish to work at all, you must keep your eyes sharp when you choose your husband. You must know who to choose and who not to choose. Now that I married your dad, I guess I will not be able to enjoy life. I prepared his meals and washed his clothes, but in the end, he treats me badly because of an unfilial daughter I gave birth to. This man is really… It’s such a waste of my life. Zijin, I have to count on you to be successful and make me proud.”
Ding Jiayi’s eyes were red and her voice was hoarse.
“Your dad is a good-for-nothing. He blames me for splurging while in fact, I spent the money for your future. Why is this considered splurging? Why doesn’t he admit that he is useless—that he cannot make enough money such that there is no savings at home? If we had the money, did I even need to borrow it from others? I am not asking for troubles. If it was not for you, I wouldn’t have embarrassed myself to borrow money from those people. Zijin, you must bear in mind that nothing goes well for a destitute couple.”
“Mom, you can rest assured, I understand. In the future, I will definitely find a man who is rich and good to me. If Dad does not treat you well, I will provide for you. You can stay with me!” Qiao Zijin was agitated as well. She grabbed hold of Ding Jiayi’s shoulder. “Since Dad is biased toward Qiao Nan, we will just leave him be. In the future, I will not provide for him and will only provide for you. I refuse to take in a husband and stay with the family. If he wants to have a grandson, he can take in a husband for Qiao Nan. If my future husband is capable and successful, he will not want to have his children take our surname. I will definitely find someone who is different from Dad!”
Qiao Zijin felt wronged and full of resentment when she was reminded of the fact that she could not enjoy good food and nice clothes like others. She also did not have any spare money to spend.
People used to say that if one learned mathematics and sciences, one would fear nothing.
But right now, it was better to have a good father rather than learning mathematics and sciences.
Not only did her father lose out to other people’s fathers but also did not dote on her. She hated her father. Why was he biased toward Qiao Nan?
If her father encountered difficulties in the future, she would not help him out. By then, her father would realize that between his two daughters, she was the more successful one.
“Fine, you are my good daughter. Now that your dad wants to sleep in that small room, not only is he staying in a separate room from me but has also cut his ties with me. Zijin, I give up my relationship with your dad because of you. You are the only one I have now. You must make me proud. I will have to depend on you for the rest of my life.”
Ding Jiayi was not really stupid. She might appear to be foolish, but there was always a shrewd side to her.
Qiao Dongliang’s attitude in the hospital had already aroused Ding Jiayi’s and Qiao Zijin’s suspicions. What he said today affirmed the fact that Old Qiao was really angry with her this time. He would not forgive her easily.
For the past year, Ding Jiayi’s relationship with Qiao Dongliang had gone from bad to worst. Among 365 days a year, the couple spent less than half the time sharing the same bed.
As a woman, Ding Jiayi knew something was not right.
When Qiao Dongliang came back from the hospital today, he chose to stay in the small room instead of the spacious room. Ding Jiayi knew it was unlikely for Qiao Dongliang to move back to the spacious room.
She had never liked or wanted Qiao Nan, the younger daughter. Now that her husband had cut off ties with her, she only had her elder daughter left with her.
Ding Jiayi only had Qiao Zijin with her. Hence, she must make sure that Qiao Zijin would stand on her side. That was why she sowed discord between Qiao Zijin and Qiao Dongliang just now.
In addition, Ding Jiayi cried in front of Qiao Zijin so that both of them could empathize with each other. As expected, they had grown closer to each other. Qiao Zijin had eyes only for her mother, Ding Jiayi.
It was shocking how terrible one could be when they only thought of their own interests.
After blaming Qiao Dongliang for everything, Qiao Zijin wiped the tears off Ding Jiayi’s face. “Mom, do you know why I agreed to clean the house?”
“I thought you wanted to help me appease your dad, was it not?”
Chapter 179: Your Mom and I Go Our Separate…
Ding Jiayi did not like Qiao Zijin’s method of helping her out. It was not an easy task to clean up the house. It would take them half a day to do a simple clean up. If they intended to do a thorough cleaning, they would really have to go without sleep.
“No, Mom, listen to me.” Qiao Zijin pulled Ding Jiayi to one side. “Mom, when you stopped me and Qiao Nan from leaving just now, I accidentally bumped into Qiao Nan. I noticed that she seemed to be hiding something in her clothes. It felt like a packet of money. I think there is a large amount of money.”
The stack felt long and rectangular. Besides money, Qiao Zijin could not think of any other possibility.
“No, where did she get the money from!” She and Old Qiao had no money. It was impossible that a child like Qiao Nan would have money with her.
“Did she borrow it?”
“Where in the world did such kind-hearted people exist? We still do not know where Qiao Nan borrowed the large sum of money previously. Your dad’s hospital stay cost around one thousand and five hundred yuan. On top of that, she repaid the money on our behalf. All of these amounted to a huge sum of money. She has yet to return the money she borrowed last time, so who lent her the money this time?” If it was so easy to borrow the money, she would not have to seek help from so many families before finally borrowing a few hundred yuan.
When Old Qiao was in trouble, those people acted like debt collectors, demanding their money back.
“How will I know where Qiao Nan got the money from? But I felt there was a lot of money in Qiao Nan’s pocket. Mom, what do you say about doing something with this money?”
“What you mean is… Are you sure? No, no. Given your dad’s temper, we must keep a low profile these few days.” Ding Jiayi wanted the money, but she was fearful of Qiao Dongliang.
This money was Qiao Nan’s. If she wanted Qiao Nan to hand them over, that wretched girl would definitely refuse. Ding Jiayi could not be bothered to argue with her.
In this life, Qiao Nan had made sure her mother understood that she would not be submissive or give in to her. It had only been less than a year, and Ding Jiayi had become accustomed to her firm attitude and persistence, realizing that Qiao Nan would not budge easily.
“Mom, don’t be so foolish. We are a family. Everyone has a share in everything at home. Even if it is money, it doesn’t solely belong to Nan Nan. Does it mean we cannot do anything to Nan Nan if she refuses to hand over the money—that everything belonging to Nan Nan has nothing to do with Mom, the family, and me? There is no such thing in this world. Aren’t we still considered as one family?”
To put it simply, whatever Qiao Nan had, belonged to them; whatever belonged to them were theirs as well!
“But she will refuse to hand it over, so there is nothing we can do!” Ding Jiayi said helplessly.
“…” Qiao Zijin rolled her eyes. “When you needed the five thousand yuan for me to enroll in The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, we somehow managed to get the money even though Dad disagreed. How did you do it?”
Who said we must get the consent of the rest of the family when we wanted their money?
Everyone was one family. Everything was shared between one another. In other words, she and her mother merely took their own things. There was nothing wrong with it.
No one would need to inform the others when they took their own things. Wouldn’t that be a joke?
“Zijin, do you mean to… steal?” According to what Qiao Zijin said, Ding Jiayi could only think of this word.
“What do you mean by stealing? We are one family. Isn’t Nan Nan your daughter and my sister? Whatever belongs to Nan Nan is ours as well, so what do you mean by stealing? Do you mean that you stole the five thousand yuan from Dad for my school fees?”
“No, your dad’s money is mine. I have the right to spend it!”
“That is right. Nan Nan is still young. Whatever belongs to Nan Nan is ours. Nan Nan cannot keep them with her. There is nothing wrong for you to keep them for her for the time being.” Qiao Zijin was glad that Ding Jiayi finally understood what she said.
“That wretched girl is very smart. It is not easy to get the money from her.”
“Hey, Mom, the reason why we could not find the money and books that Nan Nan hid is that she didn’t bring them home at all. We don’t know where she put it. However, it’s different this time. Nan Nan has the money with her. Even if she really wants to hide it, at the very least, she needs to keep the money in our house tonight. Since we are cleaning up the house, it will be easy to find the money.”
Ding Jiayi’s eyes lit up. “It makes sense! Zijin, you are young and smart, unlike me, muddleheaded. Why didn’t I think of that? Okay, it’s settled.”
Ding Jiayi finally understood why Qiao Zijin was so eager to clean the house when Qiao Dongliang asked her to do it.
“Mom, we are not in a hurry. Dad wanted us to clean the house, but he didn’t say that it must be done today. We can do it at our own pace lest Qiao Nan hides it too well and we can’t find it right away.” At the mention of money, Qiao Zijin became smart instantly. She was not this smart in her studies.
If Qiao Zijin put in efforts and make use of her intelligence that she displayed when coming up with the plan to get Qiao Nan’s money, she would do well for her exams.
“Well, we must be careful. Don’t give yourself away in front of Qiao Nan, that wretched girl.” Zijin would start school in about half a month’s time and would be able to get her tuition fees just in time.
Initially, she had been worried about paying for Zijin’s tuition fees. If she could get hold of Qiao Nan’s money, together with her pay, she should be able to cover for her tuition fees.
If there was any remaining money, she could get new clothes for Zijin to wear to school.
Ding Jiayi was Qiao Zijin’s biological mother after all. They were thinking about the same thing.
Qiao Zijin was very sure that since Qiao Nan had managed to borrow more than one thousand yuan last time, she must have a significant sum of money with her this time. The money should be enough for Zijin to spend.
Qiao Nan did not know that Qiao Zijin had discovered that she had money with her. Ding Jiayi had merely pulled at her while Qiao Zijin knocked accidentally into her.
“Dad, you must be tired from the journey back. Lie down on the bed and have a rest.” As soon as Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin left the room, Qiao Nan helped Qiao Dongliang take off his shoes and helped him to the bed. “I have asked the doctor. Given your condition, it is best to lie down and rest for about ten days. Afterward, you can get out of the bed and move about, but you should keep it short.”
“Nan Nan, you are more meticulous than your mom.” Qiao Dongliang was disheartened. When Ding Jiayi picked Qiao Dongliang up from the hospital, she only knew how to ask Nan Nan about the medical fees, and whether the hospital owed them any money or miscalculated the bills. She did not bother to ask what she should look out for when taking care of Qiao Dongliang.
At that time, Qiao Dongliang really felt that in the eyes of Ding Jiayi, money was more important than her husband.
“Nan Nan, if your mom and I go our separate…” Qiao Dongliang stopped in the middle of his sentence. He was afraid that he would scare Qiao Nan. He was also unsure whether he was making a mountain out of a molehill and being petty.
Chapter 180: Do as You Wish
As the saying goes, husband and wife might be living in the same forest, but when faced with adversity, they would fly away in different directions.
He was in a car accident, and the man who hit him ran off. He was taken to the hospital and was in urgent need of a large sum of money for surgery. Although Old Ding did not abandon him at that time, what was the difference between Old Ding’s behavior and abandoning him? He felt bitterly disappointed either way.
They had no money, and he was sent to the operating room. Yet, his wife did nothing but sat down on the ground and cried, sobbing that they had no money. Qiao Dongliang was chilled and bitterly disappointed.
What was the difference between Ding Jiayi’s actions and leaving him behind right away?
No, there was a slight difference.
If Ding Jiayi had left with Zijin, Ding Jiayi would not have known what happened to him. Though Ding Jiayi stayed in the hospital and did nothing but cried and ranted, she could watch him as he died at the very least.
Thinking of the years they spent together, even though Ding Jiayi did not give birth to a son and had two daughters, he had never shortchanged her. He gave all the money he earned to her.
Did Ding Jiayi do the right thing?
During the past half month he stayed in the hospital, he saw that Zhou Bing’s wife was very considerate toward her husband. In comparison, whenever Ding Jiayi came to the hospital to take care of him, she would pull a long face. She would look at him with resentment, blaming him for not making enough money, and that he was biased toward Nan Nan and did not treat Zijin well enough.
Qiao Dongliang was tired.
Given how his wife treated him, it was meaningless to stay as a couple.
When he saw how the other couple treated each other, and he compared it to himself, he was seized with an impulse to divorce his wife.
But Qiao Dongliang was a traditional man. He would not bring himself to divorce his wife unless she went over the limits.
Besides, Qiao Dongliang was worried that both of his daughters, especially the younger daughter, might not understand his reasons for divorcing his wife and would want them to stay together as a couple.
At Qiao Dongliang’s factory, he would occasionally hear the news of some couples who were on bad terms with each other and wanted a divorce. However, their children would refuse or even skive off school, objecting to their parents’ divorce.
The only worry Qiao Dongliang had was that Qiao Nan might be hurt. He did not want Qiao Nan, who was such a good child, to suffer.
Hence, he stopped his words midway.
“Dad, no matter what is going through your mind, as long as you are happy, I will support you.” After thinking about it, Qiao Nan looked at Qiao Dongliang fixedly.
“Nan Nan, do you know what you are talking about? Or rather, do you really understand what I am talking about?”
“I understand.” Qiao Nan took a deep breath and said with certainty.
Although she had no feelings for her mother, she was her mother after all. She could not disregard their blood relations. After all, she had given birth to her and raised her up.
After the rebirth, besides having the conviction that she must complete her studies, Qiao Nan had never intervened in the affairs between Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi.
In the previous life, Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi would quarrel often, but it was especially common in every household for the couple to quarrel over basic daily necessities. Up till the day she died from a car accident, her father might have some quarrels with her mother, but he had never thought of divorcing her mother.
Qiao Nan would not encourage her parents to divorce just because she disliked Ding Jiayi. She would never do such things.
However, it was a different matter if Qiao Dongliang had such an idea himself. Qiao Nan was not a sixteen-year-old child. She did not harbor any love and feelings for Ding Jiayi. Though Ding Jiayi was her biological mother, she could not stand it that she was biased to her elder daughter.
In the event that their parents filed for a divorce, what should she do if her father remarried and she had a stepmother?
If it was Qiao Nan from the past life, she would rather be bullied by her mother than to see her parents divorced.
But in this life, Qiao Nan had matured.
If her father had no wish to divorce her mother, she would not speak a word about it or lead her father into thinking that way. But if her father had such a thought, she would definitely support her father to do so.
“Nan Nan, you…” Qiao Dongliang had a bitter smile on his face. Nan Nan might have kept her silence, but she remembered by heart the deeds Old Ding did.
Among the many other children Qiao Dongliang had seen, Qiao Nan was the only person to remain calm and supportive when she learned that her parents had divorce in mind.
“Dad, don’t think too much. The reason why I agree to it is not what you imagine it to be. Dad, you should know better how life is with Mom, be it good or bad, bitter or sweet. My sister and I cannot make the judgment. If you feel that you are leading a good life, I will not say a word. But Dad, now that you are considering divorce, I hope you can lead a happier life. At the very least, I do not want to hold you back from making the right decision for yourself. Dad, I do not want to suffer as well. I don’t want you to hold on to this family because of me.”
Qiao Nan had heard that parents stayed in the marriage for the sake of their children.
In her previous life, whenever her mother came up with this excuse, she would have to give in to her unreasonable requests in order to stop her parents from ending their marriage.
If Qiao Dongliang wanted a divorce, Qiao Nan would not object to it. If Qiao Dongliang wanted to stay as a family with Ding Jiayi, Qiao Nan would not express her disapproval as well.
Qiao Nan did not want to bear the responsibility or to be the reason for her parents to stay together as a couple.
She was not worried that her parents would suffer. Instead, she was genuinely worried that she would suffer any grievances.
There was no need for it!
“Dad, you need to think it through whether you want a divorce. No matter what your decision is, you do not have to take me into consideration.” In order not to affect Qiao Dongliang’s decision, Qiao Nan did not say what was on her mind: ‘For me, it would be better if you have a divorce.’
“Nan Nan, you really suffered a lot of grievances. For you to have such a mother, it is …” The calmer Qiao Nan appeared and the way she washed her hands off their affairs, the more Qiao Dongliang could tell that she was disappointed and disheartened with Ding Jiayi.
Since Nan Nan could stay calm and clear-headed when he mentioned about divorcing Ding Jiayi, it suggested that she did not have any feelings for Old Ding.
Sins. They had committed sins.
“I owed Mom in the previous life, and I am here to repay the debts. But I have already repaid all the debts.” Her mother gave her a life, and she had repaid her by living her life for her and dying in the end.
In the previous life, she had been knocked down by a car. Her body organs must be suitable for transplant. Her mother and Qiao Zijin must have gotten the kidney that they had longed for.
In ancient times, there was a legend where Nezha carved up his own flesh and dismembered his bones to return to his parents, in repayment for the debt of his birth.
She had given her life back to her mother and returned the kidney to Qiao Zijin. It was more than enough. She had repaid her debts.
“Dad, I don’t blame the situation at all. We can determine our own fates. Mom may have a nasty temper and bad character traits, but as long as I work hard and don’t give in to her, I will be able to lead a good life.”