plumnovel Chapter 1147 - 1136: Favoring Daughters Over Sons
Chapter 1147 - 1136: Favoring Daughters Over Sons
Han Hui recalled one more thing, which was the issue of living expenses for her son and daughter. Back then, she gave her daughter Ye Qing several thousand each month, and her husband would often give tens of thousands, but her son Ye Qing?
Whether in high school or college, it seemed like he never got more than US$ 500 a month. What can US$ 500 do? Can it even buy him enough food at school? Even back then, his sister often asked him to buy things. How did he manage to get by?
Han Hui vaguely remembered her son mentioning this, but she and her husband didn’t care, thinking he was a boy and wouldn’t spend much, fearing that giving him too much would lead him astray.
No wonder he went out to work, no wonder later on, no matter how he was doing or what he needed, he never told the family, because his heart was already broken, knowing that speaking out would result in nothing but a scolding.
In regret, Han Hui unknowingly walked into her son’s former room and suddenly realized that his room was actually smaller than his sister’s walk-in closet. In the tiny wardrobe, there were only two sets of changeable clothes, the T-shirts were washed to the point of being faded, the jackets were worn to the point of fraying, and the canvas shoes were even peeling.
Being a middle school teacher, she naturally knew how much children of this age loved to show off and compare. How did her son wear these clothes back then? Did he receive ridicule from others?
Han Hui smiled bitterly; how could he not? He was probably mocked for being a ragpicker by those jealous of his grades!
Why had she never noticed how tough it was for her son in this family? Why had she always unreasonably thought he should give way to his sister? Why had she thought he should endure hardships?
As a mother, and a teacher, she had never been concerned about her son’s studies, repeatedly denying and undermining him, forcing him into choices he didn’t like along with her husband.
No wonder he would escape this family; he even warned her early on, saying Ye Qing wasn’t as great as she and her husband imagined. But back then, she didn’t believe him, thinking he was jealous and slandering deliberately. What kind of image did her son have in her mind?
Jealous, stupid, short-sighted, fond of comparing, vain, bad-tempered, unambitious...
With each word she thought of, Han Hui’s face paled a bit. She was a mother; how could she think of her child this way? How deeply had this hurt her son’s spirit? The truth proved that the most foolish ones were she and her husband, and the one with those flaws wasn’t the neglected son but the always-pampered daughter, Ye Qing.
Han Hui was overwhelmed with remorse, and she used whatever money she had to buy several outfits for Ye Qiu at the mall; she cleaned the house thoroughly, waiting with both anticipation and anxiety for her son’s return.
The day Ye Qiu came back, his grandparents and maternal grandparents were all there. Four elder people, including his mom and dad, looked at him with guilty expressions, tentatively wanting to say something but afraid it would upset him.
Ye Qiu found it amusing in his heart. What was this about? Had they finally realized he’d been wronged and wanted to make amends?
He let out a heavy sigh; not all hurt could be mended. Besides, they were his elders, and whether to care or not was their prerogative; who was he to speak ill of it?
They simply wanted him to get close to them again, but sorry, he’s grown up and moved on, and no longer needed such love.
"Where’s your wife and son?" Eventually, Han Hui opened her mouth first. She looked behind Ye Qiu and didn’t see anyone, her eyes momentarily disappointed.
"I took Xianxian and Lin Lin to my father-in-law and mother-in-law’s place." Ye Qiu said calmly, putting down the gifts.
Han Hui looked at the gifts he brought, feeling disheartened, for only when relationships had become distant would one bring gifts like a guest.
"Why did you bring these? Your dad and I don’t need anything; come in and sit down. Have you eaten? Your grandma brought an old hen, and I’ve been stewing it since this morning," she said enthusiastically. "We still have one more at home; let’s go and bring Xianxian and Lin Lin back together. Free-range chicken is nourishing and hard to find outside."
Ye Qiu sighed inwardly and refused verbally: "No need to bother, Mom. I’m afraid Xianxian wouldn’t be comfortable coming over. My mother-in-law has also prepared a meal. I just came back to have a look, and seeing you all in good health puts my mind at ease. I’ll leave later."
As soon as these words were spoken, the other six people’s faces froze, not knowing what to say.
"Leaving so soon? Not staying for the night? Mom knows she and your dad misunderstood Xianxian. We’ll apologize to her in person, okay?" Han Hui said cautiously.
"No need; Xianxian doesn’t mind and doesn’t hold grudges against you. I made her not come," Ye Qiu met their gazes calmly. "I’m grateful to Mom and Dad for letting me in today; to avoid misunderstandings, I think staying apart is better."
"What misunderstanding could there be in a family?" Ye Peilin finally couldn’t hold back.
Ye Qiu chuckled but didn’t explain: "Grandpa, Grandma, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Dad, Mom, I won’t stay long. I’ll come to see you when I have time. There’s US$ 100,000 in this card, consider it this year’s pension for you. Every year, I’ll deposit US$ 100,000 into it, and the password is Ye Qing’s birthday."
"What do you mean by this?" Ye Peilin frowned at him. "Who asked you for a pension?"
"No one asked me, it’s just that no matter what happened in the past, you are my parents. I probably won’t be able to live with you in the future, so giving money is expected. If Dad thinks it’s not enough, I will add a few more." Ye Qiu still smiled, but that smile only made people feel guilty, remorseful, and cold.
Indeed, those injuries couldn’t be undone, and the son couldn’t forgive them. Han Hui chuckled bitterly in her heart, and the last sting came from the bank card password.
The password was her daughter Ye Qing’s birthday; her son probably didn’t know she had fallen out with the family! In his mind, only Ye Qing was loved by her and her husband, which was indeed the case back then, wasn’t it?
How ridiculous that they even hoped Ye Qing would forgive them, wasn’t it?
If she had experienced such favoritism, she couldn’t even be sure she would come back. No wonder he didn’t let his wife come with him because she and her husband had once said they should break up such hurtful words.
"Mom bought you some clothes; would you like to try them on? The salesperson said they’re all trendy, and the quality is very good." With her son leaving, Han Hui didn’t want to insist but still wanted to be kind to him.
Ye Qiu smiled slightly: "No need to waste money like that anymore, I have enough clothes now; Xianxian has arranged everything nicely. Mom, you should return them. I won’t disturb you anymore; I’ll come to see you next time."
He left without giving anyone a chance, leaving the six people staring at each other, speechless.