SWNOVELXO Chapter 92.2 - The Real Wealthy Family’s Son (2)
“After that, although there were no tea leaves to pick, there were more ways to make money; running errands, writing assignments for classmates, distributing flyers on weekends. Elementary school tuition was a few dozen yuan, middle school tuition over 200, and high school was free for 2 years due to good grades. As a child, I earned 2 yuan a day collecting bottle caps, and several dozen yuan a day picking tea leaves. The money I earned from tutoring and distributing flyers was also significant. Adding it all up, in those 18 years, I spent less than 1,000 yuan.”
“15 million and 1,000—tsk, tsk, I feel sorry for myself. Fortunately, I got into a better school than He Sijia. At least I managed to prove something to myself.”
The voice fell, and everyone fell silent.
He Sijia bit her lip, tears rolling down her face, her head lowered, feeling at a loss.
Lin Xiumei and He Zhenglan also had mixed emotions.
18 years of suffering, casually brushed over, seemed insignificant, but when 15 million and 1,000 yuan were placed before them, the difference became apparent, as vast as heaven and earth.
As the atmosphere froze, He Juan suddenly broke down in tears, clutching He Dongchen’s hand, choked with emotion as she said, “It’s my fault. I’m sorry for being useless.”
The stagnant air immediately began to flow. Indeed, it wasn’t He Juan’s fault entirely; as a woman raising a child while also supporting a worthless husband who only drank and hit people, it was a tough situation.
He Gou, who had fallen into the sewer and died a few months ago, had truly brought it upon himself.
He Dongchen patted He Juan’s hand, sincerely comforting her, “I don’t blame you. If I were to blame anyone, it would be for the fact that every time He Gou hit people, I rushed in to protect you. Every scar on my body represents my feelings for you.”
He Dongchen then lifted his bangs, revealing a scar on the right side of his forehead, smiling at everyone, “Look, this is the scar I got on my tenth birthday while protecting Mom. When the beer bottle came flying, I thought I was going to go blind.”
Seeing the scar on his forehead, everyone was deeply moved. He Sijia remembered what happened on her tenth birthday; the house was filled with a grand banquet, and presents were piled up in a whole room.
Lin Xiumei covered her mouth, heartbroken, “You child, why didn’t you know to dodge!”
He Dongchen smiled, “I wanted to protect Mom, how could I dodge? It wasn’t easy for her to raise me.”
He Zhenglan’s face had already darkened, and his emotions were brewing.
Seeing this, He Dongchen added fuel to the fire, “Mr. He, tell me, did you do something despicable to He Gou in your past life? Otherwise, how could you spend 15 million to pamper his daughter, yet he beat your son day after day for 10 years?”
“Shut up!” He Zhenglan slammed the table, his face stern as he said, “The past is the past. Dad will make it up to you in the future, but Sijia is innocent. Don’t always drag her into this.”
He Sijia, who had been crying, was suddenly shaken, looking at He Zhenglan with a moved expression, murmuring, “Dad.”
Lin Xiumei sighed deeply, “Alright, your dad is right. Sijia is innocent. From now on, let’s live our lives well as a family.”
The previously tense atmosphere gradually eased, and He Sijia’s heavy heart slowly lifted.
At that moment.
He Dongchen, putting his arm around He Juan’s shoulders, beamed brightly, “What family? We’re two families.”
He Zhenglan and Lin Xiumei: “…”
They felt like they’re having a heart attack.
He Dongchen seemed not to understand the expressions on their faces and continued, “You’re right; He Sijia is innocent. I understand that. So now you all are focusing on her and speaking up for her. I have no objections, really.”
He Dongchen spoke with genuine sincerity, but others could detect his forced smile and pretense of strength.
Lin Xiumei couldn’t help but wonder why she should sympathize with the adopted daughter who won without effort, rather than feel sorry for her biological son who had suffered for 18 years.
Another tasteless dinner followed, with everyone eating without appetite, except for He Dongchen, who still enjoyed his meal.
It was only right to feel uncomfortable!
***
He Juan had an awkward position in the He family. As a guest, she lived there every day, freeloaded, and was close to He Sijia. If He Dongchen joined in, the three of them would be harmoniously enjoying themselves, while the onlookers, He Zhenglan and Lin Xiumei, were disgusted. Late at night, they couldn’t help but think that perhaps their family had wronged He Juan in a past life, so now they had to support two children and also take care of her.
Fortunately, He Juan wasn’t that shameless; she didn’t completely freeload and even competed with the servants for work.
Lin Xiumei’s sense of unfairness eased a bit.
But over time, Lin Xiumei began to feel discontent.
At dinner one evening, as usual, He Juan pushed aside the servants and prepared a large table of dishes.
He Sijia praised the food, and He Dongchen followed suit, singing its praises to the heavens, which made He Juan very pleased, constantly waving her hands.
Lin Xiumei looked at the dishes and suddenly called over the now-relaxed servants, reprimanding them indirectly, “Didn’t I already say that we don’t lack money? The ingredients should be the freshest. Look at this.”
Lin Xiumei pointed to a plate of braised meatballs and the lettuce leaves underneath, saying, “There are two large wormholes here. Are you deliberately trying to disgust us?”
The servant protested and secretly glanced at He Juan, “This dish was made by Sister He.”
He Juan was immediately at a loss, uneasy and restless, saying, “We used to eat like this at home. Wormholes are a good thing; it means no pesticides were used.”
Lin Xiumei coldly responded, “Changing the subject. Which family uses pesticides on just one leaf? It’s not about poverty; it’s about standards.”
“Mom! How can you talk like that?” He Sijia exclaimed, “Mom He worked hard to make a whole table of food. What’s wrong with a couple of wormholes?”
Lin Xiumei’s face turned icy, “You only see her hard work. Why don’t you see that she lives in a mansion, eats delicacies, and even has a driver for her outings?”
Lin Xiumei became angry as she remembered a previous incident when she was in a hurry, and the driver wasn’t available. When she called, she found out that the driver had taken He Juan to deliver goods to the factory!
Riding in a luxury car worth millions to deliver a few hundred yuan worth of goods—what a joke!
Lin Xiumei, with righteous indignation, said to the aggrieved He Sijia, “I support you because you are my daughter. What is she? Freeloader who cooks a meal. What’s the big deal?”
He Sijia, in tears from anger, replied, “It’s not the same. The servants have salaries too.”
“Salaries from me!” Lin Xiumei shot a look at He Juan, her smile more mocking than amused, “With a salary, you aren’t just a daughter of the He family but also a daughter of the He family’s servant.”
“I don’t want a salary. I’m willing to do anything,” He Juan immediately said, clutching He Sijia’s arm with a pleading look.
He Sijia pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Another tasteless dinner followed.
He Dongchen ate happily.
It was only right to feel uncomfortable.
Life was already full of bumps and obstacles, and with the addition of the out-of-place He Juan, it became even more chaotic and full of contradictions.
When the first vegetable porridge had wormholes, Lin Xiumei had endured it. But when every meal featured wormholes, Lin Xiumei could no longer tolerate it.
Why should I suffer and accommodate others in my own home!
Why should I!?
Lin Xiumei’s outburst was anticipated by He Dongchen. He Juan was frugal, and wormholes were nothing to her. Even yellowed leaves could be torn off, and the rest could still be eaten.
In the He family, where the living conditions were comfortable and the food was always the freshest and tenderest part, it was like only eating the tip of a strawberry.
He Juan’s frugality was a mistake in the He household.
Originally, a simple warning from the servants could have avoided the conflict.
But with the servants’ jobs at risk, they naturally wouldn’t offer any kind reminders.
The conflict caused by two wormholes had driven the atmosphere in the He household to a new low.
***
Later, He Zhenglan approached He Dongchen, trying to discuss a solution. “This can’t go on. How about I arrange a job for He Juan and invite her over on weekends?”
“No,” He Dongchen shook his head firmly. “As long as Mom is here, I am too.”
He Zhenglan’s forehead throbbed with frustration, and he couldn’t help raising his voice. “Do you only feel satisfied when the house is in chaos? He Juan is an outsider, and she insists on living together. It’s not working out!”
He had his own complaints too! Originally, it was his home, but suddenly an outsider moved in. He had to stop and greet her during his morning jog, ask politely if she wanted tea when sitting in the living room, and even change out of his pajamas and dress more decently when going downstairs for a midnight drink, only to run into He Juan in her thin, washed-out pajamas!
This is my home!
Why should it be like this!
He Dongchen looked at the fuming He Zhenglan and said slowly, “Isn’t this what you taught me? He Sijia and I are just as incompatible, but we have to live under the same roof. You never cared whether I was uncomfortable or not.”
He Zhenglan was stunned, and after realizing what had happened, he looked at the tall and thin He Dongchen with disbelief. After a moment, he furiously smiled, “You did this on purpose. You resent us for not sending He Sijia away, so you deliberately made things difficult for us!”
He Dongchen openly admitted, “That’s right. The mix-up with the adoption was a misunderstanding, and He Sijia is innocent. You have two children now, and everyone is happy. Why should I be the only one who has to endure those 18 years? Everyone should suffer together.”
He Zhenglan looked at his son, whom he had taken back only recently, with new respect. If it weren’t for the pain he felt himself, he would have clapped in admiration.
“Don’t think I really can’t do anything about it!” He Zhenglan gritted his teeth.
He Dongchen was very blunt, “If it comes to it, you can just disown me and give the family fortune entirely to He Sijia. I have no objections, really. 18 years of suffering, continuing to suffer is fine by me. Anyway, I’m not the biggest victim here.”
He Zhenglan was at a loss for words. He couldn’t swallow the idea of giving all the family assets to He Sijia.
Every time He Zhenglan closed his eyes, his mind was filled with He Gou’s smiling face and that demonic phrase: ‘I beat your son, and you pamper my daughter.’
‘I beat your son, and you pamper my daughter!’
He Zhenglan closed his eyes and weakly waved his hand, “Just get out.”
He Dongchen, sensing that he had made his point, gracefully left the study.
As he exited, he ran into He Sijia, who had been trying to avoid him.
He Sijia instinctively looked away but took a deep breath and said softly, “Dongchen, stop causing trouble, okay? Let’s live our lives well together. I know you’ve suffered a lot. I’ll try to make it up to you. I’ll give you my pocket money, the piano, and everything I can give you.”
He Dongchen put his hands in his pockets and corrected her, “Those were originally mine.”
He Sijia, feeling ashamed, stammered, “I know, I know. I really want to make it up to you. Tell me what I should do.”
“The solution is simple.”
He Sijia, with tears in her eyes, held her breath, waiting for the answer.
He Dongchen said clearly, “Leave my life. No need for apologies, no need for compensation.”
A lucky person shouldn’t keep appearing in front of the victim, acting all anxious and causing others to feel sorry, forcing the victim to forgive them.