Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Moved by Sentiment
Mrs. Gu cried but couldn’t shed tears, sitting on the ground with her hair disheveled, silently in shock.
Mr. Gu, seeing this, knew it wasn’t something worth making a big fuss over.
The last two times they suffered because of this, and if strangers were invited again this time, along with the team leader and director, what good could come to him?
Mr. Gu also realized that Gu Xiaoqing was the driving force behind these matters; this kid was even bolder than Mrs. Gu in causing trouble.
People said Mrs. Gu was the best at making a scene in the Gu Family Village, but Mr. Gu deeply felt that Gu Xiaoqing was truly a master at manipulating the two elders.
Just look at how one sentence could turn the whole situation around.
I underestimated this child.
The child of the eldest family has really grown up.
Mr. Gu glared at Mrs. Gu, who was still sulking and not getting up, "Aren’t you going to get up? At your age, it’s disgraceful to act shamelessly. Look around; it’s all your family in this courtyard. Isn’t it embarrassing to behave like this?"
Was he talking about Mrs. Gu, or was it more of a veiled reproach for the fuss Gu Xiaoqing made in the past?
Gu Xiaoqing had a thick skin and pretended not to understand.
Gu Rushan quickly walked over, helped Mrs. Gu up, and seated her on a bench nearby.
Today’s situation was tough to handle; both Gu Rushan and Mr. and Mrs. Gu understood this.
Mr. Gu cleared his throat, placed his hands behind his back, assuming the authoritative stance of a patriarch, "My eldest son, my eldest family, don’t listen to your mother causing trouble. I know you’ve had hard times and it’s understandable to be anxious. I know it. Compared to the second and third families, your situation has quite a disparity.
But eldest son, the second family has a college student, and the third family is employed by the government. These are not things that I can change at will. They are living prosperously on their own. Could it be I have any ability to assist them there either?"
Seeing Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei’s unmoved demeanors, Mr. Gu felt a chill in his heart; his eldest son was completely disheartened by him.
Once a person’s heart is thoroughly wounded, it’s hard to regain their trust.
Mr. Gu still had a good grasp of human emotions; these decades were not lived in vain. So he knew even more if he couldn’t persuade his eldest son this time, things might permanently turn cold-hearted in the future.
"It’s not easy for me as your father, your palms and backs of your hands are equally precious to me. Would I not care for you, my own flesh and blood? Seeing you living like this does trouble me, but I’m old and incapable now.
Your father only hopes you three siblings can live in unity and harmony. After all, brothers from the same womb are connected in strength even if bones are broken. You are the eldest, and inevitably, my expectations of you are higher. Haven’t all eldest siblings shouldered more responsibilities? That’s why I keep telling you, as the eldest brother, you should take care of your two younger brothers, support them a bit, and not always focus on your personal interests. That’s not good, nor is it the demeanor of a brother."
These words were eloquent and convincing; seeing a slight softening in Gu Ruhai’s eyes, Gu Xiaoqing felt a chill in her heart.
Her grandfather was truly skilled at understanding human emotions.
These words, spoken from a father’s perspective, were sincere and moving. Who could be heartless?
This was Mr. Gu’s brilliance. Seeing everything heading off track, he immediately stepped out as a benevolent and pitiful old father figure to sway the soft-hearted son’s emotions.
"Father and mother, asking you not to do business is also for your own good, fearing you might lose money and be embarrassed. The villagers are all watching your family as a joke. You have three children, all at the age of spending money. If you lose money, how will you live?
I don’t want you to be laughed at. You must understand your parents’ intention. Although you have already separated from the family, should you be deceived or cheated, would your parents bear it? Wouldn’t they be heartbroken? Don’t you think so?"
Gu Ruhai lowered his head, a look of shame on his face, and his heart seemed to have surrendered.
After all, Mr. Gu’s words were moving to the core.
Gu Xiaoqing coldly observed it all, waiting to see what Gu Ruhai would do.
Gu Ruhai murmured, "Dad, I know your difficulties, but I also have mine. I must do this business. After all, it can supplement the household. Besides, I’m counting on this year to build a house for the family..."
Li Xuemei became anxious hearing this. This fool was about to be coaxed into revealing everything after a few sweet words.
She immediately stepped forward and said, "Dad, mom, we must push through with this business, at least it can supplement household expenses a bit. You’re both getting older, we understand. Back then, the second brother’s house was built with Dad still young enough to help; the third brother’s house was when Dad could still tap into savings. We got nothing, and it’s nobody’s fault, just our bad luck. Who can we blame? But, we as the elder siblings have already divided the family with the brothers. Of course, it’s each person for themselves. Whether we live well or poorly, we have to live through it; no one can do it for us.
So you two shouldn’t be angry with us. We certainly won’t give up, so second brother, you said the purpose of your visit wasn’t to have us help you work, that’s good because we don’t have time; every day means some money for us too.
So, as the daughter-in-law, you can dislike me or say I’m unfilial, but I want to make it clear: we’ll think carefully about our own affairs. We’re adults now; who else can we rely on? We have to be self-sufficient.
It’s best if you two stop worrying about these trivial matters and enjoy your retirement. Us children would be content in our hearts."
These words shut down what Gu Ruhai wanted to say, awakening him in an instant.
He had been too soft-hearted; a few soft words from his parents threw him into confusion.
Wanting to pour out his heart and explain everything to his parents.
What was wrong with him?
Mr. Gu’s face darkened, and he asked Gu Ruhai with a somber expression, "Eldest Son, is this what you think too?"
Mrs. Gu was just about to let out a howl when Mr. Gu’s stern glance scared her back into silence.
Seeing things going poorly, Gu Rushan realized the labor was slipping away.
Quickly, he said, "Sister-in-law, as a woman at home, it isn’t your place to decide, let my eldest brother speak. He is the head of the household. I can’t believe my eldest brother would be so heartless and ungrateful, ignoring the good intentions of his parents."
This raised the issue to another level.
But Gu Ruhai not speaking was clearly not an option.
Everyone here was waiting for Gu Ruhai to say something.