NOVPUBChapter 140: Chapter 140 Open Up
Chapter 140 -140 Open Up
“Alright, alright, Uncle, you said so yourself, don’t come looking for me when it comes to birth, aging, sickness, and death—I won’t go even if you do. From now on, our two families will have nothing to do with each other.” Fang Xiaoshan had made up his mind.
In his eyes, his grandparents had always said he was the pillar of their home, the only male child in the family. Without him, their family line would end, Uncle had no son, and they would become a house without heirs.
His grandparents had always told him that he must definitely help his uncle in the future, that when the time came, he had to care for Uncle in his old age. All these years, he took advantage of Uncle’s kindness and never thought twice—because he believed that whatever money Uncle had left, who else would it go to but him? Uncle’s three daughters were just ‘bad bargains’ and had already been married off, effectively belonging to other families.
Did Uncle really expect his daughters to take care of him in his old age? There was never such a custom in their village for daughters to care for parents.
That’s why he dared to be so arrogant. Deep down, Fang Xiaoshan felt that it was Uncle and his wife who should be ingratiating themselves to him; otherwise, if he refused to care for them when they died, they would wind up as lonely spirits.
But he never expected that Uncle would become bedridden at such a young age. He had been counting on Uncle to work another two or three decades to earn money for him. How could he start serving him now?
“Don’t worry, even if I die without anyone to bury me, I definitely won’t rely on you, Fang Xiaoshan!” Those words were spoken with finality.
The old lady panicked, wondering how the conversation had escalated to this extent.
“Jianping, Xiaoshan is just speaking without thinking, and you, as an elder, why are you arguing with him like this! Let’s all say less. Xiaoshan, I have to scold you, too. Are you not aware of everything your uncle has done for you over the years? You shouldn’t be saying things like this today. Your uncle has been closer to you than your own father, and you can’t talk about not caring for your uncle in the future, or else I’ll break your legs.”
Fang Xiaoshan laughed, “Grandma, it’s not that I don’t acknowledge my uncle, it’s that he is the one who doesn’t acknowledge me. Don’t you know that eagerness doesn’t make a bargain? Uncle is so proud, I want to see if Uncle can make anything grow in the fields at home!” He was not afraid of the old lady.
Fang Jiansheng saw that things were going badly and slapped Fang Xiaoshan. “You bastard, that’s your uncle you’re talking about. Do you have no respect?”
Fang Xiaoshan stood his ground, “If you dare, kill me and see who will care for you in your old age. I have already said, let’s not talk about caring for Uncle in the future—I’m your son, not my uncle’s son. I have no such duty.” He turned and entered his parents’ room, threw himself on the bed, and covered himself with a blanket, going back to sleep.
Fang Jiansheng and his wife were embarrassed; they hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
But truth be told, they didn’t think Fang Xiaoshan was wrong. Jianping and his wife were both younger than them, only just 50. Now they were asking their own son to care for them in their old age. If they started depending on him, it could be decades of care. They were happy for their son to be close to Jianping because Jianping was wealthy, and who wouldn’t value money these days? Having an extra person to bear the family burdens without them worrying, why not?
But now, not only would their son have to care for them, he might also have to earn money to support them.
If Jianping really became bedridden, with only Yang Mei able to work the fields, how much could she possibly do? If they just managed to harvest enough grain for themselves each year, it would be considered good, let alone having excess money to help the family. And with a sick person in bed who needed medicine every now and then, it would become a huge burden.
Of course, they weren’t keen on giving their son such trouble.
Yang Mei helped Fang Jianping up, and the old lady became anxious, “Don’t let him get up.”
“Jiansheng, are you dead? Your brother is like this, don’t you know to come over and help carry your brother to his room?” the old lady said angrily.
Fang Jiansheng and his wife hurriedly went over; it took the old man, the old lady, and Yang Mei, a total of five people, to carry Fang Jianping into the adjoining room.
When Fang Jiansheng saw Fang Jianping lying there, completely motionless, he realized that Fang Jianping’s illness was probably indeed serious. They had deceitfully told the family that he would recover if he was well-taken care of, fearing that they were not telling the truth and that he might be left paralyzed at home for good.
“Brother, rest well and take care of yourself; your sister-in-law and I are heading back. If you need anything, just give us a shout.” But he still had to say something nice, after all, he was the older brother.
Fang Jianping shook his head, “No need, big brother, thank you and sister-in-law.”
The old man and the old lady also left together.
The room was suddenly left with only Yang Mei and Fang Jianping.
Fang Jianping began to cry miserably on the bed. He had truly not known until now how revealing illness could be, like a mirror showing one’s true nature. He had always thought that his nephew would take care of him in his old age and had treated the boy better than his own daughter, having been brainwashed day in and day out by the old lady, to the extent that he had not even been willing to give a generous dowry when his daughter got married.
Was it because he had no money? No.
It was because, deep down, he felt that a daughter was just a loss of money, and whatever dowry she took to her husband’s family would be a benefit to them, not him.
He wanted to save the money for his nephew, always believing that if he treated the boy sincerely, it would be reciprocated, and the nephew would treat them well in their old age.
No wonder his wife always scolded him for having a head made of elm wood; his head really was useless. His eyes might as well have been blind for all the good they did him.
This test had been fortunate, for if he had waited until one day he was old and could no longer work, he would have been totally at the mercy of Fang Xiaoshan. If Fang Xiaoshan decided not to take care of him, no one in the village would enforce it—there were no rules saying a nephew must care for his uncle.
By then, the couple would have been bitterly resigned to their fate, with no one to turn to.
It seemed that providence had indeed been watching over them, he thought gratefully. The encounter with that young girl not long ago had turned out to be a predictor of their own situation. Now, they didn’t even need to hope that Fang Xiaoshan would care for their well-being; if Fang Xiaoshan refrained from scheming and complaining, that in itself would be doing them a favor. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
“Stop crying, what’s a grown man like you crying for? Is this little setback really worth your tears? Aren’t your tears more valuable than this?” Yang Mei felt relieved inside, glad that her husband could now see Fang Xiaoshan’s true colors. Their gamble had not been in vain.
“I’m not crying, wife; from now on, we’ll live a good life of our own. Our three daughters are our real family; I won’t talk about being taken care of in my old age anymore.” Fang Jianping wiped away his tears and declared resolutely.
Yang Mei held his hand, “Don’t worry; our daughters are just as much our own flesh and blood. Remember last time when you had that bad fever at home, and our eldest daughter carried you straight to the hospital? I’ve come to realize that daughters can be just as good as sons, if not better. If a son turns out to be heartless and ungrateful like Fang Xiaoshan, it’s better to be without one.” She had come to terms with it.
Fang Jianping nodded.
