NOVPUBChapter 264 -264: Arrangement (Extra Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
Chapter 264 -264: Arrangement (Extra Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
An Cheng felt his wife’s fear and anger, and was about to flip the table, his own fury surging up from the depths of his heart.
An Zhigao had already stood up and said to An Zhiyuan, “Looks like our plans for lunch are going down the drain. How about this—let’s go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us, big brother will treat you. It’s more comfortable outside anyway, saves me from having to see certain people and losing my appetite. Six o’clock, I’ll pick you up!” He patted his younger brother’s shoulder and turned to leave.
Sister-in-law Xun Xin quickly stood up as well, apologizing to everyone with her gentle demeanor, “Mom, Dad, little brother, I’m sorry, Zhigao just has that kind of temperament. I’ll go and talk to him. Dad, don’t be mad at him, you know what he’s like. He’s always been this way since we were kids. I’ll have a word with him; you take care of your health.”
An Cheng shook his head. He couldn’t bring himself to get angry at his daughter-in-law—an old father-in-law just couldn’t do that.
“Go on! Take good care of him.”
Xun Xin hurried after An Zhigao, apologizing with a nod to An Zhiyuan—the apology clearly for disrupting An Zhiyuan’s first day back home—and after exchanging a meaningful look with An Zhiyuan that told her to keep an eye on An Zhigao, she nodded and rushed off.
An Cheng sighed and slumped into his chair, seemingly aging a decade in an instant, while Wei Shufen gripped his hand tightly. “Old man, are you alright? You have high blood pressure; you can’t afford to get angry. You need to control your temper. The kids are grown up and naturally have their own ideas. Let’s not force them and just go with the flow,” she said, massaging his back earnestly with a tender and understanding touch.
“That damn brat! How did I end up with a son who’s such a thorn in my side! He must be here to collect a debt; the debt I owed in a past life is exacting its toll on me now,” An Cheng grumbled vexedly. Ever since his eldest had grown distant, father and son had found it challenging to return to the close relationship of the past.
Wei Shufen’s palm continued to comfort him on his back, her voice soft and consoling.
An Zhiyuan didn’t speak. An Cheng’s blood pressure was very high and he could easily have an episode. His eldest had already infuriated him enough, and unless he wanted his father to drop dead on the spot, An Zhiyuan knew he had to swallow whatever he wanted to say. He sighed and pushed the dishes in front of him away, acknowledging that sometimes it’s a helpless fact that one can’t always do as one pleases.
He suddenly missed Bai Xiao terribly—the woman seemed to live so freely, laughing when she wanted, cursing when she felt like it. Thinking about how Bai Xiao dealt with Bai Jianguo and Li Chunhua, he felt a sudden respect for her. Perhaps if he were in her shoes, he wouldn’t be able to handle it as well.
He stood up and walked upstairs.
An Zhixiang asked him, “Second brother, where are you going? Ding Min will be here soon.” He was still preoccupied with Ding Min’s arrival.
An Zhiyuan glanced at his younger brother. An Zhixiang had always been raised by Wei Shufen, who had poured all the love she might have given to her own children into him. An Zhixiang was different from them; he didn’t understand what made Wei Shufen different. He had enjoyed being brought up by this mother and had completely forgotten his own. It wasn’t really An Zhixiang’s fault, but that didn’t mean An Zhiyuan would allow him to meddle in his affairs.
“Ding Min and I have nothing to do with each other! Don’t mix me up with her anymore.” An Zhiyuan left those words behind and went to change clothes. He needed some air, as coming home had been nothing but oppressive and suffocating.
When had home stopped being a place of belonging and become synonymous with gloom and annoyance?
An Zhixiang, baffled, called out loudly from behind, “Why doesn’t it have anything to do with you? Saying that, second brother, is so irresponsible!” An Zhiyuan ignored him, leaving Zhixiang frustrated and almost jumping with annoyance.
An Cheng glanced upstairs, keenly aware. His son hadn’t said a word, but his attitude was cold. Yes, just having returned home to such disorder. Who wouldn’t feel irritated?
The child was probably troubled.
“Old An, let me help you up to rest. Don’t be angry over this—kids will be kids. You know your own body. If something happened to you, what would you have me do?” Wei Shufen scolded An Cheng in a feigned angry tone, a tactic An Cheng found quite effective.
“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone,” An Cheng knew Wei Shufen’s worries. After all these years as a couple, how could he not understand what his wife was thinking?
But anyone would be worried!
An Zhixiang came over to help An Cheng upstairs, “Mom, don’t worry, you still have me, right? Besides, Dad just has high blood pressure, he doesn’t have any other health issues! As long as he keeps his temper in check, living to a ripe old age is no problem at all.” He was closest to his parents, probably because he had always been by their side. He couldn’t understand why his older brothers were so opposed to Wei Shufen. It was not just the second brother who didn’t say anything unpleasant, but he could tell that he also didn’t have a favorable impression of Wei Shufen.
Is blood relation really that important?
He had always regarded Wei Shufen in his heart as his own mother. He couldn’t remember his biological mother. It was Wei Shufen who played with him, took care of him when he was sick, and gave him surprises on his birthdays. So why wouldn’t he treat Wei Shufen just like his real mother?
An Cheng felt relieved. At least his youngest son was sensible and shared their sentiments. It’s no wonder that parents have a soft spot for the child born in their later years—there is a lot of truth to that.
Wei Shufen helped An Cheng to lie down and take two blood pressure pills. She watched him fall asleep before leaving the room with An Zhixiang.
Seeing Wei Shufen looking a bit down, An Zhixiang offered his comfort, “Mom, don’t be upset. Big brother and second brother just don’t realize how good you are. Don’t worry, I am your son, and I will take good care of you.”
Wei Shufen lifted a faint smile. She hadn’t doted on this son for nothing; he was closest to her. “Don’t worry, Mom is okay. But I have to tell you something, and you need to follow my advice, okay?”
An Zhixiang nodded, “Go ahead, I’ll definitely listen to you!”
“In the future, don’t mention anything about Ding Min to your second brother again. He doesn’t like that, and it’s needless to make him feel aversion. Also, because of Ding Min, there’s no need to have him badmouth us behind our back. You know what your second brother is like—he doesn’t like to show off and is very steady. There’s no need to upset him over Ding Min. You guys are real brothers, and in the future, you can only rely on each other. So don’t say things that make him unhappy.” She wouldn’t let An Zhixiang and An Zhiyuan grow apart.
An Zhixiang felt dissatisfied, “But it’s too sad for Ding Min. If my second brother never speaks up, then she’ll wait her entire life! A woman doesn’t have an endless number of youthful years to waste away. Does second brother plan to never marry and make Ding Min wait forever? I just can’t stand how second brother always acts so nonchalant.”
Wei Shufen, sensing her youngest son’s emotions were off and that he was a bit too concerned about Ding Min, asked,
“You wouldn’t happen to like Ding Min, would you?”
She had plans for her youngest son’s marriage. An Zhixiang, with his gentle and magnanimous nature, and also being in the military just like her, would have had a hard time advancing if Wei Shufen hadn’t discreetly reached out to An Cheng’s old comrades. With such a temperament, it was determined that his prospects could be limited. Now, if he didn’t marry a wife who could support him, it was likely he would stay at the grassroots level all his life, which wasn’t what she had in mind.
So, Ding Min better not even think about getting involved with An Zhixiang.
An Zhixiang hurriedly shook his head, his cheeks going a bit red, “No, not at all!”
Wei Shufen nodded, speaking kindly, “That’s good. Remember, you and Ding Min are not suitable. Mom will keep an eye out for other nice girls for you. My son, of course, deserves to marry the best girl!”
An Zhixiang’s heart sank.
