Ji Chen’s expression became a little unnatural as he recalled what he had heard last time. Ye’s mother felt a pang of heartache upon hearing Ye Qiu’s words, questioning why parents would neglect their eldest son now that they had a younger child. She was fiercely intent on reclaiming her dignity.
“Since they don’t want this son, then I’ll take him!”
Ji Chen didn’t even know how he had made it to the door. Even though it had been such a long time since he had been home, the way back was forever engraved in his mind. It turned out that he did want to return.
Ji’s father was softly coaxing a little boy, who seemed to be one or two years old. When he looked up and saw a stranger entering, he was taken aback. Ji Chen walked to the door step by step, his hands trembling uncontrollably. Even though he had heard of the new baby at home last time, he still found it hard to accept that his parents had suddenly cut off contact with him after having a younger son.
“Who is it?”
“Chen Chen, you’re back!”
Ji’s father was astonished; he hadn’t expected Ji Chen to return so suddenly. Ever since Ji Chen was sent to the countryside, his wife had been crying daily, and the family couldn’t remain without a child for long. After the birth of their second son, Ye’s mother no longer cried every day looking at photographs; she smiled more often. Ji’s father was overjoyed to be holding his second son. When the child realized there was no one to play with him, he burst into tears.
“Why can’t you even coax a child… Chen Chen?”
Ye’s mother, hearing the sound of the child’s crying, came out. When she saw who was in the room, she was momentarily stunned and then incredulous. The few people sitting on the sofa inside fell silent.
Ye’s mother decided to approach the matter diplomatically first, “My dear mother-in-law was just saying, my son is a factory manager who makes good money. He’s tall, honest, and sweet-tongued, and both my husband and I are easy to talk to. Our family relationships are harmonious; if you are satisfied or not, just give us a word.”
“Oh, your son looks so impressive, I must be satisfied!” The question sounded quite strange.
“Your opinion is enough; let’s find a good date and settle the two kids down quickly!”
“Um… We have a son, right?” Ji’s father and mother gasped in shock.
When Ji’s father heard the absurd news that Ji Chen was marrying a man, he exclaimed, “No way! I’ve never heard of two men getting married. While we’re not rich, we can still raise you; don’t go doing anything disgraceful outside!”
“It’s no wonder you returned so suddenly; you wanted to get married! If you marry, how can our Ji family keep our face?”
Upon hearing his father’s words, Ji Chen laughed and cried at the same time, “Have you guys never read the newspaper? Did you think I would never come back?”
“Getting into university is even more unacceptable. You two better separate; after you graduate, whoever you want to marry, you can! No need to do this kind of thing!”
“My dear father-in-law, don’t speak so harshly. What’s disgraceful or not? I’ve heard you’re even a teacher. The two kids like each other, that’s what matters. Besides, how come I heard you’ve not sent a dime for a whole year? Is it because you have a younger son, and thus no longer care for the elder?” This would earn scorn in our rural area; how cruel do parents have to be to do that?
“Ji Chen has led a life this year that’s not fit for a decent person. Every day, he hasn’t even had a simple cornmeal bun, and it’s not like you demonstrated the responsibility of a parent when he was up early and studying hard!”
Day in and day out, he was up before dawn, reading. Every day he enjoyed a hearty meal prepared by Ye Qiu. Ji’s father was at a loss for words after being scolded by Ye’s mother, while Ji’s mother was in tears upon hearing of her son’s tragic experiences.
“My dear mother-in-law and father-in-law, let’s have a meal together later.”
Ye’s mother looked at the couple who expressed worry for Ji Chen, yet hadn’t even asked which university he had been accepted to, and coldly led the two away. Ji Chen didn’t turn his head; he was afraid of seeing Ji’s mother’s reddened eyes from crying.
When the Ye family dined together, they learned of the couple’s relationship. Ye’s elder son and his wife nodded calmly, while Ye’s father, harboring discontent, dared not speak up due to his wife’s glare. Ji’s father did not surface, and Ji’s mother warned Ye Qiu to take good care of Ji Chen, as their relationship gradually seemed to improve.
Ji Chen’s later life unfolded as Ye Qiu had promised him. Ye’s mother, eager to show that she was an open-minded parent, exerted herself to treat Ji Chen well. Ye Qiu would accompany Ji Chen to read at home every day and casually introduce some new inventions that would motivate the factory workers.
Ye’s father and mother, seeing their son was happy, no longer fretted over the fact that he was marrying a man.
“Old man, think about it, we now have a son attending a prestigious university; everyone who hears about it will envy us!”
Ye’s father, who had been angry about his son liking men, became excited at the thought of having a university son, and started boasting about it every day while playing chess. Although he was aware that he no longer held the same affection for Ji Chen because of the younger son, Ji Chen now had someone he wanted to share his life with.
Ji Chen thought that even though he was no longer the only child in the family, as long as Ye Qiu was there, he still felt happy.
Time flew by.
The villagers of Liuye saw Ye Qiu on television again, as Liuye Village had become nationally renowned, with Ye’s factory emerging as the top factory in the country. Ye Qiu expanded beyond food into tech and medicine, turning Ye’s factory into the largest in Huaguo, where everyone thought of Ye’s factory first when shopping.
Thanks to Ye Qiu, Liuye Village became the place with the most processing plants in the country. Each year, many wanted to join Liuye Village because the treatments of people from Liuye Village were well-known; anyone hardworking could find a stable job, and even if they lacked skills, they would be trained over time.
Almost all residents of Liuye Village built modest assets, profiting handsomely from property redevelopment, except for Ye Xia’s family, who lived an ordinary life. Initially, they had a grand plan to leave the factory job, becoming their own boss but ended up losing money after being reprimanded by the food regulatory agency for making others’ children ill. Moreover, due to the opposing family’s strong feelings, the family had to pay the nearly all of their savings as compensation.