The child has been settled down.
It was at this time that Mr. Mei called over his two sons and explained the situation with the child.
Mei Shuqing and Liang Qian currently have major disagreements with the eldest and fatherâs actions. They havenât visited the old house much in the past six months.
What the old man said today had long shattered their views; they could even do something like hiding a child away.
Mei Shuqing didnât really agree with their actions. Originally, after hearing about it from Xiao Wan last time, both he and his wife ignored the eldest familyâs business. The matter of them having a child shouldnât have been procrastinated for long. Unexpectedly, they truly had the skill to keep it hidden for such a long time before being discovered.
Originally, he didnât want to get involved in the eldest familyâs business; they could mess around however they wished. Unexpectedly, today his father called him over, and actually spoke about this matter: the child was found, yet they still wanted to hide him. Truly doesnât understand what theyâre thinking. "Covering it up inevitably lets some light through, and in the end, itâs yourself whoâll lose face. When a man makes a mistake, just admit it openly; a mistake is a mistake. If you canât be a soldier, then do something else. A man should be able to handle any kind of work. With the reforms, the spring breeze has reached all households. There are many ways to get rich. Be brave enough to admit your mistakes. Recognize them and change. Live well afterward. If you get somewhere in life, others will still think highly of you."
"Uncle, from childhood till now, Iâve always been in the department. In the team mixing, apart from being a soldier, I canât do anything. If word gets out and I canât be a soldier, wonât I be just a waste?"
"From childhood till now, mixed in the military, but havenât seen you distinguish yourself. Youâve only mixed and regressed. Without the familyâs help, you wouldnât even become a company commander." Mei Shuqingâs words were blunt and piercing, causing displeasure among the Mei family, especially Mei Shuping and his wife.
"Second brother, after all, Xiao Chi is your nephew. Saying such things really hits him too hard, doesnât it?" Xie Lingzhi didnât fear Mei Shuqing and retorted directly, "Our family has the means, why canât we help and let the child struggle less for a few years? You talk about my son as if heâs worthless. I refuse to believe you never paved a path for your son."
"Saozi, you missed the mark this time. My Shuqing hasnât uttered a single good word for my son in the army. My sonâs achievements today are all earned by himself. Though weâre all Mei family, truth be told, the difference is vast. You better pay attention; educate well or youâll be the one worrying about having no successors." Liang Qian wouldnât tolerate Xie Lingzhiâs words and responded.
"Liang Qian, what are you saying? Does this mean the Mei family relies solely on your son, and weâre supposedly useless, having achieved nothing? In the future, the Mei family should all belong to the second brotherâs family!" Mei Shuping felt uncomfortable hearing his sister-in-lawâs comment.
"Older brother, I didnât say such things... Iâm just reminding you all that children need proper guidance from adults to become good seedlings. If a child makes a mistake, as parents, you should help correct and educate them, not indulge them. Otherwise, the child will be ruined."
"Liang Qian, youâre going around in circles just to implicitly criticize my child. Whatâs your intention? Let me tell you, as long as Langchi is here, thereâll be no matter for Junzi in the residence here. Donât go smearing people. The two elders are still alive."
"Ha, saoz was nervous, right? I was only speaking about correcting a childâs mistake, when did it switch to the ancestral residence? Speaking of family affairs, weâve been on the move since getting married until now, moving here and there. Finally, weâve stayed in S City for decades. In tough times, weâve never asked our parents for money, and in prosperous times, we havenât forgotten the two elders. Over the years, all Iâve done is contribute to this home, havenât seen this family, do anything for me, nor my child. Of course, Iâm not a person who counts every cent. We donât fancy this residence, so you donât have to be nervous."
"Aunt, Langchi, rest assured, I donât care about the old house," Mei Lang Jun, sitting aside upon entering the room, listened to these ridiculous affairs indifferently. Somehow, the conversation shifted to the old house. Hearing his auntâs comment, Mei Lang Jun scoffed.
"Oh... right, I actually forgot. Older brother has a son out there. Whether or not heâll compete with Xiao Chi is uncertain."
"Liang Qian, say that to me again," said Xie Lingzhi furiously when hearing about Mei Shupingâs illegitimate son outside. Liang Qian was obviously deliberate.
"Alright, all of you stop yelling. Weâre talking about Xiao Chiâs child now. What are you fighting over here?" Mr. Mei rapped his cane, scolded.
"Did I say anything wrong? Han Yi is the older brotherâs son, right? All the family knows it. Havenât seen any of you care much; since youâve acknowledged him outside, why havenât you gone to see the child, as elders? Show the respect he deserves? I was thinking itâs because of other reasons. Turns out youâre afraid heâll compete with your son for property."
"Liang Qian, heâs an illegitimate child undeserving of respect. Canât believe youâd personally invite him, giving him so much face. Iâll make it clear now, if you bring that child back, Iâll immediately divorce Mei Shuping. Iâll take Xiao Chi away. If you cherish that bastard kid, cherish him all you want, as long as youâre not afraid others will laugh."
"Saozi, what do you mean by âillegitimate childâ? When that child was born, you hadnât even entered the Mei family."
"Liang Qian, youâre being intentional today, deliberately causing trouble, arenât you? You need a lesson," said Xie Lingzhi as she slapped Liang Qian.
Everyone was caught off guard by the slap. The family hesitated for a few seconds before Mei Shuqing stood up furious, pulling his wife behind him. Liang Qian wasnât the type to suffer loss. She swung away from Mei Shuqingâs grasp and reached toward Xie Lingzhi.
All that was heard was Xie Lingzhiâs scream, with several scratch marks already appearing on half her face.
"Ah... Liang Qian, you bitch, see if I donât beat you to death!"
"Hit me, if you donât kill me today, you might as well stop being a Xie!"
The two spoke, already wrestled together.
With both wives fighting, the men could only intervene to separate them.
Mr. Mei and Old Mrs. Mei watched the two wives angrily, but stomping and scolding were already ineffective. The two were seeing red by now.
Mei Lang Jun saw his mother getting pulled by Xie Lingzhi, worried about her suffering, he rushed forward to try and separate them.
In Mei Langchiâs view, Mei Lang Jun was about to hit his mother. He quickly ran out from Ye Qingâs side, and without any distinction between right or wrong, threw a punch at Mei Lang Jun.
Mei Lang Jun had long wanted to hit Mei Langchi. Now with the punch swinging his way, he had a reason. He immediately countered and fought with Mei Langchi.
The Mei family turned into chaos, the noise directly spread outside. For a moment, neighbors nearby could hear everything clearly.
The Mei family, the eldest and the second started fighting. Initially, it was the two daughters-in-law fighting. Later the grandsons, and then the two sons.
Mei Shuqing and Mei Shuping fought because of Ye Qing. When she saw her mother-in-law and aunt fighting, felt it was her chance to showcase, she took advantage of Liang Qianâs unguarded moment, yanked her hair ferociously. The grip tore the scalp, and the hair held by Ye Qing was bloodied, causing a pang in Mei Shuqingâs heart. Furious instantly, he disregarded seniority and directly threw Ye Qing and Xie Lingzhi aside.
When Mei Shuping saw his brother had beaten his wife, he was unwilling. Directly started fighting with Mei Shuqing.
If it hadnât been for Mr. Mei almost choking with anger, risking oxygen deprivation, they might have fought until dawn.
At this moment in the Mei familyâs living room, not a single table and chair were intact, the room was a mess. The fight between the two Mei brothers became the courtyardâs gossip.
Mei Shuqing wasnât afraid of embarrassment, the wounds on his wifeâs head were the best excuse, two of his mothers-in-law combined to fight against his wife alone, as a husband, not retaliating would mean heâs spineless.
The chaos between the Mei brothers lasted over a month, the children had work, Mei Langchi and Mei Lang Jun had already returned to the department.
Mr. Mei was in the hospital for over a month before returning home. During this time, Mei Langchi and Ye Qing had also been transferred to Z City.
On the day Lin Wanâs factory opened, the mayor of S City personally attended. Lin Wan specially invited Qin Lusheâs Chief and Uncle Hu from the department, and her brother-in-law, Wei Jian Country.
With big leaders attending, arrangements for meals were essential. Sister-in-law Zhang and Sister-in-law Liu were terribly busy. Today, even Huang Zhongguo and Qin Hong Bing came to help them out. Theyâd only hired two people, both military wives from the courtyard.
The situation was special these days; prominent leaders were attending, necessitating a separate table.
Today, even Pidan and their three children came to help peel vegetables.