Chapter 210: Chapter 89: Top Star of the 1960s Cultural Troupe (28)
Even though both she and Huo Xunchang had jobs with decent salaries.
But after their eldest son married and had a child, he was constantly asking them for money. Their daughter was at a marriageable age and had become particular about her clothes and appearance. Meanwhile, their youngest son was enrolled in all sorts of classes and demanded a pile of new toys every month.
And both she and Huo Xunchang cared deeply about keeping up appearances, which was an expensive endeavor in itself!
As a result, the family barely had any money left at the end of each month.
On top of that, they had just renovated their house. Even though she sometimes had her children indirectly ask the two elders of the Huo Family for money to help out, their savings still hadnât reached five figures.
If Huo Tianhao decided to press the issue and get into the nitty-gritty, they would have to pay out a huge chunk of their savings...
Yet, in front of the crowd, Tong Yuxiang had no choice but to smile and nod emphatically. "As we should. We havenât touched a single cent of the compensation the factory gave our family. Itâs all been saved for you."
Huo Tianhao let out an "Oh?" before asking, "Itâs in the bank, then?"
"Of course," Tong Yuxiang replied, forcing a smile. "With such a large sum of money, weâd be on pins and needles if we kept it at home."
"Perfect," Huo Tianhao said. "In that case, Stepmother, when you return the money to the factory, remember to include the interest. Just withdraw all the money from the bank book. We canât take advantage of the factory, right?"
"If you forgot to put it in a fixed-term deposit, Stepmother, and it just earned interest at the current rate, the interest on over four thousand yuan for two years would only be about three hundred."
"In his position, Director Huo should be especially careful. After all, he signed a severance agreement, completely handing me over to my maternal grandparents."
"But I canât just stand by and watch him get so busy with his work that he forgets these minor details and makes a critical error. I canât let him get into trouble because of me. Right, Stepmother?"
The crowd nodded in agreement. Little Hero Huoâs integrity was impeccable. No wonder heâd been willing to risk his life to protect the factoryâs assets.
The driver and employees who had been on that transport run recalled him charging straight at the knives, refusing to back down even when covered in his own blood.
Without that reckless courage of his, everyoneâs blood wouldnât have been stirred, and they wouldnât have united to stand up against those fierce and cruel bandits. Where would the Zhaoyang Clothing Factory be today?
The young man had practically given his life for the factory; of course he wouldnât want to take advantage of it over a trivial matter.
But a severance agreement?!
The gossiping crowd instantly sensed this was a juicy one. What on earth was going on with the Huo Family?
A son this outstanding was the kind of person everyone would fight over, yet the Huo Family was pushing him away?
Tong Yuxiang was so furious her mind went blank, and she felt unsteady on her feet. In that moment, she bitterly regretted having rushed over.
âShe should have discussed a strategy with Old Huo before taking another step.â
When the Womenâs Federation came to demand the house, she had been able to keep her composure and wait for an opportunity to get it back.
But this news had been too much of a shock; she had never truly believed it was real!
âNow she had to spit back out over four thousand yuan, plus a hefty sum in interest...â
Seeing the strange looks everyone was giving her, Tong Yuxiang hurriedly denied it.
"Donât... donât listen to this boyâs nonsense. We have many children, but Old Huo has always valued him the most. Itâs just his temper... heâs just like his father. Once heâs made up his mind, a team of wild horses couldnât drag him away."
"Theyâre both as stubborn as can be. They were probably arguing, one thing led to another, and they just said whatever they knew would hurt the most."
"Oh, right! Didnât he just say heâd lost his memory? That he only remembered his name and his grandparentsâ home?"
"So how is he suddenly talking about a severance agreement?"
"His grandparents must have some misunderstanding about us and donât want him in contact with our family, so they just made up an excuse..."
Huo Tianhao couldnât help but laugh out loud. He pulled a blood-stained piece of paper from his pocket and slowly unfolded it.
It was an ordinary sheet of letterhead from the Zhaoyang Clothing Factory offices. The two large, black words, "Severance Agreement," made the hearts of the literate onlookers clench.
"Stepmother... no, thatâs not right. Iâve been calling you the wrong thing this whole time. It should be Aunt Tong."
"When I fell from the cliff, I was lucky enough to be caught by a dead tree halfway down. But my wounds became infected, and I had a raging fever. I was tormented by hunger and thirst, wasting away for two full days before a villager gathering firewood found me and saved me from a deep coma."
"When I woke up, itâs true I didnât have any memories. I told you I only remembered my name and my grandparents because I didnât want to get into a long explanation."
"But you, Aunt Tong, seem to take me for a fool. This severance agreement was personally signed by Director Huo. Are you planning to deny it and refuse to honor it? Youâre not going to claim that I, his son, forged it, are you?"