SFS Chapter 1454 The Decision, One Heart Panic
Chapter 1454 The Decision, One Heart Panic
There's always a buffer period, so Huo Yan didn't bring it up directly and tried to go along with her son for now.
Zhuang Zhoucheng listened, frowned slightly, and after a long while, said:
“You may not like what I’m saying, but I still have to say it. The children are all grown up now. We don’t need to worry about them anymore. They’re adults now, which means they’re no longer protected by their parents. Instead, they are the ones who care about their parents and be filial to them. Do you understand?”
"You always criticize me, but what about yourself? If you really do what you say, what about Qiqi's situation?"
“Qiqi is different. Girls don’t have the same mindset as boys. We don’t need to worry too much about our two sons, but daughters are different,” Zhuang Zhoucheng said firmly.
Huo Yan sighed, "Sons and daughters are the same. Qiqi is spoiled too much, and Shiyuan and Shijue are..."
She always felt that Zhuang Zhoucheng's parenting style was too extreme, but she couldn't change it; after all, he was the one in charge of the family.
“That’s how a man should be. Girls are meant to be cared for, while men are meant to care for others. You need to understand that. If a man is immature and lacks the ability to take responsibility, how can he shoulder the responsibility of a family? How can he ensure his wife and children have a worry-free life, and how can he support his parents?” Zhuang Zhoucheng said frankly.
Men and women have inherently different responsibilities, so can the way sons and daughters are raised be treated equally?
"Alright, I know what I'm doing with Shiyuan's matter. Don't worry about anything else." Zhuang Zhoucheng knew that if he didn't interrupt her here, there would be unavoidable problems later.
Huo Yan's words caught in her throat. She paused, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped. She did want to ask her husband who he planned to groom. Originally, the plan was for Shijue to stay in the army as a soldier, and then transfer to government work after his military service. This way, the eldest son could smoothly inherit the Zhuang family business, with one brother going into business and the other into politics. This way, the Zhuang family's foundation would be stable and deep.
Between the military and political circles, the old master had passed away many years ago, and Zhuang Jinzhao had also been retired for a long time. Their connections were gradually losing their effectiveness, and it was urgent for the Zhuang family to send someone else in.
But fate had other plans. Zhuang Shiyuan ran into trouble at this critical juncture, and things took an unexpected turn.
Now that Zhuang Shiyuan has woken up, it's hard to say whether things will proceed as planned.
What was most unexpected was that Zhuang Zhoucheng discovered Zhuang Shijue's business acumen; perhaps the younger brother was even more capable than the elder brother, despite having been sent to the army for seven years. Given this, the younger brother's ability to demonstrate his skills was something Zhuang Zhoucheng couldn't afford to underestimate.
So even Zhuang Zhoucheng himself was hesitant, not knowing how to arrange things, and when people around him asked, what did he say?
As the head of the family, his decisions had to be in the best interests of the Zhuang family, just as his grandfather had strongly supported his business ventures and used all his connections to promote Zhuang Jinzhao. He also had to take advantage of his remaining mental capacity to arrange things properly within the family.
But things have changed, it's difficult now—
"Never mind, there are many things you won't tell me even if I ask, just like excluding me from you all." Huo Yan felt melancholy and a slight sourness in her heart.
Why didn't she understand what Zhuang Zhoucheng meant? He probably guessed what she was going to ask.
Although the children in the family were close to her, she had no say in their fate and didn't even have the right to speak.
She was so opposed to sending her family to the army, but he still did it anyway. Qiqi's situation, and Xiao Quan's plan—such big things—were kept from her, and now it's Shi Yuan again.
Huo Yan smiled helplessly; perhaps this was the tragedy of women from aristocratic families.
However, compared to the wife who gave birth to children and was sent away without even seeing them, at least she watched her children grow up.
"Shiyuan and Shijue are both free now, what should we do? Should they both go to work at the company? Or manage the hotel? Or maybe one of them can go to the company and the other can manage the hotel..."
"I'll take care of their affairs, so don't worry about it, okay?" Zhuang Zhoucheng said in a deep voice.
"..." Huo Yan's heart skipped a beat, and it took her a while to come back to her senses. "Okay."
Huo Yan sat for a while, then found a way to back down, "I'll go check how dinner is going."
Huo Yan got up and walked to the kitchen. Turning her back to Zhuang Zhoucheng, she quickly wiped away her tears, suppressed them, and asked with a smile, "Third Master is back. How much longer until we can eat?"
"It'll be a while, Madam, please rest for a bit," the two people in the kitchen said apologetically.
Third Master would come home early without telling the family, so the cooking time was as usual.
Huo Yan stood in the kitchen for a while, calming herself down before leaving. Entering the dining room, she said, "Well, it'll be a while. I'll go tell my daughter."
Huo Yan left immediately, forgetting all about the surprise she was going to give her husband.
Zhuang Zhoucheng was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Huo Yan's departing figure, sighing inwardly. How could he comfort his wife's wounded heart?
Children's matters are not so simple. Even if he is willing to explain, how much can she understand? Some of his ways of handling things will inevitably differ from her understanding.
Huo Yan went upstairs, but her daughter wasn't in her room. A little confused, she called out softly, "Qiqi..."
Suddenly remembering something, she turned and walked downstairs, forcefully pushing open the nursery door. The movement was so big and sudden that the person inside was startled. Seventeen slowly raised her eyes.
"..." Huo Yan was frightened. She looked at the little granddaughter in her daughter's arms and stared at Seventeen with worry, shock, and excessive tension. She was afraid that her daughter would lose control or throw the child away.
"Mom?" Seventeen called softly. What's wrong?
“…You’re here! Mom was looking for you.” Huo Yan walked in, smiling as she approached her daughter, reaching out to take the baby in her arms. “Let me hold Bubble. The baby must be hungry and needs to nurse.”
"Let me do it." Seventeen avoided her mother's hand. Huo Yan froze. Seventeen was silent for a moment, then looked up. "Mom, are you afraid I'll strangle her?"
"..." Huo Yan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. This brat...
"Qiqi, give me the baby, okay?" Huo Yan said gently, "She's hungry and needs to eat. Look, she's sucking her fingers; she's hungry."
"A child without a mother can grow up to be so beautiful..." Seventeen suddenly sighed, a faint pain rising in her heart.
Huo Yan quickly said, "Yes, Bubble is so beautiful, she looks exactly like you."
"No way, her eyes don't look like that. She has single eyelids, just like her father..."
Upon hearing this, she stopped, her eyes flickering between light and shadow.
“Some children have single eyelids when they are young, but they become double eyelids when they grow up. Look at our Bubble Eyes, they are so big, they will definitely become double eyelids when they grow up.” Huo Yan’s heart was pounding with worry, both for her daughter and her granddaughter. “Sweetie, can you give the child to Mommy?”