SFS Chapter 1989 Yaozu, Mom is late
Chapter 1989 Yaozu, Mom is late
"That's your family, not mine," Zhang Ran said coldly. "He neither gave birth to me nor raised me, so why should I give in to him? An old man who doesn't die is a thief, just because he's an old man who won't die?"
Chen Zhaodi avoided her gaze, lowered his eyes and said, "...He is, after all, your maternal grandfather. You shouldn't have insulted him like that."
In the past, her mother's slaps and scolding would have already landed on her. Zhang Ran raised her eyebrows, enjoying her mother's pathetic appearance, and felt much better. It felt good to be powerful.
An awkward atmosphere filled the car. Chen Zhaodi took the initiative to change the subject, asking about Luo Youge's marital status, how Luo Laosan was living with Zhou Juying, Luo Youdi, Luo Laowu... The more she asked and the more she learned, the more serious her expression became.
Zhang Ran stared at her changing expressions and suddenly asked, "Didn't you say that your grandfather often visits you? Didn't he tell you?" They must have exaggerated and said a lot of bad things about her, telling her everything.
Chen Zhaodi lowered his eyes and head, "I said some things, but not much, since the visiting time is limited and it's not appropriate to say too much."
As they were talking, the car drove into the village and stopped at Zhang Ran's direction.
After getting out of the car, Chen Zhaodi looked at the place that should have been his house, now a pile of ruins, and fell into a deep silence.
Footsteps approached, and Zhang Ran walked to her side, turning her head slightly to look at her: "My third and fifth uncles thought I was an orphan girl who was easy to bully, so they took away our family's land, hilltop, and even tried to seize this house. In a fit of anger, I simply smashed it up." She changed the subject, "Our family is gone, you won't blame me, will you?"
Chen Zhaodi clenched her fists and said angrily, "How could they bully people like this?! It's absolutely outrageous!"
“You don’t need to be too angry,” Zhang Ran advised. “My third uncle works away from home all year round but doesn’t send money back. My third aunt had no choice but to have an affair and rely on her lover to help raise the child. The lover was my second aunt’s husband. In a fit of anger, my third uncle killed my second aunt’s husband and was sentenced to ten years in prison.”
"As for Fifth Uncle, he colluded with human traffickers to sell his own son, but ended up being sold to a mine by the traffickers instead. He barely managed to escape, but his leg was crippled."
“They’ve all gotten their just desserts, so there’s no need to be angry with them.”
Chen Zhaodi: "..."
Zhang Ran's gaze shifted downwards to her clenched fist, which not only didn't loosen but instead tightened even more, her nails digging into her palm.
Her gaze was undisguised, which Chen Zhaodi noticed. He suddenly loosened his fist, looked at Zhang Ran calmly, and said, "You're right. They stole our family's land and now they've suffered retribution. It's really not worth us getting angry anymore." He urged her, "Let's go see your brother." He took out yellow paper and other items from the trunk and carried them in his hand. Led by Zhang Ran, they went to the cemetery on the back mountain.
The father and son's graves had been neglected for many years, and were overgrown with weeds, with small trees growing on them, their branches and leaves flourishing and full of life.
Looking at her son's grave, Chen Zhaodi could no longer hold back her tears. She pulled up weeds and uprooted saplings with her bare hands, repeatedly muttering, "Yaozu, Mom is too late. It's Mom's fault, I didn't protect you well, Mom is useless..."
Zhang Ran stood aside, watching quietly, without showing any intention of stepping forward to help.
Chen Zhaodi seemed to have forgotten her existence as a daughter. She circled the grave, rambling on and on about her heartfelt feelings. Self-blame, guilt, hatred... all sorts of complex emotions overwhelmed her instantly.