Chapter 148: Chapter 148: If There’s a Stepmom, There’s a Stepdad
As Su Wanyu massaged his legs, she asked, “What happened, Dad? Didn’t he go to find his uncle? Why did he come back?”
She also noticed that Yu Cheng was in a bad mood, knowing that the boy usually could eat three or four bowls of rice per meal.
Once Jiang Changhai heard this, he perked up a bit and started complaining, “Oh, you have no idea, Central China Farm is so remote! It’s located deep in the recesses of the mountains, and not only does it take three to four hours to get there, we almost went in the wrong direction! If we hadn’t later met a local who helped guide us, we probably would’ve never found the place.”
Showing surprise, Su Wanyu wondered why Yu Cheng, a person from the Capital, would have such distant relatives.
But since it was someone else’s family matter, she didn’t ask.
Understanding the historical context, Jiang Mianmian formed a guess in her mind. If that was the case, Yu Cheng must have been really upset.
“Indeed, and the conditions there are very poor, they have nothing! Yu Cheng’s uncle is so thin, he looks like a pole, and he even has a lame leg. Despite his poor living conditions, you can tell from the way he speaks and conducts himself that he’s a highly educated intellectual—his demeanor is no less than any leader in our town.”
After finishing, Jiang Changhai suddenly smiled mysteriously at the two of them and pulled out a thick stack of cash and tickets from another pocket: “Look, what’s this?”
Su Wanyu immediately sat up, excitedly asking, “Brother Hai, where did this money come from?”
Jiang Changhai boasted proudly, “This was all given by Yu Cheng’s uncle, a whole two hundred yuan!”
Then he sighed, “You didn’t see how Yu Cheng’s uncle was living, his cotton coat is riddled with several holes. Yet, when he heard I had rescued Yu Cheng from the river, he didn’t hesitate for a second before he took out all his belongings to thank me.”
Upon hearing this, Su Wanyu, looking at the money in her hand, suddenly wasn’t as excited as before.
Jiang Changhai continued, “Yu Cheng has also had a tough life. From their conversation, it seems that when Yu Cheng was very young, his Biological mother passed away and he had to struggle under his step-mother’s care.”
Hearing this, Su Wanyu could hardly believe it. Yu Cheng didn’t seem like a child who had been mistreated by a step-mother!
His mannerisms and the sophistication he displayed from a young age were clearly those of a child brought up in wealth.
However, being a parent herself, she soon understood, any smart step-mother wouldn’t overtly skimp on food or clothing.
“It’s said where there’s a step-mother, there’s a step-father. A child’s cold and reserved nature, surely, must be because he doesn’t receive parental love, leading to such behavior.”
Jiang Mianmian, who had been silently listening, pursed her lips, reflecting on her own past life.
Her own parents had divorced when she was very young, and both quickly formed new families.
From then on, wherever she was, she always felt like the odd one out.
She no longer had parents of her own!
Although they had left her plenty of real estate, ensuring she wouldn’t worry about food or drink, the loneliness in her heart had always accompanied her.
It was only when she found herself here, with loving parents, that she felt the long-absent warmth of family love, which filled her once lonely heart.
So relating deeply to Yu Cheng’s situation, she jumped down from the Kang: “I’ll go call him back inside.”