Qi Jianguo was not a carefree person; he first called his older brother to see if there were any possibilities for a turnaround, but nobody answered the home phone or his office phone, so he gave up.
Returning home, Father Qi saw him and asked with a stern face, "You’re back? Why were you gone for so long?"
Qi Jianguo glanced at his father and cautiously replied, "Mom dragged me aside to talk for a bit."
Father Qi snorted and plucked at the bamboo strips of the basket in his hand, saying, "No matter what your mother says, don’t bother with it. This isn’t something you should deal with. Just focus on your studies and strive to get into college."
"Mm." Qi Jianguo nodded but hesitated before adding, "Dad, Mom said she feels very uncomfortable living in the old house and she has lost weight. I think Mom knows she was wrong. How about..."
Father Qi’s hands paused in their work and he glanced at him, "Don’t you know what kind of person your mother is? How much of what she says can you really believe? Don’t concern yourself with it, I’ll handle it."
This meant he had no intention of letting Mother Qi come back. Qi Jianguo felt a rush of heat to his head and said, "Dad, this can’t go on forever, right? Mom is getting older, are you two going to be at odds for the rest of your lives? As for Sister-in-law... Dad, must we wait until Sister-in-law says it’s okay?"
"Jianguo, you still don’t understand. A harmonious home leads to prosperity in all endeavors. The prosperity of a family absolutely requires a good daughter-in-law and cannot tolerate troublemakers. Your sister-in-law is capable. She and your brother are the foundation of the Qi family’s prosperity. Of course, there’s you as well. Once you’ve completed your studies, our family will have made its mark!"
Qi Jianguo pursed his lips.
"Go and study now, you don’t need to worry about the family matters," Father Qi lowered his head again.
Qi Jianguo sullenly went inside, and behind him, his father’s voice came again, "Jianguo, wrong is wrong, right is right, regardless of whether one is an elder or younger, if a mistake is made, it should be acknowledged and corrected. You can’t refuse to admit it just because you are older. People must distinguish right from wrong, black from white."
Qi Jianguo paused and said, "Dad, I understand!"
At the Cheng family, Cheng Su’s parents were also talking about this matter.
"I see Mother Qi has been staying in that house for a few days now, and she hasn’t moved back yet. It seems Father Qi is determined to discipline her!" Mother Cheng remarked.
Father Cheng was fixing a hoe and answered, "She should have been disciplined long ago. Cheng Su’s mother-in-law really is unreasonable."
Mother Cheng shot him a look and said, "You always take your daughter’s side, but have you thought about how people will speak of her if this continues? If you ask me, it’s probably enough by now. She is still an elder, after all. If she is accused of being unfilial in the future, it will be serious trouble."
"This isn’t the feudal age anymore. Even if she’s unfilial, that started with unkindness from the elders. Our Su has always been excellent," Father Cheng defended his daughter.
"Just spoil her," Mother Cheng said with a worried expression, "Now she’s having issues with her son-in-law as well, and I’ve no idea if they’ve made up yet. Ah, this girl has ability, but she’s too headstrong. All it would take is for a man to indulge her, but she’s making a fuss. If she really ruins her marriage, I fear she’ll have her own time to cry!"
Father Cheng put away the fixed hoe and stood up, saying, "You stay out of their affairs. Su knows what she’s doing. We just need to watch from the sidelines. If we get involved, we might just make things worse. Look at her mother-in-law; it’s all because of her meddling that the two of them are like this."
Mother Cheng sighed deeply and said, "Alright, alright, I won’t interfere anymore!"