"After a couple of shots of yellow liquor, he loses track of who he is. Brother-in-law, just think of that good-for-nothing as being out of his mind, but please, don’t take it seriously with him!" Su Hongying forced a smile and explained to Lianshan, but her gaze towards her hubby turned cold. She thought to herself, no matter what, she must find a way to correct his fondness for drinking without knowing his own limits.
Otherwise, if he drinks recklessly and starts spouting nonsense afterward...
Su Hongying felt she would constantly be on the path of apologizing or going to apologize in the future.
Fortunately, he knows how much is too much and never touches alcohol on serious occasions.
Otherwise, with his loosened tongue after drinking, even looser than an old lady’s petticoat waistband, it would be too easy for him to leak Good Taste’s trade secrets.
Second sister-in-law personally spoke a little, even though the young man, a stepfather, felt quite unhappy, Lianshan too was embarrassed to say anything.
You can’t just argue endlessly with a drunkard, right?
Moreover, although the words weren’t pleasant, the brother-in-law was wholeheartedly standing up for his wife!
Lianshan gave an out, but Liu Shouren had no intention of taking it at all.
Listening to his wife’s words through his drunken stupor, he even got a little upset: "What, what do you mean by saying I lose track of who I am after a couple of shots? Silly woman jabbering nonsense, let me tell you, I know exactly what I’m doing! I’ve been holding onto this bad breath pent up for over ten years, now I’ve vented it out, I just wish the whole world knew how miserable and pathetic that so-called true love is now.
Wait, after dinner, I’ll go to the village committee and broadcast it through the loudspeakers all over..."
"Second brother, don’t do it!" Seeing him staggering and about to rush out, Lianshan hurriedly stepped in to stop him.
"Don’t? Why not? Don’t you want those disgusting people to become rats that everyone shuns, unable to wash off the infamy till death? You’re not siding with them, are you?" At this point, Liu Shouyi let out a big drunken burp and gave Lianshan a suspicious look.
Fearing this drunkard might ask a foolish question like, "If you’re not with them, why stop me?" Lianshan quickly shook his head and voiced his reasoning: "No, absolutely not! Just because those two bastards made my wife so sad, they are now my eternal enemies, an irreconcilable type."
Watching the drunken brother-in-law nod repeatedly, sporting a look of ’that’s more like it,’ Lianshan quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead brought on by the tension, and continued to express his worries: "It’s not that I don’t want to see them more rotten, more miserable, and worse off. But second brother, they’ve received their due punishment already, why should we hurt ourselves over two rats?
Lian En is a sensitive kid, he thinks a lot.
Just like when he fought with that little rascal Liu Feng, my eldest son was gloomy for days afterward.
Now he’s off painting and sketching with Feng Ju for two years.
So, to consider that child’s feelings, we can’t throw stones when things are finally settling down, can we?
Otherwise, people would gossip that Lian En has a convict for a father...
Even if there’s a slight possibility, I wouldn’t want my eldest son to be pointed at by others.
When the Dai family was thriving and prosperous, my son didn’t use them to his advantage, and now that they’ve fallen, there’s no way my son should take the blame!"
If Dai Weiguo could climb high and show all kinds of care and sincere compensation towards Lian En, perhaps Lianshan wouldn’t mind his son having a doting biological father.
But now that the Dai family’s reputation is ruined, with himself in trouble, Lianshan absolutely doesn’t wish his own son to have any ties with him.
This thought might be a bit worldly and very selfish.
But living in the world, who doesn’t think more about themselves and those close to them?
Back then, Shuzhen didn’t do anything wrong to the Dai family at all!
Today, even Lian En has stated more than once that he is just their son, and only wants to be their son.
Lianshan’s words were sincere and moving, leaving the entire room in silence. Not only did Liu Shouren and his wife, along with Su Hongying, look at him with full admiration, but even Jianguo, Jiandang, Ning An, Chenchen, and Xinzhi, the older kids, looked at him with a lot of reverence.
Liu Shouyi even gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder: "Good man, you’re always considering my eldest nephew, no wonder I say you’re one of the top ten best stepfathers!"
Once again being called a stepfather, Lianshan couldn’t contain his displeasure: "Second brother, don’t say that. In my heart, Lian En is my son, my legitimate son. Since childhood, he has been closest to me, most filial. In every way, he makes me worry-free, and everywhere he makes me proud and proud of my eldest son! I was there during his first fetal movement, his first fetal education, his first cry, first words, and first steps.
When he began to speak, the first word he uttered was ’dad’ directed at me.
These years, our father-son bond is genuinely deep!
Second brother, don’t ever mention anything about stepfathers again, I don’t like hearing it. Moreover, if such words spread, it might affect the bond between us as father and son."
His words were righteous and resonating, but unfortunately, being solemnly declared by someone who has had too many special Maotai shots, his gaze began to blur.
Glaring at his useless silly brother, Liu Shouren had no choice but to promise bitterly: He would keep an eye on this fool, and whether before sobering up or after, he wouldn’t let him cause any uproar. As for those two words "stepfather," they will never be spoken by anyone in this family again.
After a good meal and drinking, Lian En and Shuzhen took their five kids home.
On the way, Chenchen and Xinzhi were hesitant to speak for a long while but eventually asked whether their eldest brother was indeed their real eldest brother.
They were prepared to get a beating if necessary, just to find out the truth, but they didn’t expect their dad to just sigh deeply and then start telling them stories of the past.
The story was long and complicated, so much so that Chenchen could no longer recall it. But their dad’s words, ’True family bonds are not just passed on through blood ties. They are built on years and years of mutual care and protection. Although blood-wise, Lian En is your half-brother, in affection, you are all my children. Once a child, always a child!’ were recalled even when they’re gray-haired or toothless by Lian Chen and Xinzhi siblings.
So what if they have different biological fathers?
Growing up together and having a big brother who cares for them like a real one, that’s the best kind of elder brother.
They would always respect him, tightly bonded like a single strand of rope. If anyone dared to speak ill of their big brother, the siblings would surely beat him/her up!