Shen Jianhua sighed heavily, his words laden with emotion, "Mianmian, do you have any complaints about your mom and me in your heart? Do you think that we favored Siyu too much?"
Shen Jianhua had been turning this matter over in his mind for a long time and wanted to take advantage of the time when Zhou Lanfang was not at home to talk with Shen Mianmian.
After all, when the two were together, it was like fire and water, unable to speak a few words without arguing.
He also knew that the main reason lay with Zhou Lanfang, that it was Zhou Lanfang who showed favoritism, but after all, that was his wife, who had been ill-tempered for half of her life, and at such an old age, she was not going to change.
All he could do was to work on influencing Shen Mianmian’s thoughts.
"Dad, do you think you and Mom favored Siyu?" Shen Mianmian tossed the question right back.
Shen Jianhua choked, his heart guilty as he explained, "Mianmian, Siyu was brought into our home as a child, and we have treated her as our own daughter."
After a pause, he added, "Actually, when your mom and I decided to take her in, we were also afraid that you would feel lonely. We thought that when you grew up, you would have someone to discuss things with if anything happened."
Shen Jianhua felt that by saying this, Shen Mianmian would be more accepting.
Shen Mianmian smiled, "Dad, I don’t mind that you took her in, and I have no right to question it, but why can’t you treat me well when you treat her well? Why did you choose not to be fair and impartial, but to transfer to her what rightfully belonged to me?"
This had been an unresolved issue for Shen Mianmian, having lived through it twice.
She wasn’t Zhou Lanfang’s biological child, and she could accept Zhou Lanfang’s poor treatment, but what about Shen Jianhua?
Just because she was an illegitimate daughter, did she deserve such treatment?
She did not have the heart of a saint; she couldn’t forgive the pain of her past life. The reason she did not speak up or bring it up was not that she had forgotten, but because she was not in a position to fight back now.
He was left speechless by Shen Mianmian, realizing that over the years, he had indeed neglected this daughter.
He sighed with guilt, "Mianmian, in the past, I failed to fulfill my duty as a father, but I will make it up to you in the future."
"How will you make it up?" Shen Mianmian asked directly.
"..." Shen Jianhua had no answer.
He knew that what Shen Mianmian wanted most was to attend school, but Shen Mianmian’s academic progress wasn’t good enough, and that was a promise he couldn’t make.
After a long pause, he said, "Mianmian, without any brothers, whatever your mom and I earn, no matter how little, along with the family’s fields and everything else, will all be left to you, and we’ll find you a suitable husband who can move into our home so that you won’t have to marry into another family and endure hardship."
In Shen Jianhua’s eyes, he had already been very kind to his daughter, offering her all of his life’s savings and treating her as if she were a son.
Shen Mianmian laughed, her smile tinged with a trace of coolness, "Dad, after you and Mom send Siyu off to college, you’ll both be over fifty, right? Most of the family savings will have been spent on her education, and you might even need to borrow some money, won’t you?"
Past fifty, they were nearing retirement age, and would need someone to take care of them.
In other words, what could she inherit aside from debts and a pair of elderly parents? ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Shen Jianhua flushed red with embarrassment.
Shen Mianmian continued, "Dad, with Mom’s temperament, even if I find a husband to move in with us, do you think I can live a secure life?"
Every word from Shen Mianmian struck to the heart of the matter, leaving him without an answer.
He didn’t understand when the previously gentle Shen Mianmian had become so cold toward her own family.
Had he really gone too far?