novelraw Chapter 283 Extra 3: I Really Had the Intention of Leaving the Father and Keeping the Son
Chapter 283 Extra 3: I Really Had the Intention of Leaving the Father and Keeping the Son
I warned them that if they dared to lay a hand on my son again, I would tear his beloved young son to pieces and throw him into the North Sea to feed the fish!
My ruthlessness frightened them, and they became obedient. But I didn't give up; I was determined to achieve my goal of a divorce. If I hadn't promised the old lady to spare his life, I would have killed him outright!
I went directly to the warlord and donated the shops I'd acquired from the Guo family to him, along with a chest of gold. From him, I obtained a pass to the port of a nearby city. As for dealing with my little affair with Guo Yunkai, that was just a side matter.
With this powerful backer, I was able to take everything that should have been mine, and leave the Guo family along with my son. We removed ourselves from the Guo family genealogy and joined the Tong family genealogy, and my son changed his name to Tong Anfu.
Without my supervision, Guo Yunkai took charge, spending money extravagantly and associating with some of the纨绔 (spoiled brats) and 败貫 (fallen families) from back then. I guess it was around this time that the young masters who hid the things became his close friends.
This group of people, I don't know who lured them in, even started smoking opium, and now they've all started their extravagant spending spree! But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Not to mention the ancestral property and the things left by the older generation in the storeroom, even what I left for my mother-in-law is enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Zhang Cuiyun finally got her wish and became the mistress of the Guo family. She flaunted her status like a nouveau riche. She arranged two maids to serve her son personally, and three or four servants to accompany him.
This kid is only fifteen or sixteen, and he's already into cockfighting, dog walking, and frequenting brothels. He's not even as good as his dad. At least his dad is a love-struck fool, pursuing epic romances and not messing around!
But those things were none of my business. The capital was so big; I didn't want to see them, and I didn't want to run into them at all. Several years passed peacefully like this, and I began to consolidate my business and secretly accumulate wealth.
Guo Yunkai, perhaps because I've always looked down on him, is so eager to prove himself. I don't know who egged him on, but he suddenly started doing business, the same kind of business as me. He spread rumors about me everywhere, ruining my reputation and suppressing my business, which angered me once again.
They used ruthless methods to destroy his business, leaving him heavily in debt and forcing him to sell his ancestral home to cover the losses. They dismissed the servants and moved into the small courtyard he had bought for Zhang Cuiyun when he was in charge.
Just then, my son brought home a girl from the South, saying he wanted to marry her. The girl was a typical Southern beauty—quiet, elegant, and clearly very well-mannered. But I didn't want my daughter-in-law to be like that; mainly because she was physically weak and had a gentle nature, I was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle things!
My son didn't argue with me and did his best to help her recover. The girl also helped me with chores diligently; she's a very thoughtful child. Her family suffered a tragedy, and she's all alone. Since my son likes her, let's fulfill his wish!
I held a wedding for my son, bought a small courtyard house, renovated it, and lived there with them. I sold our old mansion, used some of the money to buy a pharmacy, and made my son the owner and a doctor there.
Later, it was said that Guo Yunkai had made money somewhere and enjoyed a few more years of carefree life with servants at his beck and call. However, his good fortune did not last long, and his family was soon besieged by debt collectors demanding payment, and they quickly returned to their impoverished state.
In the end, he was abandoned by his sweetheart and his beloved young son. He came to me like a leech, begging to be taken in, but I didn't even want to look at him. However, my son couldn't be known for abandoning his own father in his time of need, so I rented him a small courtyard and let him live on his own, occasionally bringing him some pocket money.
He died a few years later, from drinking too much and freezing to death. All my connections with the Guo family vanished from that moment on!
I already have a lovely granddaughter and grandson. Both children look just like their mother, with big eyes, fair skin, and oval faces. My eldest granddaughter is clearly blessed; she's smart and eager to learn, and I like her more than my grandson.
I named my granddaughter Tong Jiahui, and I have high hopes for her. But she's just like her mother—very gentle and mild-mannered. I can only teach her slowly. My grandson, Tong Jiaming, is four years younger than his sister, and his temperament is even more mild-mannered than a girl's. Neither of these two grandchildren is like me!
Daughter-in-law Zhao Ningshuang was also helpless; she didn't want her son to have this personality either! This girl often said that she wanted to be as decisive and capable as me; I was her biggest idol!
She'd seen me catch a pickpocket at the market; I could easily take on two or three strong young men by myself. Look at her, carrying a basket to buy groceries and having to rest twice along the way!
Sigh, there's no use saying all this. She's already my own child, so I have to cherish her, right? But this girl has a sweet tongue and makes me happy. As long as she can live a good life with my son, that's all that matters.
In 1937, when the Japanese invaded the pass, chaos erupted again. They blocked the army's supply lines, putting the northern troops in a difficult situation. I had hidden some food and medicine there beforehand, and my son and I secretly crossed the blockade to deliver the supplies to them. I only hoped that they could drive the Japanese away as soon as possible and end the war.
Those years we lived very cautiously. I also basically closed down my business and stayed home to take care of my grandchildren. Later, when I went back to my hometown, I brought back an orphan from my nephew's family. His name was Tong Linsheng. This child was smart and hardworking, and I planned to raise him well so that Jiaming would have an older brother to take care of him in the future.
I raised this child until he was sixteen or seventeen, treating him like my own grandson. But he wanted to join the anti-Japanese forces and stop going to school. I didn't object. Joining the army is dangerous, but what about doing something else? Besides, defending the country is a good man's duty, and I think I raised this child very well!
When the child came back, he was freed and had become an officer in the army. He told me he wanted to marry my eldest granddaughter. Oh dear, wouldn't that make him Jia Hui's childhood sweetheart?
But he didn't care about these opinions and vowed to treat Jia Hui well for the rest of his life. I thought that I knew this boy well, and as long as Jia Hui had no objections, then let them get married!
My granddaughter has a very good fertility record; she had two great-granddaughters within three years of getting married, and then twins a little over two years later. I wondered if my granddaughter would only have girls, so I encouraged them to have a fifth child, and lo and behold, it was another girl!
I help them take care of their children. My daughter-in-law makes clothes and shoes for them and teaches them to write and draw. The family lives a warm and happy life.
My children are all lively, and the eldest one is most like me! So I put the most effort into teaching her, and even gave her the family heirloom jade pendant. Because I avoided using the character "毓" (Yu) in my name, I used the character "玉" (Yu) to refer to beautiful jade when naming her.
Her name is Tong Yuheng. The character "heng" has a beautiful meaning. I wish her a happy, fulfilling, joyful, and peaceful life!