My Alleged Husband

Chapter 1371 - 1194: Growing Up Too Fast

The process of growing up is always painful, no one knows how all this comes about, and it all catches us off guard.

Zhang Ni knows that his great-grandfather and his parents are heartbroken, but he doesn’t know how to act. He just hopes his family can happily accompany him, watching him grow joyfully. For him, as a child, that’s enough. He is a kid; he won’t be as calculating as adults, nor will he have many desires and pursuits. All he wants is for his family’s love for him to never change. However, for their family, this seems very difficult. Everyone has different pursuits and thinks about leaving here, never considering how those who need them might feel, or how much pain is in their hearts.

When he stood outside the door and heard Old Master Zhang speaking, he realized how deeply sad his great-grandfather was. Yet, he didn’t know how to comfort him. Perhaps, as his parents had said before, it was unavoidable. Many times, although he wanted to do something, he felt powerless. This often leads to disappointing outcomes. He just hopes his family can happily live around him, but this is really difficult. He has never achieved such a result. They are always selfish, but he cannot be like his parents, cannot be like his grandparents. His parents have endured countless hardships, his grandparents have hardened their hearts, so why should he turn into them? Wouldn’t that make his loved ones who care about him even more sad? He wishes to do many things, but lacks the ability to do them, which makes those who love him sad, while he feels powerless. It’s so uncomfortable to want to persuade the harmed ones but not know how. But what can he do? Could he easily give up on them? Impossible! If he were to give them up so readily, what qualifications would he have to be his grandfather’s grandson, to be a successor of the Zhang Family’s legacy? Every generation has been pure and straight; if he tarnished the Zhang Family’s reputation just because of cowardice, he would willingly endure hell.

"Yichen, Zhihan, did you know? When your parents heartlessly abandoned our family back then, my heart was so conflicted and painful. I never thought my own son would do such a thing. I am his biological father; his mother passed away early, and carefully I raised him. But eventually, I realized no matter how I treated him, he would never truly see me as his father. What I desire isn’t much, you might think my expectations are extravagant dreams. But did I really make a mistake? I only wanted him to stay by my side, to let me enjoy some peace, to experience the joy of filial piety. However, that never happened. They’re always so cold-hearted, always abandoning and hurting me without remorse. Doesn’t their heart ever ache? I am a person, with a soul and feelings. Why do they commit such hurtful acts without considering the consequences? Does it truly make them happy? I am their elder; isn’t it wrong to treat their elder this way? Aren’t they afraid of retribution? My desires are simple, yet even that turns into distant hopes..."

"Grandfather, please don’t say that. No matter where my parents are, you still have me, my wife, and my son by your side. I’ll ask my parents if they’ll come back home, but we will make sure you enjoy the joy of filial piety. Only if you no longer dwell on longing for them, can you truly be happy. Being a parent, it’s impossible to forget your child. As an elder, it’s tough to forget my mom and dad; that’s why you’re so conflicted, because those you care about hurt you, making it unbearable. Don’t keep missing them like before. They don’t have us in their hearts; we need to learn to forget them. They want to wander outside, so let them. The past is gone, just like passing clouds. No matter how much we miss them, they’ll never return to us. Why should we wound ourselves, reminiscing them, when their hearts are elsewhere? Why let them harm us again and again when we never learn to protect ourselves?"

Old Master Zhang knew his grandson made sense; he understood the facts, yet couldn’t change them as he wished. He didn’t know what to do, truly forgetting his son was impossible. After painstaking efforts raising him, like raising his grandson, that feeling cannot just be forgotten. But his son has gone astray, so what can he do? Would he really banish him from the Zhang Family? If that happened, his heart would be reluctant, because his son is still a part of the Zhang Family.

"You are a sensible child, and so is your son. Yet none of you can understand or experience the bitterness within me. It’s not something that can be expressed in words; it’s an internal pain. You will never comprehend the heartbreak of a son raised through effort acting ungrateful. Can you understand that pain?"

Zhang Yichen knew that pain. If one hasn’t experienced it personally, they can never know its taste.

Growing up always leaves unforgettable memories, yet it also causes pain, making one unsure how to treat their loved ones!