My Alleged Husband

Chapter 1424 - 1219: Never Show Weakness

I know it’s hard to survive in this society; the weak get eliminated.

"In everyone’s heart, there is a path they want to walk down. Perhaps that life is so sad and difficult for you, but who knows how many suffered different pains from these matters in the past? No one gets to walk the path they most desire step by step; they all give up the most ideal road for unnecessary things. They’ve come this far, and all they want is that piece of perfect life for themselves, but their lives seem to drift farther from them. They continue without giving up, while some chose to relinquish everything from the start. In one’s eyes, what do all those things mean truly?"

Actually, you’ve never really thought about why you became the way you are now from the beginning, walking every path. Is it really still the road you wanted most? When you gradually realize the things you most wanted are distancing from you, those so-called goals and ideals have been thrown away long ago. At that moment, you constantly find that none of this is what you wanted. What you wanted was just a stable life. But how hard is that life for you?"

Old Master Zhang knows what kind of mindset his family has. He also knows the heavy price they’ve paid for these things. He won’t face everything as indifferently as he used to. He now communicates with his family in his own way. If he were to persist as before, making every decision selfishly and insisting on keeping those who shouldn’t stay, it would only lead to more outcomes he couldn’t handle. Rather than letting everything become hard to manage, it would be better to let them go early and let them live the life they desire, instead of wasting their youth for an old man like him.

Time keeps flowing slowly into the distance.

When Old Master Zhang saw his grandson walk for the first time, he was utterly amazed.

He hadn’t expected this child to grow so fast. Yet, as the child grows day by day, his parents age daily, bringing a mix of excitement and melancholy to everyone.

Old Master Zhang watch Zhang Ni already able to walk and muttered to himself: Time indeed flies. Just months ago, you were just the size of a hand, and now you can walk independently on the ground. Truly, I’m getting old. I don’t know how much time heaven has given me to stay in this world. If on the day I enter the coffin, I could fulfill all my inner wishes, how wonderful it would be. But why are all my wishes so small to me yet so difficult for everyone else? Why is there no one willing to make an effort for such a small wish of mine? Yet everything seems to turn out this way; why can’t anyone strive a little for my sake? Is it really so hard for someone to strive for me?"

Ran Zhihan hears his grandfather talking to himself every day, and much is beyond his understanding. He doesn’t know what some of Old Master Zhang’s words mean, so he asks his husband, telling him what his grandfather said. Only then does he realize how much pain his grandfather holds inside.

"Honey, what do you think Grandpa is muttering about there? His eyes turn red as he talks—is he about to cry? I’ve never seen Grandpa this vulnerable before. In my heart, he’s always been so strong, never shedding a tear for small matters. But why today is Grandpa speaking his mind alone and teary-eyed?"

"Darling, don’t you know what kind of person Grandpa is? To others, our Grandpa seems eternally strong and upright, but no one knows how much pain he holds inside. Nothing he does gets understood or empathized with by others. Everyone acts for their own gain, never considering what kind of encouragement Grandpa might need inside. To us, he’s always smiling, but don’t you know his heart is actually in pain? But he doesn’t want to burden us with this pain, so even in immense pain, he can only force a smile in front of me, believing that facing life with a smile brings rewards. On the day he smiles again, he believes that as long as you always smile back at society, one day, Heaven will smile back at you. But Grandpa never realized his smile brought love to many but he himself never received it."

"Indeed! Grandpa has been incredibly pitiful his whole life; he sacrificed so much for us, yet we can’t do anything for him. If only time could turn back, if we could go backward, I’d truly care for Grandpa, ensuring him joy every day, making every day a genuine smile, not a forced grin to make us happy. But this day will never come again; time has already flown into the distance, never returning. While Grandpa ages with time’s passage, we grow day by day too, watching our son slowly learn to grow, seeing him become more adorable each day. My heart holds a reluctance; I fear time continuously flows in this direction, while I’m yet to clearly see what my son grows to be! The most feared thing in this life isn’t losing someone, but losing them without understanding what you lost. When you look back, you find you’ve lost the one who cared and loved you most, and then your heart suffers thousand-fold pain, with no moment able to ease it, no one able to comprehend where this pain comes from, nor anyone able to bear it for you!"

Zhang Yichen understands every word his wife says is sincere, and he knows what she speaks is true. Yet he doesn’t know how to respond. He’s heard such words more than once, but they never yield a good result. He realizes deep pain never lies in easily expressed grievances but in the destined conclusion set by others, bathing wounds repeatedly with salt—such agony is heart-wrenching, with no one willing to help or bear it with you.

Zhang Ni walks towards his parents, hugging Ran Zhihan and saying: "Mom, why do other kids seem to have grandparents with them, but I don’t? Where did my grandparents go? Why don’t they wish to come back and stay with me? Do they think I’m not cute enough or not obedient enough? I really wish my grandparents would come and stay with me, even just for a day, I’d feel so happy. Wow, I haven’t seen my grandparents for so long; I really miss them. Mom, can you tell me where my grandparents went? I want to find them, to bring them back to me, to play with me. Other kids have their parents and grandparents, but I only have my parents and a great-grandfather, while my grandparents aren’t around—this makes me feel so sad."

No one present expected such small child not even two years old to say these words—a genius with appearance and intelligence, likely to be a heartthrob king.

"Seeing this child at the moment, I had such a thought. I didn’t expect after many years this to become reality. The words I spoke were just a joke, but indeed he didn’t disappoint me. Every step he walks amazes me, proving with actions that he is the strongest."

I want to make myself a strong person, never to be eliminated; I want to live tenaciously!