novelraw Chapter 223 - 203: Moving Out! _1
Chapter 223 - 203: Moving Out! _1
Xia Jing quickly packed her luggage, ready to leave. She felt that if she continued to stay, it would be very difficult for her child to return. To ensure her child could come back to this place, to his grandfather’s side, she decided she had to leave!
Xia Jing quickly finished packing and dragged her suitcase to the living room. Zhang Zhentian was still sitting there, seemingly waiting for Xia Jing’s arrival. He looked at the suitcase in Xia Jing’s hand and felt an urge to rush over and snatch it away, to stop her from leaving. Even if his son never returned, he couldn’t bear to lose the person he loved, his wife of many years whom he had shared a bed with. How could he possibly stand to part ways with her, or have the heart to do so? He looked and looked, but in the end, he didn’t grab Xia Jing’s suitcase. He remembered what Xia Jing had said to him; he couldn’t just follow her and leave again. He needed to stay here, accompany his father, and wait for his son to come home. He had to see his child living happily and blissfully; only then would he not fail Xia Jing’s expectations. Gazing at Xia Jing’s tear-filled eyes, he yearned to grab her hand and not let her leave, but how could he? It was impossible.
Xia Jing looked at Zhang Zhentian’s reluctant eyes, her heart aching as well. She equally couldn’t bear to leave Zhang Zhentian, but she had to go. If she didn’t leave, her son would not return here. If, because of her, her child completely left this place, her conscience would torment her. Rather than live the rest of her life with guilt, she would rather leave herself and let her son come back to accompany the older generation and her husband. She owed them all this, so she would be the one to make amends.
"Husband, I’m about to go. Once I’m gone, you must take good care of yourself, take good care of our child, take good care of our father. Don’t let them suffer any harm because of us. I’ve owed you for all these years. I know how much you miss our child, but you’ve restrained yourself from returning to the country for my sake, just to avoid leaving me alone abroad. Thank you for your companionship all these years. Now, I can’t be so selfish anymore. I have to make amends for my previous shortcomings toward you. I can’t always let you make sacrifices for me while I simply enjoy myself!" Xia Jing said to Zhang Zhentian.
Zhang Zhentian couldn’t hold back any longer, his nose began to tingle, and his eyes reddened. He didn’t want his wife to leave—after so many years of life together, he had grown accustomed to having her by his side. If she were to leave all of a sudden, he would feel uncomfortable. He wanted to plead with Xia Jing to take him with her. He didn’t want to endure the pain of missing her alone.
"Wife, take me with you. We’ve relied on each other for over a decade and have grown used to having one another around. We snuggled into each other’s embrace, a feeling I don’t want to give up just like that. You know? Although I’d like to stay at home, watching my dad and spending time with our son, in my heart, you are still more important. My life is meant to be spent with you, not them. Take me with you. Don’t let yourself walk that road alone, alright?" Zhang Zhentian pleaded, looking at Xia Jing.
Zhang Zhentian’s eyes brimmed with tears, but Xia Jing remained unmoved. Xia Jing didn’t want to be the reason for her husband to leave again, causing their son to lose his father once more. She didn’t wish for their aged father to lose his son again. She knew the cause of it all was her own past selfishness; she couldn’t let it happen again. If so, how could she face the Zhang Family ancestors with any dignity? She’d rather make the right decision now than suffer the insults of others later on!
"Zhentian, I’m sorry. Please forgive me for the decision I make today. I know that after living together as husband and wife for so many years, you must be unwilling to let me leave alone. But I also hope you can understand, to put yourself in my shoes, in your father’s shoes, in our son’s shoes, and think things through. Over the years, I’ve owed not just you, but also our son and both our fathers. If it wasn’t for my initial selfishness, would you have left with me? If not for my selfishness, how could you have spent years longing to see your child yet not been able to? Even now that we’ve returned, if it weren’t for me, would our son have so cruelly rejected recognizing you as his father time and time again? All these consequences are of my own making, and I don’t want you to bear them with me, do you understand? All these years, you have been the person I love the most in my heart. I don’t want you to lose the happy family you could have had because of me again; that would be cruel to you and a guilty burden on my conscience. Fool, don’t cry. Even if I’m not here, you can still come to the United States to find me. I’m just leaving for a while. Then you can stay at home, spend time with your father, and improve your relationship with your son. Isn’t that a joy for you? My departure can bring happiness to the three of you; isn’t that a good thing? Don’t frown; the one thing I least want to see in my life is your frown, because you look so ugly when you frown. I hope to leave with your smile in my mind. Husband, I’m running out of time, so I’ll go first. After I leave, call our son and tell him I have left. Ask him to move back home. After all, it’s inconvenient and unsafe for a young person to live outside—nowhere is as comfortable as home. I know he moved out because he doesn’t want to see me, his mother, because of the things I’ve done. I’ve really chilled his heart to the core. I don’t want my actions to make him hate you as well. I can accept him not recognizing me for the rest of my life, but I cannot selfishly deprive you of his acknowledgment. That would be cruel and unfair to you, and difficult for our father to accept. I know that all these years, dad has been thinking of you, missing you, but because of me, he hasn’t made a single call to you. No matter what our son does in the future, or whatever decisions our father makes, I hope you remember that everyone has their pride. No one would destroy their self-respect because of others. Our son’s pride is especially strong, so in the future, when you’re doing things, make sure not to hurt his pride. On the contrary, when someone else threatens his pride, you need to stand up and protect it. Don’t let him be hurt by others. Only then will he accept you quicker, accept you as his father. By that time, whether he acknowledges me or not, I won’t care anymore. Because if he recognizes you, it’s as good as recognizing me. Did you get that?"