My Alleged Husband

Chapter 504 - 483: Oppression_1

Old Master Zhang knew that every word his grandson said was correct. After all, he had been through it all himself and knew what was best for his children; he knew what to do and what not to do. He was intervening now, pleading on their behalf, solely to prevent the relationship between father and son from growing further apart. However, he hadn’t expected to be moved by his grandson’s words. Indeed, wouldn’t it be best if his child would unconditionally obey him? If one wanted a person not to be oppressed by others, the only way was to keep pressuring them, to make them strong and feared by everyone, so that they could live their life in peace. But sometimes being too strict with one’s own child wasn’t good either; it might make the child believe that the discipline was intentional and breed a rebellious spirit in them. They would no longer trust as they used to do. This was perhaps the art of father-child relationships, and it was a pity that he only understood this now. It seemed his grandson was so much better than him, for he had grasped all these principles at such a young age, which was incredibly rare.

"Yichen, no matter what decision you make, I will always support you silently from behind because I’ve watched you grow up, and I know that some decisions you make are not without necessity; you would never make them lightly. But I hope you can understand one thing: many matters aren’t so simple that you can just do them. Many things can lead to lifelong regrets because of a single reason or mistake. However, I hope you understand that when I talk to you today, I have no other intention. I just don’t want the relationship between you and your father to deteriorate, to become awkward. I hope you won’t dislike your grandfather. If you think I’m too meddlesome, then I will no longer interfere in your relationship. Whatever happens between you in the future, I absolutely won’t inquire into it. What do you think?" Old Master Zhang indirectly gave his grandson a multiple-choice question. If he chose to let him continue to meddle in his affairs, he would certainly interfere whenever possible, managing their every bit of business. But if he said he didn’t want him to meddle any longer, then he would consciously withdraw and never inquire about any of their matters. It was a multiple-choice question indeed—if the right choice was made, all well and good, but if the wrong one was chosen, it could become a lifelong torment.

Zhang Yichen knew why his grandfather was saying all this and what it would mean if he chose wrongly. He didn’t know what to do. Sometimes, he found his grandfather a bit annoying. Many matters clearly didn’t require his grandfather’s intervention, but he would still get involved, making Yichen feel quite embarrassed. Yet when he did need his grandfather, the old man wouldn’t step in, leaving Yichen to struggle. When he wanted help, no one would be there, but when he didn’t, everyone wanted to meddle. It was a big problem, but what could he do? He couldn’t just let his grandfather stop looking after him, could he? That would make his grandfather feel terribly hurt. It seems he could only speak insincere words once again.

"Grandfather, if you say that I can support everything you do unconditionally, that’s impossible, because I too believe that oftentimes you really are a nuisance. You were absent when I needed help the most, and present when I least needed it, which makes me feel a bit embarrassed. However, I think no matter what, we should still maintain a harmonious relationship between us. So, grandfather, you don’t need to worry about anything. I just hope that in the future, you could help me out when I truly need it the most—that would be enough. Of course, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t meddle at all, but there are many things you shouldn’t get involved in, like today’s matter. Because if you keep pleading, and I comply too much with your words, and I agree to every request you make today, wouldn’t my son think his father is nothing but a coward, a non-entity in front of his own grandfather, whose words carry no weight? In the future, whenever he has a problem, he wouldn’t tell us; he’d go straight to you. Then, no matter how big a mess he gets into, he’ll think he doesn’t need to be afraid because his grandfather has his back. He’ll think it doesn’t matter because grandfather will protect him, and I won’t dare to punish him. Therefore, I can’t agree to let him out, as it would nurture his weak spirit, causing him to always harbor delusions of luck, thinking that whenever he makes a mistake, there will be someone to save him. But is this really true? In society, if you make a mistake, will there always be someone to save you, to let others save you? I have to say, a lot of his ideas are naive, and they frighten me sometimes. I don’t understand what has made him so naive, and some ideas should never exist, yet he holds on to them when communicating with me. Isn’t that scary? Grandfather, you know better than I do, deep down, how a child should be raised to truly benefit him. I was able to become who I am today largely thanks to your upbringing, but with my son, I hope I can educate him well myself. All I need is your assistance. I believe I can nurture him into a genius, and not like my father, who even now makes me feel abandoned and pained. For my son, the abandonment by his grandparents is a pain in his heart too, but he chooses not to speak of it because he doesn’t know how to articulate it—he doesn’t even know where to begin!"

Old Master Zhang finally understood; there was a reason why his grandson didn’t want his help in raising his son. His grandson simply wanted to ease his own burden in secret. Although he didn’t say it, his intention was clear. Was it possible that he had been too presumptuous in meddling in others’ affairs?