Wang Hao had never felt that so-called family ties could be so fragile.
He had always considered Wang Kai and Wang Meijuan to be his closest family.
Even in previous years, when Wang Meijuan would frequently bully Lin Wanyi and deliberately make things difficult for her, he had stood by Wang Meijuan's side.
He would always say, "She is my older sister, which means she is your older sister too. You should respect her just as I do."
Even shortly after they were married, Wang Meijuan had demanded that Lin Wanyi wash her clothes.
At the time, Lin Wanyi had refused.
She had said, "I can wash your clothes, and I can wash your parents' clothes, but why should I wash your older sister's?
"Wang Hao, there is no such rule."
Wang Meijuan had thrown a massive fit, crying and screaming:
"Hao Hao, this wife of yours doesn't truly see me as her older sister.
"It's just washing some clothes. I don't believe she wouldn't wash them for her own older sister!
"She just doesn't respect me, which means she looks down on you. Hao Hao, you have to stand up for me."
Wang Hao had immediately thrown the clothes down in front of Lin Wanyi:
"She is my sister. You have to listen to her, and that's not up for discussion."
Lin Wanyi had been angry with him for a long time over that incident.
But she had washed the clothes anyway.
Then there was the matter of the house.
When they decided to buy a house, Wang Meijuan had come crying to him again:
"Hao Hao, your brother-in-law is useless, and I don't have any skills either, but I can't let my Ruirui's future be ruined.
"You are his uncle. You have the means to give him a hand, so let us move in with you."
He knew Lin Wanyi would never agree, but he promised Wang Meijuan anyway.
He hadn't even considered discussing it with Lin Wanyi.
If they hadn't gotten into a huge fight later that almost led to a divorce, Wang Hao wouldn't have compromised and kicked Wang Meijuan and her family out.
He had always thought that they were blood relatives, family for a lifetime.
He would help them whenever he could.
He had truly given them his whole heart.
So much so that he had mistreated his own wife and daughter.
In the past, during holidays and festivals, Lin Wanyi would always buy gifts and clothes for Li Borui and give him red envelopes.
But Wang Meijuan had never given Wang Keke a single thing, not even a penny in a red envelope.
Sometimes Lin Wanyi felt wronged and would complain a little, but Wang Hao would just say:
"That's my sister's child, and my sister has a hard life. As his aunt, can you not be so petty?
"It's not like I don't make money. Are you really lacking that little bit?"
There were several times he saw Lin Wanyi crying secretly, but he never thought he was in the wrong.
He could make money; you couldn't find many people in the surrounding villages with a higher salary than his.
Wang Meijuan always said, "Lin Wanyi being able to marry you is a blessing she earned over several lifetimes.
"If she had married anyone else, could she be sitting at home so comfortably acting like a rich wife?"
At first, Wang Hao didn't think that way, but after Wang Meijuan said it every day, so frequently, he started to agree.
The whole family relied on him to make money; Lin Wanyi was just a useless parasite who couldn't do anything.
Therefore, Lin Wanyi should listen to him and be submissive to his relatives.
She should be filial to his parents and respect his older sister.
But now.
He suddenly felt that it was all so ridiculous.
With an older brother and an older sister, Liu Chunlan had given birth to three children. Why was it that, in the end, everything fell onto the shoulders of him, the youngest son?
Thinking of this, he didn't want to take care of Liu Chunlan anymore either.
He called Wang Jianguo:
"Dad, the doctor said Mom needs to go to the city for a checkup. You should take her."
The sound of mahjong tiles clattering came from Wang Jianguo's end of the line:
"What are you thinking? I'm an old man, what do I know?
"Take her yourself. She's your mother."
"But she is your wife too. You're only in your fifties, not even at the national retirement age.
"Are you really just going to wash your hands of everything?"
Wang Jianguo flared up.
He roared angrily into the phone:
"Just let her die! Wang Hao, if you don't want to take care of her, then let her die!"
Listening to the busy tone of the disconnected call, Wang Hao truly wanted to cry for the first time.
He crouched alone in the corner of the hospital room.
He didn't know how his life had ended up like this.
He missed Lin Wanyi. He missed Wang Keke.
He missed the happy life they had shared for the past eight years.
He used the hospital phone to call Lin Wanyi again.
Seeing an incoming call from City B, Lin Wanyi initially didn't want to answer, but she was afraid it might be the court or her lawyer.
She picked up anyway.
"Honey!"
Wang Hao's tearful voice came through the line:
"Honey, I miss you so much. Please come back, okay?
"I'm begging you. Bring Keke and come back to me, please?
"I promise, from now on I will never force you to have a second child or a son.
"I won't make you wait on my parents either. We can just close our doors and live our own lives, alright?
"Honey, I really can't take it anymore. I miss you both so much.
"If you don't come back, I'll just die."
By the end, he was bawling his eyes out.
But Lin Wanyi didn't say a single word and simply hung up the phone.
Belated affection is cheaper than weeds.
Lin Wanyi would never be blinded by his sweet talk again.
Liu Chunlan heard Wang Hao's crying.
Her eyes grew wet as well.
She had to admit that ever since Lin Wanyi brought up divorce, the Wang family hadn't had a single day of peace.
Compared to the previous eight years, it was like night and day.
If Lin Wanyi were still around, she wouldn't be lying so all alone in a hospital bed.
She would definitely be bustling about, taking care of her every need down to the smallest detail.
Thinking of this, she gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes:
"Son, if worse comes to worst, just take a trip to Lin Wanyi's family home.
"Since you can't bear to let her go, go and bring her back.
"Women always care about saving face. Just coax her a little and it'll be fine.
"It's just a matter of spending a little money on travel."
It's still better than spending hundreds of thousands to marry another one—she kept this thought to herself and didn't say it out loud.
Wang Hao, still crouching on the floor, looked up at her:
"Really? Mom, do you think if I go, she'll actually come back with me?
"She was so heartbroken and angry before. She definitely won't forgive me."
Liu Chunlan looked at the ceiling:
"How will you know if you don't try? After all, you have eight years of history together.
"Besides, you still have Keke. Butter up Keke, and she'll put in a good word for you.
"She's a member of our Wang family, with Wang family blood running through her veins. She'll help you. Go on, son."
Wang Hao finally stood up and asked Liu Chunlan:
"Haven't you always disliked her? Why do you want me to bring her back now?"
Sometimes Liu Chunlan felt that Wang Hao was truly foolish:
"Haven't I told you before? It's not that I dislike her; I just needed to lay down the rules for her.
"She's the daughter-in-law, and I am the mother-in-law.
"Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies, do you understand? A household cannot have two women in charge at the same time.
"In our family, only I can be the one in charge. But that doesn't mean she isn't a good woman.
"Hao Hao, do you know who the real bad woman in my heart is? Do you know who I hate the most?"
Wang Hao didn't know. He had always thought it was Lin Wanyi.
But Liu Chunlan said:
"It's not Lin Wanyi. The person I hate the most is Chen Qingxiu.
"I truly despise her. I hate her more than anything."
"Who does she think she is? So what if she's from the city?
"What is she so arrogant about? Back then, she just threw half a million in my face and dragged your brother away.
"In all these years, she has never once called me Mom, nor has she taken care of me for a single day.
"She even stole my son and my grandson! I, Liu Chunlan, will be sworn enemies with Chen Qingxiu for the rest of my life!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and the more her chest ached.
Wang Hao, however, wasn't listening to her at all.
He had already pulled out his phone to check for train tickets.
Liu Chunlan was right.
All he had to do was go over there, coax her a little, and show Lin Wanyi enough respect to stroke her ego.
She would definitely come back.
