Qin Bogang looked embarrassed, but it was as obvious as the nose on his face. The old folks probably only rembered their second son, who was always working away from ho, when they were short on cash.
Qin Bogang sighed. He knew his younger brother had been wronged all these years, but things had been fine before. ’Why has he suddenly stopped putting up with it?’
’Don’t people always say that suffering is a blessing?’
After holding it in for a mont, Qin Bogang finally said, "Second Brother, I feel like you’ve changed."
As he said this, he blew out a ring of smoke, looking particularly lancholic.
Just then, Qin Jiao and Qin Xiaolan happened to pass by. They saw their fathers there, puffing away on their cigarettes. One looked a bit dazed, the other deeply lancholic and troubled.
Qin Xiaolan was about to speak, but Qin Jiao beat her to it.
"Uncle, you said you feel like my dad has changed. Has he changed for the better, or for the worse?"
Qin Bogang was more or less aware that even though this girl, Qin Jiao, wasn’t even twenty, she was already the one calling the shots in her family. Despite Su Yun being a very assertive person, she ended up listening to her eldest daughter on everything.
Qin Bogang wanted to pull rank as an elder, but he found he couldn’t quite manage it.
He said with a hint of helplessness, "I’m not trying to say whether Second Brother is right or wrong. I was just thinking... ’a harmonious family prospers.’ Our big family was doing just fine before, but look at us now. The family has split, and your family is moving to North City. That’s so far away. I’m afraid we’ll barely see each other all year round. *Sigh*."
Qin Jiao said, "Uncle, are you saying our family shouldn’t be doing better and better? That my parents deserve to work away from ho forever, just to give all their money to Grandpa and Grandma, and then to our youngest uncle’s family?"
"Hey, that’s not what I ant."
"Oh, good thing that’s not what you ant, otherwise I wouldn’t even call you Uncle. I understand the importance of a harmonious family, too. If a big family can live together peacefully, who would want to spend their days arguing and fighting? But is our family really the problem here? You know better than anyone what the real issue is, don’t you?"
"The elders always say, ’Suffering is a blessing.’ But let’s not even talk about distant things. Just look at the life Xiao Shi and I used to have. We wouldn’t see our parents all year round. We ate the worst food and wore ragged clothes. We had to work from a young age—not just cooking and washing clothes for Grandpa and Grandma, but also washing the underwear of our youngest uncle and aunt! When I was in high school, I almost dropped out because Grandpa and Grandma absolutely refused to pay my tuition. It was only because my mom and dad happened to co back and give their wages that I could afford it. And then there’s Xiao Shi! Other kids start elentary school at seven or eight, but they wouldn’t even let her go when she was nine!"
Qin Jiao looked at the stunned Qin Bogang and said coolly, "’Suffering is a blessing’ is just sothing people say to fool honest folks, Uncle. Don’t try to morally blackmail my dad with that anymore. If you stop, you’ll still be his dear older brother and my dear uncle. Even if our families live far apart, this kinship won’t be broken. If I, Qin Jiao, beco successful in the future and your family needs help, I will definitely do everything in my power to assist you. Otherwise... I’ll have no choice but to lump you in with our youngest uncle’s family."
Qin Bogang was too shocked to say anything. Qin Xiaolan, on the other hand, was looking at Qin Jiao with a gaze full of admiration. She said, "Sis! You’re so aweso! I’m sticking with you from now on!"
After saying that, she turned and glared at her own father. "Dad, you’d better open your eyes! If you still don’t get it, watch out, or Mom and I will both leave you!"
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