The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: A Cold, Hard Heart Makes Them Lose Their Nerve

Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang remembered that Liang Xiaoyu had gotten Zhang Xiufang put in detention, and they immediately reined themselves in.

Han Xiaorui was deeply moved when she heard what Liang Xiaoyu said. At a time like this, Sister-in-law Xiao Yu had stepped forward to help her.

”I’ll say it again: this is my own money. If you say one more filthy thing, I’ll call the police right now. And I’ll go to your workplaces and cause a scene.”

”I hear you’re a manager at a state-owned enterprise. If you’re going to slander me like this, I won’t let you have an easy time of it. I’ll report you every single day.”

Hearing this, Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang were even more afraid to make a scene.

Yang Zhigang and Han Xiaorui didn’t have formal employers, but they did!

If some unreasonable person really went and caused trouble at their workplaces, their bosses would see them as troublemakers. In the end, they’d be the ones left in disgrace.

”Either way, Yang Zhigang, you can’t favor an outsider. Remember, you’re my daughter’s father-in-law, not Han Xiaorui’s.” Seeing Han Xiaorui’s unyielding attitude, Mr. Zhang didn’t dare to keep harping on the issue of buying the boat.

’Later,’ he thought, ’I need to check if this Han Xiaorui really made 290,000 just from selling fish.’

Yang Jianguo was not happy. ”Even if Xiao Rui isn’t my second uncle’s daughter-in-law anymore, she’s still Pingping and An’an’s mother. We treat each other like family.”

”Besides, what the Yang Family does is none of your business. My second uncle knows what he’s doing.”

Mrs. Zhang shot Yang Jianguo a nasty look. ”You, a mere nephew, are sucking up more than his own son. Isn’t it just because your second uncle is rich?”

Yang Jianguo was so angry he raised his hand to slap Mrs. Zhang, but Yang Zhigang stopped him.

”Jianguo, it’s not worth fighting over people like this. Don’t dirty your hands.”

Yang Jianguo looked at his second uncle’s livid face, his heart aching with sympathy and worry. ”Second Uncle...”

Yang Zhigang looked at Mr. and Mrs. Zhang. ”The only reason you two dare to be so high and mighty, so arrogant in front of me, is because Zhang Lili is pregnant, isn’t it? And because I can’t win against my own son?”

”Since Yang Jianming won’t listen to me, I’ll tell you to your faces right now: I’m disowning that good-for-nothing son, Yang Jianming.”

”I raised him, so I’ve fulfilled my duties as a father. I arranged a marriage for him once, but he didn’t cherish it and fooled around on the side.”

”I’m tired. I don’t want to keep getting tangled up in this nonsense with people like you, and I certainly don’t want the money I worked so hard to earn to be extorted from me.”

Hearing this, Mr. Zhang grew anxious. ”How can you do that?”

That playboy Yang Jianming’s meager monthly salary was barely enough for his own spending, let alone supporting a family.

The only reason they had agreed to let their daughter marry him was that they had their eyes on Yang Zhigang’s big boat and his annual income of several hundred thousand yuan.

If Yang Zhigang stopped giving them money, wouldn’t their daughter be at a huge loss?

Yang Zhigang’s expression was stern, his eyes ice-cold. ”The money is with me, and I’m not giving you a cent! Not for a wedding, not to buy a house or a car. I won’t pay for any of it.”

”As for the child in Zhang Lili’s belly, she can have it if she wants, or get rid of it for all I care! It’s Yang Jianming’s child, anyway. I can’t even count on my own son, so how could I possibly count on a child that hasn’t even been born?”

Mrs. Zhang thought Yang Zhigang was just bluffing. ”Yang Zhigang, don’t you regret this! We know your heart is biased, so there’s no reasoning with you.”

”I’m going to find sister Xiufang right now. I refuse to believe there’s nowhere to turn for justice!”

After saying her piece, Mrs. Zhang grabbed her husband’s arm and hurried out.

It was better than arguing here and backing Yang Zhigang into a corner. If he really ended up not giving them a single cent, the Zhang Family would suffer a huge loss!

After calming down, Mr. Zhang also realized this.

Even if they argued until they were blue in the face, they probably wouldn’t get anything out of it.

They needed to find Zhang Xiufang and Yang Jianming right away and have them pressure Yang Zhigang.

One was his wife, the other his son. Even if Yang Zhigang had heaven-defying abilities, he wouldn’t be able to escape them.

Watching Mr. and Mrs. Zhang leave with faces full of resentment, Yang Zhigang picked up his glass from the table and downed three cups in a row. ”Sorry to have made a fool of myself in front of everyone.”

Master Liu clapped Yang Zhigang on the shoulder, sympathizing with him. ”Zhigang, try not to dwell on it. Life’s impossible if you get bogged down in the details.”

Yang Zhigang nodded, agreeing completely. ”Old Liu, if I didn’t try to let things go, I would have died of anger long ago. Xiao Rui, you shouldn’t be angry either. Try to let it go.”

Han Xiaorui had been furious, but seeing Yang Zhigang, she managed a smile. ”Uncle Yang, I’m not angry. If anything, I’m the one who caused you trouble.”

”But buying a boat is such a huge deal, and I didn’t know who to discuss it with. I don’t know anything about boats, either. You’re Pingping and An’an’s grandfather. I trust you, Big Brother, and Master Liu.”

After hearing Han Xiaorui’s words, the frustration in Yang Zhigang’s heart eased considerably. ”Ah, Xiao Rui, it makes me happy that you trust me. I had my own selfish reasons for asking you to stay in the village back then.”

”I knew my son was unreliable, and I knew Zhang Xiufang didn’t like Pingping and An’an. I have to earn all the money for the family’s expenses, so I don’t have time to take care of my two granddaughters.”

”I was so grateful when you agreed to stay in Jinshan Bay. The Zhang Family is insatiably greedy, and I’m utterly disappointed in Jianming. They don’t watch what they say, so don’t be angry. Just treat it like dogs barking.”

Now, Pingping and An’an were recovering well. Whenever they saw him, they would smile and call him ”Grandpa.”

Yang Zhigang firmly believed that as long as his two granddaughters could be healthy and normal, he was willing to spend any amount of money.

He would rather give the money to his two granddaughters than to his shameless son and the greedy Zhang Family.

At least he believed that a child raised by Han Xiaorui would turn out better than any child raised by Yang Jianming, Zhang Lili, and Zhang Xiufang.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Okay. I’m not a petty person; I can’t be bothered to hold a grudge. Come on, Uncle Yang, let me toast you.”

Han Xiaorui and Yang Zhigang drank a glass of wine, and they both began to relax.

Liang Xiaoyu smiled. ”Uncle Yang, you’re someone who knows when to hold on and when to let go. If you weren’t so firm, all the money you work so hard to earn from fishing would probably end up lining the Zhang Family’s pockets.”

Yang Zhigang nodded. ”Yes, that’s why I used the money from yesterday’s fish sale to make an early loan payment.”

His luck had been good on the last few trips. After all the expenses, he had made several tens of thousands.

He had originally planned to buy a house in the city for Yang Jianming and Zhang Lili, but after seeing how they were, Yang Zhigang had long since given up on the idea.

If they have a house, they can live in it.

If they don’t, then too bad.

In any case, Yang Zhigang wasn’t going to spend any more money on them. As soon as he earned money, he immediately used it to pay back his bank loan.

It was a debt, after all. Paying it off sooner would give him peace of mind.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Zhang had caused a huge fuss today, after a few drinks, everyone put it out of their minds.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, however, had rushed to the hospital. Gesticulating wildly and adding their own embellishments, they told Zhang Xiufang that Yang Zhigang had bought a boat for Han Xiaorui for 380,000.

The moment Zhang Xiufang heard this, she exploded and rushed straight to the restaurant.

But by the time she got to the restaurant, Yang Zhigang, Han Xiaorui, and the others had already finished eating and gone home.

Zhang Xiufang then hurried home, ready to raise hell.

But just as she reached the village entrance, she saw Yang Zhigang chatting animatedly with Widow Zhao and a group of other women. The fury that filled her heart was instantly extinguished.