My Alleged Husband

Chapter 157: Chapter 141: Never Forget the Original Intention!_1

Li Jiayuan and Xiao Wei thought that Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian would take them to some fancy restaurant, but to their surprise, they were led into an ordinary-looking diner. This place gave off a peculiar feeling of poverty, yet the food here was delicious.

”Elder Sister Xia, didn’t you say you were going to treat Xiao Wei and me to a feast? Why have you brought us to this place? Could it be that the food here is better than anywhere else?” Li Jiayuan said to Xia Jing.

Xiao Wei thought about it and felt she had a point. He turned his head toward Xia Jing.

”Sis, you don’t have to be so stingy, right? If it’s supposed to be a feast, why bring us to this kind of small diner? Can the meals here really taste better than those prepared by other chefs?”

Xia Jing was displeased when she heard what Xiao Wei said, and she replied, ”What’s wrong with a small diner? Haven’t we eaten at places like this before? Do you think it’s okay for you to talk like that now? Don’t forget, we came from poverty too. How can you just forget about the hardships of our past just because you’re wealthy now?”

With anger in her voice, Xia Jing said to Li Jiayuan, ”Jiayuan, perhaps you weren’t aware of what this kind of life is like. But I’m telling you now, as the daughter of a wealthy family, you might really have never experienced the kind of desperation that a person in poverty feels when they want to survive. But Xiao Wei and I have. I don’t understand why Xiao Wei would think like that too. Do you all think that this kind of restaurant is not a good one? Do you wealthy people believe that all small diners are not good? Is food from only those expensive restaurants tasty? Do you really think that the meals in those big restaurants are delicious, or do you think that the food from small diners is unsanitary? Why do you have such thoughts? I really don’t understand.”

Zhang Zhentian had been silent the entire time, but he understood very well why Xia Jing felt this way. He could empathize with the hardship a person endures; he had seen the crazy things that poor people do just to survive, so he knew what Xia Jing was feeling. But Li Jiayuan didn’t know; how could a girl born into wealth understand such suffering? From the moment she was born, she had been treated like a treasure, protected from all discomfort. How could she possibly know how difficult it was to survive in the past society?

”Even if no one else understands Xia Jing, at least you, Xiao Wei, should understand her, empathize with her. You were born in the same year, she’s just a few months older than you. After living with her for so many years, don’t you know about those struggles and hardships? Let me put it this way, Xia Jing is very wealthy now, but she has never been arrogant about her wealth. On the contrary, she feels she should help those who are less fortunate. Don’t you feel the same? Don’t you find those begging on the streets pitiful? Do you even understand what it feels like to be homeless?” Finally, Zhang Zhentian spoke, his words showing support for Xia Jing, as anyone would defend their closest ones!

Xiao Wei and Li Jiayuan felt embarrassed. Li Jiayuan still had an excuse, as she had genuinely never experienced such hardship. But it was different for Xiao Wei; he knew better than Li Jiayuan what it felt like, having come from that society. Yet, that’s how people are—many things change when you have money.

”Elder Sister Xia, I’m sorry, I didn’t know your life before was so difficult. The words I just said were not meant to hurt, and I apologize to you. Please don’t be angry! Now that you’ve put it that way, I feel this restaurant is a little better than those luxurious ones,” Li Jiayuan apologized to Xia Jing.

”Forget it, it’s not your fault; you indeed haven’t experienced this kind of life. But Jiayuan, I hope you can understand that not everyone is as lucky as you, born into a wealthy family, doted on by dad from childhood. There are many people in the world who need help, who are orphans. Often, I hope you can put yourself in their shoes; when you are eating these delicacies, think about those who have no money, what they are doing, what they are eating. Don’t look down on anyone with your vulgar eyes, as that only makes you seem small!” Xia Jing told Li Jiayuan, who listened earnestly, realizing how thoughtless she had been. How could she look down on others?

After Xia Jing had spoken, she turned to Xiao Wei and began, ”Xiao Wei, I don’t want to criticize you, I just want to tell you that money isn’t everything; money can’t buy family affection. How can you see these places with such eyes? I thought you and I are from the same era; both of us have experienced the life of poor people; I think you should understand. You should know that in that society, for those poor people, being able to dine in such a restaurant was already remarkable. But now that you have money, you despise this kind of place; I think your view has improved, but your outlook on life, your values, are beginning to change. I’m now a bit curious, will you become a Xiao Wei that I don’t recognize if we don’t see each other for a few years?”

Xiao Wei didn’t know how to respond to Xia Jing’s words. Zhang Zhentian thought Xia Jing made a lot of sense. He patted Xiao Wei on the shoulder and said, ”Xiao Wei, a person may be poor, but his aspirations don’t have to be. Conversely, if a person is wealthy and looks down on others, he will eventually become poor himself.”

”Brother-in-law, sister, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t forget the hardships I once faced just because I’ve become wealthy. I should always remember the darkness of the past society. I should use my money to help the poor, not to indulge myself. Sister, you’re absolutely right. But there is one thing I must refute: My view of life, my values, have never changed. The reason I strive to make money, to carve out my future, is not for myself. It is to ensure that those I care about can live a better life. I don’t want our descendants to struggle for a meal like we did. I know that staying true to my original aspirations is crucial, and I’ve never forgotten what my initial goal was, so I don’t accept your assessment of me on this point,” Xiao Wei replied.

When Xia Jing heard Xiao Wei’s words, she felt she might have gone too far. She believed that Xiao Wei wasn’t the type to disdain the poor and favor the rich, but sometimes a person can indeed be easily controlled by money and become greedy. She didn’t want Xiao Wei to become like that, ruthless in pursuit of wealth. She hoped Xiao Wei could live a safe and happy life; that was enough for her. She didn’t care how much money Xiao Wei had, how much he could create, how great his achievements could be; she just hoped that everything wouldn’t change so easily!

”Xiao Wei, Elder Sister Xia might have gone a bit too far, and you should not take it to heart. Since you’re going to the United States, I wish you smooth sailing and safe arrival. Who knows, we might meet in the States before long!”

Xiao Wei, not quite understanding what she meant, and Li Jiayuan, also confused, listened as Zhang Zhentian smiled and explained, ”Your Elder Sister Xia and I are planning to set out on our travel plans once our child turns one. The United States is one of our destinations, and we’ll be able to meet you there. You guys had better develop well over there; we’ll be looking forward to crashing at your place for a meal in the future!”

All the unpleasantness in the atmosphere was swept away by Zhang Zhentian’s joke. The four of them laughed joyfully. Xiao Wei and Li Jiayuan no longer took to heart the words that Xia Jing had said; they had come to understand everything and naturally could appreciate Xia Jing’s mindset now!