My Alleged Husband

Chapter 875: Chapter 821: Bullying Grandpa?

Old Master Zhang was beside himself with anger at his own precious son. He had not expected that his son would actually use such a tone to speak to him, his father. He had always thought that deep down, his son respected him, the father, but it now seemed that all of that was merely a self-deception.

Perhaps in his son’s eyes, he, the father, was truly worthless. He had never cared about what kind of life his father truly wanted. His son had only ever been interested in what he considered to be beneficial. When would his child be able to understand the crux of the matter, to think about where such actions would leave his father and the immense upset and deep hurt it would bring to every member of the family?

He really did not want to see his son now, for his son had become someone who denied all kinship and was beyond redemption. Why should he allow his son to hurt him over and over again? Out of sight, out of mind—the best solution would be to keep a distance from him. The words his son spoke now were a stark contrast to the son he used to know, and he was no longer the child he had raised. Even if he was the one who raised him, the child’s innermost being had transformed. He had become another person, a person who was not his child.

Xia Jing knew that this time his father must be truly angry. How could he, as a son, show such an attitude toward his own father? If it were him, he would definitely be furious, not to mention all the pain his past actions must have caused his father. Now, reflecting on all the mistakes he had made in the past, there was simply no way to mend that pain. It was not something that a few words could erase as if it never happened; it was a deep-seated fear imprinted in their hearts, a blow they tried to avoid every day.

”Zhentian, I feel that Dad must be really angry now. Why don’t you quickly go and sincerely apologize to him? I believe he won’t be too hard on you; he is a reasonable person. It hasn’t been easy for us to come this far, and you should think about whether your actions today have truly hurt the genuine love he, as a father, has given you. He doesn’t owe you; on the contrary, he has given us so much, already stretching to his limits. So why do we, as his children, still choose to hurt him in such a way?

He is our father. What have we ever given him in return? We have hurt him time and again and abandoned him time and again, making every member of this family sad because of our actions. This is a reality that we can never compensate for in this lifetime. The only thing we can do now is to try our best to make amends to them and let everyone know that we truly wish to return to his home in earnest, not just put on an act.”

How could Zhang Zhentian not understand every word Xia Jing said to him? But right now, he truly did not want to bow his head any longer. In order to return to this family, he had already given up all his dignity and knelt down to apologize to his father.

If he were to do the same as before, where would his dignity be then?

But if I don’t go this time, then my father will certainly not pay attention to me, so what should I do about all of this when the time comes?

I’m really conflicted right now; I clearly did the wrong thing this time, but I still don’t know how to explain to my father how much the words I just said have hurt him. It’s only after calming down that I realize those words are truly too hurtful to a father’s heart. How could I have never thought about this before? Hurting him time and again, if one day my father really chooses to leave me, then as a son, how immense would my sins be―to have made my father completely give up on me as his son. If one day the mistakes I make no longer have a way to be undone, then whom, in the end, should I turn to? When there’s no way out, the only person who can help me is my own kin, and that person is also only my father.

”Xia Jing, I know the words you said are all for my own good, but sometimes I really can’t keep putting aside my own dignity time and again. You understand that as a man I should have my own authority. If I keep disregarding my own dignity repeatedly, what will I become in the end? No one knows, and I am even less able to be sure. If one day I truly lay down everything, does that mean I still have any dignity left while living in this world?

I believe you don’t wish to have a husband who’s a coward, someone who constantly kneels at the slightest grievance, nor do you think such a person could bring you happiness, right? I only want to live peacefully and steadily, only want to stay calmly and steadily in this family. I didn’t wish for these things to happen here, but why did all of this inevitably take place in the end? Is it just because I couldn’t control my temper, or because a joke I made back then has led everything to become what it is now?”

”Zhentian, this time I don’t care what you think, but you must apologize to dad. You should know how difficult these past years have been for him. He’s sacrificed a lot for our family, painstakingly raising the children. All we’ve given him is a simple ’thank you,’ but in the end, we’ve hurt him so many times. Shouldn’t we repay him properly? As his children, we have never seen him com— And as parents, yet we have hurt our own child, nearly enduring all the ridicule from others. What right do we have to complain about so much? All we can do now is pray for their forgiveness, to willingly let us stay in the family, not just because we can’t let go of our so-called face, that let us return home. If that’s the case, what meaning is there for us to continue staying in this family? We have no conditions, nor any reasons to live on like this in this home!”

...

Zhang Yichen knew that his grandfather had been wronged today, and the person who wronged him was none other than his own father. He was so angry he could explode; his grandfather he must protect well, not allowing anyone to bully him, even if that person is his own father. By what right does his father treat his own family members in such a way time and again? In his father’s eyes, what exactly are these family members to him? To hurt if he wishes, to take if he wants, to casually dispose of with a kick when unwanted? If it is really so, then I truly do not understand what the meaning of returning to this family is. Did he really come back only to let grandfather be hurt once more?