That really terrified Jiang Xiaoman. He cried so hard in the middle of the night that his whole body was burning up. Jiang Youliang was so scared that he carried him down the mountain to see a doctor that very night.
After recovering from that illness, Jiang Xiaoman became extremely insecure and would often wake up crying in his sleep at night. Jiang Youliang was worried that he was frightened, so he specially asked Jiang Xia's father to help him "comfort his spirit".
From then on, Jiang Youliang never dared to say "I don't want him anymore".
Now, hearing Jiang Xiaoman bring up his childhood trauma again, Jiang Youliang felt so sorry for himself that he almost cried, even before he had a chance to feel aggrieved.
"How could your father abandon you?"
"You are my life!!"
"If you don't want to go, then we won't go! You're right, we have our own home, we don't need theirs!"
He convinced his father, but ignored his so-called biological mother completely. Later, he carefully read the gossip news online and gradually figured out what was going on.
He felt that his biological mother, whom he had never met, probably never intended to come looking for him, her own son. She had probably forgotten about him long ago. However, since she was a "public figure," she had a moral burden and was worried about being attacked by netizens, so she had no choice but to put on a show of searching for her family.
Otherwise, if an ordinary family lost their child and heard that the child had been found, why would they send an assistant to pick up the child?
After figuring this out, Jiang Xiaoman put the matter out of her mind.
Anyway, the other party just wants to put on a show of finding relatives to fool the onlookers, so he might as well play along.
Jiang Xiaoman thought that the other party would just send an assistant to go through the motions and that would be the end of it, but she didn't expect that a few days later, Yan Susu would actually come over in person.
The camping site has been basically finalized. It's a win-win project for both sides. Because the investment is huge, the county even sent a special working group to Langshan Village to follow up on the project. Jiang Xiaoman and Shan Yan also have a small stake in the project and are busy every day.
Finally, it rained today, and the project was temporarily suspended. Jiang Xiaoman went to find Jiang Yu, and the two of them brought back a lot of fish and shrimp. They planned to have a meal together, along with Lang Ying's family and Can Can's grandmother's family, so that all the families could have a lively gathering.
The house was full of people when Yan Susu walked into the yard with an umbrella.
Without any introduction, Jiang Xiaoman knew at first glance that she must be her biological mother.
The two looked so alike that everyone said the son resembled his mother more. Everyone in the village knew that he was picked up by Jiang Youliang at the market. People used to joke that just by looking at Xiaoman's appearance, they could tell that his birth mother must have been a beauty.
Jiang Xiaoman wasn't good at dealing with girls, especially the kind who were about to cry before she even opened her mouth. "If you have any grievances, just say them! I don't know you well, so how would anyone guess?"
People have come to her door; Jiang Xiaoman can't just turn them away.
"Little sister, come in and sit down. We're having dinner with some people today, why don't you stay and have a meal too?" Jiang Youliang reacted faster than Jiang Xiaoman, or perhaps he had already prepared himself mentally, and hurriedly invited Yan Susu in.
Several men followed behind Yan Susu, carrying large and small bags. Luckily, they were fortunate that Jiang Xiaoman was treating several families to dinner at the courier station today. Otherwise, if they were in the mountains, they would have been exhausted from walking the mountain roads!
Yan Susu folded her umbrella, handed it to the driver next to her, lifted her skirt and walked into the warehouse next to the express station. She saw several families eating in the warehouse, her eyes reddened, and she finally burst into tears.
“Child, you’ve suffered so much these past years. Come back with your mother. I’ve already spoken with your Uncle Jin, and you can live with us from now on, just like your little brother.”
"Why does Xiaoman's biological mother seem so effeminate?" Jiang Yu couldn't help but mutter to Shan Yan.
Shan Yan also felt that this woman's words were not pleasing at all.
What does it mean to say "you've suffered all these years"?
Uncle Liang has raised your son for so many years, he deserves some credit for his hard work, right?
Yes, their circumstances are a bit tough, but they've never wronged their child from childhood to adulthood, so how is that suffering? Aren't you just slapping Uncle Youliang in the face by saying that?
If it were Shan Yan, who would dare say that to his father? He wouldn't care if you were his own mother or not; he would have slapped you across the face long ago.
If you really think the child suffered because he was adopted, what were you doing a few years ago?
With the country's big data capabilities so powerful now, as long as the money is spent properly, why worry about not being able to find people? Why wait until public opinion escalates before coming to look for the children?
Jiang Xiaoman stared at the large broom in the corner for several moments, took a few deep breaths, and barely managed to suppress her inner rage before she picked up the broom and swept her unpleasant mother out of the house.
If you can't speak properly, just shut up, okay?
Who suffered? My dad has been incredibly good to me!
Even if there's only a handful of rice left in the house, it will definitely end up in his own stomach. His dad is the best dad in the world, and no one is allowed to contradict him!
Jiang Xiaoman had originally planned to let the matter drop. After all, Yan Susu had given her a life, even though she had never raised her. Jiang Xiaoman was willing to cooperate with her in this act of searching for her family, as a way of repaying her for giving birth to her.
Unexpectedly, his tacit approval and Jiang Youliang's kindness and concession actually emboldened the other party to take advantage of the situation!
Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite...
I recall reading in the gossip news that the Jin family was one of the earliest independent brand clothing companies in China, and that Mr. Jin's businesses covered the upstream and downstream of the domestic clothing industry. He even invested in a fashion magazine. With so many resources, it would be easy to compensate him.
"I'm sorry, I won't go back with you." Jiang Xiaoman rejected Yan Susu's suggestion as soon as she spoke.
What does "just like a younger brother" mean? It was clearly just the other person being polite; he didn't take it seriously at all.
One is Mr. Jin's biological son, and the other is a child born to his wife and ex-husband. They are treated exactly the same? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?
The younger brother can inherit the Jin family business, but can he?
If you can't do it, then shut up!
Hearing that he wouldn't go back with her, Yan Susu still had tear stains on her face, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Today, she specifically borrowed a few bodyguards from her husband. Helping her carry her things was secondary; her main goal was to put on a show of recognizing her as a relative in front of these people. Anyway, she had already cried and begged Jiang Xiaoman to go back to the capital of S province with her. What could she do if the child herself wouldn't agree?
"Are you and your father living here now? This house is too small, how come there isn't even a dining room? I have some savings here, why don't you take it and build a few new houses?" Yan Susu said, taking out a check from her bag, carefully placing it on the table, and pushing it in front of Jiang Xiaoman.
One million yuan; judging from the ink marks, it must have been written a long time ago.
Did she already know he wouldn't go with her?
According to the usual tropes of melodramatic family dramas, at this point, Jiang Xiaoman should grab the check, tear it to shreds, and then scream in anguish, declaring that he will never forgive his biological mother who abandoned him.
However, Jiang Xiaoman doesn't like watching family dramas and doesn't quite understand the screenwriters' thought processes.
If he could end a relationship with a relative that made his whole family unhappy with money, he would be willing to give Yan Susu hundreds of thousands of yuan, let alone Yan Susu giving him money.
Jiang Xiaoman picked up the check, thought for a moment, ran to the courier station next door, grabbed a blank A4 sheet of paper and a pen, and slammed them down in front of Yan Susu.
“I’ve taken the money, but there’s no proof. What if you go back on your word later and report me to the police station, accusing me of extortion?”
"Here's what you'll do: write me a note proving that this money is a one-time compensation from you, my biological mother, for child support!"
“After I take this money, I will never ask you for child support again, nor will I bother you or your family. If you don’t believe me, I can write you a guarantee.”
Yan Susu was surprised that Jiang Xiaoman actually wanted the money.
She had originally planned that if Jiang Xiaoman agreed to go back with her, she would divide the money into two parts, giving 500,000 yuan to Jiang Youliang as a way of thanking him for raising Xiaoman all these years.
She planned to take out the remaining 500,000 yuan, ask her husband for some more, and pool together the money to open a studio for Jiang Xiaoman. The Jin family was in the clothing business, so Xiaoman could do live streaming to sell clothes, shoes, hats, and other items for the family.
After her assistant returned last time, she specifically asked someone to check Jiang Xiaoman's current situation and found that he actually had more than ten million fans online, which could make up for Jin's Clothing's current weakness in online sales.
Yan Susu realized that she had misunderstood before, worrying that Jiang Xiaoman's appearance would alienate her husband and son.
But if you look at it from another angle, she only has one son, Chengjie. Jin Jie has been married three times, and she has more than just one son, Chengjie. In addition to her three marriages, she has had countless lovers, and her sons and daughters combined are enough to play a basketball game.
In fact, she could have taken Xiaoman back. Then Chengjie would be in charge of the company's management, and Xiaoman would be in charge of e-commerce. The two brothers would control the vast majority of the Jin family's businesses, which would have squeezed out the other children of President Jin.
If she hadn't figured this out, she wouldn't have made this trip because of any public pressure.
She's not in the entertainment industry; she relies on her reputation for a living. No matter how much she's criticized outside, behind closed doors, as long as she pleases her husband, she can still be Mrs. Jin. What does it matter?
She assumed that with the Jin family's wealth, Jiang Xiaoman would definitely choose to return to the Jin family with her.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiaoman chose the check?
Is this child stupid?!
Chapter 234
"I'm not stupid! Going to the Jin family is just working for them! Staying in the village, I can be my own boss!" After seeing off the dazed Yan Susu, Jiang Xiaoman happily put away the check and invited everyone to sit down for dinner.
"Wait! Xiaoman, are you really planning to take this million and, to your mother—I mean Aunt Yan—sever your mother-son relationship?" Lang Ying expressed her incomprehension.
"Sister Yingzi, haven't you figured it out yet? It's not that Xiaoman wants to buy out the deal, it's that that woman never even considered acknowledging Xiaoman." Jiang Yu had already seen through Yan Susu's hypocrisy. She wouldn't even call her "Auntie" anymore. She curled her lip and said, "Look, she even wrote the checks in advance and put them in her bag. It's obvious that she came prepared and just wanted to spend money to buy peace of mind."
Lang Ying immediately fell silent.
She couldn't understand how there could be a mother in the world who didn't love her own flesh and blood.
If it were her, and her two daughters were kidnapped, she would beg for food all the way to find them!
Jiang Youliang couldn't understand it either, but he chose to respect his son's decision.
In fact, as long as Yan Susu doesn't hurt Xiaoman, they won't bother her even if she doesn't receive any compensation.
However, since the other party feels that spending money can buy them peace of mind, then let's accept the money.
Jiang Youliang was also reluctant to let Xiaoman live with someone else.
So what if she's her biological mother?
I've heard that wealthy families have a lot of rules, and Yan Susu can't even protect herself, so it's no wonder she can't protect Xiaoman.
Jiang Xiaoman's biological mother gave him one million yuan in child support, and the news quickly spread throughout Langshan Town!
Many people think he's lost his mind. Why would he leave his wealthy mother behind and stay in this poor mountain village of Langshan instead?
"Pah! With brains like yours, you deserve to be poor your whole lives! You can't even do basic math, and you say Xiaoman's brain is broken? I think you all need to read a few more books and recharge your brains!"
When Lang Ying took her child to the market, she overheard people talking about Jiang Xiaoman and didn't hold back in defending him.
"Think about it yourselves, in our countryside, if someone has a stepfather, doesn't he also have a stepmother?"
"Xiaoman's biological mother has been married for a long time. She has a husband and son on her other side. What would Xiaoman do there? Be her son's lackey?"
Rural gossips are better at imagining things than netizens, especially the aunties and grandmas who like to watch melodramatic family dramas. When they think of those pitiful wives who remarry with children in tow, and then imagine Jiang Xiaoman's kind and lovable face, their hearts immediately tip towards the Xiaoman they know and love.
Since Jiang Xiaoman graduated and returned to his hometown to start a business, which family in the town hasn't benefited from his kindness?
Potatoes that used to be unsellable and could only be chopped up to feed pigs are now dried into potato chips and sold to Jiang Xiaoman, which is more profitable than growing rice outside the mountains.
In the past, wild tea that no one wanted in the mountains was picked and sold to tea factories. If the couple worked hard and caught up with the tea season, they could earn at least 1,800 yuan a day.
There are also wild mushrooms, wild vegetables, and home-raised honey. Having tasted the sweetness of local specialties, many young people in the village no longer go out to work, but focus on working with the cooperative at home.
The men have all returned, and the wives who stayed behind have smiles on their faces. The children have their parents by their side, and the elderly are surrounded by their grandchildren, all smiling every day.
Everyone has benefited from Xiaoman (the solar term of 24-50). Instead of thinking about repaying them, are we going to talk behind their backs?
The middle-aged women who were gossiping seemed a little embarrassed.
Lang Ying took the opportunity to scare them—
"Don't think that just because Xiaoman is recognizing her relatives, it's none of your business and you can stand by and watch the show."