Chapter 30
After Gu Tang left, Wen Xinyi couldn’t maintain her gentle facade in front of her husband.
Outside and in front of the children, she was willing to give her husband face. When he lost his temper, she would try to appease him.
But after a while of coaxing, her patience reached its limit: “Jiang He, have you had enough? Don’t talk as if I colluded with him. You didn’t treat him as your own son, and he didn’t treat you as his father. Isn’t that normal?”
His words were so harsh, as if she wanted to see this situation. Her soft-hearted son, so much like his father, suddenly escaping her control, made Wen Xinyi uneasy.
She knew very well that her husband and her younger son could share her good fortune, but not her hardships.
Of course, birds of a feather flocked together. She, Wen Xinyi, was the same kind of person. Although she disdained her eldest son’s soft heart, she also knew that soft-hearted people valued relationships and loyalty. If one day she became destitute, Gu Tang might support her, his mother. If he could earn enough for a bowl of rice, he would at least share half with her.
But her younger son was different. He might force her to earn the money and not give her a single bite.
Of course, that was an extreme and exaggerated scenario. No matter what, she, Wen Xinyi, wouldn’t let herself fall to that level.
But losing track of Gu Tang was equivalent to losing a stable insurance for her old age.
Jiang He glanced at her: “Do you really know nothing?”
Wen Xinyi said: “Aren’t you asking the obvious? His card was deactivated, where can I find him? I only recently found out about the house back home, he actually sold it!”
After all these years of living together, her son still understood her.
She thought she knew her son very well, but in reality, she had paid too little attention to Gu Tang. Because she didn’t pay attention to him, she didn’t notice the changes in him.
Thinking back now, there were already signs when he went to university. It was she, as his mother, who still used inertial thinking, always feeling that Gu Tang was still a child.
In reality, Gu Tang didn’t lack money. He had won many scholarships and saved a lot of money. If she included the money from selling the old house, he shouldn’t be short of money.
If Wen Xinyi suddenly lost her current affluent life and fell into poverty, she would be very miserable, but Gu Tang was truly unfussy, he could live in that old and dilapidated house back home.
“Did you have someone watch that old house? Doesn’t he still have a house there?”
“You think I didn’t go? I immediately arranged for someone to inquire. That house has been sold, the property records show it was sold to a neighbor. When asked about his whereabouts, they claimed to know nothing.”
“Then… why don’t you send a message about his father’s grave? Isn’t it still back home?”
Wen Xinyi looked at her husband in surprise: “Are you crazy? Selling the house is one thing, but you want to disturb the grave? That’s the Jiang family’s benefactor, the one who gave his life for the Jiang family.”
Her ex-husband had treated her quite well, and she occasionally missed him. If he hadn’t died, with his abilities, their life wouldn’t have been bad.
But a dead person was dead. His body had turned to ashes, impossible to revive.
Jiang He said: “What are you talking about? I mean, if he doesn’t come back, we’ll move the grave. Find a new location, a place with good feng shui.”
He couldn’t do that openly, and he wouldn’t actually do it. This was just a gamble, betting on Gu Tang’s attachment to his father.
“If you want to send it, you send it. I won’t send that kind of message.” Wen Xinyi wasn’t a fool, and she didn’t take others for fools either. If she really sent such a message about her deceased husband, what would happen to her reputation? Where would she put her face?
The current Wen Xinyi wasn’t the same as before. Their only son was already this old, she couldn’t blindly obey her husband’s foolish and selfish arrangements.
Moreover: “And he’s only 22 this year, how capable can a recent university graduate be? Why do you value him so much and even use this kind of method to force him back?”
What Wen Xinyi didn’t say was that even if they forced him back, without other means of control, he wouldn’t obey. She didn’t think superficial obedience was useful.
This was a modern era, as long as Gu Tang was indifferent, she didn’t have many ways to control him. Unlike in ancient times, where filial piety could crush a person, and unlike in rural areas, neighbors in the city didn’t care about other people’s family matters.
At this point, Jiang He finally said: “It wasn’t that important before, but now it’s different. Your eldest son has become successful, he secretly did a matching with Jiang Huaisheng and even made the surgery a success!”
Thinking of this, he became furious. He had been hoping for Jiang Huaisheng’s early demise. After all, he was sickly, and he, young and strong, could definitely outlive him. Now, the other party had undergone surgery, and it was said to be very successful. If nothing unexpected happened, he could live to sixty or seventy years old without a problem.
Jiang Huaisheng was only 22 now, and he was 46. After another 30 years, Jiang Huaisheng would only be 52, while he, at 76, might already be in the grave. The tables had turned, how could he accept this change?
“You didn’t know, right? Your son even got involved with Jiang Huaisheng, he’s quite resourceful.”
This was why he wanted to find a way to bring Gu Tang back, he wanted him to be a distraction for Jiang Huaisheng. As long as the two were entangled, he, who had a normal marriage and children, would have the advantage.
But now the person had run away. If he came back after a few years, their feelings might have faded, and Jiang Huaisheng might have his own children. Then what would become of his stake in Mingyuan Group?!
“What did you say?” Wen Xinyi exclaimed in shock. She knew Gu Tang and Jiang Huaisheng spent most of their time together, but she really didn’t expect this.
“Is Jiang Huaisheng a girl?” Come to think of it, the young master was indeed very beautiful and delicate-looking as a child, like a little girl.
Jiang He rolled his eyes: “What girl? Being gay, don’t you know? As if you’ve never heard of two men being together.”
Of course, Wen Xinyi knew. The upper-class circles were very messy, with many wealthy businessmen being bisexual, not to mention those who played even more wildly.
She had seen that kind of man before, but it was difficult to associate it with her eldest son.
“His father was perfectly normal. This child takes after his father, this shouldn’t be happening.”
Jiang He was displeased with her attitude and didn’t want to hear his wife mention her ex-husband, so he attacked Wen Xinyi mercilessly: “Why shouldn’t it be? This kind of thing can be innate or acquired. If he wasn’t born this way, then he probably changed his orientation because he was too disappointed in you.”
People in the business world had seen all kinds of situations. There were also men who liked men among the people he interacted with. To understand his clients, he had even studied literature on this topic, saying that many people were actually bisexual, or attracted to beauty, money, or status.
Except for his gender, there was really nothing to criticize about Jiang Huaisheng.
Wen Xinyi scolded him: “Are you crazy? That’s because I married you. If I had married a good person, he wouldn’t be disappointed.”
The couple then started to bring up past grievances, their words becoming increasingly harsh, attacking each other like they were stabbing each other with knives.
The news that Jiang Huaisheng had recovered, and recovered because of his bone marrow donation, was only the first “gift” Gu Tang gave to Jiang He. There were other gifts waiting.
Although Gu Tang was going abroad, he wasn’t running away in disgrace, never to return and completely cutting ties with the country.
He wasn’t lying, going abroad was truly for his studies. After all, the psychology field in the country wasn’t as advanced.
“Hi, Gu!”
One of Gu Tang’s host family members greeted him enthusiastically: “Mom made your favorite Chinese food, try it!”
To better understand the local culture and to be in a healthy environment, Gu Tang had done his research beforehand and successfully found a host family that both parties were satisfied with.
They were a local intellectual family, the members mostly lawyers, doctors, and university professors. Their children attended prestigious schools, and they lived in a detached villa with a large lawn, not lacking the hosting fee.
But this kind of family had high requirements for their host students, both in terms of academic background and personality, and they also had to get along. The main purpose was to understand each other’s culture, so it was best if the international student was proficient in both languages. There were no fees, they just needed to teach their children Chinese.
Gu Tang, as an international student, was excellent in all aspects, whether it was appearance, resume, or grades.
Gu Tang chose a warm and loving family. He had lived in an unhealthy family environment for so many years. This kind of family relationship, a kind of environment he yearned for, was very good.
Gu Tang took a bite of the food made by the host family member. It was actually very sweet, and he wasn’t very used to it.
City A also had a sweet taste, they liked to add sugar to stir-fries, but not too much, mainly to enhance the flavor. Abroad was different, it was sickeningly sweet.
But he still gave a thumbs up, praising enthusiastically and directly like the others: “Great.”
When he moved in, this new family had been very welcoming and friendly, and the family atmosphere was also very good.
The education he received in China was repressive and implicit. No matter how well Gu Tang performed or how much praise he received from his teachers, his family life was often filled with criticism and disapproval.
But now, even if he just cooked a dish or helped set the table, he would receive sincere praise.
In university, many people praised Gu Tang, but there were also many who pestered him and caused trouble. After that rumor incident, fewer people dared to approach him.
While he gained peace and quiet, those who still approached him often had ulterior motives.
The people here were enthusiastic and straightforward, positive and cheerful. And they would praise him for small things, even if he wasn’t that outstanding or did just an average job.
As someone accustomed to being reserved, Gu Tang wasn’t used to it. This kind of unreserved praise only happened before he turned eight, when his grandparents and parents would find reasons to praise him even for small things.
Gu Tang wasn’t used to it, but he missed it and was happy.
