Chapter 95

When Wei Qiang saw Lu Lu Qiaoge, he wanted to speak, but upon hearing Mother Liu say that, he stopped and said politely to Lu Lu Qiaoge: "If one day, Comrade Little Lu, you happen to see that old man, please trouble yourself to tell him my family's address. Thank you!"

Lu Lu Qiaoge smiled: "Okay!"

Sister Lu Qiao secretly glared at Mother Liu and pulled Lu Lu Qiaoge back into the main office.

The two directors didn't have time to clear the room, so they just let them watch the show.

Old Hu had great contempt for the ungrateful Old Wei.

Old Wei was a few years older than him and had just retired. Old Wei had enjoyed the dividends of Cai Xiaohe Village becoming a military factory area, and after passing the review, he and Mother Liu had entered the military factory together.

He hadn't thought much of it before, but looking at it now, if it weren't for his younger brother's life-saving sacrifice, Old Man Wei's family might not have had today.

And even without the life-saving grace, this was his only nephew; for the sake of the two large gold bracelets, he should have treated Wei Qiang well.

Director Hu looked at Old Wei and asked: "What problem can't be solved that you have to come to the neighborhood office?"

Old Man Wei decided to go all out; his reputation was ruined anyway, so getting some benefits now was what mattered.

With a gloomy face, he said: "Wei Qiang wants to sever ties with me, but as for how to sever them, I hope the leaders can preside over justice. Even if I, Old Wei, am not a good person, I didn't let him freeze or starve. I sent him to be an apprentice, become a worker, and even got him a wife and a home. Even if I have no merit, haven't I had the toil?"

Old Hu couldn't be bothered to educate Old Wei; he was clearly prepared to act shamelessly. If you argue with him, it will never end.

He asked Wei Qiang: "What is your intention?"

After tossing and turning all night, Wei Qiang felt that his life seemed to have reached a turning point.

It was a feeling of shedding a burden, no longer struggling with why his parents were biased or what he had done wrong.

Although he looked exhausted, he felt much lighter.

He calmly explained: "I didn't want to sever ties with my parents. I've called them Mom and Dad for so many years; even if they aren't my real parents, they are still family. Furthermore, that is my own uncle. Let the past be the past; I won't bring it up again. Life should go on as it always has, and I will continue to be filial to them in the future. It's just that my father still demands that I give up Zhang Quan's job to Xiaolei, my eldest nephew. I don't agree to this. Zhang Quan has lost her ability to work; if she doesn't even have a job, what will she live on? Not to mention the wages, they won't even reimburse her medical expenses. But my parents said that as long as I agree to give up the job, we will sever the father-son relationship, and I won't have to support them in their old age—a clean break once and for all."

Having said this, Wei Qiang paused and added: "I don't want to break ties; they are my only relatives. But I would like to ask the neighborhood office to help me plead with my parents: can one of the gold bracelets be returned to me?"

Mother Liu said in a shrill voice: "Doesn't it cost money to raise you all these years? When there was no grain, it was pawned for grain coupons long ago. Also, I am not your mother; don't call me Mom. I don't like hearing it!"

Wei Qiang hesitated for a moment, then said: "Okay, Auntie. I want to ask for one gold bracelet as a keepsake of my real mother. I beg you to grant this."

Huang Juan only felt that these people in the Wei family were all excessive. This was Zhang Quan's job, and Zhang Quan had graduated from a technical school and been assigned here herself.

Suppressing her anger, Huang Juan asked calmly: "You all are making quite a scene, but have you asked for Zhang Quan's opinion?"

Wei Qiang hurriedly said: "I told her last night, and she doesn't agree!"

Huang Juan softened her expression and then said to Old Man Wei and Mother Liu: "Since Zhang Quan doesn't agree, what are you still doing at the neighborhood office?"

Old Man Wei looked at Wei Qiang in disbelief.

That wasn't what was said at home.

That had been his original plan.

Yesterday, Wei Qiang had been silent and submissive, but he had seen the hatred in this wolf cub's eyes.

At that moment, his heart had gone cold.

If he fell into his hands in his old age, he wouldn't have a good time.

So he and his eldest son had agreed to exchange the job for severing ties. When he and his eldest son told this to Wei Qiang, he was initially agitated, but then he disagreed, yet he also said that even if they wanted the job, the neighborhood office had to act as a witness.

When they asked him what he meant, he just hung his head and said nothing, just like when they scolded him in the past.

At the time, everyone thought he had acquiesced, just like before.

Who could have imagined that this wolf cub would be a completely different person at home versus at the neighborhood office?

No, it could be said that the current Wei Qiang is terrifyingly strange.

Even Mother Liu felt the same; she felt she could no longer manipulate Wei Qiang.

Old Man Wei felt that things were going to go wrong. He forced a smile and said to Wei Qiang: "I am your father now. Don't listen to your mother's nonsense; she's just angry. How can you take it seriously?"

Lu Lu Qiaoge felt that Old Man Wei's family was very difficult to deal with.

But at the same time, she felt that Wei Qiang didn't seem as simple as he looked.

Wei Qiang suppressed the anger and disgust in his heart toward his so-called uncle, who had scolded him mercilessly at home, yet was acting so righteous here.

He said decisively: "I can't make the decision about Zhang Quan's job; don't count on it. Now let's talk about the things my real parents left me. I don't have any excessive requests; I just want one gold bracelet as a keepsake. By the way, a few days ago I saw my mother playing with the gold bracelets, saying they were for the future granddaughter-in-law. I know you have two; one was given to my sister-in-law, and the other, by rights, should be for my wife. But you are biased and refuse to give it. I didn't dare to argue with you, so I could only comfort myself by saying that since Mom and Dad rely on my eldest brother for their old age and can't count on me, the younger one, that's why they look down on me.

I became an apprentice at twelve, earning fifteen yuan a month, and handed every cent to the family. When I turned eighteen and became a regular worker, I handed over my full salary for four years. After I got married, I still had to hand over half my salary to you every month for your old age, and that's been another five years.

I only have my strength and haven't read much, so I can't calculate this account very well, but I know one thing: I earned more and gave more than my eldest brother. Over these years, even if I have no merit, haven't I had the toil? Just for this, shouldn't I be given one gold bracelet?"

The main office fell into a sudden silence.

These words were reasonable and well-founded, making everyone's gaze fall upon the Wei family.

If they didn't agree to this, it would be too excessive, wouldn't it?

And calculating it like this was simply shocking.

Wei Qiang had handed over thousands of yuan.

This money would have been more than enough to support the whole family.

Old Man Wei and Mother Liu were simply not human; did they think they were capitalists exploiting the working people?

But could Mother Liu bear to part with it?

Absolutely not!

Old Man Wei really hadn't expected Wei Qiang to have this trick up his sleeve, calculating his wages over the years with him.

He was about to speak angrily, but Old Hu had no leisure to listen to his nonsense.

"Living in the same compound, how you two treat Wei Qiang and how Wei Qiang is filial to you—you don't need to say it, and Wei Qiang doesn't need to say it; everyone sees it. Comrade Old Wei, your conscience is guilty!"