Chapter 393: The Choice

Mother Guan was disheveled at this moment, and her new clothes were covered in black handprints. Guan Cunxiao was in an even worse state, with footprints all over his body, but fortunately, it was the dead of winter and everyone was wearing thick clothes, so no one had used excessive force; at most, they had superficial injuries.

Both of them were clutching their heads and groaning, having lost that arrogant air from when they had just called people bumpkins, though they perked up again upon seeing the Public Security officers approach.

"Comrades of Public Security, there's been a murder! In broad daylight, they actually dared to beat up Overseas Chinese; this is simply lawless! Look at what they've done to us—hurry up and arrest them all for me!"

"..."

"What exactly is going on here?"

The two Public Security officers were not stupid; those who could be mobbed were generally those who had provoked public anger, and this kind of situation was the hardest to handle, as the law cannot punish the masses.

"Comrades of Public Security, these two are not good people. They abandoned their child after birth, and now they have the nerve to come back looking for her. The key is that they even said we people of Sijiucheng are all bumpkins."

"That's right, with that attitude, they were practically jumping up to curse at people."

"Where are they Overseas Chinese? They're simply shrews."

The two Public Security officers saw Zhang Ping'an outside the crowd at this moment; they naturally recognized him, so they asked him directly.

"This, it started as a family dispute, but this middle-aged woman made insulting remarks, which provoked public anger, and then it became what you see."

"Alright, alright, stop crowding around, disperse." It was impossible for them to arrest all twenty or so people.

"No, Comrades of Public Security, we've been beaten like this, aren't you going to arrest them?"

"There is a cause for this; you should watch your mouths in the future." The two said this and walked away quickly.

In fact, they had both just seen Li Aihua hiding behind the courtyard gate watching, and they knew these two were definitely not good people, otherwise Li Aihua would have come out to stop it long ago.

"Hey, no, you—you are all in on this together! I'm going to report you! If this were in the Beautiful Country, I'd have taken a gun and mowed you all down!"

"..."

Mother Guan was still yapping away; if it weren't for the fact that the Public Security officers hadn't gone far, she probably would have received another beating.

"What exactly is the situation here? Uncle Guan? A Tai?" Zhang Ping'an asked, feigning ignorance.

"Big brother, thank you for just now."

Guan Cunxiao remembered that only Zhang Ping'an had come over to break up the fight just now; otherwise, he would have been beaten even worse by Guan Tai.

"It's nothing. Are you two alright? Oh my, look at how you've been beaten. Hurry to the Hospital and get it checked out; don't let any hidden injuries remain."

Guan Daye, standing to the side, could see it now: this Zhang Ping'an was doing it on purpose. He had long known that these two were his son and daughter-in-law, but his foolish son hadn't realized it yet and was even thanking the man.

"Ping'an, don't leave this afternoon; I'll come back to talk to you. A Tai, hurry and drive them to the Hospital."

Guan Tai was somewhat reluctant, but seeing the urgency on Guan Daye's face and the miserable state of the two, he went to the Hospital unwillingly and at a leisurely pace.

"Brother Ping'an, you were so bad just now. Luckily, I hid in the courtyard in time."

Regarding the incident just now, Li Aihua could not stay out of it while wearing this Public Security Uniform, so she had to hide in the courtyard to avoid seeing it.

She had watched the interaction between Zhang Ping'an and Guan Tai, and she also felt it was very satisfying to see them get beaten up.

"Hehe, they deserved a beating, but I'm afraid it will be hard for Uncle Guan to accept."

Old people value family lineage quite highly; even if a son is worthless, he is still his own flesh and blood. He would rather let a spendthrift son ruin his family heirlooms than let an outsider benefit from them.

Zhang Ping'an didn't understand this before, but it's different now; he can understand Guan Daye's thoughts, but he does not approve of them.

If Guan Cunxiao were his son, he would definitely beat him to death, correct his worldview first, and then dump this daughter-in-law who dared to go against her father-in-law.

At the Hospital, after a thorough check-up, Guan Cunxiao and his wife were found to have only superficial injuries; a simple bandage was enough, and they would be fine after resting at home.

Guan Daye rarely carried money when he went out, but fortunately, Guan Tai was not short of money and paid the medical bills for them.

"Grandpa, how can the second uncle and aunt be such people? Not only do they not treat you as a father, but they also don't see me as their nephew in their eyes; they called me a bastard as soon as they arrived."

"Cough, cough, A Tai, you've already beaten them, so you should have vented your anger, right? Whether you can get along with your second uncle in the future depends on yourself."

"Grandpa, I can't get along with them. They are too selfish and look down on everyone, especially that second aunt; she is simply unreasonable."

"Forget it, forget it."

In the afternoon, Guan Daye came to Zhang Ping'an's house. At this time, Guan Xiaoguan was not at work either; she was also waiting for her grandfather to give her the truth.

"Back then, your parents were determined to go abroad and wanted me to give them money. I didn't agree. In the end, I was so annoyed by them that I said I would give them the money to go abroad only when they left an heir for the Guan family."

"So, Grandpa, was I born just so they could go abroad? Not because they wanted to have me?"

Guan Xiaoguan was very sad; this truth was too hurtful. She had fantasized about the beauty of her parents when she was a child, but now it was like this...

"Xiaoguan..."

Guan Daye opened his mouth, wanting to explain something for his son, but found that it was impossible to explain, because this was the truth.

"Uncle Guan, let Xiaoguan have some quiet time. Let's go out and talk."

"Alright."

Inside the study in the Back Courtyard, Zhang Ping'an brewed some tea. He felt it was necessary to enlighten this old man who had gotten into a dead end.

"Uncle Guan, we have all seen the rights and wrongs of this. I know you still can't let go of this son in your heart."

"But look at what they are like now. Not to mention that they haven't fulfilled their duties as parents to Xiaoguan, just regarding you, are they filial to you?"

"Could it be that you really want to destroy the hard-won life you have now? Take Guan Tai, for example; his temper is a bit explosive, but if you don't provoke him, he won't hit people."

"I don't even have to guess that your son and daughter-in-law must have said nasty things. Uncle Guan, put yourself in their shoes; don't compare with those far away, just look at Brother Cai and Brother He—they are both more filial than your son."

Guan Daye drank his tea cup by cup, and his mind became more and more rational. Zhang Ping'an was right; this son hadn't been very filial to him when he was in Sijiucheng, and it was more for his Yellow Fish and his ancestral property.

After getting the money, they left for abroad without hesitation, and for more than twenty years, there was no news, and they never thought about how their grandfather and granddaughter would survive.

If it weren't for the help of the three families—Cai Quanwu, He Daqing, and Zhang Ping'an—it would have been a question of whether he could even raise Guan Xiaoguan himself.

If he accepts them now, he will likely become estranged from the grandson he has finally recognized, and it will be hard to answer to his granddaughter here.

If they treat him like they did twenty years ago, he will truly be a lonely old man. Thinking of this, Guan Daye also understood what he should do.

"You brat, you're lecturing me now. Alright, I know what to do. Take good care of Xiaoguan here; I'm going to deal with that unfilial son and the disrespectful one."

"Uncle Guan, look at what you're saying, how would I dare to lecture you? It's good that you can think it through. There's no rush for the matter; don't waste this freshly brewed tea."

This tea had been upgraded by the space; besides its original effects, it could now make the brain extremely active and help one look at things rationally. This was the reason why Zhang Ping'an kept refilling Guan Daye's tea.

Guan Daye was just too focused on family lineage and would subconsciously avoid things in his heart, subconsciously ignoring his son's unfilial behavior, or rather, subconsciously finding excuses for his son. Now that he had drunk this tea, his eyes were much clearer.