Ding Jiayi was truly hurt, even though she had already subconsciously known that Qiao Zijin had such a view of her mother.
It was just that Ding Jiayi had treated it as though she was overthinking it since Qiao Zijin had not explicitly expressed it. Although Qiao Zijin had not clearly said that out loud, the meaning was not dissimilar. She had devoted herself to taking care of Qiao Zijin, but Qiao Zijin treated her no different from a free servant.
When she needed help, she called for her mom. When she had no need for her, she tossed her aside, hoping that she would never appear. Otherwise, she would only be wasting her money. “Zijin, you’re a mother too. You have Feng Feng. Have you ever thought about how you would feel if Feng Feng treats you like how you treat your dad and me in the future? You aren’t even willing to support your dad and me in our old age. Do you really think Qiao Nan would do so as your sister? You don’t even have such a close relationship with her!”
“Shut up!” Qiao Zijin was infuriated. She hadn’t managed to meet Qiao Nan, and now, her mom was rebelling against her! “Feng Feng’s my son. I know that my son won’t leave me in the lurch.”
“Yes, you’re my daughter too. Before today, I always thought that my daughter would never leave me in the lurch or not support me either. As a mother, how could I ever have those thoughts about my child? One’s own child will always be the best in one’s eyes. But facts have proved that I am, unfortunately, wrong.” Ding Jiayi brought up the example of the three generations in their family.
Qiao Zijin sneered. “Then, you’re wrong. Who would think of their child in that way? Did I hear that right? Mom, didn’t you do that? When we were younger, Qiao Nan always helped you out with household chores, never forgetting to help you sweep and mop the floor. But you always called her a wretched girl. At that time, I thought that Qiao Nan was a fool for helping you with the chores. I never helped out but you always praised me and gave me the best food to eat all the same. Didn’t you always tell me that Qiao Nan was a heartless wretched girl and that she would never amount to much? That was why you never counted on her supporting you. You said that she would never be filial to you even if she got rich.”
‘You remember that, don’t you? Anyway, I do. Look, who says that parents don’t speak ill of their children? Haven’t you always done so?” Relationships between children and their parents were never so blissful. Who said that parents always favored their own children?
Hadn’t her mom used this example to tell her that Feng Feng wouldn’t be filial to her in the future if she wasn’t filial to her mom now?
Qiao Zijin didn’t believe in that. “Mom, do you know why I have such confidence in Feng Feng and know that he’ll be filial to me?”
“Why?” Ding Jiayi was stunned by Qiao Zijin’s gaze. She was slightly frightened, no longer wanting to hear Qiao Zijin’s next words. But she couldn’t run away now. “Feng Feng’s your son. It isn’t strange for a son to be like his mother. If I’m not wrong, Feng Feng has never been close to you. In the two years since you’ve been divorced from Chen Jun, I haven’t even seen Feng Feng once.”
As such, there was a high possibility that Feng Feng would refuse to entertain his own mother. Anyway, Zijin was not a good mom herself. What gave her the confidence to say that Feng Feng would definitely be a filial son?
“In the past, I always let Qiao Nan take care of Feng Feng when I brought him home, not you. Mom, do you remember how I always stopped you from playing with Feng Feng? I said that a kid of Feng Feng’s age was too active and even I couldn’t handle him at times. That’s why I said that it would be better for Qiao Nan to do it.”
“Yes, so?” Ding Jiayi didn’t understand why Qiao Zijin would suddenly bring up such a trivial matter.
“Do you really think that I was afraid that Feng Feng would tire you out? I was simply afraid that you would lead him astray. It’s alright for me to be selfish since you pampered me anyway. Dad was right. You were the one who raised me to be like this, so you’ll have to tolerate me no matter what kind of fuss I kick up. But I know that I don’t have that patience. Qiao Nan does, so I got her to take care of Feng Feng. Look, I spent as little time as possible with Feng Feng in the past. Before he started school, he was either with his grandma or Qiao Nan. After starting school, it was always the teachers who took care of him. But every time he sees me, he’ll still address me politely as his mom.”
Qiao Zijin was almost in tears. She had been foolish her whole life, and that was how she was prepared to live the rest of her life. Living willfully was the best way to live. Selfish people were always at an advantage. She had no intention of changing her temper at her age.
When it concerned her, it didn’t matter if she continued being so selfish. But when it came to Chen Feng, Qiao Zijin had already given it some thought. She had often asked Qiao Nan to take care of her son so that she would raise him well.
Did Qiao Zijin not know that her son didn’t like her? Of course, she did!
When Qiao Zijin had had an affair and had been forced to divorce Chen Jun, no one else in the Chen family had wanted to talk to her. Although her son knew that she had been at fault, he had never criticized her. In fact, upon seeing how badly she had been sobbing, he had poured her a cup of tea.
It was because of Chen Feng’s cup of tea that Qiao Zijin had gotten the courage to divorce Chen Jun without further hesitation. The Chen family liked their grandson, Chen Feng. If she were to drag the matter on any further and ruin the reputation of the Chen family, their anger would turn toward Chen Feng sooner or later.
In order to protect her son’s status in the Chen family, Qiao Zijin had decided to get divorced from Chen Jun as quickly as possible with nothing to gain. If not for her son, Chen Feng, Qiao Zijin wouldn’t have been much nicer to Chen Jun than she had been to Qiao Nan. Chen Feng was a piece of her, after all. Apart from her son, Chen Feng, the only person she ever cared about or shared affection to was herself.
“Mom, you don’t have to worry about me. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know how to educate my son. Qiao Nan did that for me. I know that Feng Feng won’t leave me in the lurch.”
