Chapter 316 The Schemes of the Zhao Elders

Chapter 316: The Zhao Elders' Scheme

Zhao Gang finished showering and changed into a brand-new striped sailor shirt. Wiping the water from his hair, he leaned out and said, "Mom, Dad, you haven’t left for shopping yet? Are you waiting for me?"

"Ah, sure, let’s go together. Just wait a bit longer—I’ll be quick."

As he spoke, he hastily stuffed his dirty clothes into a bucket, planning to wash them later. He hurriedly hung the towel under the eaves and strode inside, slinging his backpack over his shoulder before waving at his parents.

"Let’s go, let’s go! It’s still early. I’ll buy a cut of meat to take to the Jia family, and we’ll have lunch there."

Zhao’s mother watched her excited son, unsure how to bring it up. Zhao’s eldest sister-in-law, however, held nothing back. "Mom, Dad, just tell him. Third Brother will have to find out sooner or later. You’ve already gone to such lengths for him, putting up with such disrespect—if he knew, he’d be heartbroken."

Zhao’s second brother nodded vigorously. "Exactly, Third Brother. A man’s gotta have standards. If you marry, marry someone who’s right for the family. The Jia family disrespecting you is bad enough—we can accept them looking down on us brothers. But as men, our bottom line is that we can’t let others bully our parents because of us. What did Mom and Dad do wrong in raising you?"

Zhao Gang was baffled.

"You’re all talking in circles—I don’t understand a word of this. What’s going on?"

Zhao’s father gave his wife a look, and she immediately started crying.

"My poor son! The Jia family has treated you so unfairly. You’ve sacrificed so much for their daughter, even leaving home to earn money far away..."

Zhao Gang was even more confused.

!!!!!!!!

With their mother now crying, Zhao’s eldest brother and his wife, the second brother and his wife, and the fourth brother and his wife all started piling on, one after another.

"Third Brother, you always thought Mom and Dad favored others over you. But you’ve been away for so long—you have no idea how worried they’ve been."

"Mom was always crying, saying she was useless for not being able to come up with five hundred yuan, that forced you to leave home. Just to help you marry the girl you love, your parents, at their age, cast aside all dignity and knelt at the Jia family’s doorstep..."

"That Jia family is just plain cruel! They’re bullying you, taking advantage of your feelings for Jia Xiaoyu. Humiliating you was bad enough, but to disrespect Mom and Dad too? They clearly look down on you from the bottom of their hearts!"

Zhao Gang’s eldest brother chimed in, "Exactly! Why are you so stubborn? What's the big deal about the Jias anyway? They don’t even have a male heir. If you marry Jia Xiaoyu, you'd be stuck caring for her aging parents for every little ache and pain. And you’re Mom and Dad’s son—why should you be responsible for someone else’s parents?"

The Zhao siblings and in-laws took turns, listing all the unreasonable demands from the Jia family and the suffering the Zhaos had endured.

"Your eldest brother is right. Even after all this, because you’re willing, Mom and Dad accepted it. At their age, just to fulfill your wish, they were forced to kneel before the Jia elders, begging them to let you marry Jia Xiaoyu.

The whole town knows about it. Go ask around if you don’t believe us. Let me tell you, Second Sister-in-law, when push comes to shove, it’s your blood relatives who have your best interests at heart."

"For your happiness, your proud, lifelong-stubborn parents knelt before the Jia family. How tragic is that? And even then, the Jias humiliated them and drove them away. Honestly, they just look down on you. Not even a month after you left, they arranged her engagement. Next month, she’s getting married—invitations are already sent out..."

Zhao Gang’s second brother nodded. "Your second sister-in-law is right. They were probably stringing you along while she was already seeing someone else. A flighty woman like that—only you would keep pining for her. There are plenty of fish in the sea."

Zhao Gang’s mind was in chaos. It took him a while to process their words. "You’re saying... Xiaoyu is marrying someone else? Mom and Dad knelt for her, and she still chose someone else? No... that can’t be. You must have misunderstood. Before I left, Xiaoyu promised to wait for me."

His father’s face was expressionless. "If you don’t believe us, go ask around town. See if your old parents really knelt for your happiness. Go find out if the Jia girl is engaged, if she’s getting married next month."

His mother’s eyes were red. "Ah, Gang Zi, in the end, it’s our fault as parents. We couldn’t even scrape up five hundred yuan. Our dignity means nothing. If you blame us, go ahead."

Zhao Gang’s mind went blank. His face set, he turned and ran—straight toward the Jia family’s shop at the town entrance.

He refused to believe it. He refused to believe Xiaoyu would do this to him. They had talked before he left. They had promised.

Zuo Zuying had just stepped out when he saw Zhao Gang sprinting away. It was obvious that Zhao Gang must have found out what happened with the Jia family. Afraid he might do something rash, Zuo Zuying immediately ran after him.

"Gang Zi! Gang Zi! Wait for me..."

Inside the Zhao household, seeing Zhao Gang run off, his mother stopped crying and quickly turned to his father. "Husband, Gang Zi went to the Jia family."

His father's expression darkened. That ungrateful brat—before they're even married, his heart was already entirely devoted to the Jia family. He was over there constantly, helping with everything.

If he really married Jia Xiaoyu, would we even exist to him anymore?

He had always intended to get a wife for free through this.

Their plan to kneel at the Jia's doorstep was also carefully calculated.

The Jia family had a shop but no sons. Once Gang Zi married Jia Xiaoyu, the shop would undoubtedly become his, and he would feel even more grateful to the Jia elders.

There can only be one top dog. The couple already had four sons and had never paid much attention to Gang Zi. If anything happened in the future, would Gang Zi still stand by his birth parents? We might as well have given this son away!

But with their act of kneeling, things would be different. Gang Zi would inevitably harbor resentment toward the Jia couple.

By then, they’d have a free daughter-in-law, the Jia family’s shop would belong to the Zhao family, and Gang Zi would feel guilty and indebted to his own parents, ensuring he’d never treat the Jia family well. If the Jia couple hoped their son would support them in old age, they were dreaming!

As for Jia Xiaoyu, once she entered their household, out of Gang Zi’s influence and her own guilt toward them, she would surely be respectful and filial, seeking to atone.

Setting aside pride, this single act of kneeling would bring them four, even five, benefits—reputation, advantages, and actual benefits, all secured for the Zhao family.

They had considered everything—except how fiercely stubborn Jia Xiaoyu would be, forcing a complete break with no way back.

Zhao's father calmly lit his pipe. "What’s there to fear? Did we lie about anything?"

"Did Jia Xiaoyu not marry someone else? Did the Jia family not break off the engagement? Or did we, for Gang Zi’s happiness, not kneel at the Jia family’s doorstep?"

(Hey readers, I've changed the cover—don't lose me!)