After some thought, he realized it had been several lifetimes since he had last tasted his mother's fan cake and meat, and he indeed missed it.
"Alright, we'll go over together later." Thinking of the fan cake and meat, Zhang Liunian recalled his young mother in the past. Comparing her to his white-haired mother before him now, he felt some of his resentment towards his parents for favoring his second brother begin to dissipate.
His parents had indeed favored his second brother, but they hadn't treated him, their youngest son, too harshly. Moreover, his mother had saved his life just a few months ago. Compared to life itself, there was nothing he couldn't let go of.
Besides, considering the circumstances back then, his mother was willing to shield him with her life, which showed she did have him, her son, in her heart. It was just that she didn't place as much importance on him as she did on his second brother.
"In a few days, I'll find an old aunt to help you with the laundry, cooking, and taking care of the little ones. You're not young anymore, so don't push yourselves too hard. Take good care of yourselves."
The moment Zhang Liunian said this, the two elders before him instantly became teary-eyed.
"Third child, have you forgiven us?" Zhang Wenxue blurted out the question.
"Third child, are you no longer angry with Mom? Mom admits that I didn't pay much attention to you before, and I favored your second brother too much. I even listened to him and told you to hand over the recipe.
But Mom did that because she didn't understand the seriousness of this matter for you, nor did she know about the intentions your second brother had. Mom admits her mistake, please don't ignore Mom, okay?"
Yu Xiaohua came to Zhang Liunian, took his hand, and confessed her mistakes while shedding tears.
She had indeed made mistakes in the past, neglecting her youngest son, and had wrongly accused him because of her second son. But now she knew she was wrong.
Zhang Liunian looked at his remorseful mother and his father, who was wiping away tears with his head turned, and forced a smile. "I'm not blaming you. Even ten fingers have different lengths, and your second brother is indeed more outstanding than me. It's reasonable for you to have a slight preference."
"Mom was wrong. Mom will try to treat you all equally from now on and won't favor anyone again. Third child, please forgive Mom for her foolish actions in the past, okay?" Yu Xiaohua continued to plead, not hearing her son's forgiveness.
Zhang Liunian couldn't bear these words and quickly said, "I'm not angry anymore. You don't have to be like this. There's no need to dwell on the past. Let the past be the past. What's important is how we move forward."
Zhang Liunian was speaking from the heart. He truly didn't hold grudges and saw no need to.
Zhang Wenxue could tell that his youngest son's words were sincere. Wiping his tears, he said, "Third child, Dad also wants to apologize to you. I did indeed focus too much on your second brother in the past, neglecting you and your eldest brother. Regarding the recipe issue last time, I also didn't consider things carefully. Please forgive the mistakes I made."
"Dad, why are you like this too? Let's just forget about the past. We have to look forward. Besides, you are my parents. There's no enmity that can't be resolved."
Furthermore, there wasn't that much animosity between them as father and son. It was just the conflict arising from different standpoints in the past.
Now that his second brother had sent him to jail, they should be grateful he didn't hold a grudge, let alone be angry with them.
However, thinking of Zhang Liuxing, Zhang Liunian, for reasons unknown, still spoke, "Mom and Dad, it was me who sent second brother to jail. Do you... will you blame me?"
This was the unspoken part of Zhang Liunian's words.
Zhang Wenxue and his wife understood what he meant, and their expressions turned sorrowful.
But their words surprised Zhang Liunian.
"He was in the wrong first, so it's not your fault."
"Third child, Mom doesn't blame you. We spoiled Second child too much over the years, to the point where he dared to lay hands on you, his brother, time and time again. He deserves to be in jail, and Mom can't blame you." 138 Reading Network
The second son was the one who was wrong from the start. He was the one who kept causing trouble for his youngest son, so how could they blame their youngest son?
However, it was truly difficult for them to accept their sons turning against each other.
But they had to be fair, not letting their emotions dictate their judgment.
"Yes, your second brother made a mistake, and your retaliation is reasonable. It's just that Dad feels heartbroken seeing you like this. I only have you three sons, and how I wish you could all live in peace. But that's simply impossible. You've all grown up and have your own ideas. How could you listen to me?"
Zhang Wenxue had long anticipated the outcome for his sons and had prepared for the worst. Although he couldn't accept his sons fighting each other, he accepted it when it actually happened.
Zhang Liunian felt a mix of emotions upon hearing that his parents did not blame him. If this had happened half a year ago, their response would certainly have been different.
Their current reaction was related to the events that had unfolded, though it was also possible it was because he was making money. This was one of the reasons Zhang Liunian least wanted to consider.
But human nature was far more complex than commonly understood. Oh well, no one was perfect. If his parents could remain this clear-headed forever, he would gladly take good care of them in their old age.
Unseen by them, Zhang Xinghua, holding two bags of snacks, heard that Zhang Liunian had sent his father to jail. His expression immediately turned angry, "Why did you do this, causing Xingxing to lose his father?"
The questioning from not far away interrupted Zhang Liunian and his parents' conversation.
Everyone turned to look at Zhang Xinghua at the doorway. Seeing him glare angrily at Zhang Liunian, as if he had seen a terrible villain, his eyes began to well up with tears.
"Xingxing, it was your father who did wrong things that led your third uncle to send him away. The cause of this was your father's wrongdoing, so you can't blame your third uncle." Zhang Wenxue, fearing that his grandson might also turn against Zhang Liunian, immediately stepped in to explain for Zhang Liunian.
Seeing her grandson speak like this, Yu Xiaohua quickly chimed in, "Xingxing, this has nothing to do with your third uncle. You can't blame him. Anyone who does wrong will be punished."
"Xingxing, you're still young and don't understand what is right and wrong. Grandpa will tell you..."
Zhang Wenxue continued to teach his grandson what was right and wrong, and what could not be done.
An hour later, Zhang Xinghua was no longer angry, only filled with shame.
"Third uncle, I'm sorry." After listening to his grandparents, Zhang Xinghua realized it was his father who had wronged his third uncle, and his third uncle's retaliation was why his father was incarcerated.
It was at this moment that the little one realized that mistakes had to be paid for, and not everyone could be bullied.
"Study hard. Studying can help you understand things," Zhang Liunian said, reaching out to ruffle Zhang Xinghua's head. Come to think of it, this boy's premature appearance in Zhangjiacun was due to him, leaving him parentless. Thinking of this, he still felt a bit guilty.
"I will study hard and get into university," Zhang Xinghua nodded seriously. He was very smart, but his circumstances with his mother had not been good before, and there had been no opportunity for him to showcase his abilities in school, so no one knew how smart he was.
Zhang Liunian didn't know much about Zhang Xinghua's situation and was unaware of his nephew's intelligence, especially in his studies.
He would only find out the following summer.