GBP Chapter 312 Persuading Fang Qing to Share the Hardship
Chapter 312 Persuading Fang Qing to Share the Hardship
Fang Qing stared at him blankly.
“My dad has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s incurable, and he doesn’t have long to live. You understand that, right?”
"This..." Yes, he probably won't live much longer.
Fang Qing thought to herself, her face showing grief, and comforted him, "As long as Dad quits smoking and drinking and takes his medicine properly, there is still a chance he can be cured."
"Don't try to comfort me. I know this disease is incurable." Lu Jiangting's eyes reddened with sadness as he thought of his father, who hadn't even had a chance to enjoy life before getting this illness.
“I am my parents’ youngest child, as you’ve probably heard. They’ve been very, very good to me.”
Of course she had heard about it; Wang Jianjun had mentioned it back then, expressing his envy of how good Lu Jiangting's parents were to him.
Lu Jiangting was his parents' youngest son, while Wang Jianjun was their eldest son, and also their eldest son who had lost his mother.
Having a stepmother meant having a stepfather, and she was constantly disliked.
Neither she nor Wang Jianjun were children favored by their parents, and they both envied Lu Jiangting.
Lu Jiangting felt a pang of sadness as he thought of his elderly father, who had cancer and was barely surviving.
He continued, “In those years, when others were starving, they would rather go hungry themselves than let me go hungry. My peers had endless chores to do, but from childhood to adulthood, I never suffered any hardship except for studying.”
They'd rather work themselves to the bone than let me do any work. Now I'm all grown up, able to earn money, but he's failing. I haven't even had a chance to be filial to him, and he's already on his deathbed. Fang Qing, can you understand how I feel?
Fang Qing was startled by his scarlet eyes and nodded repeatedly.
"I understand, but it's not your fault, it's all fate."
"Yes, it's all God's fault for being blind. He doesn't have much time left to live, and I want him to have a good life in his final days. That's only right, isn't it?"
Fang Qing nodded again, "That's only right."
Relieved to have her approval, Lu Jiangting breathed a sigh of relief.
"Logically, I should take leave to go back and take care of him, but I'm quite busy with work right now, and I'm too tired to do so." As he spoke, he looked up at Fang Qing and said, "Fang Qing, we're already married, and my father is also your father. It's only right that you take care of him in my place, isn't it?"
Fang Qing's expression changed drastically. Was she being asked to go back and take care of her father?
The old man was spitting all over the floor and was incredibly filthy; she couldn't bear to take care of him.
Moreover, going to the countryside is not as simple as just taking care of his elderly father.
She also has to do farm work; no one is farming their land, so who will do this work?
It's obvious without even asking that this job could only fall into her hands.
Fang Qing wasn't stupid; she just smiled and dealt with him.
“You’re right, that’s how it should be. I also want to go back and take care of you. But what about Chenchen? He’s studying here, and he’s already adapted to life here.”
You know how awful the people back home can be. If I take Chenchen back, who knows what the neighbors will say? I can just listen and let it go; I'm a grown adult, I can put up with it. I'm just worried that Chenchen won't be able to handle it and will be bullied.”
Lu Jiangting was well aware of the power of gossip.
What Fang Qing said was exactly what he was worried about.
Adults can tolerate it, but children tend to take it to heart, which can harm their young minds.
He wanted to help Wang Jianjun take care of the child, not harm the child.
So he decided not to let them go back, but to bring his parents over instead.
With her parents coming over, they can help take care of Chenchen, so Fang Qing should just go to work.
He shared his thoughts with Fang Qing.
“You’re right. People back home will definitely gossip, which will be detrimental to Chenchen’s development. We can’t send Chenchen back.”
It was a false alarm, and Fang Qing immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"So I've thought about it, and I've decided I need to bring my parents over."
Fang Qing: "Huh?"
Lu Jiangting continued, "My parents are coming over and can help take care of Chenchen, so you can go to work and earn money with peace of mind."
Fang Qing: "..." Good heavens, what are you planning?
Do you want me to support your whole family?
"But this house we live in can't house a whole family."
"That's okay, I'll rent a bigger place later."
"The rent here is so expensive, where are we going to get the money to rent a big house?"
“You don’t need to worry about that. Lao Wang knows about my family’s situation. I’ve talked to him about it, and he said we can apply for a rental subsidy from the higher-ups. If we’re lucky, we might not have to spend a penny. Even if we do, it will only be a small portion.”
Fang Qing: "..."
This isn't a discussion with her.
He clearly had already thought it through and taken care of everything before coming to discuss it with me.
"They've lived in the countryside for so many years, and now they suddenly come to the city... will they be able to adapt to life here?"
Lu Jiangting disagreed, saying, "My parents said they'd be happy to have me living with them. Don't worry, I'll get used to it."
Fang Qing's face stiffened.
"What about the land at home? I remember they cultivated the land. What will happen to the food now that they're gone?"
Lu Jiangting took a deep breath, already somewhat impatient.
But he still explained it to her seriously.
"You don't need to worry about that. I've already talked to my eldest and second eldest sisters. They'll harvest the grain from the family's land. If they want to farm the land, they can; if not, they can leave it empty."
"Huh? So much grain, and we just gave it to them?" Fang Qing's face was full of disapproval.
Lu Jiangting said, "They are my own sisters, my parents' biological daughters. They would never take advantage of my parents. We will give them grain and land to cultivate. They will not let my parents suffer any losses."
Does that mean they'll give you some money?
But she doesn't know how much to give, and who knows if she'll be at a disadvantage?
Hopefully, my two older sisters will be sensible and not try to take advantage of their parents' family after they've married.
"That's right. Father needs money for treatment, and it's much more expensive here than back home. Father and Mother are their parents too, so I'm sure they'll give them some money. Otherwise, Father wouldn't be able to afford his medicine here."
Hearing her barbed words, Lu Jiangting's face grew even uglier.
"Of course they won't abandon their parents. As for the high cost of medicine, you're overthinking it. The medical conditions here are good. As a military family member, my father can go to our military hospital for treatment. He can receive better treatment and a large portion of the expenses can be reimbursed."
Can medical treatment be cheap?
The chores at home have also been arranged.
I only told her after everything was ready.
Is this what you call discussion?
Fang Qing understood that there was no room for discussion; they had already made their decision.
"Then...then..."
"Fang Qing".
Fang Qing hesitated to agree, but she wasn't entirely willing, and Lu Jiangting noticed this.
He interrupted her directly, saying, "My father has this illness and doesn't have much time left. I hope you can understand me. These next few years will definitely be tough for us, and I've seen and remembered all the grievances you've suffered. After we've properly seen them off, I'll make it up to you."