“The source of the money is legitimate, don’t worry about that. Though the bill was 69,000 dollars, you also demanded 6,000 dollars in annual support payments starting from 1990… so consider the excess as an advance payment for future support.”

When Ji Jiangyuan explained this, Ji Ya held the check in silence.

She was too proud to ask George for help.

But Ji Jiangyuan was her son, born from her, every bit of his flesh and blood given by her – why shouldn’t she take money from him?

She absolutely should!

And take it without hesitation.

“Can you advance more?”

“…I’m sorry, this is all I can manage for now. Happy New Year, I’m heading back to Pengcheng.”

Ji Jiangyuan was speechless.

Just as he had told Tina, he both deeply loved and despised Ji Ya!

Whenever the balance began tipping toward love, Ji Ya always found a way to make him despise her again.

A college student managing to produce 100,000 dollars at this time – Ji Ya wasn’t moved but rather felt entitled.

She even thought it wasn’t enough.

She wanted more.

Ji Jiangyuan could only say he would have to disappoint Ji Ya – he couldn’t provide any more!

He had been working part-time on Harold’s golf course project for a year and a half, earning 500 dollars weekly, commuting between Pengcheng and Beijing.

Through this, Ji Jiangyuan had earned over 30,000, nearly 40,000 dollars in wages.

After deducting airfare and expenses, he gradually saved about 30,000 dollars from this part-time job.

Preparing for future uncertainties, Ji Jiangyuan was also considering what lay ahead. Such part-time work wouldn’t necessarily always be available – what would happen when the golf course project was finished? Or if Harold suddenly stopped offering this work? He might not be able to save enough for the upbringing bill.

Fortunately, he had an especially good relationship with Bill, Harold’s assistant who stayed in Pengcheng. When he had saved 10,000 dollars, he asked Bill to help him open an account, and Ji Jiangyuan began trying his hand at stocks.

These days, economics and management majors have to study such things.

His and Chen Qing’s majors had quite similar course arrangements.

Chen Qing traded very aggressively because he was anxious to succeed, always wanting to quickly catch up to Xia Xiaolan.

Ji Jiangyuan wasn’t like that – they had agreed he would repay the upbringing bill after graduating college, so he had time.

In the first few months, he had both gains and losses.

When his capital reached 20,000 dollars, Ji Jiangyuan started losing less and gaining more.

The money in his New York account slowly increased.

Bill was very enthusiastic about helping, seeing that Ji Jiangyuan had some talent and luck in this area. He invested some of his savings to follow Ji Jiangyuan’s buying and selling, having people in New York execute all operations. With money to be made, he didn’t mind the trouble.

Ji Jiangyuan’s capital grew like a snowball.

He could have soon gathered enough for the upbringing bill, with some funds left to continue trading.

However, when Ji Ya encountered problems, Ji Jiangyuan, as her son, had no choice but to clear all his stocks… Bill beat his chest in regret, very reluctant, urging Ji Jiangyuan to carefully reconsider.

“Sell it all, some things are more urgent than others. Money can be earned again in the future!”

Ji Jiangyuan felt he was doing the right thing, though selling everything was a bit of a shame.

But he hadn’t expected that after giving Ji Ya the check, there would be no gratitude or acknowledgment – instead, she asked if there was more.

Ji Jiangyuan was completely speechless.

Truthfully, with such a selfish personality that disregarded others’ feelings, even if they hadn’t encountered his birth father’s banishment to the cattle pen, the couple would still have had conflicts – it was just a matter of whether they erupted earlier or later!

The marriage was destined to end.

Unless Ji Ya changed herself, from being selfish and self-loving to being willing to share some love with others.

The marriage with his birth father was destined to end, and what about with Uncle George? Ji Jiangyuan wasn’t optimistic about that either.

Love isn’t constant taking.

A cup only holds so much water – keep drinking without adding more, and it will surely run dry.

The young Ji Jiangyuan understood this.

But he didn’t say anything.

Because saying it would be useless!

He felt especially light leaving home. Though his stock account was cleared out, the burden on his shoulders had disappeared too.

From now on, he could finally choose for himself whom to be close to, whom to befriend – free and unfettered, without constraints or emotional blackmail!

Ji Jiangyuan strode out the door.

George watched his stepson’s departing figure – this kind and excellent young man being pushed away by Ji Ya.

“Isn’t Spring Festival the time for Chinese family reunions? You should have asked him to stay, we could have eaten and celebrated together!”

“No, there’s no need. Look at his unwilling face even when giving the check. He’s the son, I’m the mother – should I have to beg him to stay?”

George was bewildered too.

Was this the wife he had chosen, his love?

Everyone around her was helping her, accommodating her – why wasn’t she grateful at all? Instead, she could take her family’s love as something naturally due to her, yet begrudge even saying “thank you”!

George couldn’t understand, so he too closed his mouth and stopped trying to persuade her.

…

On New Year’s Day, Ji Ya gave her birth son great displeasure.

On the same day, someone else brazenly came to pay New Year’s respects at Xia Xiaolan’s home.

It was Liu Fang, bringing Liang Huan.

This mother and daughter finally appeared, making Xia Xiaolan feel somewhat relieved. After all, they had been in Beijing for a while without a word, and who knew what schemes they were plotting? Even if their schemes couldn’t affect her, it was still unsettling.

Like this, at least they weren’t skulking around anymore, putting their intentions out in the open – it was actually more straightforward.

Liu Fen was surprised:

“How did you know where I live?”

She swore she hadn’t contacted them. Suddenly showing up on New Year’s Day – Liu Fen wanted to drive them away but feared the neighbors would laugh.

Liu Fang’s face was full of smiles. “Second Sister, I found out myself, asked around for a long time before knowing. I came today to give New Year’s greetings and apologize. What I did before was terribly wrong. It’s been so long – Second Sister, can you really not forgive me?”

No.

Seeing you reminds me of how you tried to push my daughter into the fire!

No matter how pitiful Liu Fang sounded, Liu Fen glared at her angrily.

Liu Fang looked ashamed, “At least accept these things – I won’t come inside.”

Liang Huan behind her also looked pitiful.

“Second Aunt, we were wrong. Mom has no other intentions, just wants to apologize to you and Sister Xiaolan. We’ve been in Beijing for so long but feared you were still angry, so we didn’t dare disturb you normally.”

Listening from inside, Xia Xiaolan thought Liu Fang and Liang Huan had improved.

This mother and daughter pair had finally understood that to ask for something, they needed to not only bow their heads but also avoid irritating people.

Heh, maybe they had always understood – Liu Fang had been a cadre’s wife after all, she couldn’t have always looked down her nose at people. She only acted that way with her birth family because her elder brother was a good-for-nothing and her second sister was a pushover – she saw them as commoners who would never amount to anything.

Liu Fang treated people according to their status.

Liang Huan was her birth daughter, influenced by what she saw and heard, and had learned Liu Fang’s bad habits.

If Liang Huan wanted to, she could still become a caring niece!

“What are you doing here?”

After having a New Year’s Eve dinner at Xia Xiaolan’s house yesterday, Liu Yong came again this morning with Li Fengmei and their son.

They arrived to find Liu Fang and Liang Huan blocking the door!