Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
âDad!â Zhang Yue weakly resisted, âIs what youâre doing fair to Uncle Wen for all the help he has given to our family?â
Due to Cao Hui not having a formal job and Zhang Tan often idling away drinking, they had no savings and had to do odd jobs when short on money.
If it werenât for the Wen familyâs consideration of their past relationship, frequently providing assistance, their family probably couldnât even afford groceries.
âWhat help? Theyâre just pitying us!â Zhang Tan said as if it were a matter of course. âDo you think theyâre doing this for our good? They look down on us. Occasionally giving us alms is just to show that their family is kind-hearted. In their hearts, they donât see us as equals!â
âDad, how can you think like that? Have you forgotten the last time you injured your leg? Who paid for your hospitalization?â Zhang Yue never expected that her father, who always called Wen Miaoâs father âBrotherâ, harbored such despicable thoughts.
âDonât mention that! If it werenât for helping the old Wen family renovate their balcony, how could 1 have gotten injured? Itâs only natural for them to pay for my hospitalization! Itâs considered a work-related injury! Not making them compensate is already good enough!â
Zhang Tan impatiently waved his hand and said, âSay one more word, and 1â11 slap you. Am I your dad, or is he your dad?â
He didnât mention that he fell because he was drunk at the time.
At that time, Zhang Tan hadnât earned a penny for a long time. Worried that Zhang Yue and her daughter would be unable to afford meals, the Wen family gave him the job of renovating the balcony.
However, Zhang Tanâs bad habits persisted. Knowing that the Wen family would soon pay him, he intensified his drinking. He drank all day, only working near dusk, and took the opportunity to have dinner at the Wen familyâs place.
At that time, he had drunk quite a bit, and the Wen family advised him to sober up before working. However, he insisted on finishing the work immediately, resulting in breaking his leg.
The Wen family even sent him to the hospital and covered the medical expenses, which was already very kind.
Zhang Tan, however, felt that it was only natural.
âMr. Zhang, I understand your thoughts, but itâs best if Zhang Yue agrees to this matter as well.â Song Yan interrupted the father and daughterâs argument and then turned to Zhang Yue with a friendly smile. âDonât rush to make a decision. How about going to school with me? What do you think?â
âGo to school for what? I donât want to go out!â Zhang Yue resisted.
However, Song Yan raised his arm, looked at the time on his watch, and said, âSchool is probably about to be dismissed now. Letâs walk over. We should make it in time. Change your clothes, wear a hat, and Iâll just take you to have a look. If you can still refuse me by then, I wonât come again.â
âHey, Attorney Song, you canât not come!â Zhang Tan pushed Zhang Yueâs arm with resentment. âWhat are you still dawdling for? Hurry up and go with him. Do you know how much I worry about you?! Who am I doing all this for!â
Zhang Yue remained silent, only nodding slowly after a long while. She went back to her room, changed into a long coat, put on a hat and glasses, making sure that no one could recognize her. Then she followed Song Yan out.
Their neighborhood was old, dilapidated, and occasionally unpleasant odors emitted from unattended garbage piles.
When Zhang Yue caught a whiff of the smell, she subconsciously looked at Song Yan in front of her. Seeing him walking with a calm expression, she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
âHey, Mrs. Zhang!â
A shout from behind startled Zhang Yue.
She immediately stopped, then realized that the person calling wasnât her.
âOh, Xiao Liu, are you also picking up your daughter from school?â Mrs. Zhang walked happily with the person, chatting while eating melon seeds. âSince that incident with Zhang Yue, I donât dare let my daughter go home alone. Itâs too unsafe!â
Xiao Liu nodded in agreement. âExactly! Zhang Yue is really pitiful. Such a good young lady unexpectedly got ruined for no reason. By the way, my youngest son told me last night that medical research has found that unborn babies will be influenced by the telegony effect! Who would dare to marry a girl like Zhang Yue in the future?â
âWhat is the telegony effect?â Mrs. Zhang asked curiously.
Xiao Liu proudly explained, âMy youngest son loves reading online books, so he understands everything! He told me that the telegony effect refers to the fact that children will inherit their mothersâ previous spousesâ genes!â
âAll? So the child Zhang Yue has in the future will have the genes of the rapist?â Mrs. Zhang frowned in disgust. âWho would dare let her have children to continue the family line? They might end up all being criminals. This is truly a tragedy!â
âExactly!â As the two walked further away, their gossiping voices gradually faded.
By the time Zhang Yue realized what was happening, she had been standing alone in the same place for a long time, and even her legs were a little numb..