Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 180 - 172: Boldness

Chapter 180: Chapter 172: Boldness

"Rather than us going off to sea and floundering around on our own, it’s naturally better to hitch a ride with your favorable winds. While your brother-in-law and I are still young and strong, we can let go and take a big gamble in S City. Especially since we’ve both left the factory, that twenty-square-meter house can be taken back by the factory, and no one needs to worry about it."

Xia Na said this with a tone that had a hint of pleasure in the notion that she’d rather give up her possessions than let someone else benefit from them.

"Why wouldn’t you want it?" Xia Yuan didn’t see it that way. "Sis, even though you and your husband are on unpaid leave, you’re still part of the factory. Don’t be foolish. Who would complain about having an extra house?"

"We’ve already built a new house in Jingtou Village. Whether we have that twenty-square-meter house or not really doesn’t matter anymore. It’s better to let it go than to hang onto it and let my in-laws make a fuss," Xia Na said, still clearly a bit spiteful.

"..."

Xia Yuan felt a headache coming on, furrowing her brows in thought.

"How about you and your husband tell your in-laws that the twenty-square-meter house has already been sold to our family for five thousand yuan. When the right tenant comes along, I’ll have Aiguo rent it out for you, which will still be some income for you."

"But I’m afraid my parents-in-law will make a scene and say unpleasant things if we do that," Xia Na hesitated.

"Don’t be afraid of them. Let’s see who ends up looking worse when things come out," Xia Yuan was unconcerned.

Xia Na nodded, "Then I’ll go back and discuss it with your brother-in-law."

...

"Let’s go to S City together."

Gu Tianming suddenly stood up, looking out the window. After briefly considering, he nodded firmly at Xia Na, making a major decision that would affect the quality of the rest of his life.

"Once the arrow is shot, there’s no turning back. Are you really not afraid?" Xia Na glanced at Gu Tianming. They had been arguing about who should leave the factory to set up a stall and do business.

Honestly, setting up a stall could make money, but it also made you look bad, especially if you ran into someone you knew—it was quite an embarrassing situation. So both were somewhat reluctant to let the other suffer that embarrassment.

"I am afraid."

Gu Tianming did not hide his fear in front of Xia Na. He was just an ordinary person; how could he not feel scared of an unknown future? But what could he do with fear? How could he resign himself without trying? Was he really prepared to be looked down upon by others, even by his own parents and siblings, for the rest of his life?

"But I’m even more afraid of you being looked down upon for a lifetime if you follow me," Gu Tianming said, caressing Xia Na’s hair with a look of apology in his eyes.

"We don’t necessarily have to go to S City; we can stay in Haicheng. I’ll be the only one going out," Xia Na said. Although she got heated and blurted out her wish to strive for success in S City in front of Xia Yuan, she couldn’t help but hesitate upon careful consideration.

"If we don’t take risks, we can’t trap the wolf. Staying in Haicheng only ensures a life of basic needs. To actually improve our lives, we need to go to a city like S City, where there are more opportunities," Gu Tianming had thought a lot over these days. "We should also show them that just because they look down on us now doesn’t mean we have to keep being looked down on."

"I’m just afraid that once we do make some money and come back, a few tears from them and a few wipes of their eyes will soften your heart again," Xia Na couldn’t help but worry; she didn’t want to end up working her butt off only for someone else to reap the benefits.

"You can only be foolish once. I won’t shirk the responsibilities that are mine when it’s time to show filial piety, but that’s as far as it goes. If they expect more, they’re dreaming," Gu Tianming said while looking at Xia Na with a smile. "Besides, even if they do get greedy, I don’t have the final word on our finances, do I?"

"Heh, good that you know your place. So, what about your dad saying the house should be used for your brother’s wedding?" Xia Na stared at Gu Tianming, waiting for his expression without blinking.

"What can I do about it? Just let it be. We’re already burdened with debt, so of course, we have to rent out the house to alleviate some of it. That’s my brother, not my son—why should I provide a house for his wedding? As the second older brother and sister-in-law, when the time comes, giving the same wedding gift as the oldest brother and sister-in-law is the right approach."

Gu Tianming looked at Xia Na, puzzled, and even reached out to touch her forehead. "Darling, are you thinking of lending the house to my younger brother? You’d better think it through; that’s like throwing a meat bun to a dog—once lent out, it might be difficult to get it back."

"Am I not just worried you won’t be able to stand up to your parents’ pressure?" Xia Na suddenly burst out laughing, which made Gu Tianming a bit taken aback; his wife hadn’t laughed so heartily in a long time.

"I rejected them that day. Whether or not they take it seriously is not my concern. I’ve come to realize that even if I carved off all the flesh on my body for them, it wouldn’t be enough to please them. We’ll fulfill our duties to our parents. But as for siblings, we’ll get along if we can; if we can’t, there’s nothing to be done. It just means the fraternal bond isn’t strong enough."

Gu Tianming had also known since childhood that he wasn’t the favored one, the sad reality of being the middle child. Parents’ eyes can see the eldest and the youngest and even the only sister between them, but he was always the superfluous one.

Because his parents habitually ignored him, his siblings subconsciously did the same. Even though he had done a lot for them as they grew up, he still couldn’t change his fate of being unappreciated.

"’Hua Yan,’ that’s really a good name for the business. I only need to look at you to know that we can make it work," Gu Tianming didn’t want to dwell on those troubling thoughts anymore and eagerly pulled Xia Na along. "Come on, it’s not too late, let’s go respond to them now."

"What’s the rush? Shouldn’t we get those two rascals back home for dinner first?" Xia Na felt a bit helpless seeing Gu Tianming so anxious.

"Right, I’ll go get them," Gu Tianming said with a smile. "If they knew they could live with their aunt regularly, wouldn’t they be overjoyed for a long time?"

"Those would be two ungrateful kids," Xia Na said with a laugh when she thought of her sons.

"Mom, Aunt, Uncle, and Gu Feng and Gu Meng are here," Lu Yun shouted toward the study from the second-floor staircase upon seeing the four people led in by her father.

Seeing Gu Feng and Gu Meng engrossed in playing table football to the side, Lu Yun redirected her attention to the group sitting in the dining area, talking.

Besides Aunt and Uncle, Dad, Mom, and Shitou were also there.

"Sis, Brother-in-law, since you’ve made up your minds, just complete the formalities for unpaid leave at your respective factories, and we can all leave together," Lu Aiguo said with a smile.

"We’ll drive our goods there directly, and I’ll help you settle in once we arrive. After that, it’s all up to you. Here’s a business plan you can take home and look over. If there’s anything unclear, you can ask Xia Yuan."