Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 319 - 319 316 Why Contact Him

Chapter 319: Chapter 316: Why Contact Him? Chapter 319: Chapter 316: Why Contact Him? On July 1, after receiving our summer vacation homework and report cards yesterday, our official vacation started today.

“Xiaozheng, why haven’t you changed your clothes yet? Hurry up, Grandma has already started cooking.”

Ma Zheng, wearing a tank top and underpants, sat cross-legged on the bed, holding his mom’s phone and staring at it for almost half an hour.

He looked up at Shu Wan with a pitiful expression, “Brother said he would call me back in a while, but why hasn’t he called? How long is his ‘in a while’ actually?”

At this, Shu Wan hesitated, unsure of how to explain to him that when adults say ‘in a while,’ it usually means they won’t call back at all.

But obviously, this was not the case for Ma Zheng.

And as for Jiang Yan… she didn’t know if he would call back either.

“Your brother must be held up with something; he’s so busy. You shouldn’t bother him anymore.”

Ma Zheng didn’t agree with his mom’s explanation at all, “Brother wouldn’t find me annoying at all; he even asked me how many points I scored and if I was awarded the triple ‘good’ student title.”

“Yes, yes, your brother doesn’t find you annoying, he likes you the most. Hurry up and change your clothes. Mom has to help Grandma with cooking, and it wouldn’t be polite to be late.”

Ma Zheng’s little face immediately scrunched up; he did not like going to his grandma’s place for dinner at all. No matter how equal Grandpa and Grandma seemed to treat him and Ma Xu, in reality, they preferred their eldest grandson, and he wasn’t so young that he couldn’t see it.

If he couldn’t see it, couldn’t he feel it? He wasn’t stupid.

The family of three soon arrived at the residential area in the east of the city where Ma Jiandong’s parents lived. As they got off the taxi, a BMW rolled by slowly.

While Ma Jiandong and Shu Wan did not see the car as they bent over to pick up their bags, Ma Zheng saw it but pretended not to and turned his head away.

After the BMW had passed, it suddenly stopped and the driver’s window rolled down. Ma Hongye, Ma Jiandong’s older brother, poked his head out and called, “Jiandong, Xiaozheng…”

Ma Jiandong smiled and walked over, “Big brother, you’ve come too.”

“Get in the car. Let’s go together.”

Ma Jiandong turned to look at Shu Wan and Ma Zheng.

“Let’s not. It’s just a short walk from here.”

Ma Jiandong then told his big brother to go ahead, and Ma Hongye didn’t say anything more, but all the while his wife Wu Wenqin didn’t roll down the window to say a word.

Ma Hongye was displeased, “Greeting each other is a matter of politeness. What is this?”

“Politeness?” Wu Wenqin rolled her eyes, “Last time we kindly visited their home to see Ma Zheng, didn’t you see how Shu Wan treated your son? And she let her elder son threaten Ma Xu. What, does it make her second marriage seem glorious? Is she so amazing because she has more children?”

She dared not mention the computer that belonged to Ma Zheng for fear that remembering it would cause another fuss, especially since they had searched many computer stores afterward and never found one as sleek and light. It had taken several days to appease Ma Xu.

If only she had known, she wouldn’t have visited Ma Zheng.

Ma Hongye frowned, “She and Jiandong have been married for many years now, and Ma Zheng is already so big, yet you’re still bringing up the second marriage. Wu Wenqin, I’m warning you, don’t bring up that term again when we get to Mom’s place.”

Wu Wenqin didn’t care about his warning in the least.

“Hello, Grandpa and Grandma.”

By the time the slow-moving Ma Zheng walked into his grandparents’ house, Ma Xu was already sitting on the sofa, munching on snacks while watching a cartoon.

Seeing Ma Zheng come in, he quickly grabbed the remote control and hid it under his bottom, then stuck his tongue out at Ma Zheng, making a face.

Childish!

Ma Zheng ignored him, walking straight to the bamboo chair on the balcony, then opened his backpack and took out “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” to read.

Seeing the two boys, one watching TV and the other reading, not bothering each other, Shu Wan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to help with the cooking in the kitchen.

“Xiaozheng hasn’t had his head hurt again since his last surgery, right?” Grandma Ma asked Shu Wan while peeling potatoes.

“No, Mom, the surgery was very successful. We went for a check-up at The First People’s Hospital last month, and the doctors said the recovery has been really good; there’s not a trace left.”

“That’s good.”

While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were chatting, Wu Wenqin came in unnoticed. Hearing their conversation, her eyes darted around before she said with a smile, “Speaking of which, Xiaozheng’s great recovery owes a lot to his brother, right, Xiaowan?”

Shu Wan’s expression changed immediately.

The fact that Jiang Yan had helped find a doctor was something that Grandpa Ma and Grandma Ma were not aware of. It wasn’t that there was any deliberate attempt to hide it; Ma Jiandong just thought it wasn’t necessary to go into that much detail. As long as the elders knew that their grandson’s surgery had been successful, that was all that mattered to them.

However, during the last visit by Ma Hongye and his family to see Ma Zheng, an argument broke out with Ma Xu, and Ma Zheng blurted out that his brother had helped him find a surgeon.

They talked about it, and neither Ma Jiandong nor Shu Wan were too concerned. They were being helped, not asked for money or anything, so what was there to hide?

Yet initially, Grandma Ma was strongly opposed to Ma Jiandong choosing Shu Wan, a divorced woman. After all, her son was never married, a university lecturer, could find anyone, so why settle for someone who’s divorced with a child?

It was only after Ma Jiandong’s persistence, plus the fact that Shu Wan herself was also a university lecturer with a good family background, and that her first marriage child did not live with her, that Grandma Ma grudgingly agreed.

However, even though she agreed, she also demanded that Shu Wan should completely sever ties with that son and never associate with him again.

Of course, she said this to Ma Jiandong, not directly to Shu Wan.

But almost everyone knew that in Grandma Ma’s house, it was best not to mention Shu Wan’s son from her first marriage. However, Wu Wenqin just had to touch upon the very topic best left untouched.

Shu Wan turned and looked coldly over, but Wu Wenqin wasn’t looking at her, she only turned to the startled Grandma Ma and feigned ignorance, “What? Mom, didn’t you know that Xiaozheng’s surgery was arranged by his own brother in Beijing? They might not have grown up together, but blood is thicker than water, and there is a natural connection. In this regard, Ma Xu as a cousin can never match up.”

Grandma Ma’s face lengthened. Looking up at Shu Wan, she asked, “When you two went to Beijing last time, did you see your son?”

Taking a deep breath, Shu Wan nodded, “Yes, he helped Xiaozheng…”

“Who allowed you to find him? Without him, could Xiaozheng’s surgery not be performed? How could a student have such influence to casually choose doctors in a Beijing hospital? Who would believe that aside from you?”

Grandma Ma was harsh, and Shu Wan didn’t feel like explaining any further.

Wu Wenqin stood by, taking pleasure in the misfortune.

Shu Wan removed her apron and placed it on the counter before turning to walk out.

“Xiaozheng, let’s go.”

She just arrived and now she’s leaving? That easy?

While not showing it on his face, Ma Zheng busily packed his book into his little backpack, then scampered over to his mother’s side and grabbed her hand.

“If you want to leave, then leave by yourself. Xiaozheng stays!” Grandma Ma chased out of the kitchen, shouting angrily.

Hearing the commotion, the three men chatting in the study came out. Seeing Shu Wan and Ma Zheng at the doorway, ready to leave, Ma Jiandong quickly stepped forward, grabbed her, and asked, “What’s happened?”

“What’s happened?” Before Shu Wan could speak, Grandma Ma interjected, “Look at the good daughter-in-law you’ve married. Just one mention of her first son, and she turns her back on me. What now? Can’t you let go of him? Are you thinking of bringing your first son into the Ma family?”

Hearing his brother mentioned, Ma Zheng’s face scrunched up unhappily as he glared at his grandmother. He thought, what has my brother done to you? Why do you get to talk about him?

Jiang Yan?

Now when Ma Jiandong heard these two words, he didn’t react the way he used to. He looked at Shu Wan, his expression calm, and asked his mother, “Why would you bring up Jiang Yan?”

“Why? I’d like to ask you the same thing. When you went to Beijing to get Xiaozheng treated, why did you contact him? If it weren’t for your sister-in-law mentioning it, I’d still be in the dark.”

Ma Jiandong understood. He gave Wu Wenqin a deep look, turned to his elder brother, and said, “You really have a great wife, the kind that stirs up trouble wherever she goes. Seems like you wouldn’t be comfortable until you’ve created some chaos, is that it?”

Ma Hongye glared fiercely at Wu Wenqin, but his expression was not very pleased. “Jian Dong, she’s your sister-in-law.”

“Yeah, and you know she’s my sister-in-law. So does her behavior resemble that of a sister-in-law? Inciting our mom to scold my wife, how is that different from inciting us to divorce?”