Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander
Chapter 409 - 279: Heavy Sentiment

Chapter 409: Chapter 279: Heavy Sentiment

The first watch of the night has arrived.

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Looking at his two brothers who were self-righteously yelling at their father, Wang Hui felt a profound sense of powerlessness. Were these the brothers he once respected?

"Enough, what you should do now is adapt and make an effort. I have stepped down, but your jobs remain unchanged; this is already the best outcome..." Elder Wang waved his hands at his sons, "I’ve helped you as much as I could. From now on, you’ll have to rely on yourselves. Go on, leave."

Old Master Wang, now lighthearted without official responsibilities and stubborn as ever, knew that saying anything more was futile. The eldest and the second eldest quickly stood up and stormed out, huffing and puffing.

Wang Hui remained seated.

Elder Wang gestured to him: "Go back. If you can visit once a month, I’ll consider my efforts in raising you not in vain."

"Dad..." Wang Hui’s nose felt sour at this humble request.

"Your elder brothers probably won’t come back anymore. It will certainly be hard for your mother to accept at first, so if you have the time, come back and see her." He sighed deeply and picked up a pen, rubbing it back and forth with his thumb.

This was Old Master Wang’s typical gesture when he was in a bad mood.

Wang Hui quickly promised, "Dad, don’t worry, I’ll come back every week. Yoon Lian and Xiaoyu can just live here, it’s not far from their work either."

The old man smiled and patted his son on the shoulder, "Dad knows you’re filial, but you also need to be taken care of. Just remembering to visit these two old folks when you can rest is enough."

Unable to control himself anymore, Wang Hui let his tears fall like pearls slipping off a broken thread.

Since he was young, he had been afraid of his father and fond of his mother.

His mother always praised him and his siblings with a smile, while his father, for the most part, disciplined them without much humor.

As he grew older and started working, it was rare to receive praise and recognition from his father. Every time he went home, his mother would welcome him warmly, inquiring about his well-being. For this reason, he mostly chose to visit when his father was not at home.

After marrying and having a child, he gradually came to understand his father more, but his father remained to him a synonym for seriousness and omnipotence. His father had always been striving to provide for them, without making them too reliant on him. Perhaps, it was to prevent a day like this.

Regrettably, his elder brothers, because of their childhood experience of being fostered, always felt that the father must give them enough support as compensation and secure a bright future for them.

The father’s painstaking efforts were completely unappreciated, and even more so, they were met with resentment. They blamed the father for not considering them enough, which they thought led to their current situation.

He was the youngest; whatever he said, his elder brothers wouldn’t listen. Moreover, since they were young, they never liked him, thinking that he enjoyed too many blessings and had no right to tell them what to do.

Yet, with the retirement of their father, their siblings were unaffected, which truly was the best outcome. If their father had done as the elder brothers wished, the Wang family would likely have collapsed this time.

Such is the cruelty of political struggles. To ascend to kings and fall as bandits. To let go of everything like their father did, how many in power can truly achieve it?

As his son, he was proud! Yet as his son, he also felt pain for him, and at this moment, letting down all his defenses, he wept like a child...

Making such a decision also weighed heavily on Elder Wang’s heart. He sighed softly, not attempting to console, allowing Wang Hui to cry his eyes out. The door was gently pushed open, and Wang Jie’s head peeked in. Seeing the state of his father, he quickly retracted his head.

"Come in," Elder Wang grunted, "Why didn’t you knock just now?"

"Heh heh..." Wang Jie laughed sheepishly, "Uncle Zhou and Zhou Mikang are here. The eldest and the second uncle, as well as the eldest and second brothers, are blocking them from entering. Grandpa, should we let them in?"

Elder Wang glared at him, "What are you dragging your feet for?" He stood up and walked outside. He understood that his youngest grandson acted this way to get back at Zhou Mikang for the earlier misunderstanding.

But it was he himself who had intended for the misunderstanding to happen; how could he blame others? Most importantly, if he hadn’t done so, with Old Master Zhou’s stubbornness, he would never have chosen to side with Elder Long. They are pillars of the country; he couldn’t let them be buried because of him.

Wang Hui also hurried to dry his tears and followed outside. He and Zhou Jingping were friends.

Wang Yang and his son, as well as Wang Zhao and his son, were blocking the doorway, righteously accusing the Zhou family of "betrayal," berating the Zhou father and son for their "shamelessness"...

The women of the Wang family traditionally didn’t get involved in the men’s affairs, so they were all sitting in the hall, craning their necks to watch the excitement...

"Make way! All of you, make way!" Elder Wang frowned at his two sons and grandsons standing at the doorstep, yelling their heads off, feeling as if they had lost all face for him.

"Dad, after what they did, how can they have the face to show up?"

"Dad, you may be magnanimous and not bear grudges, but we can’t do that. Their family has today because of your support, but at the critical moment, they did such a thing. As for me, I would be ashamed to see you for the rest of my life!"

"Yeah, they’re just too shameless!"

"They have no decency at all!"

The two pairs of father and son stood at the door, each voicing their refusal to let anyone pass.

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"Will you move or not?"

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Before this, the eldest family and the second family were extremely afraid of Old Master Zhou, so much so that they dared not even breathe too loudly in front of him—not necessarily out of true fear, but hoping to gain more from him through compliance.

Now, knowing that Old Master Zhou could no longer offer them anything, they turned defiant, but deep down, there was still a hint of fear. Seeing Old Master Zhou truly angered, they hesitated for a moment and then stepped aside.

Outside the door, Zhou Jingping and Zhou Mikang stood calmly, in stark contrast to Wang Yang and his son and Wang Zhao and his son.

"Old Commander..." Zhou Jingping called out, his eyes reddening instantly. He hadn’t seen the old man for just a few days, and the elder had grown even leaner.

"Grandpa Wang, I’m sorry." Mikang said with a face full of shame, looking at Elder Wang, "It was too rash of me; I ask for your forgiveness, grandpa."

"No, you weren’t rash..." Old Master Wang stepped forward, patted Mikang on the shoulder, and started chuckling as he looked at the father and son, "Your arrival is faster than I expected. Honestly, I’m quite content now. It at least shows that I haven’t failed completely as a person. In such a short time, you’ve come to understand my true intentions." As he spoke, the smile on Old Master Wang’s face faded a bit as he thought of his eldest and second sons’ behavior.

"Let’s go inside." Elder Wang turned and led the way.

In that moment, Wang Hui moved beside Zhou Jingping and whispered, "Have you suffered much these past days?"

"Apart from a lack of freedom, not much else has changed." Zhou Jingping put his arm around him, "And you? How have you been recently?"

"Ah!" Wang Hui heaved a sigh, "It was for our sake that father took this step, so things haven’t changed much for me either."

"This commander..." Zhou Jingping let out a sigh and said nothing more.

Wang Jie was still angry with Zhou Mikang and stood far away, not coming any closer.

Zhou Mikang greeted Old Madam Wang, and after exchanging pleasantries with Qiao Xinzi, Wang Jie’s mother, he walked straight over to Wang Jie—As for the Eldest Uncle’s Wife, the Second Uncle’s Wife, and so forth, he didn’t even bother giving them a glance. With his personality, why would he put on a warm face for cold butts?

"Still mad at me? Don’t be so petty, my wife’s heart is bigger than yours." Mikang chastised Wang Jie seriously, and Wang Jie couldn’t help but roll his eyes at him, "Are you showing off that you have a wife? Who doesn’t have one? My son can already call me ’dad’. Can yours?"

Remembering he hadn’t even consummated his marriage yet, Zhou Mikang unconsciously rubbed his nose, "I will have one."

Seeing his gesture, Wang Jie knew he was feeling insecure, and immediately laughed with satisfaction, "Hurry up, or I’ll be marrying off my grandson while you’re still looking for a daughter-in-law."

"Your mouth is still as sharp as ever!" Mikang glared at him, then turned and walked towards Old Master Zhou’s study.

Wang Yu, Wang Jie’s sister, was not familiar with Zhou Mikang. After he went in, she approached Wang Jie and whispered, "Is he the one who liked Ye Meiru?"

"Yes." Wang Jie nodded.

"Does he still like her now?"

"Probably not." Wang Jie looked at his sister, "Why are you asking this? I’m not the worm in his stomach; how would I know whether he still likes her or not?"

"Ye Meiru got married." Wang Yu shrugged her shoulders, "That’s why I was curious to ask."

"Married?" Wang Jie was astonished, "When did that happen?"

"A week ago. She married Elder Huang’s eldest son, the one whose face was disfigured."

It used to be that Elder Wang, Elder Long, and Elder Huang formed a tripod of power, each leading their own group. Now with Elder Wang stepping down, it felt as if Elder Long and Elder Huang were sharing the world—of course, they were sharing the world in terms of power.

"How do you know?" Wang Jie looked at his sister incredulously, "With Ye Meiru’s character, how could she take a fancy to Huang Xinlong?"

"Have you forgotten that I’m classmates and colleagues with Huang Suye? She’s been downcast these days. When I asked her what the matter was, she said her brother married a ’worn shoe’ that everyone in the circle knows about."

"What does this have to do with Zhou Mikang?"

"Ye Meiru’s condition for marrying Huang Xinlong was to ask the Huang family to help clear the Zhou family’s name and to free the Zhou father and son."

"And then Elder Huang agreed?"

"Psh!" Wang Yu raised her eyebrows, "Does she have that much clout? It was Huang Xinlong who agreed, on the condition that she marries him first, and then he would help her out."

"Those two really are a match made in heaven." Wang Jie chuckled and shook his head, "Too bad Ye Meiru miscalculated this time. Mikang won’t be grateful to her."

"He once loved her so much, now that she has done this for him, won’t he be grateful?" Wang Yu looked puzzled, "If not, wouldn’t that be too heartless?"

"After what she did to Mikang, if he still loved her, still felt grateful to her, then Mikang would be sick in the head and beyond help," Wang Jie said vehemently, "That kind of woman is always so self-righteous!"

"Brother, why do you hate Ye Meiru so much?" Wang Yu eyed Wang Jie up and down, "Did she do something to offend you? Are you just waiting for her to get her comeuppance?"(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)