Chapter Nineteen: Crying Out Loud

  Zhang Yun's face turned red with anger at Mrs. Fang's words, but she had heard them many times before and was not easily embarrassed. She smiled sweetly and said, "Mother is right, these two children are very spoiled. They have been here for so many days, causing Father and Mother to worry."

  "Don't worry, although they didn't understand the rules for the first few days after arriving, they were fine afterwards. How is it that as soon as these two children show a bit of discipline, you want to take them away?" Old Lady Fang said with sarcasm, "I really can't understand, clearly they are two well-behaved and obedient children, but as soon as they follow you home, they become like that."

  What's the point? It's not like your son is any different! Zhang Yun cursed in her heart, but she didn't dare show a hint of it on her face. She still forced a smile and said, "It's just that the children's grandfather has been urging us, saying it's been a long time since he saw his two grandsons and wants to take them over to live with him for a while."

  Mrs. Fang snorted, she could make things difficult for her daughter-in-law, but it wasn't good to speak ill of her own family, after all, Old Master Zhang's prestige still lingered, and the Zhang family's power was on the rise, and Zhang Yun was grasping this point, often bringing up his own maternal family to embarrass her.

  Fang Zikai was greatly disappointed that he failed to defeat his sister and suffered humiliation today. He had been fighting with Fang Zixuan for so many years, but in fact, he had never won before. Although this result made him a bit resentful, it was still acceptable. What was more painful for him now was that Zhang Yun was going to take them to the Zhang's house.

  Their grandfather Zhang was a military man and wasn't as easy-going as Grandfather Fang. When the siblings made mistakes, Grandfather Fang would only punish them by making them copy books or grounding them. But Grandfather Zhang was not so refined and cultured. He had a violent temper, and once he got angry, he would whip out his belt and give them a good thrashing. As a girl, Fang Zixuan was spared the worst of it, but Fang Zipeng, who was spoiled and had a bad temper, suffered greatly at his hands. The mere mention of going to Grandfather Zhang's house was like being sentenced to death.

  Zhang Yun knew the thoughts of the two children, but also had her own difficulties. After the two children grew up, it was not easy for cousins to help each other, and not to mention hurting each other. The only ones she could really rely on were still Zhang's relatives. Even if the two were resistant, she would still insist on sending them over to cultivate their feelings.

  Mr. Zhang was a failure in educating his daughter, due to his violent temper which only worked on boys. His principle was not to hit women, including daughters and granddaughters. Not only did he not hit them, but he also spoiled them with all his might. As a result, the girls in the Zhang family were somewhat pampered, while the boys under his strict guidance turned out to be excellent one by one. This is also the reason why Mr. Zhang has been retired for so many years and the Zhang family has always stood firm.

  The Zhang family didn't produce any outstanding talents, so Zhang Yun's several brothers and nephews naturally looked down on her two children. Fang Zixuan, although a girl, smoked and drank like a man, and even street-raced, almost no different from a hoodlum, and naturally became the laughing stock of the spoiled young ladies in the Zhang family. Fortunately, Old Man Zhang only lived with his eldest son Zhang Qi's family, so there was no need to worry about those pampered female cousins when visiting the Zhangs.

  Old Man Zhang was strict, and the relationship between his children wasn't close either. Going to the Zhang's house was even more unbearable than being imprisoned at the Fang's house. Fang Zipeng's face turned pale, and when he went to the Zhang's house, he didn't even dare to think about "escaping". His grandfather's whip wasn't something to be trifled with.

  "Mom, can I not go?" Fang Zipeng felt more and more wronged as he thought about what had happened to him today, and his old grievances surged up in his heart. He suddenly let out a loud wail and burst into tears.

  Zhang Yun was startled by this and became flustered, every time Fang Zixu went to the Zhang's house he would make a scene like this, so she specifically chose a time when Old Lady Fang wasn't home to come pick them up. Unexpectedly, her intel was wrong, originally Old Lady Fang was supposed to go out for tea but for some reason didn't leave, and instead stood there with a smug expression watching her, "What's this about the children's grandfather missing them? Afraid it's just another excuse of yours? Look at Zixu's attitude, clearly he doesn't want to go. I suppose he must have suffered quite a bit in the Zhang household..."

  As soon as Fangzi Peng heard her grandmother speak up for her, she immediately ran over and hugged Grandma Fang's leg, "Grandma, save me! I don't want to go to the Zhangs'!"

  Zhang Yun's face turned even uglier, and he rarely got angry with his son, "Fang Zipeng, shut up!"

  "Why are you being so harsh to the child?" Mrs. Fang looked at her with disdain, bent down and hugged Fang Zikai, "Tell grandma, why don't you want to go to the Zhang's house? Is it because the brothers and sisters in the Zhang's family were mean to you?"

  "Mother, you can't just say something like that!" Zhang Yun was outraged by the old lady's words.

  "Everyone in the Zhang family is a bad person! Grandpa would use such a thick leather belt to whip people!" Fang Zipeng cried, "Every time I go there he says he wants to break my legs!..."

  "Fang Zikong! What nonsense are you spouting?! Zhang Yun was so angry that he almost turned over, but although Old Master Zhang had scolded him fiercely, had he ever really laid a hand on him? Thinking of his grandson, his father had never been severe with him. That time when he got a beating, she was heartbroken too and had blamed her father, but deep down she knew the old man did it for his own good. She couldn't bear to discipline her son, and her husband's personality was also not suitable for teaching children, so their two children were basically left untaught. Only Old Master Zhang could control Fang Zikong, but unexpectedly he had been holding a grudge against him."

  "Whipping him?" Mrs. Fang was taken aback, this was beyond her expectations. As a member of the aristocracy, she had never heard of such barbaric methods. Initially, she just wanted to teach her daughter-in-law a lesson, but now she truly felt sorry for her grandson. He was still just a child, and his own uncle could be so cruel! "A tiger wouldn't eat its own son! Zhang Yun, you have a heart of stone! I'm telling you, as long as I'm still breathing, you'll never take him out of the Fang family's gate!"

  Zhang Yun was really flustered this time, and it could be seen that Mrs. Fang had truly become angry. This old lady usually looked gentle, but once she got angry, even Mr. Fang would fear her for a while.

  "But Zhang's family has already prepared everything..." Zhang Yun started speaking incoherently, unsure of how to wrap up the situation in front of him.

  "I've never seen a mother like you, who's in such a hurry to push her own children into the fire pit. If you can't even be a good mother, then don't be one at all! I'll take care of these two kids!" Madam Fang was still fuming, and what she said might not have been entirely sincere. But Chen Ge, who had come down upon hearing the commotion, looked complex, fearing that the old lady might actually harbor such thoughts. If Madam Fang were to really take charge of Fang Zixuan and his sister, they would naturally develop feelings for her over time, and by then, wouldn't all the advantages have gone to the third family? She had a mind to go and persuade them, but she also knew that it was impossible with the current situation.