Chapter 628: Chapter 626: Kindhearted Father 5
The bitterness that had been suppressed deep within emerged once again, and Zhuo Qiaoqing’s eyes reddened as she saw Ah Chen staring at her, so she walked over.
"Did you hear it?"
It was so loud, how could she not have heard it?
In fact, as long as she was at home, whenever she and Ran Zhengfeng quarreled, their daughter could never completely ignore it. Sometimes, after she and Ran Zhengfeng argued, their daughter wouldn’t say anything but would comfort her through other actions.
"I heard it, did Wei Yue get sick?" Ah Chen asked, "Since last week, Wei Yue indeed hasn’t come to school."
The commissioner noticed this but didn’t care. She wished Wei Yue would stay away from her life, but it was never to be.
Zhuo Qiaoqing sighed, "Yes, I just found out too. Your dad has been coming home very late recently because Wei Yue is sick and is currently in the hospital..." At this point, her tone became sharp, "Chenchen, no matter what your dad says, you’re not allowed to agree to be a donor match! This kind of thing shouldn’t be your responsibility, and you’re not obligated to bear it!"
She could be called selfish or cold, as long as her daughter wasn’t hurt.
"Don’t worry, Mom, I won’t agree." Ah Chen reassured Zhuo Qiaoqing.
There’s no rule in this world that anyone must make sacrifices for someone else. It’s not just strangers; even with blood relations, you can’t forcibly make someone donate anything.
Other people’s life is life, but so is one’s own.
"Previously, when Dad took my new phone, he only told me that there was a very pitiful sick child at the orphanage who was bored in the hospital and wanted to give this phone to the child temporarily. So it was Wei Yue." Ah Chen added, knowing Ran Zhengfeng was aware of everything. If he directly said it was Wei Yue, the commissioner might not have agreed.
Ran Zhengfeng cared far more for Wei Yue, was particularly attentive to him, and even considered adopting him at one point, which raised a lot of alarm and resentment in the commissioner’s heart.
Hearing this, Zhuo Qiaoqing’s eyes reddened, gently stroking Ah Chen’s head, "Chenchen, it’s Mom’s fault."
Chenchen being so calm, is it because she, too, has completely lost faith in this irresponsible father?
Things have reached such a point that maintaining surface peace is no longer possible.
Taking advantage of the moment, Zhuo Qiaoqing decided to share her thoughts; it would be unfair to her daughter not to be clear.
"Chenchen, do you still want to live with your dad in this house?" After three minutes, Zhuo Qiaoqing tentatively asked.
Ah Chen paused, then said, "Mom, Dad is more concerned about the kids at the orphanage, and even if he’s home, he doesn’t spend much time with me, but instead..."
Though she didn’t finish, Zhuo Qiaoqing understood.
She closed her eyes, realizing that Ran Zhengfeng thoroughly chilled his daughter’s heart. Chenchen is such a well-behaved and sensible child.
She suddenly hugged Ah Chen, "Mom will only be good to Chenchen. You’re the most important thing in Mom’s heart; no one can compare."
"Chenchen, how about just the two of us live together in the future?"
Finally speaking these words, Zhuo Qiaoqing felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, feeling a sense of relief—it wasn’t so hard to make such a decision after all.
Why did she keep trapping herself in this situation?
Why must she always be the kind and forgiving one?
Looking back at what she did over the years, Ran Zhengfeng hurt her daughter, and as a mom, how was she any different? If she had realized earlier, Chenchen would have been happier and wouldn’t have been neglected by Ran Zhengfeng or even had her favorite things taken away.
"Mom, I’ve grown up; I’ll be an adult next year, so you don’t need to worry about me," Ah Chen said with a smile. "Of course, I’m willing to live alone with Mom. In my heart, Mom is also the most important; no one can replace her."
Tears flowed down Zhuo Qiaoqing’s face, blaming herself, truly blaming herself—if only she had realized sooner.
Her daughter is so understanding; she seems unaffected, but the memories before adulthood must have been terrible.
"From now on, Mom won’t let you suffer any more grievances," Zhuo Qiaoqing said, wiping her tears, her eyes filled with determination. She wanted to spend more time making it up to her daughter. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she owed her—she was such a terrible mom before.
"I’ll find a time to talk with your dad," Zhuo Qiaoqing said, not rushing this decision since she wanted to save some money first. Funny enough, after all these years, she hadn’t saved much. Apart from covering the family’s daily expenses and social obligations, she still had a mortgage to pay.
This house was bought in their eighth year of marriage, and the mortgage wasn’t paid off yet.
When they bought this house, she had a big argument with Ran Zhengfeng, who didn’t plan to buy a house and thought renting was the same, thus saving a huge expense. But she wasn’t willing—being single or dating didn’t matter, but in her view, since they were married with children, a house was a must. In the end, they indeed bought it. Buying wasn’t timed well—it was an unfortunate high-price purchase, but Zhuo Qiaoqing never regretted it.
Before having a house, they moved numerous times, feeling tired and weary each time.
The school had dormitories, but with a child, they couldn’t always live there. She wished for a spacious and bright space for her daughter with a big room of her own.
"How much homework have you done?" Zhuo Qiaoqing asked. She had printed the exam papers herself and knew the workload was heavy, but she just wanted to make it up to her daughter, even if temporarily unable to buy a new phone for her—taking her out to play was good enough too.
"I’ve done half," Ah Chen replied. "Does Mom have any plans?"
"How about we go out to play today?" they rarely went out to play together. "You can finish the other half tomorrow." Zhuo Qiaoqing added, knowing with her daughter’s capability, it wouldn’t be a problem. Her heart ached—they had gone out before, but as a family, they almost never went alone as a family. They mostly went out to eat. Why was that? Because if Ran Zhengfeng agreed to such activities, it would inevitably involve taking the orphanage kids or bringing Wei Yue along.
When Wei Jinming was around, Ran Zhengfeng often took Wei Yue with them on family trips because Wei Jinming’s work was extremely tiring.
"Where are we going?" Ah Chen asked with interest, eager not to spoil the mood over such matters.
The commissioner might not return, but she would fulfill her entrusted promise, making Zhuo Qiaoqing happy for life.
"Let’s go to the zoo; didn’t you always love small animals?" At this point, Zhuo Qiaoqing swallowed her words—she intended to say to take photos but the new phone was taken by Ran Zhengfeng, and her daughter’s phone not only lagged, but the resolution wasn’t good either.
Zhuo Qiaoqing calculated the money in her card—just over thirty thousand, her alarm threshold. If it falls below this number, it could be a disaster if an emergency arises without sufficient funds.
In fact, two or three thousand could buy a decent phone, but she wanted to get her daughter a better one. Her current phone was an adult’s hand-me-down. In hindsight, while Ran Zhengfeng didn’t care for his daughter, she inadvertently overlooked many things too.
But her daughter was so understanding, never complained.
Overly mature children often suffer, mainly because they aren’t regularly showered with affection.
