Chapter 324: Reunion Dinner（2）
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
16 years ago, Huo Xuenong has been shocked to learn the truth. Never had he imagine that after getting drunk on a business trip in his younger years and mistaking Zhang Feng as his wife for one evening would get her pregnant! Zhang Feng had been his nurse for so many years and had eventually been promoted to head nurse. She hadn’t said a word about it for 20 years!
“That year you took off to go home and give birth, then quietly had the child raised by your parents, you must have been under a lot of pressure.” Grandfather Huo looked at Zhang Feng with pity and smoothed her hair. Her previously black and glossy hair now had streaks of silver.
Zhang Feng took Grandfather Huo’s arm and helped him to the chair. She took out the blood pressure monitor and stethoscope to examine Grandfather Huo and said, “I had no choice back then. You and Mrs. Huo were deeply in love, how could I wreck your happy family? It was my fault and you had no idea that I secretly had the child. I’ll bear the responsibility for the whole thing.”
“Would you have never said anything if Guanyuan hadn’t been through the accident?” Grandfather Huo pitied Zhang Feng even more.
“Yes.” Zhang Feng skillfully attached the blood pressure meter to Grandfather Huo’s arm and checked it as she whispered, “You were so sad back then, and I was worried about your health. I know that even a bad mood could affect your health. As your head nurse, my job has been to improve your health for so many years. I can only be successful if you are well.”
Aside from this reason, Grandfather Huo also knew that if Zhang Feng had exposed this incident back then, not only would his family have been destroyed, but also all his work in the military. He would have never been promoted to general, by rather immediately terminated from the military. He also knew that his wife would have never forgiven him, and that her family would have never let it go. Thinking of all this, Grandfather Huo felt very conflicted. He recalled his wife’s personality and sighed without saying anything more.
Zhang Feng glanced at Grandfather Huo and asked, “Elder Huo, what is it?”
“Nothing. Back then you were just a young woman who had gone back home to give birth; luckily, they were good to you.” Grandfather Huo sighed, “Your family—”
“Don’t worry about them. It’s been so many years and you’ve helped them enough.” Zhang Feng put away the blood pressure monitor in is box. “Your blood pressure is still fine. I’m always terrified whenever you get angry.”
Grandfather Huo patted her hand. “I know everything, so don’t worry. I won’t treat you or Baochen’s family poorly.”
“I know.” Zhang Feng looked at Grandfather’s Huo elderly yet handsome face, her eyes full of admiration. For the first time, she took his hands into hers and whispered, “Elder Huo… Xuenong…I’ll only say these things once: I’ve never blamed you. I willingly gave birth to your child.”
Grandfather Huo trembled and he reflexively grabbed her hand. His lips shook for a while before he finally said, “Feng, just a bit longer. I’ll find a way to have the two children change their last names.”
Zhang Feng shook her head, “No need, Elder Huo. It’s better that this stays within the family. If we go through the fanfare of changing last names, people will watch us like it is a joke.”
“But…” Grandfather Huo wanted all his grandchildren to be Huo’s—he had even accepted Huo Jialan, who wasn’t even his actual grandchild. How could he have his own grandchildren use another family name?
“Think about Shaoheng? You’ve retired, but Guanchen and Shaoheng are still in the military. Wouldn’t they be embarra.s.sed?” Zhang Feng urged him pa.s.sionately, “This won’t do. It was also a big mess when the family first came here.”
Grandfather Huo’s expression darkened. Huo Shaoheng had had the most intense reaction when Zhang Baochen and Qian s.h.i.+hui brought Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie to the Huo manor. But at the time, everyone had ignored him and he hadn’t the power to convince others. He had grown even more reticent and even treated Zhang Wenna and Zhang Wenjie very poorly.
“Shaoheng was very close to his grandmother. His mother was busy with experiments and his father focused on the military. You were also very busy and Shaoheng was practically raised by his grandmother, so of course it’s reasonable he had such a reaction. You shouldn’t be upset with him.” Zhang Feng could tell what Grandfather Huo was thinking when she saw his expression. She took her time gently explaining the situation.
Grandfather Huo replied icily, “That won’t do either! You are his elder, he must respect you!”
“It’s fine, just relax today; it’s Lunar New Year after all. We can talk about this tomorrow.” Zhang Feng sighed, “If you really want to argue, I’ll just have to take Baochen’s family out of the manor.”
“I forbid you!” Grandfather Huo hastily grabbed Zhang Feng’s arm. “This is an order!”
Zhang Feng froze, then nodded slowly, “Roger, Chief.”
“Well, you can go freshen up and come with me to Shaoheng’s official residence to celebrate the New Year. Just go as… my nurse. Say that I’m not feeling well and that you need to be by my side.” Grandfather Huo had thought about it: he could only use such a tactic with someone as stubborn as Huo Shaoheng.
Zhang Wen understood what he was implying and was very touched. She took his hand and sat with him for a while before leaving to get changed. After she put on a new outfit, she called Zhang Baochen and Qian s.h.i.+hui from the internal phone line and asked them to come to her room.
“Mother, what is this? Do we really have to go too?” Zhang Baochen was uneasy. “Shaoheng has never liked us, and that’s why he never comes home for New Year.”
Zhang Feng looked up and sighed when she saw her son’s timidness. It was her fault for insisting on giving birth to him but not raising him where he should have been raised. Although her family was good to Zhang Baochen, it hadn’t been the ideal environment. The Zhang’s house could never compare to the Huo manor. With a different family background, the way children had been raised were like night and day. “It’s not that Shaoheng’s not coming home because of us,” Zhang Feng replied dryly. “It’s because his parents divorced—what would happen to his mother if he came back? Are you stupid for not realizing that?”
Zhang Baochen flushed when he was scolded by his mother in front of his wife. Qian s.h.i.+hui pitied him and quickly said, “Mother, Baochen is right. Although the main reason is because of his parents, we are also… disliked by him.”
” Can’t you find a way to change his mind if he dislikes you?” Zhang Feng set down her hairbrush and turned to look at her son and daughter-in-law. “Don’t you understand that the situation depends on how you handle it? Wenna and Wenjie are smarter than the two of you.”
Zhang Baochen pursed his lips without speaking, the stubborn look akin to Grandfather Huo. Zhang Feng softened when she saw her son’s expression and explained gently, “Actually, Shaoheng isn’t such a cold hearted person. I used to think the same way as you do and thought that our relations.h.i.+p was irreparable. But I heard that he was very caring towards that orphan girl when he returned this time, so I know he’s not really that emotionless.”
“Are you talking about Gu Nianzhi?” Qian s.h.i.+hui couldn’t helping pouting. “That little girl has a silver tongue; she could even convince the angels to come down from heaven. How can we compare to her?”
“You can’t, but Wenna and Wenjie can!” Zhang Feng stood up. “No matter what mistakes I made, that’s as a grandmother. Shaoheng can hate me and hate the two of you, but he can’t hate Wenna and Wenjie. You’d better not sway the children. All of my life I’ve wanted my grandchildren to not have to worry about anything and live like the true upper cla.s.s.”
Zhang Baochen and Qian s.h.i.+hui shared a glance, not understanding Zhang Feng’s words. Their family didn’t lack in money. Qian s.h.i.+hui’s family were business people and she was the only child. Herself and her children would inherit everything from the Qian’s. “Mother, Wenna and Wenjie never had to worry about anything to begin with. They will be able to live happily.” Qian s.h.i.+hui helped Zhang Feng put on a jacket. “Don’t worry! Isn’t it great that our family can live well? Why should we…” Why should we go get our faces slapped? She finished the rest of her sentence in her head, careful not to betray her feelings.
Zhang Feng looked at Qian s.h.i.+hui’s content face and shook her head. “s.h.i.+hui, I don’t want to scold you, but how can you not know about Shaoheng’s grandmother’s family? You’ve lived in the Huo manor for so many years already.”
“Shaoheng’s grandmother? What’s her name?” Qian s.h.i.+hui’s interest was piqued. “Can her family be even more powerful than the Huo’s?”
“Her last name is Xie, Xie Ziyan. I don’t know if the Xie’s are more powerful than the Huo’s, but they were the ones to establish the first stock exchange in the nation.” Zhang Feng looked at Qian s.h.i.+hui like she was an idiot. “Get it? She was the daughter of that Xie family. She was the only child in her generation.”