A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1290: My Father's Little Lesson in Life! (Please Subscribe!)
Hua Shier naturally knew that Zhao Meilan had been released from prison. Not only did he know, but he also found the Zhao family's methods disgusting, especially their practice of exchanging Su Mingyu for a marriage. Therefore, he kindly helped them with some insignificant favors.

How did you help?
Of course, it was through connections that Zhao Meilan received some legal education, which resulted in her spending an extra year or so in prison.

For example, one day the discipline officer asked Zhao Meilan:

How did you get the injury on your face?

Zhao Meilan cried, "They hit me?"

She identified many people.

The warden suddenly realized: "Oh, you participated in a group fight. You've been given a demerit!"

Zhao Meilan quickly explained, "No, they ganged up on me!"

Butler: "Did you fight back?"

Zhao Meilan nodded through her tears: "But I didn't gain anything, I just got beaten up!"

The discipline officer characterized it as: "That was mutual fighting!"

Zhao Meilan cried out, "They all bully me, it's always been like this!"

The guards made it clearer: "Those who do not unite with their fellow inmates and engage in factionalism will receive a verbal warning!"

Zhao Meilan:
As soon as the clerk left, all the people she had pointed out surrounded her, and another brawl broke out.

Ultimately, because Zhao Meilan repeatedly refused to mend her ways and isolated all her fellow inmates, she was deemed to be resisting reform and served double her original one-and-a-half-year sentence before being released.

When Zhao Meilan was released, Su Mingzhe had already gone to study in the United States. The prison couldn't contact the Zhao family, so somehow they called Hua Shier.

Hua Shier certainly wouldn't go to pick up Zhao Meilan; if possible, he didn't want to have any involvement with her.

He told Su Mingcheng and Su Mingyu about the matter and left the decision of whether or not to pick up Zhao Meilan to them.

Since the arranged marriage, Su Mingyu had completely severed any remaining ties with Zhao Meilan, and in the end, only Su Mingcheng went to pick up his mother from prison.

That day, Su Mingcheng drove the Volkswagen Santana that Hua Shier had bought for him to the prison gate to wait for his mother to be released. When the time came, a figure with gray hair and a slightly hunched posture walked out.

Although her appearance had changed quite a bit, looking as if she had aged twenty years compared to three years ago, Su Mingcheng recognized his mother, Zhao Meilan, immediately because of their shared mother-son bond.

He rushed forward and called out, "Mom!"

The mother and son embraced and wept bitterly.

When Zhao Meilan saw her beloved second son, she perked up and patted Su Mingcheng on the shoulder, saying that he had grown taller and stronger. She then asked why her eldest son, Su Mingzhe, hadn't come.
Su Mingcheng said that his elder brother had gone to study in the United States and was not in China. Zhao Meilan was overjoyed to hear this and praised her eldest son for being promising.

Upon learning that Su Mingcheng had also been admitted to a prestigious university, she praised her second son extensively.

Finally, Zhao Meilan asked Su Mingyu with a gloomy expression why she hadn't come to pick her up.

Su Mingcheng was speechless. "Don't you even know why?"

Upon learning that Su Mingyu had also been admitted to Tsinghua University, Zhao Meilan's expression immediately darkened, and she then sneered:

"Su Daqiang is a fool. Girls are destined to belong to other families. In the past, they would have been considered a money-losing commodity. Instead of using the money to send Su Mingyu to college, you should save it for you and Mingzhe!"

Su Mingcheng disagreed. Who said girls are all a financial burden? You married my dad, and you brought so much benefit to my maternal grandmother's family.

Of course, he only dared to think these words in his heart.

He quickly said, "Mom, don't stand here. I'll take you to take a bath, have a meal, and change into some new clothes to get rid of the bad luck!"

When Zhao Meilan saw Su Mingcheng's car, she asked whose it was. Upon learning that Hua Shier had bought it for Su Mingcheng, she quickly pressed for more information.

Is your dad very rich now?

Su Mingcheng only said it was alright. He had made a lot of money through writing and even started a company. He was considered a wealthy man in Suzhou.

His words resonated with Zhao Meilan. On the way back, she sat in Su Mingcheng's car and poured out all the grievances she had accumulated over the years, leaving Su Mingcheng, who was driving, completely bewildered.

After venting her grievances, Zhao Meilan started cursing Su Daqiang and Su Mingyu, saying that Su Mingyu was unfilial and that Su Daqiang had ruined her life!

"Mingcheng, remember this: it's all your father's fault that Mom is like this. You must remember this!"

Zhao Meilan was furious that Su Daqiang was doing better than her, and even said that Su Daqiang had the ability to make money by writing, so why didn't he have to come out when he was with her, and instead made her suffer a hard life, and so on.

If Su Mingcheng had lived with his mother when his parents divorced, and had listened to Zhao Meilan's constant preaching over the years, he might have believed it.

But over the years, Hua Shier has repeatedly instructed and educated him, and he is no longer the impulsive and brainless Su Mingcheng he once was.

He still has a mother-son relationship with Zhao Meilan, but he doesn't believe everything his mother says. Su Mingcheng has now learned to distinguish right from wrong.

Zhao Meilan said that Su Mingyu was unfilial, but Su Mingcheng thought: Why didn't you say that you used Su Mingyu to exchange for a marriage with your uncle?

The practice of exchanging brides is a typical example of arranged marriage, which is illegal, especially since it involves marrying Su Mingyu off to an old cripple.

Even though he and Su Mingyu had never gotten along since childhood, Su Mingcheng was unwilling to see this happen. Therefore, he believed that his mother had made a mistake and that it was justified for her to be sentenced.

Another incident involved Zhao Meilan scolding Su Daqiang for being so capable that he didn't use his abilities and instead made him suffer.

Back when his parents were still married, Su Mingcheng knew very well that his mother lived like an empress dowager at home. You can't say that not living in a villa, not driving a luxury car, not being waited on, and not having abalone and rice every day meant she was suffering.

If anyone suffers, it's his father, Su Daqiang. He does housework all day long and is often beaten and scolded. How can he write anything good? He has no mood for writing.

Su Mingcheng could only laugh it off and then replied perfunctorily:

"Mom, let's talk about it when we get back!"

Su Mingcheng took Zhao Meilan to bathe, eat, and change her into new clothes. Then, according to Zhao Meilan's wishes, he sent her back to her parents' home in the countryside.

When Zhao Meilan got home, she learned that her younger brother had gone missing, and she and her mother hugged each other and cried for a long time.

Once Su Mingcheng went back to school, Zhao's mother started causing trouble.

"Meilan, do you know how much money that Su Daqiang made while you were in jail all these years?"

Zhao Meilan shook her head: "I only heard Mingcheng say that he made a lot of money from writing!"

Zhao's mother pouted;

"It's not just a lot, I heard from the college students in the village that there's some kind of ranking list, and that bastard Su Daqiang is on several of them. They even said that among domestic writers, Su Daqiang is the highest earner, and his name is on the rich list too!" "Daughter, let me tell you, you can't let him get away with this! All that money belongs to our family!"

As Zhao's mother spoke, Zhao's paralyzed father nodded vigorously, groaning and groaning, indicating that his wife was right!

Even with her warped values, Zhao Meilan couldn't help but nod, feeling a little embarrassed, and said:

"Mom, I've been divorced from Su Daqiang for several years now!"

Zhao's mother slapped her thigh:
"So what if you're divorced? You still gave him three children. Even if you didn't do anything great, you still put in the effort. That money should belong to our family. I don't care, you have to get that money back for me. Your father and I have suffered our whole lives, can't you let us enjoy ourselves a little?"

After she finished speaking and her daughter still didn't say anything, Zhao's mother simply started a ritual to summon the spirit:
"Her father, look at your good daughter from heaven!"

Zhao's father lay there groaning, indicating that he was not dead yet.
Zhao's mother was also a little embarrassed, as she hadn't had the chance to wail for many years and couldn't remember the words very well.

She quickly changed her tune: "Grandpa, please open your eyes in heaven and see! Your eldest grandson is nowhere to be found, and your granddaughter is so unfilial! And your grandma..."

The neighbor next door was puzzled and shouted from the yard, "Aunt Zhao, why is she cursing in the street!"

Zhao's mother rushed out and argued with the neighbor for half an hour. In the end, because she made too much and too frequent mouth movements, she lost a tooth. Only then did she realize that she had lost money. She came back cursing and swearing, which made Zhao Meilan both laugh and cry.

After venting to her neighbors, Zhao's mother felt much less angry and was able to speak calmly.

She cried as she spoke to Zhao Meilan:

“Look at your father, he can’t even afford medical treatment, and your brother has disappeared. Now that you’re in jail, do you think you can find a good job? Why don’t we go ask Su Daqiang for money? Can you really bear to see your parents continue to live such a miserable life?”

Zhao's mother knew her daughter's weakness; that's how she had manipulated her to get Zhao Meilan to agree to exchange Su Mingyu for Zhao Dali's marriage.

As expected, Zhao Meilan couldn't resist her mother's combination of persuasion and coercion. She was also resentful of her own miserable life after the divorce and Su Daqiang's glamorous life. In the end, she nodded in agreement.

However, after three years of hard labor, Zhao Meilan had developed a certain legal awareness. She knew that she and Su Daqiang were already divorced, and if she wanted to divide the money he earned after the divorce, no matter what, even if she felt that she was in the right, she would not receive legal support.

So Zhao Meilan came up with a roundabout strategy.

She bypassed Hua Shier and contacted her two sons directly, squeezing money out of Su Mingzhe and Su Mingcheng.

Hua Shier was well aware of Zhao Meilan's actions, so he reduced the living expenses for his two sons.

Previously, he had given his children plenty of living expenses, but after Zhao Meilan did this, Hua Shier started giving them just the right amount each time.

Anyway, there's enough for living expenses. If the two sons want to give money to Zhao Meilan's family, they'll have to tighten their belts. If they're willing, then they can suffer themselves.

In the end, Su Mingzhe had to work while studying abroad, and Su Mingcheng stopped driving because he couldn't afford gas.

When Su Mingyu found out, she scolded the two of them, saying they deserved it.

Su Mingcheng accused Su Mingyu of being unfilial, but Su Mingyu retorted directly to his face:
“Zhao Meilan isn’t even of retirement age yet. She doesn’t go out to work and lets the two of you, who are still in school, support her. You call that filial piety? You call that spoiling her!”

Although Su Mingcheng was indignant, he had no words to say. However, he was willing to give Zhao Meilan money, because in his heart, Zhao Meilan was the best to him.

Although getting money from his two sons greatly improved the Zhao family's living conditions, the Zhao family always considered it to be a small amount of money.

The newspapers say Su Daqiang earns hundreds of millions a year; all of that should belong to his family.

Zhao Meilan privately encouraged Su Mingcheng to compete with Su Mingyu for favor and inheritance, saying that Su Daqiang was mentally unstable and favored women over men. She said that if he didn't fight for it, most of the inheritance would go to Su Mingyu.

Following Zhao Meilan's instructions, Su Mingcheng spent some time cuddling around Hua Shier.

Finally, Hua Shier couldn't pretend to be confused, so he simply spoke frankly:

"Mingcheng, I know what you're thinking, but let me tell you, with my health, you'll definitely be the one to go first. I'm still healthy, and who knows, I might even have children. You shouldn't be thinking about things you shouldn't be thinking about. Just be a good person, and you'll definitely get your share of the benefits!"

Su Mingcheng blushed deeply after Hua Shier exposed his intentions, and refused to listen to Zhao Meilan's enticements any longer.

When Su Mingzhe graduated from Stanford, he disagreed with his girlfriend Wu Fei about his promise to Hua Shier to return to China. Unable to make up his mind, he told his mother Zhao Meilan.

Zhao Meilan immediately perked up. She told her eldest son not to come back, saying that the Ugly Country was so wonderful, and that people said the air was sweet and the poop smelled good. She insisted on staying there and that she and her maternal grandparents should be brought there to enjoy a life of luxury.

Su Mingzhe:
Zhao Meilan spoke harshly to her eldest son on the phone, saying that she had trained Su Mingzhe with the intention of sending him abroad, and now that he had succeeded, she would disown him if he came back.

Su Mingzhe is a bit blindly filial, and when Zhao Meilan said that he wanted to stay in the U.S. even if he had a girlfriend, he would still want to stay there, which immediately made him make up his mind.

Even though Hua Shier said on the phone that he would no longer provide him with any financial assistance, Su Mingzhe still reluctantly agreed.

He got a job at a company in Silicon Valley, and then he and Wu Fei rented a small apartment and lived a fairly happy life together.

Su Mingzhe is confident that with his knowledge and abilities, he can improve his living conditions within a few years, and at that time he will also be able to bring Zhao's mother to live in the Ugly Country.

After receiving Su Mingzhe's call, Hua Shier found it somewhat amusing. This Zhao Meilan, ignoring you, just gets more and more excited.

Then there's Su Mingzhe, who spent the least amount of time living with the three children in the Su family and was least influenced by him. Hua Shier usually disciplined Su Mingcheng but didn't give his eldest son many lessons.

This time, he planned to give Su Mingzhe a little life lesson, so that he could also receive the love and education from his father.

The purpose of education is twofold: first, to make Su Mingzhe give up his plans to stay in the U.S. If a Chinese person doesn't return home, what are they doing there, becoming a "banana" (a person who is culturally Westernized but culturally Westernized)? Second, to cultivate Su Mingzhe's ability to think independently, to prevent him from being blindly obedient to his parents, and to stop agreeing to everything Zhao Meilan says.

That day, Su Mingzhe picked up his girlfriend Wu Fei, who worked as a receptionist at a company in Silicon Valley, after get off work. The two went to a convenience store near their home to buy groceries.

Then Hua Shier, wearing a Captain America mask and carrying an AK, rushed into the convenience store and fired a burst of bullets at the ceiling, scaring everyone inside into lying on the floor.

This guy said in rap English with a distinctly Nigerian accent:

"Start your zero-yuan purchase now!"

Then they ransacked the convenience store's checkout counter.

Su Mingzhe and Wu Fei were almost scared to death. Although they often saw this kind of news in the United States, this was the first time they had encountered something like this in real life because they used to live in school dormitories.

After returning home, both of them had the same thought: Is the Ugly Country really as good as they imagined?

Hua Shier was just letting Su Mingzhe and his wife experience the unique characteristics of the U.S., but this appetizer doesn't seem to have any effect.

Just as he was pondering whether to have Old De organize some kind of operation in Silicon Valley, Old De unexpectedly called ahead of him and told Hua Twelve some good news.

Zhao Dali, a lumberjack in Siberia, has fallen seriously ill. It is estimated that he suffered some problems after his surgery and was also exposed to the cold in Siberia in the past two years. Now he has severe kidney failure and needs a kidney transplant!
Hua Shier's eyes lit up. He was just thinking about how to teach Su Mingzhe a lesson when this material came to him. It seemed like he could also educate Su Mingcheng at the same time. It was killing two birds with one stone.

　Thanks to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, and __Gii for their donations, and to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)