I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The moment I opened the door, I saw a family of three eating, and the lively atmosphere came to an abrupt halt.

"Dad, I'm on summer vacation." Gu Tong'an said, her head down.

Stepmother Yang Yun snapped out of her shock: "Tong An, you're on holiday? You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, sit down, Auntie will get you some rice."

Yang Yun got up and went to the kitchen, but Gu Yongqiang said coldly, "How old are you? Go get it yourself."

Yang Yun remained frozen in mid-air before sitting back down.

"I've already eaten. Dad, I found a summer job with a classmate, and I'll start tomorrow. I'm staying at my classmate's house."

Gu Tong'an didn't eat lunch. He didn't want to eat; he just wanted to tell his father as soon as possible so he could leave this suffocating home.

Gu Yongqiang was somewhat surprised, but his expression softened: "Alright, be careful."

"You guys eat, I'll be going now."

As Gu Tong'an was about to leave, Yang Yun stood up: "Tong'an, what kind of work do you do? How much do you earn a month? Jobs are hard to find these days, are you sure they're not scamming you?"

"No, it's... cleaning up filth at the hospital... a dozen or so yuan a month, enough to eat."

For some reason, Gu Tong'an didn't want to tell the truth. The better he did, the more jealous his stepmother became. Only when he suffered and worked hard would his stepmother be happy.

"Oh, sewage treatment? That's pretty dirty. Yeah, jobs are so hard to find these days, especially summer jobs. Unlike Fang Yi, who just sits in an office, handling newspapers and mail, it's easy, and he gets twenty dollars a month."

Fang Yi is Yang Yun's daughter. She is a temporary worker, and her comfortable job was obtained through her father's connections.

Yang Yun's provocation made Gu Yongqiang feel a bit embarrassed: "Sewage treatment, to put it bluntly, is just garbage disposal. You're a college student, you don't care about your reputation, but I do.

Gu Yongqiang was the chairman of the labor union at the cement plant. He didn't have real power, but he was at least a leader.

"Dad, my classmate is capable, and so am I. Summer jobs are hard to find anyway, and I want to enter the workforce as soon as possible."

Yang Yun was in a real dilemma. She wanted to show off her daughter's respectability, but she was also afraid that Gu Tong'an would not go to work during the summer vacation and would stay at home instead.

"That's right, Lao Gu. The child is sensible. Only when he earns money can he take care of you. Tong An, go ahead and do a good job. Remember to come back and visit your father often."

It's really inconvenient for such a big boy to live at home; let him leave quickly.

"Filial piety? Humph, does he even care about me as his father? Apart from his mother and his maternal grandparents, he doesn't respect anyone else." Gu Yongqiang said irritably.

"Look at what you're saying. What child doesn't love their mother? Beijing is a big city. It's only natural that they look down on us ordinary citizens."

Yang Yun said with a smile, seemingly defending Gu Tong'an, but actually adding fuel to the fire.

"What's wrong with Beijing? Are Beijingers superior? Weren't his grandparents all black categories back then? They lived well thanks to me, a worker. But when they were exonerated, they just turned their backs and ran away. Heartless bitch."

Gu Yongqiang gets angry whenever his ex-wife is mentioned.

The word "bitch" ignited Gu Tong'an's anger. He said coldly, "Didn't you divorce your wife because you liked Aunt Yang and Mom found out?"

Gu Tong'an also had a distant relationship with his mother. He was raised by his grandmother when he was a child. His parents were both very busy, especially his mother, who worked overtime to compete for the title of model employee in her workplace.

Dad has an easy job but doesn't like to go home, so Gu Tong'an lives with her retired grandparents.

When I was sixteen, my parents divorced.

His mother returned to Beijing, and his grandparents passed away one after another. After graduating from high school, he went to live with his maternal grandparents in Beijing.

His mother remained as strong-willed as ever, ignoring him completely. Even when he returned to Huailin last year to take the college entrance examination, she didn't ask him anything.

Gu Tong'an's words completely ripped away Gu Yongqiang's pretense of decency. He slammed his hand on the table and yelled, "You actually dare to lecture me? Who do you think you are?"

Yang Yun felt as if she had been stripped naked: "Gu Tong'an, do you look down on me from the bottom of your heart? Yes, your father likes me, but isn't it because your own mother is incompetent and can't control her man? You act all high and mighty, what's so great about that? Didn't you still get abandoned by your father?"

"My mother was not abandoned by anyone. She insisted on getting a divorce, and she is truly remarkable. She doesn't rely on men and supports herself in Beijing."

You may love each other, but you must not disrespect my mother.

Gu Yongqiang was furious and slapped him across the face: "If your mother is so powerful, go to Beijing to find her! What are you doing staying in Huailin?"

Gu Tong'an didn't cry. She stood straight and said coldly, "It's you who won't let Mom take me away, it's you who blocked my household registration. You don't want me to go with Mom, not because you love me so much, but because you're using this to threaten Mom."

"Dad, the reason I call you Dad is to repay the kindness of my grandparents in raising me. They nurtured me and gave me a happy childhood. What have you parents done? Have you ever thought about me? If I had a choice, I would rather die than be your son."

Mom hates Dad, so she hates him.

Dad hates Mom, so he hates him.

However, the mother never said anything harsh; she chose not to see her son.

But his father always said the harshest things to him, making him sad.

"You, you unfilial son, if you don't want to be my son, then go die! Die now!"

Gu Yongqiang was so excited that he trembled all over and overturned the entire table of food.

"I won't die, because I'm an adult now and no longer need your charity. I'm here today just to tell you that I won't be coming home anymore. If you get sick or die, I will fulfill my duties as a son."

After saying that, Gu Tong'an turned and left. Gu Yongqiang cursed fiercely, "You're just as heartless and ungrateful as your mother. Get out, I don't have a son like you..."

Gu Tong'an left this unfamiliar home. His father's words, "You are just as heartless and ungrateful as your mother," made his heart ache unbearably.

Was my mother just as angry as I was back then, which is why she resolutely got a divorce?

It was already 1 p.m., and the steamed bun shop was closed. Gu Tong'an endured her hunger and returned to Yao Xing's rented room.

There were no leftovers at Yao Xing's house, and dinner was still early, so Gu Tong'an climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and fell into a deep sleep.

When Yao Xing got home from get off work, he saw Gu Tong'an sleeping, so he quickly went to wash the rice and cook.

"You're off work?" Gu Tong'an was woken up and opened her eyes groggily.

"Gu Tong'an, what happened to your face?" Yao Xing asked loudly in surprise.

"Face? Oh, my dad hit me." Gu Tong'an smiled indifferently.

"You're home? Did you two argue again?"

"Okay, it's alright. Hurry up and cook, I didn't eat lunch."

Gu Tong'an got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and hurriedly went to the public toilet.

Yao Xing came from the countryside. His father had a bad temper and would beat him, but after he grew up, he rarely hit him anymore, at most kicking him once.

Gu Tong'an's father is from the city, so why did he hit his child and slap his face?