Chapter 234: Persuasion

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Persuasion

"Aren’t Grandpa and Grandma taking me with you?" The thought of being left behind sent Lin Jia Bao into a panic.

"It’s not that we aren’t taking you, we’re giving you the right to choose. You can either follow us and leave this place, or you can stay behind like your sister and live with your grandmother and uncle. It’s up to you." ’This way, we won’t be taking you away in secret, only for you to resent us for it one day.’

As Lin Kangshun patiently explained, he secretly exchanged a look with Yu Xiuying. They both saw the delight in each other’s eyes. ’If their grandson is this afraid of being abandoned, he definitely won’t choose to stay. They might not even have to waste their breath trying to persuade him. If he "decides" to leave on his own, he’ll have no reason to resent them for it later.’

The two of them had already agreed to say this. They were only paying lip service to the idea of generously giving Lin Jia Bao a choice; in reality, they had no intention of letting him stay behind alone. ’Are you kidding? He’s the Lin family’s only male heir. If he really stayed, wouldn’t he just grow more distant from his own family? Less close?’

’Children forget easily. After a while, with no contact with anyone here, his memories will naturally fade. Even if he were to return many years from now, how much of a bond would be left between him, Gu Jiayi, and the Tao family?’

"You know how small this town is. The tiniest thing becomes common knowledge. And lately, with everything that’s happened with your parents, one thing after another... the things people are saying are just awful. Think about it. When your father gets out of prison, won’t that just start another round of gossip?"

As Lin Kangshun explained why his family had no choice but to move, tears streamed down his old face. Yu Xiuying couldn’t hold back either and began wiping her own eyes. She choked out, "Jia Bao, do you think Grandpa and Grandma actually want to leave this place if we had any other choice? It’s hard to leave your home, they say. But compare the life you and your sister used to lead to now. Back then, even if you were a little mischievous, so many people would rush to praise you. And now? We think you’re so much more sensible than before, but have you heard a single person praise you? They don’t dare say it to your face, but do you think they’ve held back on the nasty things they say behind our backs? If we stay here, tell me, when will days like these ever end?"

"..." Lin Jia Bao lowered his head. ’Of course I know what Grandpa and Grandma are talking about. How could I truly not care that my classmates at school are shunning me and my sister?’

The temptation to leave this place—to go somewhere no one knew him or his family’s past and start over—suddenly became overwhelming. A look of longing and conflict crossed his face. He hesitated for a long time before looking uncertainly at Lin Kangshun and Yu Xiuying. He asked hopefully, "Grandpa, Grandma, can... can we take my sister with us, too? I... I’m really worried about leaving her here all by herself."

"No." Lin Kangshun glanced at his wife, whose face was already clouded with anger. He patted her hand soothingly before turning back to Lin Jia Bao, his expression one of suppressed grief as he shook his head. "We can’t accept her," he said bluntly. "At least, not right now. Bringing her along would only remind us of the pain your mother inflicted on our family. Especially with your father still in prison... Did you know he was injured in there two months ago? He even had to go to the hospital. But even with that, we couldn’t get him released early. We have to just stand by and watch him suffer. Honestly, he may have been a little impulsive, but what did he really do wrong? That’s our only son. Doesn’t it break our hearts to see him like this? If you were in our shoes, could you stand to have an enemy’s child parading in front of you every day?"

Lin Jia Bao bit his lower lip. ’I know what Grandpa is saying is true,’ he thought, but that very truth still made him feel utterly ashamed.

"I won’t lie to you. If you weren’t your father’s biological son, we probably wouldn’t be able to accept you right now, either." Lin Kangshun made no effort to hide this. ’There’s no point in hiding it. Before, when the two children couldn’t take living with the Gu Family anymore, they came to find us in secret. But our attitude back then wasn’t good. Jia Bao’s current lack of closeness to us has a lot to do with the trauma from that time. So, being honest about this now might actually win his understanding. Even if he can’t forgive us right away and still holds a grudge, he’ll figure it out and come to understand when he’s older.’

’From now on, I won’t spoil the boy blindly just because I dote on him. When he needs strict discipline, my wife and I won’t go easy on him. Only then will we be doing what’s truly best for the child—and what’s best for ourselves and our son.’

"I’m sorry..." Lin Jia Bao kept his head down, not daring to look at his grandparents’ faces. Adversity is the best teacher, and he was already far more mature than his peers. ’Even if I don’t want to admit it,’ he thought, ’I know that my mom and my sister’s biological father are the ones who caused all of this. It’s all their fault. So it’s understandable that Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad hate them... and by extension, hate my sister, my grandma, and my uncle...’

"It’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize to us. In fact, it’s not your sister’s fault either. If she could have chosen, I’m sure she would have wanted to be a child of the Lin family, not the Gu Family. But your mother didn’t give her that choice, and we can’t just pretend nothing ever happened. You have to understand our position, too. It’s impossible for us to dote on her and love her selflessly like we used to. If we brought her with us, I’m afraid that no matter what she did, right or wrong, it would only deepen our resentment. We’d find fault with her in everything. It’s better for her to just keep living with your grandmother and uncle than for things to be like that."

Lin Kangshun explained patiently, then paused. "If you want, we can take you over to say goodbye. We’ll give you a large sum of money, and you can personally hand it to your grandmother right in front of your sister. That money can be used for her future school fees or as her dowry. That way, you won’t have to worry even after you’ve left. What do you think?"

At the mention of giving away money, Yu Xiuying’s face twitched violently, but she managed to restrain herself after catching the warning glance from Lin Kangshun that told her to be patient.

Lin Kangshun’s gaze on Lin Jia Bao grew even kinder as he asked, "Have you made your decision?"

"If we give Grandma money, will my sister’s life really be better?" Lin Jia Bao murmured, his eyes distant.

"Of course. We probably won’t be back for a very, very long time, and we’d prefer you have as little contact with them as possible. With that money, at least you can have some peace of mind. In the future, whether your sister decides to continue her studies or get married early, your grandmother will be able to provide a good dowry for her, and your aunt’s attitude won’t be so harsh." Lin Kangshun nodded with calm certainty. "This is the last thing I, your grandmother, and your father can do for her. After all, we raised her for ten years. It would be a lie to say we have no feelings for her at all. This is just fate. Life is cruel."