1092 Even the Biological Father Was Afraid
Qiao Dongliang took a deep breath. “Let’s go home first.” It would be so embarrassing if anyone were to overhear their conversation today.
Zijin had endured sufferings but she dared not seek justice from the main culprits. Instead, she only bullied Nan Nan. To put it bluntly, Zijin was just a timid and weak coward.
As Qiao Dongliang was already angered, Qiao Zijin could only restrain her temper. She dared not flare up like a princess or like she did in the past. She could only abidingly follow behind Qiao Dongliang’s footsteps like a little daughter-in-law. The father-daughter pair then quietly returned to the small courtyard of the Qiao family.
At the sight of the father-daughter pair coming back looking sad and gloomy despite having gone out happily, Ding Jiayi exploded like firecrackers without anyone lighting her up. “Why do both of you have such expressions when you’re back? Did that wretched girl scorn you or join forces with outsiders to bully you? How dare she! I will look for her to settle scores with her. Did she really think that she can be lawless and fearless after she is married to Zhai Sheng? She doesn’t even respect her biological parents and sister anymore? I want to ask the Zhai family whether they really dare to take in such a wretched girl who refuses to acknowledge any of her kin!”
Ding Jiayi did not gain anything from Zhai Sheng and Qiao Nan’s marriage.
No matter how good this marriage was, it was not considered a good marriage to Ding Jiayi if she did not stand to gain anything from it.
Since this was a marriage that she did not consider good, what was the use of having such a marriage? She might as well wreck it.
Qiao Dongliang only remembered the bride price after Qiao Zijin reminded him. However, Ding Jiayi had already been targeting the bride price from the Zhai family to Qiao Nan.
The problem was that they had agreed before that Qiao Nan would be under Qiao Dongliang’s custody after the divorce.
The husband and wife had not even revived their marriage. If Qiao Dongliang did not speak about this, Ding Jiayi was not qualified to use her status as Qiao Nan’s mother to request for the bride price from the Zhai family.
After she found out that Qiao Zijin had thought about this and even persuaded Qiao Dongliang, Ding Jiayi was smug. She felt that Qiao Zijin, her elder daughter, truly resembled her.
When the father-daughter pair went to the house of the Zhu family, Ding Jiayi had already pinched her fingers to count the money and decide what she wanted to use it for upon receiving the bride price from the Zhai family.
When she saw the expressions on the father-daughter pair when they arrived home, Ding Jiayi was certain that not a single cent had fallen into their hands regardless of what the bride price was.
“Can you stop? Do you want me to flare up?!” He had just found out that the conflict between his elder daughter and the younger daughter was all due to Ding Jiayi. Qiao Dongliang was still burning with anger.
He had intended to persuade Qiao Zijin but Qiao Zijin had gone into a dead end for almost twenty years. Even if Qiao Dongliang wanted to pull Qiao Zijin out, he had to see if Qiao Zijin was willing to come out.
Obviously, Qiao Zijin would not listen to him at this moment.
Qiao Dongliang could not lose his temper at Qiao Zijin now. However, he did not feel the least burdened to vent it all on Ding Jiayi. “No wonder people in the olden times said that it is more important to marry a virtuous than a pretty wife. A husband with a virtuous wife will have less trouble. The greatest mistake that I have committed in my life is to marry you and let you become my children’s mother!”
He believed that if another woman was the mother of his two daughters, the relationship between his two daughters would certainly not escalate to the situation today.
Ding Jiayi’s old face turned red. She was not pleased. “Did the wretched girl scorn you? What did it have to do with me that she doesn’t treat you like her dad? I have already said before. That wretched girl is heartless. It is a waste of time to treat her so well. You refused to heed my words and even divorced me. Now, you are venting all your anger on me. Qiao Dongliang, do you still have a conscience?!”
Upon hearing these accusations from Ding Jiayi, Qiao Dongliang revealed an extremely icy and cold smile. “No conscience? Who is the one who doesn’t have a conscience?”
When he said that, the corners of Qiao Dongliang’s eyes were looking in Qiao Zijin’s direction.
Qiao Dongliang already knew how the knot in Qiao Zijin’s heart came about. He knew that Qiao Zijin did not shun Ding Jiayi and him or vent her anger on them at this point in time. However, it did not mean that she would not do so in the future.
Qiao Zijin was still acknowledging the husband and wife as she wanted to rely on them to exploit Qiao Nan continuously.
When their relationship with Nan Nan had completely broken down and Nan Nan would not give any chance to Qiao Zijin, it would be the time whereby husband and wife would lose their value.
At the thought of this, Qiao Dongliang laughed again. It was such a sad and bitter laugh.
When he and Ding Jiayi had outlived their usefulness, he was curious as to how the good daughter that Ding Jiayi spoke about would treat the two of them who had raised her.
At that time, he would know which of his two daughters was without any conscience.
When Qiao Dongliang replied to Qiao Zijin’s question, he had made it clear that she should direct her resentment and hate at Ding Jiayi and him. At that time, Qiao Zijin did not respond.
Initially, Qiao Dongliang felt that Qiao Zijin had already climbed into the dead alley. She had only picked the weak ones to bully. That was the reason she had pushed all the blame on Qiao Nan.
However, Qiao Dongliang gradually came to his senses.
Although Qiao Zijin did not agree with him that he and Ding Jiayi were the main culprits, the problem was that Qiao Zijin did not deny it either.
Was it because the husband and wife were still of some use to Qiao Zijin now? Was that why Qiao Zijin had not settled the scores with them?
When they had lost their usefulness, it was also time for them to ‘repay’ Qiao Zijin for the sins that they had committed?
All these were just Qiao Dongliang’s guess but he increasingly felt that there was such a possibility.
After having such a guess, Qiao Dongliang only felt fear and disappointment.
After so long, his elder daughter was not only foolish and selfish but also had such a dark side hidden in her heart.
He had raised his two daughters. He did not expect them to support him when he was old and after they were married. However, he certainly could not accept his daughter ‘taking revenge’ on himself.
“Old Qiao, what is wrong with you? Why are you looking at Zijin like that without an apparent reason, as if Zijin is a monster?” Ding Jiayi had been furious and venting her anger on Qiao Dongliang. After cursing and scolding him for so long, she then discovered that Qiao Dongliang was behaving a little differently from the usual.
She had said such ugly words and even mentioned Qiao Nan but Qiao Dongliang did not retort her at all. He was just standing on the same spot and allowing her to scold and vent her frustration. This was not Qiao Dongliang’s usual style.
When she saw Qiao Dongliang in a daze, staring at Qiao Zijin, she was concerned. Qiao Dongliang was not looking at Qiao Zijin in a nice way. She could see some fear and shock in his eyes. Ding Jiayi was not pleased. “Old Qiao, what are you looking at? What are you thinking of?”
After Ding Jiayi called out to him, Qiao Dongliang regained his senses. His heart shivered for a while. “No, nothing.”
It was fine that his daughter was a little foolish to have liked the wrong person and even insisted to marry him. This was something very common and not considered big news.