Chapter 323: Chapter 323: You Two Bastards, What a Pipe Dream

Tears welled up in Yang Jing’s eyes as she gazed at Shen Lu with a look of utter grievance.

Shen Lu took a deep breath and leveled her tone. "I’m disgusted with you, not for any other reason, but because you don’t value yourself. Self-respect is what makes a person worthy. If you constantly debase yourself, no one will ever treat you with genuine kindness."

Yang Jing pressed her lips together. "Little Deer, I... I don’t understand what you’re saying."

She had never been to school. Though she could read, that was the extent of it. Shen Lu’s words were too profound for her to comprehend.

Shen Lu felt like she was about to cough up blood from sheer frustration. ’Right, right, right,’ she thought. ’Now I finally understand the importance of an education.’

"Let me put it simply: you have to love yourself before anyone else can love you. If you don’t even cherish yourself, others will only look down on you even more. Do you understand?"

"Huh?"

A dense, impenetrable fog of confusion filled Yang Jing’s eyes.

No one had ever told her such things. Her entire life, all she had ever heard was that she had to be obedient—listen to her parents when she was at home, and listen to her husband after she was married.

She had to be good to her family, sacrifice for her family, put their needs first, and her own last.

Only then could she be a good daughter, a good sister, a good wife, and a good mother.

"Just think about it yourself." Shen Lu was afraid that if she said another word to Yang Jing, she’d pass out from sheer anger. She beat a hasty retreat to her own living quarters.

Yang Jing stood there in a daze inside the greenhouse for a while. Only when the world outside was pitch-black, without a sliver of light, did she slowly make her way into the sheet-metal house.

Liu Yaozu was still fuming because Yang Jing had eaten lunch by herself. He had slapped her earlier, but his anger hadn’t subsided.

"You have the nerve to come in here? What kind of selfish mother are you? Going off to feast by yourself and completely forgetting about your injured, bedridden son! Get out! I don’t have a mother like you!"

Liu Qiang’s face was grim. "You’ve really gone too far this time."

’Not only did she forget her son, she even forgot her husband. Just enjoying herself all alone while the two of them starved here.’

Yang Jing silently glanced at the two of them. She had already explained herself more than once, but they simply refused to believe her.

Yang Jing knew that unless she could get them some food today, the father and son would never forgive her.

But she also knew, with equal certainty, that she couldn’t get any food.

The next day, with a heavy heart, Yang Jing developed a high fever. She lay motionless in bed, occasionally muttering incomprehensible nonsense.

This only soured the father and son’s mood further.

Yang Jing was the only one who could get around, and they had been counting on her to provide them with good meals every day. Now that she was sick, their nice, hot meals were gone.

Liu Yaozu cursed her for being useless. Left with no choice, Liu Qiang had to limp to the front of the property to find Shen Lu.

Hearing that Yang Jing was sick, Shen Lu raised a surprised eyebrow, then grabbed a medical kit and headed to the back.

After checking Yang Jing’s condition, Shen Lu selected the appropriate medicine and gave it to her.

"Little Deer, how many days will it take for your mother to get better?" Liu Qiang asked.

"How should I know? I’m not a doctor." Shen Lu closed the medical kit. "If you want her to get better quickly, you should take her to a hospital."

"Why should we take her? She clearly got sick from working for you." Liu Qiang was unwilling to spend a single cent on Yang Jing. "You need to take responsibility for this."

Shen Lu didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. "The sun’s out, the rain has stopped, and suddenly you think you’re hot stuff again, huh?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Liu Qiang didn’t understand her.

It wasn’t just him; Liu Yaozu didn’t get it either.

"Why the hell are we even treating her? Just throw her out and find me a new stepmom—one who’s rich and treats me well." Liu Yaozu piped up boldly from his bed. "Little Deer, you’re a person of status now. A mother like her just drags you down. Getting a new one who’s rich and beautiful would definitely be better for your future."

Shen Lu was utterly dumbfounded. She stared at Liu Yaozu, speechless for a long moment.

Seeing that he had stunned Shen Lu, Liu Yaozu lifted his chin proudly. "Trust me, you can’t go wrong. A new mom would be the best thing for you, for me, and for Dad."

Shen Lu pointed at Yang Jing. "Your mother has given you her entire heart and soul. If you throw her out in this weather while she’s unconscious, she’ll die."

Liu Yaozu glanced at Yang Jing with disgust. "Everyone dies eventually. It’s just a matter of sooner or later."

Shen Lu turned to Liu Qiang. "Dad, what do you think?"

Liu Qiang fell into thought. ’He and Yang Jing had been together for so many years; it wasn’t as if he had no feelings for her. And yet... he found himself thinking his son actually had a point.’

’What man wouldn’t want a beautiful, sophisticated wife?’

’He hadn’t considered it before because he lacked the means, but now... maybe he really could get a younger, prettier, wealthier wife?’

’After all, his adoptive daughter was a young lady from the Upper City District and also ran a shop. In the Lower City District, that definitely made him a prime catch.’

"I think Yaozu has a point," Liu Qiang finally said. "But your mother has been with me for so many years, after all. It would be cold-hearted to just throw her out like this. How about this: we don’t kick her out yet. We wait until she’s recovered, and then I’ll divorce her."

He said it as if he were making a great sacrifice. "If she has nowhere else to go, we can let her stay on as a housekeeper. That way, we can at least honor the last vestiges of our relationship as husband and wife."

Shen Lu looked from Liu Qiang to Liu Yaozu.

’Calling these two animals would be a compliment. Yang Jing is just delirious with a high fever, yet one of them wants her dead, and the other is already planning to marry a new wife—not even forgetting to exploit his ex-wife in the process.’

Shen Lu lowered her gaze to Yang Jing and sighed.

’What good did listening to her husband and son do? You can never warm the hearts of cold, cruel people, no matter what you do for them.’

’All of Yang Jing’s devotion had been poured onto a block of solid ice.’

"Sis, your connections in the Lower City District are definitely better than ours. Why don’t you go ask around and see if you can find any suitable candidates?" Liu Yaozu said excitedly.

Liu Qiang gave an unnatural cough. "And don’t find someone too young. She should at least... be a little older than Yaozu..."

At the thought of having a new wife soon, Liu Qiang, despite a flicker of embarrassment, was filled with anticipation.

Shen Lu tucked the blanket around Yang Jing, picked up her medical kit, and left without saying a word.

’Pah! A couple of bastards, lost in their ridiculous pipe dreams!’

"Why did your sister just leave like that?" Liu Qiang grumbled, unsatisfied. He still had a few more requirements he hadn’t mentioned.

"She’s embarrassed, of course!" Liu Yaozu said dismissively. "How old is Shen Lu, anyway? She’s not even married herself, and now she has to go find a new wife for you."

"True, this must be awkward for her." Liu Qiang felt a sense of fatherly gratification. "But as long as she gets this done, I’ll be sure to treat her well in the future."

"Dad, I’m the only male heir of the Liu Family!" Liu Yaozu protested. He could suck up to Shen Lu and shower her with praise, but he couldn’t stand his family treating her as more important than him. "Shen Lu will be married off sooner or later. What you should be thinking about is how to squeeze more benefits out of her before that happens."

"You’re right. I almost got sidetracked."

Back and forth, the father and son began to fantasize about the brand new, earth-shaking life that awaited them.

Neither of them noticed that Yang Jing, her eyes still shut tight, had begun to silently shed two streams of tears.

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