My Alleged Husband-Chapter 827 - 773: Beautifully Named
Zhang Zhentian had now come to realize that his grandson didn’t truly come to pay him a visit; it was merely an excuse. Dressed up in noble terms, it was a visit to welcome him back to the family, but in actuality, it was to give him a warning — to stop causing harm to every member of the family like he used to do. It would render their humbling efforts to plead on his behalf today utterly in vain.
He never expected such deep thoughts from a young child. He didn’t understand what the consequences would be if he had abandoned her once more with severity. What outcome would he have faced then?
"Child, Grandpa knows that all these wrongdoings are Grandpa and Grandma’s fault, having wronged you and your father, as well as your great-grandfather. But so many years have passed, and we have realized our mistakes. We’re back in this home now, though it’s through your interceding that we’ve returned, and for that, I’m grateful. However, some matters are not as simple as you think, and certain words, once spoken, cannot always be acted upon. Don’t you understand the key point in all this?"
Zhang Ni really didn’t want to discuss these issues with his grandfather anymore. Every time they spoke about it, regardless of who was at fault, even if he had the upper hand, some matters just cannot be clearly expressed in a few words. Decades of abandonment couldn’t just evaporate simply because he suddenly returned. Even if his father could let go of resentment, he couldn’t. He never received their love since childhood. He had struggled every step of the way, longing for his grandparents to return to his side, and now that they had returned, they conversed in such a manner—how could his heart remain calm?
"Grandpa, I perfectly understand what you’re trying to say to me. Some things, as you said, can’t be clearly explained in a few words. But at the very least, you should provide me with a reasonable explanation. I don’t care how my father and my great-grandfather choose to forgive you and Grandma with their magnanimous hearts, but I really can’t do the same. I can’t bear it, knowing that my grandparents are right before my eyes, that I’ve set aside my dignity to plead for you to come back home, only to be denied even a reasonable explanation, always refusing to tell me why you decided to abandon my father and us!"
Perhaps deep in your heart, you don’t think that abandonment is a big deal, but do you know? For a child, abandonment is a major event. No child wants to be abandoned at birth, nor can any child endure being left aside right after being born to let their parents pursue their own freedom, leaving the child at home in the care of the elderly grandparents. Have you ever considered how large the psychological shadow is for a child? You have never considered my father’s feelings. Even now, if you give him a reasonable explanation, what about me? Have I really had it better all these years than my father did as a child?
My father and I have made our way to this day, striving harder than anyone else, enduring hardships greater than anyone else. What for, if not the hope that you would return home? To prove to you that we are not the worst—that person wants to show you how grave a mistake you made when you abandoned us. But what is the result of all this in the end? Isn’t it just me repeatedly being wounded?
Grandma and Grandpa, regardless of how you treat my father or me, I just want to know what kind of mindset allowed you to decisively leave our family back then. What kind of mindset made Grandma, knowing full well I am your own grandson, refuse to acknowledge me? You’d rather treat me as a stranger. Why did you choose such an ending, why would you rather hurt us than stand up to protect us openly? Why hide behind the scenes? What kind of impression do you think that gives others?"
"Child, Grandpa and Grandma know you’ve been looking forward to our protection and company these years, and we know you and your father have experienced much bitterness, too. We cannot compensate for the hardships you’ve been through, but as we’ve made clear, it was nothing but a momentary lapse, a choice made in pursuit of personal freedom. We now truly regret it. Now that you have chosen to let us back into this home, can’t you truly accept us in your hearts? Outward appearances don’t matter if they aren’t heartfelt. What we want is not just surface-level acceptance, but for you to genuinely recognize us as your family from the depth of your hearts.
I will try my utmost to make up for what we owe you. I won’t let such things happen to us again, nor will I allow them to hurt you repeatedly. We now fully comprehend the depth of our mistakes, and how much shadow and harm they’ve brought you. We are clear about that now, and we won’t act as capriciously as before. We will take care of the bigger picture. Please try to see things from our perspective. Stop pressing us for explanations; we really cannot provide you with more detailed ones.
The more we try to explain, the more it seems to you like we’re hiding the truth, but that is not the case. We just made the wrong choices back then, without foreseeing the consequences these choices would lead to time after time. Ultimately, out of helplessness, we ended up here. I regret it deeply in my heart. I didn’t choose not to acknowledge you, but I was afraid. I feared that if I told you I am your grandma right away, you would turn your back and leave, and then I might never see you again. I didn’t want to leave a bad impression in your heart. I wanted to leave a perfect impression, so you could gradually accept me rather than avoiding me from the start."
