CHAPTER 699: CHAPTER 694: THE CHILD’S PECULIARITIES

Luo Cuilan thought about herself—how she almost faced complete estrangement from her family by choosing to marry Zhang Jianguo, disregarding everything and nearly cutting ties with all her relatives.

But later on, it was Luo Zhiyong who found her a job, Zhou Yunmei who took care of her children, and now, with no work to do, she dines with Luo Zhiming’s family every day, with Luo Zhiming paying for groceries; in essence, he’s the one supporting her and her child.

Xu He may have complained a bit, but since she was caught in the act by Luo Cuilan, she didn’t dare say much.

Even Luo Zhiming didn’t utter a single word, feeling that her and her child could only consume so much and let them be.

On the contrary, that man who she devoted herself to completely, after beating her, never cared about where she, a woman alone, went, or whether she could survive in the city after moving out.

Probably now, that bastard Zhang Jianguo and that damn sister Zhang Xuehua are having the time of their lives being all lovey-dovey.

Thinking of this, Luo Cuilan sincerely said to Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, after all that’s happened, I’ve come to realize that blood is thicker than water, and even broken bones still connect with tendons; my older brother is still my older brother. If anything really happens, I still have to rely on him."

"You too, you can’t count on that Xu He now, and in the future, you’ll still need my brother to provide for you in old age..."

Before Luo Cuilan could finish, Zhou Yunmei spat out in disgust and glared at Luo Cuilan angrily, "What nonsense, if she truly took care of you, would you be in this state now?"

Luo Cuilan was certain in her heart, and firmly said, "It’s because I was too ashamed to ask my brother for help after being abandoned by Zhang Jianguo. After all, he was strongly against my marriage and I was the one who was blinded. I believe if I really asked him, he would definitely help; I still believe in that."

Zhou Yunmei didn’t believe it at all, especially recalling how Luo Zhiyong had treated her like she was invisible the last few times; she snorted coldly, "Hmph, you’re being too optimistic."

Seeing Zhou Yunmei like this, Luo Cuilan shook her head helplessly but still continued to persuade her, "Mom, I’m urging you, don’t overdo things. In the end, he’s your son. When you get old, no matter what, you’ll still have to rely on him."

Zhou Yunmei pursed her lips and shook her head staunchly, "Reliable my foot, it might have been fine before, but now with a daughter-in-law in the picture, he doesn’t even see me as a mother anymore. Haven’t you seen that he has already severed ties with me?"

When it came to Fang Pingying, Luo Cuilan also had her own opinions and said to Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, to be honest, do you really think that over the past few years you haven’t done anything wrong at all, and that everything is solely the fault of my brother and his wife?"

"I..." Zhou Yunmei opened her mouth, but even as rough around the edges as she was, she couldn’t claim to be completely faultless.

Just like the other day, what Luo Dashan said to her—after thinking it over, she knew whether his words were right or wrong.

Luo Cuilan glanced at her, then continued, "Setting everything else aside, just think about it. Xu He and your elder sister-in-law are both daughters-in-law, but who has treated you better? You know it in your heart, don’t you?"

"..." Zhou Yunmei fell silent. She was no fool; even though she didn’t say it out loud, she had a clear understanding of the good and bad in Xu He and Fang Pingying.

Luo Cuilan looked at her, then added, "Although your elder sister-in-law is strong-willed, she has never neglected her duty of filial piety to you all. She takes care of everything that needs to be managed at home. Ever since her marriage to your elder brother, she has been providing a monthly allowance for the family on time. She didn’t complain about supporting Zhiming and his wife either. Later on, they even gave you two elders a considerable sum of money every month. It was only after you deceived her to give money for Zhiming to marry Xu He that she became so infuriated and blew things out of proportion."

"On the contrary, look at Xu He. Since marrying into the Luo Family, what has she done for our family? She fights with you all the time and keeps the household finances tightly under her control, almost as if she wants to starve you. She is stingy with money and doesn’t even care whether you live or die. I think you and Luo Zhiming must have been blind to agree to have her join our family."

"No matter what you say, hasn’t she still provided the Luo Family with an heir?" That was probably the only meaningful thing Zhou Yunmei could think of that Xu He had done for the Luo Family after pondering for a long time.

However, to Luo Cuilan, this supposed meaningful deed was nothing but ironic. She even forgot her promise to Xu He and let out a scornful laugh, blurting out, "What are you thinking, are you sure that Xu He has provided an heir for the Luo Family? The child’s true origin is uncertain, and you and Luo Zhiming have been kept in the dark all this time."

As Luo Cuilan had mentioned this before, Zhou Yunmei had always had her doubts. Upon hearing Luo Cuilan’s words, Zhou Yunmei immediately, with heightened sensitivity, asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Luo Cuilan abruptly came to her senses, hesitant in her heart about whether or not to reveal more. Yet without the impulsiveness to blurt it out loud, she just said, "I don’t mean anything in particular. Just talking."

"You’re not suggesting that there’s something wrong with the child in Xu He’s womb, are you?" Zhou Yunmei began to wildly speculate regardless of whether Luo Cuilan had said it aloud, "Xu He was always home when she was carrying the child. I watched her and Zhiming together every day; there shouldn’t be any problems."

Seeing Zhou Yunmei guess blindly without hitting the nail on the head, Luo Cuilan, although she intended to threaten Xu He a while longer to take advantage of her, couldn’t help but feel compelled to hint something upon remembering the anticipation they all had for her child. "How many months along is Xu He now?"

"Eight months."

Luo Cuilan pursed her lips and said while looking at Zhou Yunmei, "Is an eight-month pregnant belly supposed to be that big? It doesn’t look quite right to me."

This comment from Luo Cuilan left Zhou Yunmei even more baffled, and she kept pondering the meaning behind Luo Cuilan’s words. "You..."

Luo Cuilan, observing Zhou Yunmei, did not stop her and just sighed helplessly, "Mom, I really don’t understand why you keep saying that Xu He has provided an heir for our Luo Family. Eldest brother already had a son. Our Luo Family has had an heir all along, and my eldest brother’s son is even the legitimate grandson, the firstborn descendant. Why do you still care about this?"

Caught up in her thoughts, Zhou Yunmei let her guard down and inadvertently spilled the beans, "What do you know? Your eldest brother is completely different from you all; he is not a biological Luo Family firstborn grandson."

"Mom, what are you saying, my eldest brother isn’t a biological Luo Family firstborn grandson?" Luo Cuilan reacted immediately, pressing on to ask, "Do you mean my eldest brother isn’t my real brother?"