Chapter 235

“I promised my late wife that I would raise our child to adulthood, and I hoped that he would become a useful member of society. But I overlooked the premise.”

Stone lowered his head, not quite understanding what the adults were saying, but he knew that all of this was because of his willfulness and running away from home without permission.

“Your idea is not wrong, but how do you raise a child to adulthood? It is obviously not feasible for you to be both a father and a mother. You can’t fight a war by talking about it on paper, and the same goes for raising a child. As a father, you have to have that responsibility and commitment. There are many things you need to think about, and you can’t not consider your child’s needs.”

Despite enduring so much abuse, Stone remained silent and did not do anything that was contrary to his personality, which shows that he was a good child at heart. Such a child deserves better treatment and more attention.

“I understand. Once I get rid of everyone in the family who needs to be dealt with, Shitou will no longer have to suffer. I used to think too simply, always thinking that a child needs a mother. But if Shitou is being abused, then that person is better off not existing!”

Xie Zhiyan's gaze fell on Shi Tou, pointing out the crux of the problem, "But have you thought about who will take care of Shi Tou after Lü Jie is sent away? You can take care of him personally at home for a short time, but the nature of our work means that we can't spend a lot of time with our families. How will you balance that?"

A family is not just made up of one man. Everyone understands that one person cannot support the whole family. Xiao Xueyi insisted on dismissing everyone, and when he is exhausted, the family will only collapse faster.

"Do you have a better person to take care of the child? Where do you leave the child when you're away? Since it's for the child's benefit, you should respect the child's wishes."

Instead of thinking the child is too young and making all decisions for him in the name of what's best for him, we should not.

Xiao Xueyi had a sudden realization: the focus should have been on stones from the very beginning.

He turned to ask, "Stone, who is the person you most want to see right now?"

Shi Tou paused, instinctively wanting to say "Mom," but his mind reacted faster than his mouth. His mother would never appear again. He looked at his fingers, swallowed hard, and choked out, "Grandma."

My mother once said that my maternal grandmother was the only person in the world who would never bully me. She told me that if I ever missed my mother, I should go see my maternal grandmother, because they were the closest blood relatives in the world.

Xiao Xueyi understood instantly. He nodded, his voice hoarse, "Okay, once you're feeling better, we'll invite Grandma over."

Xiao Xueyi had thought it through clearly. No matter what, Yang Suxian and Lü Jie had to be sent away. Although the adults wouldn't completely cut ties, this incident had served as a wake-up call for him.

Stone's mental health is related to his physical health, and he will never allow anyone to hurt the child again, not even his own mother.

"Now that the child has made up their mind, you should think carefully about what to do next."

Xiao Xueyi breathed a sigh of relief and covered Shi Tou with the blanket. "Lü Jie and I never had any feelings for each other. I happened to be on vacation when I saw her fall into the water and rescued her. But I didn't expect her to insist that I took advantage of her and to pester me to marry her."

Even now, thinking about this incident still makes Xiao Xueyi feel uncomfortable.

He always felt that a marriage without love was just two people living together, a life without any hope. If there was no one he loved waiting for him to come home, the home was just a cold, empty house.

But the events of that time were never clear-cut, and even if he had a second chance, he couldn't just watch a living person disappear right before his eyes.

If it weren't for Lü Jie's relentless pursuit, the two of them would never have been destined to be together. If he hadn't been desperate, he would never have accepted this absurd marriage.

Perhaps this is his retribution; he shouldn't have compromised in the first place.

Although Tian Fang said when he passed away that he hoped to have a woman accompany him to live a peaceful life, he has never had the idea of ​​remarrying over the years.

He thought that after this experience, he would never get married again in his life.

“I know it’s not easy for her as a woman. The gossip in the countryside is always unpleasant. Sometimes, words can really drown a person. But we didn’t have any real relationship after we got married. Our marriage was just in name only. It was only a matter of time before we got divorced. This has nothing to do with Shitou.”

It had only been two or three years since Tian Fang passed away, but he still couldn't get over it. Even after marrying Lü Jie, the two never consummated their marriage.

Many people said she couldn't have children, and Xiao Xueyi knew all of this, but he couldn't enjoy his second marriage with a clear conscience.

However, every time he returned home, Lü Jie and Shi Tou were always on good terms. Considering that the child did need a mother's care, he accepted the marriage.

But now, even the only thing supporting him is a facade created by Lü Jie, so there's no need for their ill-fated relationship to continue.

An unhappy marriage will only ruin both people.

"This is your personal matter. As long as you can think through the consequences, other organizations won't interfere too much."

Xie Zhiyan understood that Xiao Xueyi also had his own difficulties. No one would want to leave their child alone outside. Tian Fang had passed away early, and he had to raise both the child and the family on his own. Perhaps this was the best choice he could make at this stage.

Xiao Xueyi clenched his fist tightly, feeling uneasy.

“I’ve been away for so long, and before I could even come back, Shitou had this accident. It’s almost the anniversary of Afang’s death, and I don’t have the face to go see her. I don’t know how to explain this to her.”

As a man, he failed to keep the promise he made to his deceased wife.

Seeing his dejected state, even though Shu Ying had many grievances against him, she couldn't help but feel a little more sympathy.

"The most important thing right now is the child. Fortunately, the stone was found safely this time. But if it had been found any later, we should just take this as a lesson."