Chen Meihua gritted her teeth: "It's fine. At worst, we'll use the household living expenses for now."
Fang Jianguo hesitated: "Are you sure that'll work?"
Chen Meihua whispered, "Haven’t you noticed how much the kids have gained weight lately? Dad might act tough, but he won’t ignore the family."
Fang Jianguo thought about it and realized it was true—Chen Xiao had even grown taller recently.
"Alright!"
It was the weekend, and since they both had the day off, they decided to visit the market first. If they were going to do a good deed, they wanted to buy quality items, so they needed to inspect them personally. But as they reached the neighborhood entrance, they saw a crowd gathered there.
Fang Jianguo glanced curiously and spotted his father animatedly telling some story. The moment their eyes met, Fang Jianguo felt a sinking feeling.
"Where are you two headed?" Fang Zhiyi asked.
Everyone turned to look at them. Fang Jianguo froze for a moment, but Chen Meihua answered, "Dad, we’re going to the market to buy new stationery and backpacks." She felt a flicker of pride—with so many people watching, they’d surely praise her for her kindness.
Fang Zhiyi let out an "Oh" and said, "Right, Fang Xiao and the others do need new backpacks. Their rulers are practically worn down to nubs. I offered to buy them some, but they refused, saying their parents would get them new ones."
"Old Fang, you’re lucky—your son and daughter-in-law are so filial, and your grandkids are so well-behaved," someone remarked.
Fang Zhiyi smiled and nodded. "Exactly. I was just thinking, what kind of parents would let their kids wear tattered clothes and use worn-out supplies? That’s the kind of thing a stepmother would do, hahaha!"
The crowd laughed along.
"Old Fang, you’ve got quite the sharp tongue. Aren’t you afraid Meihua will get upset?"
Fang Zhiyi gave a meaningful look. "She wouldn’t get mad, right?"
Chen Meihua’s face flushed. She hadn’t even considered replacing her own children’s backpacks until now. Under Fang Zhiyi’s gaze and the neighbors’ scrutiny, she forced a nod. "Of course not, Dad. We’d better get going."
She tugged Fang Jianguo away, afraid Fang Zhiyi might say something even more embarrassing if they lingered.
That evening, the three children were overjoyed with their new backpacks, filling the house with cheerful noise for the first time.
But Chen Meihua watched them with a grim expression. She even considered convincing them to keep using their old ones.
"There are many kids your age who don’t even have backpacks. You should learn to think of others first, understand?" She softened her tone as much as possible. "We’ve always taught you to share."
Fang Xiao lowered his head, Fang Yang clung tightly to his new backpack, and only the youngest, Fang Yue, hesitated before reluctantly offering hers to her mother.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted them.
"How can you take care of others if you can’t even take care of yourselves?" They all turned to see Grandpa cracking sunflower seeds.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at Chen Meihua, then picked up Fang Yue. She had indeed gained some weight recently.
"Yueyue, tell Grandpa—what makes someone a good person?"
"People like Mom and Dad are good people," Fang Yue answered after a brief thought.
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "Is someone who can’t even manage their own life but pretends to be generous really good? For example… you really like this new backpack, don’t you?"
Fang Yue glanced at her mother, then at her grandfather, and finally nodded.
"Then why give it away?"
"Doing good deeds means helping within your means, not playing the self-sacrificing saint like some kind of fool." He shoved the backpack back into her hands. "Sharing means giving away things you don’t really need, not things you love and want. That’s just pretending to be something you’re not. Understand?"
"Dad!" Chen Meihua couldn’t take it anymore. She felt like the old man was mocking her. "What kind of lesson is that?"
She’d had enough of Fang Zhiyi. Lately, he’d been making life difficult for her and Jianguo, forcing them to help him with chores every night while keeping every penny he earned to himself.
Fang Zhiyi set Fang Yue down and motioned for Fang Xiao to take her to their room.
"What did I teach her? Just not to sacrifice herself for no reason. What’s wrong with that?"
Chen Meihua was seething.
"Oh, and one more thing. Since you two are so busy with work, starting next month, I’ll take charge of the household expenses. You’ll just need to give me a monthly allowance. How does that sound?"
"Allowance?" Chen Meihua nearly exploded. "Dad, you’re already earning your own money! Why do you need ours? And the household is running just fine without your interference."
Fang Zhiyi gave her an odd look, then turned to leave, hands behind his back. "Fine by me!"
For some reason, watching him walk away made Chen Meihua uneasy. But she quickly steadied herself—this time, she wouldn’t back down. She had to make sure this old man went back to the countryside!
That afternoon, Fang Jianguo returned home after volunteering to help someone move furniture, his expression dark.
"What’s wrong?" Chen Meihua asked, scrolling on her phone.
"What… what did you say to my dad?" Fang Jianguo looked frantic.
"Nothing much. He wanted us to give him a monthly allowance, and I refused. Our budget is tight as it is, and we have so many other things to—"
Fang Jianguo cut her off. "Do you know what people in the neighborhood are saying now?"
"That we refuse to support him, so he has to take care of the three kids alone—working late-night shifts and running a morning stall just to make ends meet!" He slammed the table. "And today, while I was helping Uncle Li move his flowers—you know his leg’s been bad—something happened…"
Earlier, Fang Jianguo had been cheerfully chatting with Uncle Li while carrying potted plants when he overheard his name. He turned to see his father struggling alone with a sack of flour.
"Old Fang really has it rough. Who’d have thought his son was like this?"
"If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. Was he just putting on an act all this time?"
"Blood is thicker than water, yet Old Fang still defends them."
"Look at him—working himself to the bone for strangers but ignoring his own father."
Fang Jianguo’s face burned with shame. He didn’t understand—his father usually ordered him around like a servant, so why was he doing manual labor today?
Frozen in place, still holding a flowerpot, he hesitated. If he went to help now, it would only make things worse.
Just then, a young man approached Fang Zhiyi. "Let me help you with that, Grandpa."
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "It’s fine. I can manage. The more I do, the more the kids can rest."
The young man frowned. "That’s not right! What if you overwork yourself? Who’ll take responsibility then?"
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
