Wen Yulan clutched Zhan Lin's arm tighter, his small face turning redder from the squeeze. "Cough... Mom, I can barely breathe."
Wen Yulan seemed not to hear him, holding him tightly.
Zhan Yichen noticed something was wrong and forcefully separated them. Zhan Lin coughed violently, while Wen Yulan stared at him, silent, her gaze chilling.
Zhan Lin, having never seen such a scene, burst into tears. "Second Brother, what's wrong with Mom?"
Zhan Yichen could only comfort him, "Don't be scared. Mom is just sick. Go over there for now."
For someone gravely ill and mentally unstable, they couldn't ask for too much; as long as she didn't harm anyone, letting Zhan Lin see her would fulfill his longing.
Wen Yulan remained kneeling on the ground, her eyes fixed on Zhan Lin. No one understood if she still recognized her younger son.
Zhan Yichen stepped forward to help her up, but she vehemently resisted. "Wei Yumeng, you want to harm me too. Don't think I don't know. You want revenge for Mu Linjing. I'm not afraid of you!"
She was as wary of these two daughters-in-law as ever. Even in her madness, her guard and aversion towards them only intensified.
Seeing her in this state, Grandpa Zhan angrily struck his cane. He regretted bringing her back today, knowing she had become this deranged.
He sighed, "Let her sit at the table to eat. Send her back immediately after."
It wasn't Grandpa Zhan's fault for disliking her; no one wanted to spend too much time with a mad person. The reason they weren't making a scene was to consider Zhan Lin.
He was still young and needed emotional care. If Wen Yulan was treated poorly in front of him, it could have a negative impact on him later.
Zhan Yichen helped Wen Yulan up again, speaking as softly as possible to avoid provoking her. "Mom, come have lunch. Today's dishes are very good."
She looked towards the dining table, seemingly catching the aroma of the food. She stopped struggling and slowly walked over.
She sat next to Zhan Yichen. Although they brought her back for Zhan Lin, they made Zhan Lin sit far away, fearing she might suddenly go mad.
A child's emotions are hard to hide. Zhan Lin looked listless, showing no interest in the feast before him. He listlessly held his chopsticks, staring at Wen Yulan across the table, clearly seeing that his mother was very ill.
Wei Yumeng placed some food onto his plate and noticed he hadn't touched it. She comforted him, "Don't worry. Your mother is just unwell. After the doctor treats her for a while, she'll get better."
Though it was a lie, it was well-intentioned. They all knew Wen Yulan's madness was irreversible, but Zhan Lin couldn't yet grasp adult truths. Perhaps in a few years, they could tell him the truth.
Zhan Lin pursed his lips and silently picked up a piece of food from his plate. The meal was not as pleasant as they had hoped.
Wei Yumeng finished first and then brought over the two babies. The baby was already eating solids, so she and Zhan Mohan each held a child to feed them.
The appearance of the two children finally brought a smile to Grandpa Zhan's face. He took out three red envelopes from his pocket. "Yumeng, this is for you and the two children for the New Year. Take it quickly."
Wei Yumeng accepted them shyly, feeling it was strange to receive red envelopes at her age.
Zhan Mohan urged her to open hers and see, "I've never received a red envelope from Grandpa in so many years. Let's see how generous Grandpa is."
At his instigation, Wei Yumeng opened her envelope. Inside the thin red packet was a bank card.
"Grandpa, this..."
She knew without asking that the card contained a significant sum of money. But to her, red envelopes for the New Year were merely for good luck, not for such a large amount.
Grandpa Zhan gave her a look that said "calm down." "Since I've given it to you, you should accept it. This five million is a reward for bearing children and raising them for the Zhan family. You've worked hard; you deserve it."
"Grandpa, you can't say that. This is my duty."
"Grandpa gave it to you, so take it. Grandpa has plenty of savings. Five million is still too little."
She knew Zhan Mohan was saying this intentionally to ease her psychological burden. Pushing and shoving at the dinner table was unseemly, so she reluctantly accepted.
Zhan Mohan casually opened the red envelopes for the two children. Inside was a document. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and Wei Yumeng noticed.
She took the document and looked. Grandpa Zhan had transferred three percent of his shares in various companies to the two children.
Wei Yumeng knew the concept of three percent of Zhan Corporation's shares. Having worked there, she understood its magnitude and immediately objected.
"Grandpa, they are too young. It's not appropriate to give so many shares to two children who haven't even grown their teeth."
Grandpa Zhan was displeased. "They are my great-grandchildren. It's unpleasant to call them children who haven't grown their teeth. They are young now, but they will grow up eventually. Besides, I'm old, and these shares are of little use to me. Giving them to my great-grandchildren makes me happy."
Despite his words, the shares were practically given to children too young to use them, and would be less practical than a can of milk powder.
But once Grandpa Zhan made a decision, who could change his mind?
Seeming to see Wei Yumeng's dilemma, he relented. "How about this: until they are eighteen, you will temporarily manage the voting rights of these shares. Is that acceptable?"
He had already compromised, so Wei Yumeng had no choice but to agree and carefully put away the two share transfer documents.
She understood Grandpa Zhan's intention; he was using this method to compensate and comfort them.
Grandpa Zhan, of course, did not play favorites. He also had a gift for Zhan Lin. The child was becoming more sensible and had his own preferences. Even if given a share transfer document, he might not value it.
So, he gifted Zhan Lin a high-end jigsaw puzzle. "Lin'er, you like playing with puzzles, don't you? This one I'm giving you is very difficult to complete and will be a good challenge for you."
Zhan Lin, who had been somewhat unhappy, finally smiled upon seeing his gift. "Thank you, Grandpa. I'll definitely finish it as soon as possible."
A gift that hits the mark is a successful gift. Grandpa Zhan's gift was indeed very successful.
With this segment, the previous somber atmosphere vanished, replaced by joy.
Wei Yumeng was feeding the children when Wen Yulan, seated several people away, suddenly stood up, her eyes filled with murderous intent as she glared at the mother and son.