Yu Xiyue looked at her son, a sense of unfamiliarity and dissatisfaction filling her heart.
However, when dealing with her son, her tone and attitude were always condescending.
It could be said that her feelings for this son were now more about responsibility than kinship.
She had come on this trip to fulfill her responsibility as a mother, to take her son abroad and give him a better life.
As for familial affection, after more than ten years of absence, she couldn't muster much feeling for this son.
"Xiyue, you owe Xiao Yuan!"
Chi Ge looked at the way Yu Xiyue looked at Chi Yiyuan and still wanted to mend the rift between mother and son.
Over the years, although Yiyuan had never said it, Chi Ge, as the person closest to him, knew that his heart desperately yearned for his parents to be by his side.
And now, after finally waiting for his mother to return, she was giving him such a haughty and arrogant look. One could imagine how Chi Yiyuan must be feeling.
Chi Ge knew he was old. Although his health was still decent thanks to the gradual care from Su Xiaotian, he was old after all, and how many more years could he accompany Yiyuan?
Yiyuan should still have his parents by his side.
Yu Xiyue hadn't expected her father-in-law to directly say she owed Chi Yiyuan.
She was shocked and very displeased by this!
She had given birth to Chi Yiyuan, so how could she owe him instead?
How could her father-in-law say such a thing?
Yu Xiyue stared at Chi Ge in disbelief for several moments, then suppressed her dissatisfaction and said to Chi Ge in a low voice:
"Dad, let's go home first!"
Some things were not appropriate to say here; they should be discussed behind closed doors.
But Chi Ge didn't want this long-awaited gathering to be ruined by his daughter-in-law's sudden arrival.
Moreover, this daughter-in-law was very different from what he had imagined. Her years of living abroad had clearly changed her significantly, and he needed time to accept it.
Chi Ge glanced at Chi Yiyuan again. The boy was silent, perhaps needing even more time to accept this.
"This is our gathering today. You go back first. We'll talk about anything tomorrow!" Chi Ge said coldly.
This daughter-in-law had been back for a week but hadn't come home, which made the old man very dissatisfied.
But no matter how dissatisfied he was, it was still a family matter and shouldn't be aired in public.
Chi Ge hoped Yu Xiyue would leave on her own, giving them both time to adjust.
But Yu Xiyue clearly didn't think that way.
"Dad!" Yu Xiyue called out again, her voice lowered in dissatisfaction.
Did they even know how precious her time was? She didn't have much time to waste.
Besides, what was the point of gathering with these people?
Even families that had some standing back then had declined over the past decade.
It could be said that they were no longer worth associating with.
Yes, she had recognized Chi Ge's good friend Du Tonghe, but she felt that such people were no longer worth interacting with. That was all.
"You go back first. Since you've been staying out for a week, it won't hurt to stay a couple more days."
Although Chi Ge wanted to give his daughter-in-law face, when she didn't want face for herself, it didn't matter.
Yu Xiyue didn't expect her father-in-law to be so disrespectful.
And to do so in front of these disreputable lowlifes.
At that moment, Yu Xiyue's fair face instantly turned red, then green!
"Dad, you are a reputable person in the capital. How can you associate with these people who have nothing?"
Yu Xiyue looked at Chi Ge with disbelief.
Chi Ge stared at his daughter-in-law in disbelief.
He had always known his daughter-in-law to be arrogant.
But he never knew she could say such things.
Was this something a cultured person would say?
As someone with a higher education, was it appropriate to speak so rudely?
Especially when several of the people present were her elders, how could she speak so without regard for hierarchy?
"Xiyue, you have changed so much over the years!" Chi Ge said with heartache.
As Chi Ge's old friends, Du Tonghe and his wife had also met Yu Xiyue.
However, Yu Xiyue back then seemed different from now.
Yu Xiyue back then, though arrogant, was polite and had a slightly cold disposition, which wasn't annoying.
The couple exchanged glances, both seeing their dissatisfaction with Yu Xiyue in each other's eyes.
But neither of them spoke.
Since Yu Xiyue had changed so much from years ago, they didn't need to speak to this ill-mannered junior.
Having lived most of their lives, they saw no need to compromise themselves for others.
Since Yu Xiyue had already said what everyone didn't want to hear, she might as well go all out and express all her dissatisfaction.
"Dad, you are highly educated. How can you associate with such uncultured people? People like them will only lower your status!"
"I've come back this time to take you and Yiyuan abroad. Everything abroad is good, much better than this poor and backward place. Our family can start a new life abroad."
Chi Ge never expected his daughter-in-law to directly say she was here to take them abroad.
And her tone was full of disdain, even contempt and scorn, for her homeland.
He heard that many people felt that foreign countries were better. Could it be that some of the children in his family now had the same idea?
When Chi Ge thought of this possibility, he felt terrible.
Had he raised such children?
He had thought countless times that his daughter-in-law, son, daughter, and son-in-law would all return to contribute to the construction of this country.
But now, his daughter-in-law's words had shattered all his hopes.
Even if he didn't want to believe it, Chi Ge couldn't lie to himself; they had no intention of returning.
Perhaps in their hearts, they were no longer citizens of this country!
"I will not go abroad!" Chi Yiyuan said, looking at Chi Ge and then at Su Xiaotian.
Yu Xiyue hadn't expected Chi Yiyuan to directly refuse.
Although she had only been back for a week, she had heard about the situation in the country.
The environment in the country was not good, and even doing business was not very free.
How many years would it take for such a closed and backward country to develop?
But abroad was different. The relaxed environment and developed material conditions could provide the best life.
It was because of these things that many people were thinking about how to go abroad.
Some even risked their lives to sneak out of the country to go abroad.
She had also inquired, and families in their situation could apply for family visits.
Therefore, Yu Xiyue had never thought that Chi Yiyuan and Chi Ge would refuse to go abroad.
Especially since she knew that this grandfather and grandson...
"Yiyuan, do you know what you're saying? The environment abroad is much better than here. You've already wasted so many years in the country. Do you want to continue wasting them?"
Yu Xiyue looked at her son's unfamiliar expression and felt heartbroken.
Had her son really been spoiled in the countryside?
"No matter how good it is abroad, it's not a place to stay forever!" Chi Yiyuan said coldly.
He didn't know how good it was abroad, but he knew that his roots were in China.
"Yiyuan, if you go abroad, you will have access to the best educational resources. You can attend famous international universities and learn many things you can't learn in China. Moreover, you can change your nationality and no longer have to live in such a poor and backward country!"
Yu Xiyue hadn't initially intended to discuss this in front of others.
It was better to discuss such matters in private, but her son's attitude had angered Yu Xiyue!