Chapter 1355: Chapter 1354: The First Step to Solving the Problem
Zhou Xiaolan thought Ling Fei just came over for a simple visit, so naturally, she didn’t say anything else.
“Xiaofei, where are you planning to spend the New Year?” Zhou Xiaolan asked.
Now Zhou Xiaolan was living alone, and she still felt a sense of loneliness. If Ling Fei could stay with her for the New Year, it would definitely be the best.
“Mom, I want to stay at school.”
One was her mother, the other her father. No matter whom she stayed with, it wouldn’t be fair. In such a situation, staying at the university was the fairest choice for Ling Fei.
Zhou Xiaolan went silent for a moment, and Ling Fei realized she had nothing more to say, especially with Ye Qiu and Liu Lingxiu present. Neither of them knew what to say.
“Mom, you should go to work now. Ye Qiu and I will leave first.”
Ling Fei and Ye Qiu, along with Liu Lingxiu, left Zhou Xiaolan’s office. Zhou Xiaolan escorted them out, and after watching the three leave, she recalled the scene she had just witnessed, making her feel even more uncomfortable.
Now in her forties, if she were to remarry, she feared she could only marry someone in their forties or fifties, or even someone her own age. It’s not that no one pursued her, but the conditions were poor, and she probably wouldn’t be willing.
Ling Fei and Liu Lingxiu walked ahead while Ye Qiu followed behind. After leaving the printing factory and getting into his Land Rover, Ye Qiu asked, “Where do you want to go for fun?”
Just by looking at Ling Fei’s expression, it was clear she wasn’t in the mood for fun.
“Ye Qiu, just take us somewhere!”
Liu Lingxiu hadn’t been to many places before for fun either.
So, now all they needed was to follow Ye Qiu and look around.
Ye Qiu drove them towards a famous tourist spot, Wuyi Lane, in Jinling. Ye Qiu had never been there, nor had Ling Fei and Liu Lingxiu, both natives of Jinling.
They drove towards Qinhuai River, then parked at a parking lot there, got out of the car, and headed to Wuyi Lane.
Wuyi Lane is near Qinhuai River. Previously, Ye Qiu had only been to the Qinhuai River with Liu Lingxiu and the others.
Upon reaching Wuyi Lane, Ye Qiu noticed that there weren’t many tourists, and the environment was quite peaceful.
The three walked and chatted as they went.
Of course, Ling Fei was still thinking about her parents’ issues.
Actually, if her parents were to build their own families again, Ling Fei wouldn’t mind. She could understand, after all, people are group animals. When alone, you might not know what to do if something happens.
However, she hoped even more for her parents to reconcile, though it seemed unlikely.
Based on her understanding of her parents over the years and their current situation, she felt it was as difficult as climbing to heaven.
“Ling Fei, do you really want your parents to get along?”
“Of course.”
“Actually, it’s possible, but if it were to happen, one of your parents would have to give up something.”
Ye Qiu said.
Ling Fei and Liu Lingxiu didn’t quite understand.
After Ye Qiu found a place for all three to sit down, he continued, “From what I saw at the printing factory today regarding your father, he has a tough job and a lot of stress. But, at home, he doesn’t get the care and respect from your mom. Moreover, your father often hears gossip at the printing factory, and with his strong sense of pride, it’s something he can’t stand. Besides, I can tell that your father is inwardly insecure.”
Insecure?
Ling Fei was surprised, and so was Liu Lingxiu.
Like the former Ye Qiu, insecurity came from the heart and was hard to change.
In Ling Zhengwei’s case, he had a tough job, whereas Zhou Xiaolan’s job was quite relaxed. Generally, relaxed jobs tend to pay more, while one requires physical effort and the other mental. In such circumstances, Zhou Xiaolan’s job and salary should be better than Ling Zhengwei’s.
With Zhou Xiaolan earning more and not needing Ling Zhengwei to support her, gradually, she might not even realize that deep down, she looks down on her husband.
The main issue was that before marriage, there was little affection between the two. Without love in marriage, over the years, their existence was merely upheld by Ling Fei’s presence.
After Ling Fei finished her college entrance exams, this kind of marriage was bound to end.
“Ye Qiu, what you said might really be true. I thought I understood my father, but it seems you understand him better.”
“According to your father’s perspective, he hopes your mom would just stay home and do the housework. Of course, the main worry is that your mom is good-looking and knows how to dress, easily attracting attention from other men. That’s what your dad is most concerned about. But, on the other hand, with just your dad’s salary, it wouldn’t be enough to support the family, and your mom isn’t willing to be a housewife at home.”
Listening to this, Ling Fei increasingly felt that what Ye Qiu said made sense. Clearly, the problem lay there.
“Ye Qiu, my parents also used to work in the factory, and they never had any conflicts. On the contrary, they were always very loving!”
Liu Lingxiu asked curiously.
“Your parents and Ling Fei’s parents are different. Both your parents have good tempers. Your mom doesn’t care much about fashion, and your parents probably worked together in a production department, seeing each other all the time, so there was no room for rumors.”
With this explanation, Liu Lingxiu realized just how different her parents were from Ling Fei’s parents.
“So what were you saying earlier?”
Ling Fei asked curiously.
“Now there are only two ways. One is to try to improve your dad’s status at the printing factory. Your dad already said he has no money, no connections, and after thirty years, he’s still just an ordinary employee.”
“How can he be promoted?”
“Of course, by helping him get promoted. Once he has status, his sense of insecurity won’t be as strong, and the gap between him and your mom would lessen. Your mom won’t think the same way as before.”
Ye Qiu explained.
From a human nature perspective, what he had to do was elevate Ling Zhengwei’s status at the printing factory so that others wouldn’t look down on him, and Zhou Xiaolan wouldn’t either.
“Ye Qiu, what next?”
“Let’s deal with this step first, and then we’ll handle whatever comes next.”
Ye Qiu advised.
Taking into account Ling Zhengwei’s situation, if he had money and connections, he might already be a middle-level leader at the printing factory. However, to this day, he’s still an ordinary employee, not even a small leader, which is really unjustifiable.
“Ling Fei, I’ll handle these matters, no worries.”
Generally, Ye Qiu didn’t like to rely on favors, but if he had no choice, he definitely would. Of course, if spending money could solve it, that would be preferable, as he wasn’t lacking in money.
Liu Lingxiu felt Ye Qiu was amazing for finding a solution so quickly.
“Ye Qiu, thank you. I owe you so much, I don’t know how I’ll repay it in the future?” Ling Fei felt even more grateful in her heart.
As Ye Qiu and Ling Fei discussed the matter further, Ling Fei felt more at ease. And Liu Lingxiu knew that if Ye Qiu wanted to accomplish something, nothing was impossible for him.