Chapter 998: Chapter 998: Losing Face Part 1 Chapter 998: Chapter 998: Losing Face Part 1 Parents and children are deeply bound by blood ties.

But the give and take between parents and children is relative. If only one party gives, without any reciprocation, hearts will grow cold and bonds will break.

Take Qiao Changshun and the Sun Family, for example. Qiao Changshun’s one-sided contributions over the years garnered no return, and so he has turned his heart away.

Or consider Tong Tiehu and the Tong Family members. Though he is the head of the family and its pillar, he is still just an ordinary old man.

On the one hand, there is Tong Sanlang, who cares for and respects him.

On the other, there are others who only know how to take and have money as their sole focus.

His preference for Tong Sanlang is only human nature.

He could live a comfortable life, yet he chooses to be entangled with these troublesome people. One reason is he’s the Village Chief and cannot leave; the other is he wants to keep these people under control, so they don’t disturb the peaceful life of Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang.

Now, as Tong Dalang questions him, he stands tall, responding with justified indignation.

He is biased towards Tong Sanlang, and he wants to enjoy a comfortable life following Sanlang. What of it!

Tong Dalang looks at the angry and charcoal-faced Tong Tiehu, shrinking his neck, “You are my grandfather, Xiaoxing and Xiaoyue’s great-ancestor.”

“No, you are my ancestors, you are my grandfather!”

With that, Tong Tiehu snorts coldly, stands up, and goes inside the house.

He leaves several people at the dinner table looking at each other in dismay.

Qian Family’s wife glances at Li Rou and Tong Dalang, picks up her chopsticks to put two pieces of meat on Tong Xiaoxing and Tong Xiaoyue’s plates, and then bows her head to eat silently.

She has never had any opinions of her own, living entirely in reliance on Tong Tiehu.

Now that Tong Dalang and Li Rou have angered Tong Tiehu, she dares not echo their words.

Besides, if Tong Tiehu really did lock up the couple Tong Dalang and his wife at the old Courtyard, all the housework would fall on her shoulders.

She would have to do the laundry and sweep the floor, gather firewood and cook meals, the mere thought of which exhausted her.

Better to keep the couple around.

Li Rou and Tong Dalang glance at each other, and with a vexed slap, Tong Dalang puts down his chopsticks, “Today’s lunch was made by the hired hands at Qiao Xiaomai’s house. Grandfather and Sanlang had a separate meal, while I had to eat from the communal pot with others. You don’t know how those people looked at me then.”

Despite being family, Tong Tiehu went to Mai Yuan and had a meal with Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang, while he, the biological brother, had to sit in the Courtyard eating communal pot food with others. At that moment, the looks from everyone made him wish he could hide.

He brought up this topic tonight partly because of that reason.

What are you looking at!

The Tong Family had already done a kindness by giving up the business, yet they dared to mock him! How detestable!

“They didn’t even let you eat together in the house?” Li Rou is surprised.

“Exactly, that’s why I’m feeling so uncomfortable.”

“They, as a couple, could actually do such a thing! And grandfather didn’t even intervene!” Li Rou grinds her teeth privately. It’s like they have thrown their, the couple’s, face on the ground to be trampled at will!

“Alas, Sanlang truly doesn’t want me as his elder brother anymore,” Tong Dalang sighs repeatedly.

Li Rou’s brows knit into knots as she recalls how recently Zhang Family’s wife and Zhu Hongyun were whispering together. When these mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair up, it’s likely to deal with Qiao Xiaomai.

She wondered what their plan might be.

Given Qiao Xiaomai’s attitude yesterday, she would rather join forces with Zhang Family’s wife and Zhu Hongyun and try her best to destroy Qiao Xiaomai.