WBSGVS Chapter 136 V1

The reality turned out to be quite different from what Xia Zhihao had imagined.

He had thought that Xia Yong, who had come out of the accident unscathed, would be able to improve his life. But in reality, wanting to be a subcontractor didn’t mean others were willing to hire him.

He was too eager for quick success.

He had no real expertise in the field, nor had he formally studied it. He had only worked as a laborer for a year before hastily gathering a few workers, thinking he could quickly make a fortune.

In his past life, his recklessness had led to a car accident. This time, reality taught him a harsh lesson.

He struggled to get jobs, and when he finally secured one, he worked tirelessly for two months, only for the final inspection to deem his work substandard. In the end, he was only paid the deposit, with the rest of the money withheld. If not for his slight familial connection with the employer, they would have demanded compensation for wasted materials.

After experiencing the failure of his business, Xia Yong went through a period of depression before dejectedly returning to the construction site. He needed to earn money and, at the same time, learn from his mistakes.

The site manager chuckled. “Oh? Back again? I thought you had become a boss yourself and was even considering exchanging clients with you.”

Xia Yong forced a smile. “Don’t make fun of me. I was too naive before. Who knew it’d be this complicated?”

He had been overconfident.

Before getting laid off, he had lived a comfortable life. But after losing his job, he had spent years as a security guard, just scraping by. It dulled his mind, and now that he was older, his ability to learn had declined.

Some things couldn’t be mastered just by watching.

Just like how he could never quite figure out how to use the smartphones that kids played with these days.

He had thought being a subcontractor was simply about getting business. He had no idea the industry was so much deeper than it seemed. His project looked decent on the surface, but in reality, it was poorly constructed. He hadn’t even noticed the flaws, yet the inspectors had seen them right away—and just like that, his career was over before it even started.

When Xia Zhihao realized Xia Yong wasn’t coming home, he worried for a while.

It wasn’t until the next day, when he overheard Yang Qing on the phone with Xia Yong, that he understood—his father had failed in his solo venture and had no choice but to go back to working on construction sites.

Most of the men on the site were middle-aged, in their forties or fifties, all of them with sons who needed to get married.

Xia Yong had once taken pride in only having a daughter, thinking he could enjoy an easier life sooner. But now, he had completely joined their ranks.

Xia Zhihao, however, was used to it. Wasn’t it only natural for a father to earn money for his son? Just like in his past life, when his sister had been responsible for supporting him.

When 2020 arrived and the New Year approached, the construction site went on break, and Xia Yong finally returned home. But after a year of not seeing his sister, he noticed something odd—she still hadn’t come back.

It wasn’t that he missed her. It was just that, according to his memories, 2020 was the year his sister was supposed to get married.

Was she not going to marry the same man as in their previous life?

At just two years old, Xia Zhihao couldn’t voice these thoughts. But instead of waiting anxiously, he subtly reminded his parents. “Sister?”

His childish voice made Xia Yong beam with joy. “Our little Hao Hao misses his sister?”

Then, looking delighted, he turned to Yang Qing and said, “Hao Hao has barely seen A’Li a few times, and yet he still remembers her! He must be a little genius!”

Yang Qing was pleased, but she also realized something. “It’s almost New Year’s—why hasn’t A’Li come back yet?”

This year, she had called her daughter even less, not even bothering to check in during the summer break.

Only now, as she snapped back to reality, did she realize that her daughter hadn’t called home either.

Xia Yong’s smile faded slightly, but he said, “Call her and ask. It’s the New Year—of course, she has to come home.”

Yang Qing agreed and dialed her daughter’s number. When the call connected, she asked, “A’Li, why haven’t you come back yet?”

Qing Li replied, “Mom, I’m not coming back this time. I’m in my fourth year of college, and I need to do my internship. I’ve already secured a place.”

Yang Qing frowned. “How can you not come home for the New Year?”

“I’m a senior, and I need to prepare for graduate school. Mom, if I go home, I won’t be able to earn extra money. What about my tuition? Grad school fees aren’t as cheap as undergrad anymore!” Qing Li explained.

Yang Qing had always felt guilty about her second pregnancy, but even so, she couldn’t help feeling irritated. “Money, money—that’s all you ever talk about! Have you fallen into a money pit?”

Qing Li had been speaking calmly, but she had always believed in treating people the way they treated her. The moment Yang Qing snapped at her, she immediately raised her voice as well.

“Mom! If I weren’t focused on money, how would I pay for my tuition? My roommate’s parents worry about her working too hard, so they send her money every month. But my parents, afraid my little brother won’t have enough, refused to pay my tuition the moment you got pregnant. What am I supposed to do? Should I waste this time coming home just so you can see me, then spend the rest of the year barely scraping by? Mom, tell me—what should I choose?”

Yang Qing’s heart pounded furiously, anger and frustration welling up inside her. “So, in the end, you’re just blaming me for having a second child!”

“I don’t blame you for that,” Qing Li replied calmly.

Yang Qing was stunned. She had her regrets—having a baby at fifty was harder than she had expected. Her son was constantly sick, leaving her exhausted and embarrassed to meet her old friends.

She had also felt distant from her daughter, which made her uneasy. But she didn’t know how to fix it. She couldn’t bear to give Qing Li money—their son was simply too expensive. Even though her husband made over a hundred thousand a year, their savings barely grew because so much went toward medical bills.

And yet, her daughter said she didn’t blame her?

Qing Li continued, “There’s nothing wrong with having a second child. Like you always said, it was your choice. But treating your children differently—that’s where the problem is! When you only had a daughter, you went with the flow, never worrying about buying a house for me. But once you had a son, you started working desperately hard, ignoring my situation completely. The way you treat me is the way I’ll treat you. If it weren’t for the New Year, you probably wouldn’t have even remembered that you had a daughter out here.”