Chapter 77: Nothing to Laugh About
"Dad, what did I tell you? You're the pillar of our family. I heard everything. That move of yours really showed them!" At the dinner table, Yi Lihuan stole a glance at Yi Jiashun, then delivered the flattering words he had prepared long beforehand.
"What sort of nonsense have you been hearing out there now?" Yi Jiashun washed and dried his hands, picked up his rice bowl, and looked at Yi Lihuan.
Beside them, Yi's mother, a broad-browed, broad-faced woman whose shrewdness carried an air of privilege, said, "Our son rarely comes home for a meal. Do you have to snap at him at every turn? No matter how much time he wastes out there or how much he fools around, he's still your son. Get this straight: he carries your blood. He's your heir. That's still better than letting Chongfan fall into the hands of those subordinates of yours, all respectful on the surface while who knows what schemes they're hatching behind your back!"
This was one commendable thing about Yi Jiashun. He had risen from a worker at a small factory to the head of a giant conglomerate that supported a whole city's economy and livelihoods, yet he had never abandoned the wife who had shared his hardships. However ruthless and formidable outsiders considered some of his methods, his conduct toward his family was beyond reproach.
Yi Jiashun said no more. He picked up some food and shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice, then softened a little toward Yi Lihuan, who had been watching his expressions all along. "Do I need you buttering me up?"
"Yes. Dad, you've been my idol since I was little. That's never changed. You always say I can't shoulder major responsibilities, that our generation doesn't measure up