Jiang Tao smiled. “The good news is that your father has already talked to the factory director about this in advance, so my father didn’t manage to get it done.”

Feng Cai stood up straight and asked in disbelief, “My father?”

Jiang Tao raised his eyebrows and nodded.

Feng Cai blinked. He knew that his eldest brother must have secretly told his father. After bidding farewell to his two buddies, he strode home.

After Feng Cai entered, he saw that only Feng Yu’s family and Grandma Feng were in the living room. The others had already returned to their rooms to rest.

Feng Cai sat beside Feng Yu and asked softly, “Brother, you told Dad?”

Feng Yu stopped repairing his son’s toy and looked up. “You’re just too stubborn. If you had told Dad nicely, how could he not help?”

Feng Cai lowered his head and said silently, “That’s because you said so.”

Feng Yu felt very helpless when he heard this. His brother and father’s relationship had been strained since the “five yuan” incident.

At first, he didn’t understand why his father didn’t believe Feng Cai. No matter how mischievous Feng Cai was, he wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal.

Only after he became a father did he understand that people scolded their children because they had high expectations for them. Instead of saying that his father didn’t trust Feng Cai, it was more accurate to say that Feng Cai’s mischievous behavior, which Lin Lin had deliberately indulged for a long time, disappointed his father time and time again. The more one loved someone, the higher the expectations one would subconsciously have of the other party. He would also point out the other party’s mistakes more sternly.

The so-called “lost five yuan” was only the catalyst for the long-term conflict between the two of them. Mr. Feng was afraid that Feng Cai would lose his principles, so he punished him very severely, including sending Feng Cai to the countryside to support the construction. This was the vital reason Lin Lin’s plan succeeded.

After thinking for a moment, Feng Yu went against his father’s wishes and told Feng Cai the truth about the application he had sent home a few years ago.

Feng Cai looked at Feng Yu in a daze. He had always thought that his father didn’t like him since he had always been beaten up the most since he was young. He knew that he was more mischievous than his elder brother, so it was normal for him to be beaten up more. However, later on, his stepmother, Lin Lin, deliberately set him up a few times and his father ignored his explanation but believed in Lin Lin’s words. That was why Feng Cai had this impression.

Feng Yu patted Feng Cai’s shoulder earnestly. “No matter what decision Dad makes for you, he’s always doing so for your own good. Of course, I’m not saying that everything he does is right.”

Feng Cai lowered his eyes and was silent for a long time before replying, “I understand, but with that woman, our family’s relationship can’t be like that of a normal family.”

Feng Yu raised his eyebrows. “Most of the time, we tolerate her. It’s not that we’re afraid of her, but we don’t want to put our father in a dilemma. Besides, we’ll eventually establish our own small family. In the end, she’s the only one who will stay in this house to accompany our father.”

“I’m already in line for a house near the company. I’m going to move out after the house is built in half a year. I’m not worried about Dad. I don’t want to have a head-on conflict with her now. I mainly hope she’ll treat Grandma better in the future.”

Feng Cai understood what Feng Yu meant. He wanted to move out, so if there wasn’t a policy that allowed them to return to the city, he might not be able to return to the provincial capital for the rest of his life. In the end, the person who would take care of his grandmother and father would be Lin Lin.

Feng Cai didn’t agree with Feng Yu’s point of view, but he didn’t refute it.

After all, Lin Lin wasn’t a kind person. Feng Cai had reservations about whether she treated their father and grandmother sincerely.

However, he was also determined to work hard in the factory. Feng Cai always felt that only by becoming powerful could he suppress the greed of people like Lin Lin.

On the morning of the fifth day of the Spring Festival.

Lin Lin handed a bag of food to Feng Cai and said with a smile, “Our family specifically prepared these packages for you to take to the countryside. If there’s not enough food in the countryside, send a letter back.”

Lin Lin was used to maintaining a pretense, but if he really sent a letter home asking for things, it was unknown if he could really get anything or not.

Therefore, Feng Cai also smiled and replied, “Our family isn’t rich either. I also eat a lot after doing heavy farm work. Although I don’t eat well in the countryside, sweet potatoes and wild vegetables can still fill my stomach.”

Who didn’t know how to act? Feng Cai thought that even if he couldn’t anger Lin Lin, he could at least annoy her. The only advantage the village had over the city might be the abundance of vegetables. Therefore, it was more convincing for him to use heavy farm work as an excuse when saying that he couldn’t get enough to eat.