Chapter 599: Seeing Clearly
While eating a pan-fried bun, Granny Cai asked, “Wennan, do you know who kidnapped you?”
Cai Wennan thought for a moment. “Our family isn’t the richest in Jinshan Bay. Even if they were afraid to kidnap someone from Auntie Xiao Rui’s family, there are plenty of other people in our village.”
“They kidnapped me right on the main road. It was like they were very familiar with me. Could it have been someone I know?”
Granny Cai nodded. “That’s right! You do know him.”
Cai Wennan was stunned. “Don’t tell me it was Cai Xuejian?”
“It was him!” Granny Cai answered. “Those kidnappers demanded a 500,000 ransom, but everything our family owns adds up to about 500,000! Not many people know the details of our finances! Your grandfather, Old Man Cai, is one of them!”
Cai Wennan’s expression soured at her words. “Sigh, Grandpa really let the wolf into our home. He used to dote on me so much. Even when you two were fighting and planning to divorce, I respected your decision, but I’d still secretly buy him food and other necessities.”
Granny Cai smiled. “To be fair, your grandfather really did dote on you when you were little. If you wanted to show him respect, I wasn’t going to stop you, and I wasn’t angry about it.”
“But this time, you have to listen to me. If your grandfather asks you to drop the lawsuit against Cai Xuejian, you absolutely cannot agree! You need to remember that Cai Xuejian almost got you killed, a fate from which you could never recover.”
Cai Wennan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. “Grandma, I’ll listen to you this time! I was respectful to Grandpa because he doted on me when I was a child. Now, Cai Xuejian has tried to kill me. He’s my enemy, and I will never forgive him.”
“If Grandpa asks me to forgive Cai Xuejian, it just means that in his heart, I, his granddaughter, am far less important than his illegitimate son. If that’s the case, then there’s no reason for me to let him guilt-trip me.”
Granny Cai breathed a sigh of relief at her words. “That’s the right way to think! If you couldn’t figure this out, you couldn’t blame me for slapping you!”
Cai Wennan flinched slightly. “Grandma, I’m not a fool. How could I do something so foolish?”
Han Xiaorui patted Cai Wennan’s head. “Granny Cai, don’t you worry. I watched Wennan grow up; this child is bright and has been sensible since she was little.”
“She won’t make a foolish mistake, so please don’t worry. This was a hard lesson, but she’ll be more careful from now on. I’ve already submitted a request with Officer Li to add another police station near the school to ensure the safety of the students and faculty.”
Granny Cai sighed. “I fear neither heaven nor hell, but I’m terrified of something happening to my children. I’ve spent my whole life trying to do good, and all I’ve ever wanted is for my family to be safe, sound, and live in harmony.”
“Since Old Man Cai doesn’t cherish any of this, I don’t want him to affect our lives anymore! Anyway, the court hearing is next week. The divorce should be finalized then.”
No sooner had she spoken than Old Man Cai arrived at the hospital.
He wasn’t technically well enough to be discharged, but he had come anyway. Chen Xiaoxiu was completely useless, and besides, she wouldn’t have dared to come and make the request herself.
“Wennan, as long as you’re okay!” Old Man Cai was very happy to see that his granddaughter looked well.
Cai Wennan nodded. “I’m fine for now, Grandpa. But if your son Cai Xuejian tries to kidnap me again, I might not be so lucky next time!”
Old Man Cai hadn’t even had a chance to speak, but Cai Wennan had already put everything out in the open.
He looked embarrassed and said sheepishly, “Wennan, Grandpa has doted on you since you were a little girl. I’m truly happy that you’re all right.”
“Your uncle must have been put up to this by someone else. When he gets back, I’ll give him a good beating and make him apologize to you.”
Cai Wennan was stunned. “Grandpa, do you know the kind of thugs that hang around with Cai Xuejian? I’m this good-looking; do you really think they would have just taken the money and let me go?”
“I saw their faces, after all. To keep me quiet, they would’ve had to either kill me or make sure I couldn’t stay around here. It’s more likely they would have just sold me off!”
“What he did was illegal, and he needs to face legal consequences! But to hear you talk, he’s just some kid who was led astray! So what does that make me?”
Hearing this, Old Man Cai wrung his hands. “I know what your uncle did was wrong. I’ll be sure to teach him a good lesson! But the palm and the back of the hand are both made of flesh. It hurts me no matter which one of you gets hurt!”
Granny Cai started to speak, but Han Xiaorui stopped her.
Han Xiaorui gave her a look.
‘This was a time for Cai Wennan to be tested. Some things she had to face herself; she could only grow after experiencing them firsthand.’
‘All Cai Wennan could remember was how her grandfather used to love her. It was time she recognized Old Man Cai’s true nature.’
‘Compared to his precious younger son, Cai Wennan wasn’t important at all.’
Cai Wennan was incredibly disappointed. “‘The palm and the back of the hand are both made of flesh?’ Don’t you feel any shame when you say that?”
“They were after my life and our family’s money. But to hear you say it, it was just a squabble between kids. If that were true, the police wouldn’t have arrested him!”
“The police have arrested him, which means he’s guilty, and he should be punished according to the law. And I’m telling you, the moment you opened your mouth to ask me to forgive Cai Xuejian, you stopped being my grandfather.”
“Besides, my grandmother only gave birth to one son—my father. She didn’t have a second. That means some illegitimate child from the outside is not my uncle at all.”
“So just go. I don’t want to see you. I hope the precious Cai Xuejian you love so much will treat you well. I hope you and Grandma get your divorce quickly. And I wish you and Chen Xiaoxiu a long and happy life together.”
Old Man Cai staggered, rocked by Cai Wennan’s words.
“Wennan, this is hard for Grandpa too!” Tears streamed down Old Man Cai’s face. During this whole messy divorce with Zhang Xiaohua, Cai Wennan was the only one who had secretly bought him clothes, food, and even wine.
But now, for the sake of his younger son, he had to wrong Wennan. He felt he had no other choice.
Cai Wennan simply turned her back to him on the hospital bed, acting as if she hadn’t heard a word he said.
Granny Cai waved him away. “You should just go! You’ve already broken Wennan’s heart, and she doesn’t want to hear another word from you!”
“We are absolutely not going to budge. Right now, it’s just me and Wennan here. Just you wait until Xueqin and Xiao Yu get back! I’d love to see what kind of happy ending you get out of this!”
Old Man Cai swayed more violently, biting his lip.
A mocking look flashed in Han Xiaorui’s eyes. “Instead of wasting your breath here, you’d be better off finding a lawyer to handle the case for that kidnapper son of yours.”
“Though, knowing you and Chen Xiaoxiu, you don’t have much money. You probably can’t afford an experienced lawyer like Lawyer Hao. Still, any lawyer is better than no lawyer, I suppose. Just you wait for the lawsuit we’re bringing against you.”
Old Man Cai closed his eyes for a moment, feeling another wave of dizziness wash over him.
Granny Cai quickly chimed in, “Oh, don’t you faint now. If you have a stroke, your son will have absolutely no one to look after him! You certainly can’t count on a woman like Chen Xiaoxiu, who does nothing but eat, drink, and run her mouth!”
Hearing this, Old Man Cai clenched his jaw. “Wennan, you get some rest. Grandpa will come see you again later.”