“Alright… Yang Ming… Then let’s find a place to talk.” Yang Dashan asked. Yang Dashan was originally a person who fawned upon wealth and power. When he noticed Bao Sanli’s respect for Yang Ming, he didn’t dare to speak out loud.
“No problem.” Yang Ming nodded. “I’m not familiar with this neighborhood. Uncle, you decide where are we going.”
“There’s a good coffee shop ahead of us. I often go there to talk about business.” Yang Dashan opened the door of the front seat of the car and let Yang Ming in. This made Yang Ming somewhat flattered.
Uncle had never spoken to me humbly! Yang Ming was sometimes very stubborn in doing things, but it was a way to treat his own enemies or people who acted arrogantly in front of him. Strictly speaking, uncle was also such a person, but Yang Ming had no way to show his dissatisfaction with him. After all, this was because of the status of his uncle as a relative, also as his father’s brother. It was because of the face of his father, Yang Ming couldn’t be doing anything to his uncle.
If he loves to be pretentious, then let him be. What did it have to do with me?
Today, he saw his uncle’s attitude suddenly turn 180 degrees. Yang Ming was dumbstruck on how to deal with it.
The uncle’s car was a Toyota Camry. It was a new design that he just bought last year. However, this was the first time Yang Ming had taken a ride in it.
“Yang Ming, uncle had been doing business in recent years. I have somewhat left out you all children. You won’t blame uncle, right?” Yang Dashan asked as he drove.
” En ?” Yang Ming was surprised. What happened to uncle today? Why do his words seem to be odd? However, Yang Ming didn’t have any say at all. Uncle wasn’t his father. What’s the big deal if he had a cold shoulder? Yang Ming didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.
“Yang Ming, do you think that uncle is a very realistic person?” Seeing that Yang Ming didn’t speak, Yang Dashan smiled bitterly out of embarrassment.
“Uncle, I don’t want to comment on anything. Isn’t it that everyone has a different lifestyle?” Yang Ming shook his head. “You do whatever you want to. That’s understandable.”
“Yang Ming, you really are still angry with uncle…” Yang Dashan sighed, “In fact, uncle had no choice…”
Yang Ming didn’t say anything; he didn’t want to say anything. After all, the attitude of how his uncle treated his relatives was his own character’s problem. Yang Ming wasn’t qualified to gesticulate on it.
“Uncle, you looked for me just to tell me this?” Yang Ming was a little impatient. If it is a conversation without much content, then it is better not to say it.
“Let’s wait until we reach there. We can talk about it again…” Yang Dashan laughed twice.
The car drove to the door of a classical coffee house. Yang Ming and Yang Dashan got off the car together. The receptionist at the door was obviously familiar with Yang Dashan. Before Yang Dashan spoke up, the receptionist already led them to a small table with a more elegant environment.
“What you want to drink?” Yang Dashan took the menu from the waiter’s hand and handed it to Yang Ming.
“Well, a juice will do.” Yang Ming didn’t look at the menu and said casually. He wasn’t here for the drink, but to talk to uncle.
“Is freshly orange juice alright?” The waiter asked.
Yang Ming nodded, and Yang Dashan asked for a cup of coffee. After the waiter left, Yang Ming looked at Yang Dashan, and he asked after hesitating a while, “Uncle, are you going to tell my parents about the incident today?”
Yang Dashan wasn’t an idle person. He vented his anger on Yang Ming just now because Bao Sanli vented on him. When he knew the relationship between Yang Ming and Bao Sanli, he immediately stopped.
“What incident?” Yang Dashan asked a question in reply, pretending to be inexplicable.
Yang Ming smiled as he knew what he meant. It seemed that Yang Dashan didn’t intend to tell his parents. Yang Ming’s worries in his heart were settled down. Initially, he planned to persuade with threats or benefits. He didn’t expect his uncle to be so forthright.
“Alright, since uncle doesn’t want to mention it, then pretend that I didn’t ask.” Yang Ming said, “I wonder why uncle is looking for me?”
“Yang Ming, over the years, uncle admits that I have been neglecting you. You may despise uncle, saying that the uncle is cold-blooded. However, uncle was only being stubborn!” Yang Dashan said helplessly.
“Stubborn? What do you mean?” Yang Ming was somewhat inexplicable. “Uncle, there are some things you don’t have to explain, and I don’t blame you. Although you are my uncle, you don’t owe me anything. I don’t care how you treated me whether good or bad.”
“No, Yang Ming, you should listen to uncle first…” Yang Dashan interrupted Yang Ming’s words and continued, “In the past, your uncle, I, was a worker in the Song Jiang Bus Factory. At that time, an old director of our workshop retired. I was the apprentice brought in by the old director. Based on the qualifications, this position should also be mine. However, the young nephew of the factory manager came out and pushed me away.
“At that time, I was disheartened and wanted to leave the Song Jiang Bus Factory. However, your father and Yang Xiaobo’s father advised me to stay in the factory… In the beginning, the two brothers only persuaded me, but I was determined. I wanted to come out and take the risk alone. Your father and Yang Xiaobo father were very angry at the time, accusing me by saying I’m not holding my stable job but risking myself to be self-employed. Am I making myself difficult? I was just simply going out of my mind!
“The relationship between us, the three brothers, also became tense because of this incident. Later, your father and Yang Xiaobo’s father threatened me and said that if I dared to resign, they wouldn’t recognize me as their elder brother anymore! I was also very young and arrogant at that time. I felt wronged and said rashly that if Yang Dashan, I, became rich one day, neither of them can ask me to do anything!
“On the other hand, your father and Yang Xiaobo’s father laughed at me at the time, doubting me and how much me being self-employed could grow. The best case would be just to be a stall owner.
“With that, I resigned from the factory and went out alone. I didn’t expect that I managed to get some result! Although I had kept in contact with your father and Yang Xiaobo’s father in recent years, the relationship between the brothers had faded a lot because of the incident during that time.
“I’m the elder brother of the family, the elder brother of the Yang family! I let the two brothers look down on me. Do you know how uncomfortable I was in my heart? I also know that my age wasn’t too young. I can no longer behave like a child, but the knot in our hearts since that year was unresolved…”
” Ah ?” Yang Ming listened with his mouth wide open and looked at his uncle in confusion. “Uncle, how come I didn’t know about what you have just said?”
“How old were you in 1995? How can you know about these stories in the past?” Yang Dashan smiled bitterly, “What kind of person is your father? You should also be clear. He is traditionally minded. I’m angry that he looked down on me in the past, so I have been mistreating you guys in recent years!
It’s because of this; your aunt had already persuaded me many times! When I was young, I didn’t understand things. Now that I’m older, why do I still need to be arrogant? It may be that your uncle has been a narrow-minded person, so I didn’t ease the relationship with your dad.
However, a few days ago, your aunt had persuaded me once again. Your uncle is nearly forty years old. I’m considered to have passed through half of my lifetime. There’s no meaning to continue with it. So, I ask your dad out yesterday. You should have noticed that I have changed my attitude…”
Yang Ming didn’t expect that there were so many twists and turns in the story.Did I misunderstand my uncle all along? As he thought of his parent’s attitude toward his uncle, Yang Ming finally understood why his father had no opinion on the attitude of the uncle. It turned out to be such a thing!
For his father’s thoughts, Yang Ming still knew clearly about it. He was old-fashioned and disliked adventures, so he and uncle would definitely have a conflict! Thinking of this, Yang Ming couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It seems the truth is often not what I have imagined!
“Yang Ming, you may think that Yang Li doesn’t treat you well. However, it’s my fault for pampering her. When she was still a child, she didn’t know about the stories between me and your dad. She thought I was looking down on all the relatives including you, so it was normal for her to be biased against you.” Yang Dashan continued, “I will lecture her, Yang Ming. Uncle already told my own story to you. Can you talk to uncle about your stories?”
“Uncle, maybe I have misunderstood you, but your attitude toward our family and Yang Xiaobo’s family had caused me and Yang Xiaobo a lot of troubles. Do you know that? We have been thinking since childhood that our uncle is a cold-blooded person…” Yang Ming said helplessly, “Many things in that era couldn’t be understood. In the 1990s, the people’s thoughts were very conservative which was pretty normal. They thought that doing business wasn’t as good as a stable job. My dad also wanted the best for you in the past. On the other hand, you yourself have your own opinion…”