The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 885 - 884: The Eldest Grandson of the Zhao Family

Chapter 885: Chapter 884: The Eldest Grandson of the Zhao Family

This year for his birthday, Zhao Dafa didn’t make a fuss; it was just a family meal at home.

When he was young and full of spirit, he loved the bustle and the chase after fame and fortune. Now that he was older, he had come to yearn for simplicity.

"Dad, happy birthday, may your fortune be as vast as the Eastern seas and your life as enduring as the Southern mountains."

"Thank you, Huanhuan!"

Zhao Dafa took the gift from his daughter with a chuckle and handed her a big red envelope in return.

"Thanks, Dad, mua~"

After planting a kiss on Zhao Dafa’s face, Zhao Yihuan happily returned to her seat.

Shen Hongmei put down her three-year-old son, Zhao Cheng, from the high chair onto the floor, "Ruirui, go give Dad your birthday gift."

The little tyke obediently toddled over to Zhao Dafa, his short legs shaky, while repeatedly calling out, "Daddy, daddy."

Zhao Dafa couldn’t stop grinning as he stood up and scooped his son into his arms.

"Ruirui is good. Here’s a big red packet for you. Save it for when you get a wife."

Shen Hongmei couldn’t help but laugh. "How old is Ruirui anyways?"

Zhao Dafa bounced his son in his arms and said with a laugh, "Seems a bit early, huh? Alright, then Ruirui can use the money to buy toys."

"Mhm mhm."

Zhao Cheng nodded his little head vigorously, amusing the whole family to laughs.

After the laughter, Zhao Dafa handed his son over to the nanny and turned to his eldest son Zhao Yun with a judgmental look, "What have you been up to lately?"

Zhao Yun blinked, "Director Zhao, on such a great day, why add to your own troubles?"

Zhao Dafa gaped at him, speechless, "You’re not young anymore. Can’t you be a bit more serious? Look at Jingshu; she manages the dance troupe very well and even started a dance school. You, on the other hand, don’t take things seriously and rely on your wife to support the family. Aren’t you embarrassed?"

"No choice, I have good taste. I married a good wife. You can’t envy that."

"How can you be so shameless..."

"Dad."

To prevent the father and son from going at each other, Ren Jingshu took over, "Zhao Yun and I also prepared a birthday gift for you."

Sure enough, at the mention of his daughter-in-law’s gift, Zhao Dafa’s face lit up again with a smile.

"It’s not important whether there’s a gift. I’m just happy if you can come back more often to have a meal with me."

After getting married, Zhao Yun couldn’t bear the separation across countries, and in recent years, he hadn’t made any remarkable achievements in the NBA; so, when his contract expired, he decided to retire and return home.

Ren Jingshu had always been developing her career in the Capital after graduation. Zhao Yun, being a typical wife-doting husband, naturally followed his wife and stayed in the Capital. They only returned to Fengcheng during holidays.

Zhao Yun joked with mock earnestness, "Having meals is easy, just call us when you have time, and Jingshu and I will come back to eat with you."

Zhao Dafa gave him a stern look.

He said he hoped the couple would come back and join him for meals more often, but what he really wanted went beyond that.

Like most old fathers, he had always placed high hopes on his eldest son, Zhao Yun, hoping the son would learn business management in the company and take on his responsibilities soon, shouldering the entire family business.

But Zhao Yun had no interest in business and refused to join the company. Since retiring, he’d done nothing but live a simple life in the Capital with Ren Jingshu.

Knowing her husband’s worries, Shen Hongmei spoke up with a smile, "Xiaoyun, your dad wants you to help him with the company affairs. As the eldest brother, you have to support this family in the future."

"Aunt Hongmei, I’m just not cut out for this. If you hand over the company to me, who knows if I might run it into the ground within three to five years."

Shen Hongmei couldn’t respond to that, and Zhao Dafa became so angry it was as if smoke was about to billow from his head.

Ren Jingshu nudged Zhao Yun under the table with her foot and stood up to place the prepared gift in front of Zhao Dafa.

"Happy birthday, Dad," she said, "and may you always be healthy and well."

"Good, good."

Zhao Dafa casually took the gift to one side and stuffed two big red envelopes into Ren Jingshu’s hands, all the while not forgetting to give his son a critical look.

With a playful grin, Zhao Yun said, "Director Zhao, aren’t you going to open the gift Jingshu and I prepared for you?"

Despite being frustrated with his son, Zhao Dafa still wanted to save face for his daughter-in-law.

After opening the small gift box, he found a folded piece of paper inside.

"Diagnostic report of ultrasound scan from Capital People’s Hospital..."

As a father of three, Zhao Dafa’s eyelids twitched. His gaze shifted quickly to the bottom of the paper, and the simple, clear words "early pregnancy" took his breath away for a moment.

"Congratulations, Director Zhao, you’re going to be a grandfather."

She then added to Shen Hongmei, "And congratulations to Aunt Hongmei, you’re going to be a grandmother."

Zhao Dafa looked up, his eyes shifting back and forth between his son and daughter-in-law, his face a mix of surprise and joy.

"I’m going to be a grandfather? Hahaha..."

"This is such great news!"

Shen Hongmei was equally joyous as she congratulated Zhao Yun and his wife, "Xiaoyun, Jingshu, congratulations to you both!"

"Thank you, Aunt Hongmei," Ren Jingshu replied shyly.

Zhao Yun leaned on one hand, smirking and lifting his chin toward Zhao Dafa, "How do you like this birthday gift, Director Zhao?"

Zhao Dafa skipped over him and, with a warm smile, turned his attention to Ren Jingshu as though he were her own father:

"Jingshu, you’ll be working hard from now on. If there’s anything you need, just ask. I’ll make sure you get it."

Ren Jingshu shook her head with a smile, "Xiaoyun and I are doing pretty well; we’re not lacking anything."

This response clearly left Zhao Dafa unsatisfied.

It was the Zhao Family’s first grandchild, possibly the eldest grandson. He couldn’t not give some sort of gift as the grandfather!

He announced on the spot that he would reward Ren Jingshu with 2% of the company’s shares, and once the child was born, they would give another 5% to the child.

"What about mine?" Zhao Yun asked.

"Get lost and stop being an annoyance."

"I’ve made up my mind, planning to start my own club. Just casually throw in twenty million, and that’ll be enough."

Without a word, Zhao Dafa turned and ordered the housekeeper, "Get this troublemaker out!"

"Ah, the soup should be ready by now; I’ll go serve it." The housekeeper wisely made her escape from the scene.

Shen Hongmei picked up the serving chopsticks and added some dishes to Ren Jingshu’s bowl, "Jingshu, eat more, don’t starve the baby in your belly."

As the conversation turned to his grandchild, Zhao Dafa lost interest in his son.

The family dinner, originally to celebrate Zhao Dafa’s birthday, now had Jingshu steal the limelight due to her pregnancy, receiving the family’s utmost care and attention.

After the meal, Shen Hongmei kept Jingshu company, sharing her experiences with childbirth, while Zhao Dafa called his son to his study for a talk.

Without anyone else around, Zhao Dafa spoke to his son Zhao Yun with rare seriousness.

"Xiaoyun, I talked to you a long time ago about marrying your Aunt Hongmei. No matter if I have other children in the future, the Zhao Family and company will belong to you. It’s your decision how much you want to share with your younger brothers and sisters. This was my promise to you. Until now, I still favor you as my successor. I want to hear what you really think."