Chapter 362 - 361 How to deal with it
Ye Xinyan knew what Qi Younian was thinking; she knew that if they followed Jinrong’s approach, it would implicate more than just the family of the Third Branch. Qi Younian had come back to settle his roots, and it was not fair that in securing his own place, he risked cutting off Qi Yourong’s family from their livelihood.
To Qi Yougui, Qi Jiaer was his grandnephew, and Qi Yourong was his own younger brother. Now, Qi Jiaer was living a good life, better than any other child in the village. It was precisely because of the past mistreatment and hardships that Qi Jiaer had these better days, and in the future, he would be able to inherit the Second Branch family’s considerable fortune.
Qi Younian had no offspring, and it was Qi Yourong who gave him a descendant to continue the family line. After wandering abroad for over forty years, he had only recently returned and had just adopted a grandson from the Third Branch family. Yet, because of this grandson, he had landed the entire Third Branch family in jail. Once such a thing happened, there was no need to think about it, public opinion would definitely be one-sided, and the Second Branch family would face criticism and reproach from the entire Clear Water Village.
Such an outcome was not beneficial to anyone, Qi Jiaer included.
In the presence of Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, Ye Xinyan did not say all this. Breaking the silence, she said, "In the common folk, there are many cases where stepmothers mistreat their stepsons. Usually, if the people do not raise the issue, officials do not pursue it. The general consensus among the neighbors is that it’s natural for stepmothers to be unkind to their stepsons. Even with aversion, most people are reluctant to offend others; as long as no life is lost, the children will eventually grow up, and everything will naturally get better."
"Madam Pang of the Third Branch has a dark psychology and treats her stepson maliciously. However, in the absence of serious consequences, eradicating the Third Branch is not the best approach. Moreover, for Qi Jia, to see the family that raised you condemn the family that gave you life into a desperate situation would inevitably lead to finger-pointing throughout his life."
Frowning, Jinrong glanced at Qi Jiaer, who seemed to understand yet not, and asked, "Are you saying that such evil deeds should simply be tolerated?"
"Of course not," Ye Xinyan said. "Sixth Master might feel it is tolerating, but for Madam Pang, the best punishment is to have Qi Jiaer live a happy and good life before her and her son. The more outstanding and successful Qi Jiaer is in the future, possessing a bright prospect, the more it becomes a torment for her, her son, and her whole family."