The kindness shown to him by Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu was something his own biological grandparents could never match.
Though his biological grandparents now treated him much better, that was because they were getting old, his birth father refused to divorce his stepmother, and the stepmother was still in prison. When she got out, they would all be old.
It was impossible for them to have more children.
He was his father’s only child.
He was also the Zhou family’s only grandson, so his grandparents had begun to cherish him and no longer dared to speak in front of him about helping his cousins.
His aunt occasionally still said a word or two, but whenever his grandparents heard, they would scold her. Later, his aunt dared not mention it again.
As for his aunt’s three children, Yangyang now had basically no contact with them. The two eldest were ten years older than him and already adults. Neither cousin had got into university; they attended vocational college.
Whether they could find good jobs in future was unknown. What his aunt wanted was simply for him to put in a good word for them with Uncle Lu, arrange jobs so they would have employment straight after graduation.
Working for a big corporation offered plenty of room for promotion and pay rises.
Or perhaps arrange something at his little aunt’s husband’s company. In short, she hoped he would sort out jobs for his cousins.
Yangyang never agreed to his aunt’s requests. When he occasionally ran into his cousins, the eldest would apologise, saying he should not have hit him back then, that they were cousins and close.
Yangyang accepted the apology, but for anything else, he made no promises. He said he was still a child and could not make decisions.
Whether it was the Zhan Group or the Lu Group, the requirements for employees were high. Countless people fought tooth and nail to get in. He knew exactly what his cousins were like.
Let alone his aunt’s husband or Uncle Lu refusing, even if he had a company one day, he would not hire them.
He feared they would throw their weight around.
Yangyang knew full well what his eldest aunt’s family was like. He had always been precocious, and now that he was older, he understood even more.
He was already in middle school.
He was no longer the three-year-old kindergartener he once was.
If his cousins had ability, they could get in on their own merits. He would not open any back doors for them, nor did he have the authority to do so.
Neither the Zhan Group nor the Lu Group was his company.
If he himself was not outstanding enough in future, he might not even get into those big groups.
So, rely on real ability. Those with real skill could rise anywhere. Those without, even if they slipped in through connections, would soon be sacked.
“When are you heading to Youyou Villa?”
Mrs Lu asked with concern, knowing her daughter-in-law would want to catch up with her sister.
It was the summer holidays now, all the children were off, and everyone gathering would be lively.
“We’ll go over in the evening for dinner. Mum, Dad, come along.”
Hai Ling invited her in-laws.
Mrs Lu smiled. “You don’t need to ask. Your dad and I will tag along anyway. It’s been a while since we visited your Zhan grandma. She’s doing alright, I hope.”
“She’s fine. Grandma Zhan’s health is still robust, but, after all, she’s getting on in years, so she has the usual ailments old people get. Fortunately, there’s a family doctor keeping a constant eye on her health.”
“Dr Cheng also comes regularly to check on her.”
Hai Ling said, “I hope she lives to a hundred, like my Grandpa Fei. Reaching a full century would be wonderful.”
She would be content to live to eighty herself.
She did not ask for a hundred years.
Once the children were grown and able to take over, to live independently, she could face life and death with equanimity.
