Chapter 1346: Chapter 1344: Respect a bit more at 1343

Zhuang Liu sat in the chair opposite, and Father Tao sat down to make tea. The stove on the table was rumbling and puffing out steam, and Zhuang Liu’s heart was churning just like this kettle, endlessly roiling.

“We already know about the disagreement between you and Tan Rou,” Father Tao didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point, “Tan Rou has told us about the reasons for your conflict, but we can’t just take her word for it, so we wanted to ask you about the real reasons behind the conflict, to see if they match what she said.”

Zhuang Liu could understand Father Tao’s point of view. He said, “Tan Rou wants to take a team to visit J-country, and I am worried about her safety, so I want to go with her. But Tan Rou isn’t too happy about it; she feels that she has grown up and shouldn’t be followed by someone else.”

Father Tao smiled. This young man, Zhuang Liu, was still very honest; what he said matched Tan Rou’s story, and the main problem still lay with Zhuang Liu.

“Your intentions are good,” Father Tao acknowledged Zhuang Liu’s concern, but he didn’t agree with Zhuang Liu’s approach, “but your actions were very improper.”

Zhuang Liu opened his mouth but in the end, could not say anything.

Seeing his expression, Father Tao knew he felt aggrieved—clearly, he meant well for Tan Rou, so why didn’t anyone understand?

Father Tao said, “We only have this one daughter, Tan Rou, and I’m sure you are well aware of that. The Tao family treats Tan Rou as a treasure, absolutely unwilling to see her get even a little hurt.”

Zhuang Liu was also unwilling to see Tan Rou get hurt. He said, “Dad, my thoughts are the same, which is why I wanted to go with Tan Rou to J-country. J-country is quite chaotic, and I worry about her being there alone.”

“Tan Rou married into your Zhuang family alone, and I worry about her too,” Father Tao squinted and said, “Or maybe I should have Tan Rou come back to live with us, or we should live with her. I am not saying that her mother and I should move into the Zhuang family home, but that our whole family should go, including our household staff.”

The Zhuang family’s home could definitely accommodate the Tao family, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for the entire Tao family to live there, as it would bring many inconveniences.

“I… I…” Zhuang Liu stuttered for a long time, unable to complete his sentence.

“If you can’t bear to be away from her, do you think we can?” Father Tao raised his voice, “But we still agreed to your marriage, not because our daughter had to get married when she grew up, but because she is our daughter, and we respect her choices!”

“Yes, I understand I was wrong,” Zhuang Liu conceded and said, “We have already discussed it, and I won’t be following her on her trip abroad to discuss the project.”

“Not just this one time, I hope you won’t follow her around all the time in the future. She is an adult and has her own space for activities; she shouldn’t be restricted by others,” Father Tao said. “She respects your work, and you should also respect hers. Don’t be bound by traditional concepts. Do you understand?”

Zhuang Liu nodded, then asked, “Is that how mom and dad also got along?”

Father Tao smiled and replied, “I have never interfered with your mom’s affairs. She likes to travel, and when she needs me, I will definitely accompany her. But she also goes out with her girlfriends, and then I won’t follow her or bother her with constant messages; I’ll just ask her when she’s free about the places she visited that day, if she can share some of the scenery with me. She is always happy to tell me where she went that day and what she saw.”

Zhuang Liu had a moment of clarity; indeed, the older one gets, the more solutions one finds.

“Dad, is that how you find out about mom’s whereabouts?” Zhuang Liu asked.

Father Tao gave a light cough, murmuring, “Don’t talk nonsense. I just ask her to share some scenic photos and interesting events; I’m not trying to track her movements.”

“Dad, I understand,” Zhuang Liu said. “I won’t be going with Tan Rou.”

Father Tao smiled and nodded, “Good, if there are any unsolvable issues in the future, you can tell us. Your parents are not bad people; we always want what’s best for you both.”

Zhuang Liu expressed his gratitude, “Yes, I understand.”

Outside the window, Tao Zhi and Tao Zheng, having eavesdropped on the conversation inside, slipped away. Today’s eavesdropping was worthwhile because they learned a method from their father.