Ji Anning was still in postpartum confinement, naturally unaware of her father-in-law’s situation. The one who informed Wen Yu about this matter was their daughter, Junjun.
“Grandpa is always playing with the computer,” she said.
Junjun’s “playing with the computer” referred to the adults being busy on the computer.
Wen Yu was somewhat puzzled about what Wen Guoan was busy with. Shouldn’t spending time with Junjun be the most important thing in his retired life?
But every time Wen Yu entered the study, Wen Guoan would quickly close his laptop and then talk to him. This happened several times, and the action was quite obvious.
The father and son had always been open with each other, sharing similar values and temperaments, making communication smooth.
Wen Guoan actually had a little secret from Wen Yu, which left him quite disheartened.
On a day when he wasn’t busy, Wen Yu returned home early in the afternoon to see his wife.
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Rd vbl nswavuyae, vblal olal zyatl zyodp yde vall pbyelp, okvb swvessa vyczlp yde nbykap wdeladlyvb. Eld Zw pyo Eld Qwsyd pkvvkdt wdela vbl vallp, vurkdt yoyu sd bkp zyrvsr.
Eld Zw bye y xkpnbklhswp kely.
Tl vssj sqq bkp pbslp, oyzjle cyalqssv sd vbl taypp zkjl y nyv, yde pkzldvzu yrrasynble Eld Qwsyd qasx clbkde vs pdlyj y rllj.
Gqvla oyvnbkdt qsa y obkzl, Eld Zw qlzv psxlobyv eygle.
Tl iwklvzu alvaynle bkp pvlrp. Mbyv lhldkdt, bl alxykdle wdwpwyzzu pkzldv.
Xq nswapl, Kk Gddkdt dsvknle vbyv psxlvbkdt oyp oasdt okvb bkx yde ypjle, “Ebyv’p vbl xyvvla? Pke psxlvbkdt byrrld?”
Eld Zw bye y nsxrzlm lmralppksd yde pyke, “Ps usw jdso obyv Pye kp wr vs?”
Kk Gddkdt, nwakswp, ypjle, “R esd’v jdso. Ebyv eke Pye es?”
Wen Yu said, “He’s come up with a ‘Successor Training Program’!”
Ji Anning was somewhat surprised. “Successor training? Isn’t it too early? Xiaosong and Xiaobai haven’t even reached one month.”
Wen Yu’s emotions became even more complicated.
“No, it’s not Xiaosong or Xiaobo,” he said, finding it hard to believe even after witnessing it himself. “It’s Junjun.”
Ji Anning was so shocked that she couldn’t find words.
She never expected Wen Guoan to want to groom Junjun as the successor, especially given the recent birth of Xiaosong and Xiaobai.
In ordinary families, the situation often involved sons inheriting the house, while daughters received dowries upon marriage. Moreover, the Wen family was no ordinary family; it was an affluent household.
The Wens were an aristocratic family.
In such aristocratic families, not to mention the distribution of wealth between sons and daughters, even among sons, assets were often not evenly divided.
A family could only have one person at the helm, and excessive dispersion of ownership was not conducive to controlling the family’s enterprises. Many aristocratic families chose the eldest or the most outstanding among their children to inherit the majority of the family assets, with the others receiving a smaller share.
Of course, even these smaller shares could ensure a comfortable life for the rest of their lives.
After Ji Anning married into the Wen family, she, being part of this social stratum, had heard quite a few fascinating stories about inheritance disputes and sibling conflicts among affluent families.
When there was only Junjun in the family, she hadn’t considered these matters. However, after giving birth to Xiaosong and Xiaobai, she began to think about this issue.
Based on her understanding of Wen Yu and Wen Guoan, she predicted that the inheritance rights would likely fall to one of the brothers, while the other boy and their eldest daughter, Junjun, would receive substantial assets.
Junjun was greatly favored by Wen Guoan. Just as she started kindergarten, the dowry Wen Guoan had accumulated for her was already very generous. Any one item among them represented wealth that an ordinary person might not earn in a lifetime.
So, Ji Anning wasn’t actually worried. Under these circumstances, she hadn’t considered fighting for anything more for Junjun.
In this fixed mindset, Wen Guoan suddenly wanting to groom Junjun as the successor was truly shocking.
After the shock, Ji Anning let out a long breath and said, “I thought… I thought Dad would definitely choose Xiaosong or Xiaobai.”
Wen Yu’s emotions became even more complicated because Xiaosong was his son.
Of course, Junjun was also his beloved daughter, but when Xiaosong was born, he naturally excluded Junjun from the lineup of potential successors. He naturally believed that the choice for a successor could only be between the two sons.
Of course, if you accused him of favoring sons over daughters, he would never admit it.
He believed he showered his daughter with love and provided her with a generous dowry to ensure she lived a carefree and happy life, free from worries. How could that be considered favoring sons over daughters?
Even without hesitation, he excluded his daughter from the lineup of potential heirs, offering a dowry as compensation. Many men saw this as a matter of course, even for someone like Wen Yu, who had received a higher education but couldn’t completely free himself from such traditional thinking.
“Do you mind?” Ji Anning asked Wen Yu.
Wen Yu complicatedly replied, “It’s not that I mind, it’s just… it’s too tough, you know? She’s a girl.”
Ji Anning could understand Wen Yu’s perspective. Being a successor involves not only inheriting power and assets but also shouldering the accompanying responsibilities and obligations. Every decision, every choice, and every sacrifice is challenging.
It’s actually not about gender but about whether one’s character is resolute and if they possess strong determination.
However, the longstanding stereotype of viewing women as the weaker sex has led many, especially men, to believe that women are unsuitable for leadership positions.
Wen Yu shared this viewpoint.
But Ji Anning, as a woman, especially given her upbringing where no elders subjected her to such indoctrination, and because she had no one to rely on and had to make decisions on her own, was able to break free from this kind of mindset faster than Wen Yu.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” she said. “I’m not inherently a very capable person. Over the past two years, I’ve been learning about investments. It was really difficult at the beginning. Every time I thought about the decisions I made potentially causing losses in the millions or tens of millions, I felt panic. But as I gained experience and faced more situations, I felt a change in my mental resilience.”
“So I think capability isn’t something you’re born with, and it has nothing to do with gender,” she said. “Our children won’t lack intelligence, and emotional intelligence and capability are things that can be nurtured and taught. I don’t believe you’re born with the ability to run a big business. Even you were taught by Dad, right? Since Dad has chosen Junjun, he will cultivate her well. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Wen Yu admitted that Ji Anning made sense; after all, he wasn’t an old-fashioned thinker.
In the company, he respected capable women, providing them with equal opportunities for competition and promotion. However, when it came to his own family, those ingrained, outdated thoughts came into play.
Peeling away the tender veil of affection for his daughter and the desire to shield her from hardship, facing the harsh reality, he couldn’t help but ask himself: Am I really favoring sons over daughters?
It was then that he realized societal progress had extended beyond mere aspects like dressing and dining, or whether daughters were mistreated. Deeper still was the question of whether a family offered equal rights and opportunities to their daughters as they did to their sons.
Education resources and inheritance rights played a significant role in this.
Ji Anning patted the arm of the father of her child and said, “Why don’t you talk to Dad and see what he’s thinking?”
Wen Yu nodded.
He deliberately found a time to sit down and have a serious conversation with Wen Guoan.
Wen Yu asked, “Dad, do you want to groom Junjun as the successor?”
Wen Guoan pushed his reading glasses down and raised an eyebrow, “What? You got a problem with that?”
Wen Guoan didn’t believe in democracy within the family; he was Wen Yu’s father, the feudal patriarch, and his word was law.
“Keep your opinions to yourself!” he said. “I’ve already made up my mind; it’s Junjun!”
Wen Yu was almost choked by his words. He hadn’t said anything yet!
“Not at all, why did you suddenly have this idea? What about Xiaosong and Xiaobai? Aren’t they your grandsons? Don’t you love them?” he asked, rubbing his forehead. “Are they not good enough for you?”
Wen Guoan looked up again, his expression somewhat complicated.
“Who said I don’t love Xiaosong and Xiaobai?” he said. “Don’t jump to conclusions, you brat. They are all my grandchildren, and I love them all!”
Wen Yu asked, “So what’s your thinking?”
Wen Guoan took off his reading glasses and sighed.
“I was thinking, Xiaosong and Xiaobai are boys, surely they will turn out just like you, not great at all,” Wen Guoan sighed.
Wen Yu: “…”
Hold on, what does “just like me” mean? What does “not great at all” mean?
“But Junjun, she must be a good child,” Wen Guoan said. “But in this world, good people often suffer and get bullied, while the bad ones thrive. I’m not worried about Xiaosong and Xiaobai, but I just think, I can’t raise Junjun to be naive. I have to teach her well.”
Wen Yu nodded. Though it sounded a bit skewed, everyone has their quirks, and Wen Yu didn’t want his daughter to suffer in the future.
On this point, he supported Wen Guoan.
Wen Guoan continued, “But Junjun is so smart. If you raise her well, what’s the matter? Are you planning to skip over her, the eldest, and pass on the family business to her younger brother? What can Junjun do?”
Wen Yu still had the idea of sibling harmony and protection. He never thought about what to do if Junjun wasn’t willing to accept that. But when parents are willing to face and think about such issues, it can be a bit chilling.
Wen Yu started to break into a cold sweat.
They all loved Junjun and wanted her to be happy. However, if they wanted Junjun, as the eldest daughter, to avoid future conflicts over inheritance with her younger brother, they would have to instill in her from a young age the idea of giving way to her brother.
But how could brainwashing Junjun like this lead to genuine happiness?
It was essentially a paradox.
This paradox arose because “loving one’s daughter” and “depriving the daughter of inheritance rights” were fundamentally incompatible.
Once one understood this layer, it became impossible for anyone to continue self-deception with the veil of affection.
Wen Yu remained silent for a long time.
Wen Guoan said, “Later, I thought again. If we’ve decided to educate Junjun, why shouldn’t she be the successor? She’s the family’s first child. She’s over four years older than Xiaosong and Xiaobai, and she reached adulthood before them. If she has any ideas, she has four years to execute them.”
In the circles of wealthy families, sibling disputes over inheritance, and even disputes between spouses, involving ruthless tactics, were not unheard of. When Wen Guoan mentioned this, Wen Yu couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
“If Junjun were a boy, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation today. When it comes to the eldest son being the successor, if it’s not 100%, at least 90% of the time, it’s the case. Is it just because Junjun is a girl? Yes, girls may not have the physical strength of boys, but we’re not asking Junjun to lift bricks on a construction site. She’ll be using her brain. Who can prove that a girl’s brain is definitely inferior to a boy’s? No one can. In fact, countless facts prove that females even have advantages in many fields, including research and finance. The idea that girls are naturally weak and need protection and pampering is nothing more than a bias wrapped in the aura of male superiority.”
Sansukini: Fighting the patriarchy. Lol.
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Go, Grandpa!!
Yassss lezgoo! I love how their family is trying to break boundaries and understanding that children should be given equal opportunities no matter their gender.
I’m sooo glad they are having this conversation very early on so they don’t mistreat Junjun
To be in the helm of power, as a leader. Junjun would need a healthy and fit physical and mental condition. She would also need great stamina. So, they would need not only train her brain and train of thought as a leader, but also train her habit of healthy life which could give her great stamina.
But, really. If it’s about gender equality and not favoring one child over their siblings, they should give the later born twins the same education/training. Given their trained skills, knowledge, and the Wen’s influence, they can build their own company and career. Ofc, it was the case if the three of them want career in business world. The elders still need consider the children’s preference and passion for the career of their choice.