Chapter 503: The Stepmother’s Calculation
Mark Xavier just shook his head. His stepmother never hit him. All she had to do was give him a look or say a careless word, and his dad’s fists and feet would come flying.
Amanda Chapman grew anxious. "You’re not being starved or beaten, so why the long face?"
Tang Xiaonan was also completely bewildered. But Mark Xavier refused to say anything, his mouth shut tight as a clam. Amanda Chapman was so agitated by him that she lost her appetite and just kept prodding him to speak.
Mark Xavier suddenly burst into tears, choking out, "Even if I tell you, you can’t help. My uncles won’t even get involved anymore..."
His sister had gone to their uncle for help. A while ago, their uncle had stood up for him, but this time, he refused to help. He even told his sister to be more considerate of their parents and not be so willful. The other elders were all the same; they all thought his father and stepmother had done nothing wrong.
His sister was in despair, and so was he. He just hated how useless he was right now, unable to do a single thing.
"What are you crying for? If anyone saw you, they’d think I was bullying you, for crying out loud!" Amanda Chapman was getting annoyed. She couldn’t stand it when guys cried and whimpered. Her own brother, Gentry Chapman, was just like that, and it was infuriating.
Tang Xiaonan coaxed him gently, "Why don’t you tell us what happened first? Maybe my cousin and I can help!"
Mark Xavier cried for a little while longer before he started to feel embarrassed. He wiped his face a few times with his sleeve and, with red-rimmed eyes, explained the situation. Tang Xiaonan’s frown deepened. No wonder the elders of the Xavier family refused to intervene. It was the kind of matter they really couldn’t interfere with. After all, the mindset of prioritizing boys over girls was still very prevalent in the countryside. It was rare for a girl to even attend middle school, let alone high school.
From the Xavier family’s perspective, not letting Mark Xavier’s sister continue her education was understandable. For a girl to marry when she came of age was simply the natural order of things. This time, from both a moral and a logical standpoint, no one could find any fault with what Mark Xavier’s stepmother had done. The Xavier family elders couldn’t get involved even if they wanted to, and moreover, they probably didn’t want to.
It turned out that Mark Xavier’s stepmother had persuaded his father to arrange a marriage for his sister, Kelley Xavier. The terms were quite good: the suitor was from a well-off family in town, and the man himself was an employee at the distillery. It was such a good match that the Xavier family elders couldn’t find a single thing to criticize. They even praised the stepmother for being virtuous, capable, and kind-hearted!
But Kelley Xavier refused. She was only seventeen and had no desire to get married. She wanted to take the college entrance exams. Her teacher said she could definitely get into a prestigious university. Only by getting into college would she have a chance to make something of herself.
Besides, Kelley Xavier didn’t believe for a second that her stepmother would genuinely find a good man for her. A job at the distillery certainly sounded appealing, but who knew what kind of person this man really was?
But no matter how Kelley Xavier knelt and begged, or even threatened to kill herself, Mark Xavier’s father remained unmoved. He even made a cruel declaration: even if Kelley Xavier actually died, he wouldn’t so much as blink. He would just consider it the death of an ungrateful wretch he had raised for seventeen years.
The elders of the Xavier family also felt that Kelley Xavier was being ridiculous. What was the point of a girl studying so much? Sooner or later, she would have to marry and become someone else’s daughter-in-law. They felt the Xavier family had already been more than fair by supporting Kelley Xavier’s education through high school. Some even said she was completely insensible, that her studies had given her wild ideas, and that only by getting married could she be made to settle down.
Mark Xavier choked back a sob. "My dad is only letting my sister finish this semester. After the double harvest season, she’s to be engaged, and she has to marry him before the end of the year. My sister is only one year away from taking the college entrance exams! She can definitely pass them. Her grades are amazing—she’s first in her class every single year..."
"Did a dog eat your dad’s brain or something? If your sister got into college, it would be a huge honor for him too!" Amanda Chapman said indignantly.
Mark Xavier gave a cold laugh. "He only listens to that woman now. The children she gave birth to are the apple of his eye. My sister and I are just outsiders."