Married A Farmer’s Son And Was Shunned By Bro & Sil | Became $50m Ceo. Acted As Strangers And…
Finding True Family
My brother just yelled and hung up the phone. I rushed to call him back only to find that I was already blocked. This was harsh. No matter how much he hated me, we were still family. It hurt to be rejected like this.
Seeing my distress, my husband was concerned and gently asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer when I told him about the conversation. Both my husband and my in-laws were as furious as if it had happened to them.
“Your home is here, Amy. Your family is us here,” my mother-in-law reassured me.
Her words moved me to tears. I wish she was my real mom. She cared about me much more than my blood-related mother did.
My father-in-law also comforted me, saying, “You’re happy now, that’s all that matters. No need to get hurt. The one who laughs is the winner.”
My husband added, “Let’s take them as a bad example and make sure we don’t turn out like that.”
Even our children, not knowing the situation, hugged me tightly.
“Thank you everyone,” I said. I felt a warmth in my heart, realizing how happy I was now even though I wasn’t blessed with a supportive biological family.
From Rejection to Success
However, things took a drastic turn when my business was featured on national television. My in-laws were originally large-scale grain farmers in the American Midwest. They also grew a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, but a lot of produce didn’t meet the standards.
I had studied food business in college and spent a lot of time figuring out how to sell all the produce without waste. I started an online business selling jams, juices, and pickles made from slightly damaged fruits and vegetables that couldn’t be sold as they were.
Backed by the local Farmers Union, my business was a huge success. It was a hit with moms who wanted to feed their children safe, domestically produced food, and seniors who wanted to taste nostalgic homemade pickles.
I built up the company with young women who, like me, had married into farming families and unemployed young people. It had grown into a 5 million dollar business. Our success story was covered in an in-depth report.
After the TV broadcast, we received a lot of attention and calls from various people. In addition to orders and inquiries, there were calls for business transactions and interview requests. Both the company’s phone and my personal smartphone wouldn’t stop ringing.
The Phone Calls
When a call came in from an unknown number, I picked it up without thinking. But surprisingly, it was my brother. I suppose he’s seen the national television as well. He must have heard about my success.
Barely exchanging greetings, he said, “I’m thinking of starting a business. Can you lend me some money?”
“Excuse me? My answer to that would be no.”
I felt a strong aversion and coldly rejected his request before hanging up. Then he called again.
“Stop arguing and give me the money. If a woman like you can start a business and make money, I’m bound to be successful,” my brother incessantly screamed.
That’s not how someone who wants to borrow money should behave, and I wonder where he gets that confidence. It’s funny because it was my brother who said that I, a simple farmer, was a total stranger to him.
I didn’t respond to my brother but instead I asked something that had been on my mind for a while.
“Hey, who decided not to tell me about the move, huh?”
“Of course it was me. My wife, you know, she’s a city girl. The moment I mentioned you, she said we should cut ties, so that’s how it was.”
I didn’t want to hear more so I hung up and blocked his number. I realized that my brother’s wife, whom I never met, seemed to have the same character as my brother and my parents. The fact that my brother saw me on TV might mean that my parents saw it too.
