423

"Knock, knock, knock," a few knocks on the door sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet night. Liu Ting's hand hung in mid-air, her heart pounding violently, each knock feeling like a blow to her fragile nerves.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her slightly trembling body betrayed her inner tension and unease.

Ke Qiangfeng and his wife Zhong Fen had just put their child to sleep. The couple had been busy all day and were exhausted. They were awakened by the knocking on the door.

Ke Qiangfeng groggily turned over, muttering, "Who's doing this so late at night?"

Zhong Fen irritably pulled the blanket over her head and muttered, "Never mind it, maybe they knocked on the wrong door. Let's go back to sleep."

The knocking on the door showed no sign of stopping; instead, it grew more urgent. Ke Qiangfeng sighed helplessly, sat up in bed, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and put on his clothes to go check on the situation.

Zhong Fen reluctantly sat up, complaining incessantly, "Honestly, it's the middle of the night, can't a person get any sleep?"

The two reluctantly dressed and went to open the door. Upon seeing Liu Ting standing outside, their expressions froze instantly, then changed drastically as if they had seen a plague.

A hint of panic and embarrassment flashed in Ke Qiangfeng's eyes. He subconsciously lowered his head, not daring to look his mother in the eye.

Since his father was sent to the countryside, he was always pointed at and gossiped about at work. The once cheerful and confident man became self-conscious and sensitive. In this family, he gradually lost his former status and lost his confidence when he spoke.

Zhong Fen crossed her arms, a look of disgust on her face, her eyes full of impatience: "Oh, isn't this Mom? What are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Her voice was sharp and shrill, particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Looking at her son and daughter-in-law, Liu Ting felt a sharp pain in her heart. She forced back the pain and said softly, "Qiangfeng, Mom just wanted to see you. It's been so long..."

Her voice trembled slightly, filled with a mother's deep longing for her child. Upon seeing her youngest son, all the pent-up grievances she had held back for so long immediately welled up in her heart, but seeing his appearance, she couldn't utter a single word.

Ke Qiangfeng moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back. He secretly glanced at Zhong Fen and saw her glaring at him with a face full of anger, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

Zhong Fen snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "Look at us? You're really something. Don't you know what time it is? We have to go to work tomorrow, we don't have time to chat with you."

"Besides, what good could you possibly want from us? It's all about the old man's troubles. We're barely making ends meet ourselves, we can't afford to meddle in your business." As she spoke, she backed into the house, making a move to close the door.

Liu Ting took a step forward and said urgently, "Qiangfeng, Mom didn't come here to trouble you. Mom just wanted to see you and the children..." Her eyes were full of pleading, hoping to get a response from her son.

Ke Qiangfeng bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak when Zhong Fen spoke first: "Look after the child? The child is already asleep. If you come, you'll just wake the child up. You should leave now and stop making a fuss here."

"And please don't come again. You've dragged us into this mess, how dare you come looking for us? Get out of here!" As she spoke, she shoved Liu Ting hard, almost knocking her to the ground.

Liu Ting staggered for a moment, then steadied herself. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled out.

She stared in disbelief at her daughter-in-law, unable to comprehend how the once obedient and sensible girl had become so cold and heartless. She then looked at Ke Qiangfeng, hoping her son would speak up for her, but Ke Qiangfeng kept his head down, refusing to look at her, letting Zhong Fen hurl insults at her.

Liu Ting's heart sank completely. Silently, she turned around and dragged her heavy steps away from this place that had filled her with anticipation yet left her utterly disappointed. Her lonely figure stretched long and thin under the dim streetlights.

Even after walking a few steps, he could still hear Zhong Fen scolding Ke Qiangfeng. "Ke Qiangfeng, I'm warning you, if you dare to see your parents, we're getting a divorce. Don't you even know what your father has done?"

I'm still willing to live with you now; your family's ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke. Don't be ungrateful. Humph!

Liu Ting seemed to have run out of tears; not a single tear could fall. Then she laughed self-deprecatingly, and as she laughed, she bent over and cried again. Afraid of disturbing the people living by the roadside, she tightly covered her mouth with her hands, swallowing back all her sobs.

Tang Yue followed silently behind, needing to vent her frustrations. Only in moments of utter despair can one truly understand the taste of pain. She didn't want a swarm of parasites clinging to her later. She couldn't bear that kind of life.

Her mother probably never experienced parental love, and she hopes her mother can be loved and pampered like she and her siblings. But having parents is contingent on not having a bunch of awful relatives.

If that's the case, she'd rather love her mother more herself than let her mother be bound by these so-called family ties.

After venting her frustrations, Liu Ting gradually calmed down. She turned around and saw the little girl silently following behind her. The winter nights in Kyoto were truly cold; Liu Ting felt a chill throughout her body and soul.

But this little girl brought her a glimmer of warmth, injecting a gentle current into her frozen heart.

"Child, what's your name?"

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