Chapter 172 So her name was Jin Feng, but unfortunately she's an ingrate.

Pan Tiefeng wasn't called by this name when she was little. She was called Pan Jinfeng when she was born. Because she was so small, her nickname was Xiaoxiao. At that time, the Pan family couldn't be said to be destitute, but they were indeed very poor. It wasn't until Jinfeng was born that their situation gradually improved.

The Pan family's improved financial situation was not due to any good fortune, but because young Jin Feng was a genetic lottery result of her parents' combination. She was born with a chubby baby in her arms, just like the ones in New Year's paintings. Every year, Jin Feng would dress up as Guanyin at the temple fairs in the village to thank the gods, and she would receive something for each performance. Over the years, she managed to accumulate enough money to buy a few acres of land.

Besides the income from role-playing, another major source of income is Jin Feng's childhood betrothal. Wealthy families have long coveted the beautiful and delicate Xue Tuan'er and have arranged a betrothal for their young sons. They send gifts every year to ensure that Jin Feng is not growing up badly. Once the girl grows up, she will be carried into the family in a sedan chair and live a life of luxury with servants and gold and silver. If she gives birth to a son, her lifelong wealth and honor will be secured.

That's how it should have been.

However, when Jin Feng turned nine, she fell seriously ill. They consulted traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Western medicine doctors, shamans, and sorcerers. Finally, a female itinerant doctor brought three doses of medicine. Before administering the medicine, the doctor told Jin Feng's family that although the medicine could cure the illness, it would also have side effects. Pan's parents were anxious to save their daughter and felt that it was already a blessing that Jin Feng had survived this ordeal, so they readily agreed.

The itinerant doctor's prescription was very effective, and Jin Feng really got better. But her parents were not happy for more than a few days. They found that Jin Feng's appetite was increasing day by day and she was growing taller and taller. That was fine, since wealthy families do not lack food and cloth, and they can afford to raise a tall girl. But what made Pan's parents despair was that their daughter's fair skin had become unsightly black!

The saying "fair skin covers up three flaws" is not a modern proverb. Jin Feng's appearance dropped significantly in the eyes of others once her skin darkened, even if her facial features did not change for the time being. The beauty of a dark complexion can only be discovered through careful observation, but how many people, apart from their parents, have that kind of patience?

Most people in the world hate those who have and laugh at those who don't. They want to step into the mud as soon as the bright moon falls to the ground. Adults know how to cover up their feelings to some extent, but children are much more straightforward. One after another, they call her an ugly monster and make her more and more reluctant to go out. She becomes very timid and eventually doesn't even want the name Jin Feng anymore.

"My sister doesn't deserve to be called Golden Phoenix! Her family has no money, and she's as black as coal. From now on, you should call her Coal Phoenix, like she crawled out of a coal mine, hee hee hee..."

Jin Feng still remembers those words very clearly, because they were spoken by Gouwa, whom she used to consider her best friend.

Gouwa was an abandoned baby. Because his legs were of different lengths, even though he was a boy, he was abandoned on the roadside and was found by the widowed old man Dou. He raised him as his grandson in preparation for his old age. However, old man Dou could only make a living on his own, and Gouwa lived a life of going hungry for three days and going hungry for nine meals a day.

At that time, the Pan family was doing quite well because Jin Feng received payment for dressing up as Guanyin, and the family she was betrothed to sent her gifts. Jin Feng felt sorry for Gouwa, so she would bring him some food from time to time, and the two gradually became friends.

When Old Man Dou suddenly died of a cold and no one was willing to raise Gouwa, it was the Pan family who took him in. Although it was because Pan's mother had not borne fruit for a long time after her flower bloomed, and she had heard others say that "raising a child can bring a biological child," she did not regret it after taking in Gouwa and discovering that she was two months pregnant, even though Jin Feng's younger brother was not brought by Gouwa.

In recent years, Gouwa's life in the Pan family has not been luxurious, but Gouwa has always had what Pan Jinfeng and her brother have. Gouwa also calls Jinfeng "sister". I never expected that the food and drink I gave him would turn into such an ungrateful child!

Jin Feng didn't disturb Gouwa, who was talking nonsense. She was going to tell her parents every word of what she had said when she got back. Her parents, who had already broken off their engagement because of Jin Feng, were furious when they heard this. They rushed out in a hurry and caught up with Gouwa talking.

Gouwa, who was spouting nonsense, turned pale with fright when he saw Pan's parents. Pan's parents didn't let him off easily either. They dragged the beast around the whole village and told him all about his heartless behavior. Then they announced that they couldn't afford to raise such a child and that whoever wanted him could take him away.

Gouwa, who was initially crying so hard he couldn't breathe, was then prompted by someone who seemed to enjoy the drama, and suddenly knelt down at the Pan family's door.

The countryside is a society based on personal relationships. It's fine if a child kneels at the door for a while, but if he kneels for too long, a peacemaker will automatically jump out. They are like some so-called mediators in modern times. They don't care what happened, they just want a happy ending where everyone makes dumplings together.

Mr. and Mrs. Pan could verbally drive away one or two, or even three or four, but the essence of their strategy was to take turns attacking. They didn't want to worry about thieves the day before, since they had already sold their house and land for money while receiving medical treatment, and the engagement had been called off. Not wanting to be morally blackmailed, the two of them came up with a bold idea—

"How about we leave here and start a new life somewhere else?"

Pan's mother asked her daughter softly. She knew that after Jin Feng's appearance was damaged, everyone's attitude changed a lot. But after saying some harsh words, they could at least pretend to be polite. But she didn't expect that a child could speak so harshly... There was no point in staying anyway, so she might as well take the letter sent by her cousin and go to Shanghai to try her luck.

No one there knows what Jin Feng looked like in the past, and her daughter won't be ridiculed by everyone. People die when they move, but trees thrive when they move. Maybe she can have a better life after she leaves.

They've all run out and everything's been arranged. I don't believe that little bastard can stick to me again!

Jin Feng glanced at Gouwa kneeling outside, guessed most of what Pan's mother was thinking, and readily agreed, but with one condition:

"Mother, I will no longer be called Jin Feng, but Tie Feng."

She'd had enough of the open and veiled mockery; she wanted to grow a body of steel, so that whoever dared to touch her would only suffer the pain.

Dogwa's words ultimately left a mark on the little girl's heart.

Pan's parents thought their daughter was talking nonsense, but Pan Tiefeng was serious. She even secretly taught her younger brother to call her Sister Tiefeng. After being spanked several times without changing her mind, Pan's parents had no choice but to compromise. The valuable Jinfeng became the cold and hard Tiefeng after arriving in Shanghai. From the time she said she would change her name to when she introduced her Jinfeng to her cousin, the whole process took no more than eight days.

As we all know, moving is a very tedious affair. What to take and what to keep, what to sell and what to hide, what items to keep at what price so as not to suffer too much loss, what odds and ends to give to relatives to earn a good reputation, the price fluctuations and interpersonal relationships involved are enough to make economists wail and Xue Baochai have a headache.

But the Pan family was different from ordinary families. Their most valuable possessions, the land and house, had already been sold. While they still owned a considerable amount of other large items, they were much easier to handle than their most valuable assets. Given the presence of exploitative outsiders, the Pan family fully utilized their initiative, further accelerating their already rapid relocation.

The Pan family decided to flee early in the morning. They packed their belongings in the morning, and in the afternoon, Pan's mother took the odds and ends to visit relatives. Pan's father found a secondhand dealer and, under the cover of night, transported the belongings away. The next morning, they ran away under the pretext of going to a relative's house for a drink. When Gouwa, who was being morally blackmailed, collapsed at the Pan family's door, whether he was faking it or really fainting, everyone knocked on the door to find out what was going on, only to discover that the family had not returned.

They initially thought something had happened and were about to go out to look for someone when a distant relative from another village of the Pan family came in and told everyone that the Pan family had gone to stay with their cousin a few days ago. However, they could not reveal the cousin's name or address.

Upon hearing the news of the Pan family's escape, the others were alright, but Gouwazi, who had just been revived by pinching his philtrum, fainted again. While the village was in turmoil, the Pan family, rushing forward, had already arrived at the address given by their aunt. As soon as they revealed their identities, they heard their aunt let out a wail, and then they began to haphazardly arrange their cousin's funeral—

Actually, it wasn't entirely without reason. When my cousin's letter arrived at the Pan family, it coincided with the wealthy family breaking off an engagement. After reading the letter, Pan's mother knew that my cousin's only son was not doing well. The letter subtly implied that the family property was being used to pay for his old age, which was one of the important reasons why the Pan family chose to leave their hometown.

"This kid was always acting tough and violent, and with so many people carrying knives, he still insisted on getting involved. Now look what happened, he's even lost his life..."

My cousin tearfully recounted the events described in the letter, and she fainted several times during the funeral. Even now, when Pan Tiefeng recalls it, she still marvels at the deep bond between her cousin and cousin who passed away years ago. Every year, on Qingming Festival, Ghost Festival, and the anniversary of her death, my cousin would personally burn paper money for her, even though she was out of breath after just a few steps last year, she was unwilling to entrust this task to others.

But what Pan Tiefeng didn't know was that the burning of these paper money wasn't just because of the mother-son relationship, but more so because of her aunt's guilt.

My cousin could have stayed alive—but if he hadn't died, my aunt would have had no way out. In the middle of the night, when my aunt went to the toilet, she overheard her son, whom she had raised single-handedly, bragging to his so-called friends that he had found a white house that was willing to pay more money, and that he planned to send my aunt there in a couple of days.

The White House was synonymous with the lowest-class brothel, and the women who went in usually didn't live long. Although my aunt was in poor health because she had single-handedly supported the family when she was young, she still wanted to live. So, just like when her husband, who was drunk and fast asleep, wanted to sell her when they were young, she decided to strike first.

But she was too old to do it herself. Fortunately, Shanghai was never a truly peaceful place, and human life was cheap.

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Author's Note: Tie Feng is too good at stealing the show... I swear I'll return to Xiao Yu's perspective in the next chapter and hurry up and get her to move!

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