Chapter 139: Childhood Betrothal
Lu Niannian recognized Zhang Yanfei at a glance.
Zhang Yanfei was beaming with excitement.
Ning Tang, on the other hand, didn't have any extra expression on her face. Her eyebrows and eyes were cold and aloof, and even from this distance, her superior features could be seen.
I don't know what the two of them were talking about, but the atmosphere seemed strangely peaceful.
Lu Niannian's heart skipped a beat, and her heart jumped into her throat.
She instinctively pulled Zhou Hairong behind a nearby tree, straining her ears to try and hear what the two people nearby were saying.
Zhou Hairong was also startled by his daughter's sudden outburst.
She was about to speak when she was glared at and shut up.
Not far away at that moment.
"I can't help you with this." Ning Tang's voice was cold and distant. "Ning Xin has nothing to do with me. You shouldn't have come to me when something happened to her."
She didn't believe Zhang Yanfei was unaware of her relationship with the Ning family.
With Ningxin's big mouth, she'll definitely tell everything.
The intricacies and twists and turns involved here.
He definitely knows Zhang Yanfei.
"Ning Tang, no matter what, aren't you being a bit too cruel?" Zhang Yanfei's expression was unpleasant, as if he had swallowed something. "I admit that Ning Xin had a bad temper before, and may have hurt you a little, but isn't that all in the past? Why are you being so petty and refusing to give in?"
Zhang Yanfei is also a very protective person.
Although he always hit Ningxin before.
But now this woman is pregnant, and the child in her belly is his.
Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner; he has to handle this matter properly!
"Besides, if Ningxin's mother hadn't brought you back from the train station, you would probably have starved to death by now and wouldn't be this big, standing here talking to me so arrogantly!" Zhang Yanfei sneered.
The way he looked at Ning Tang was as if she were some ungrateful dog.
Ning Tang smiled.
When a person is extremely speechless, they can actually laugh.
She was adopted by a capitalist, supposedly to be raised as his second daughter, but in reality, her life was worse than that of a dog.
Ning Xin's mother, who is also her adoptive mother in name, found Ning Tang at the train station back then. It was by no means out of kindness.
However, Ning Xin was lost at that time, and she couldn't live with her conscience. She was also afraid of being blamed by her family, so she brought Ning Tang home.
Once inside the Ning family, Ning Tang became Ning Xin's personal maid.
Ning Xin was several years older than her, and relying on being her biological daughter, she had been domineering and arrogant since childhood.
Stealing Ning Tang's food and throwing her blanket into the water were commonplace occurrences.
Ning's mother saw everything, but always turned a blind eye.
Occasionally, when he's in a good mood, he'll casually say "stop making a fuss," then turn around and take Ning Xin out to play, not even bothering to give Ning Tang, who's being bullied in the corner, a second glance.
As for the rest of the family, they treated her like she didn't exist.
In everyone's eyes, Ning Tang wasn't even a decoration; at most, she was a dog that her biological daughter could order around at will.
Zhang Yanfei said that Ning's mother saved her life, preventing her from starving to death at the train station.
Honestly.
Ning Tang has heard these words for almost twenty years, and if you include her previous life, it's been almost forty years.
My ears are practically calloused from hearing it so much.
Why don't these people mention how they've managed to get by all these years in the Ning family?
Thinking of this, Ning Tang's smile vanished, and her expression turned cold at a visible speed.
She looked at Zhang Yanfei and said, word by word, "Zhang Yanfei, I've been beaten more than you've eaten salt. You know nothing, so stop being so indignant."
Zhang Yanfei was taken aback by her words, and his face instantly turned ugly.
"Stop talking nonsense. If she had a bad heart, why would she have taken you in in the first place? You must have been disobedient and angered her, which is why you got beaten."
Ning Tang felt like she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
She was no longer in the mood to waste time arguing with useless people.
He turned to leave.
Zhang Yanfei refused to move aside and blocked the road.
He said maliciously, "Ning Tian, you ungrateful wretch, I've finally seen through you. Ning Xin is carrying my child now, and if anything happens to her, I'll be the first to make you pay."
"Are you still not done with me?"
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, her beautiful face full of disdain.
"Zhang Yanfei, do you even understand the situation?"
“Ningxin is your wife, and the child she’s carrying is yours. If something happens to her, you are the one who should be responsible, not me.”
"I have no connection with the Ning family anymore. What right do you have to come looking for me?"
Ning Tang simply couldn't understand Zhang Yanfei's logic.
"Just because you've eaten Ning family's food for so many years."
Zhang Yanfei shouted, her neck stiff.
In his eyes, all those meals were bought with money, and if it weren't for Ning Tang, that money would have been his.
Ning Tang has benefited from this for so many years, she should pay the price and repay the favor.
Ning Tang really thought this person wasn't very bright, so she turned around and was about to leave.
Zhang Yanfei wanted to stop him, but then she suddenly realized that they were in the team, and they might run into Xu Qiaofeng at any time.
If Xu Qiaofeng, that ruthless devil, saw him arguing with Ning Tang, he would definitely throw a punch at him.
Upon considering this possibility, Zhang Yanfei immediately became obedient.
He could only watch helplessly as Ning Tang disappeared before his eyes, feeling resentful.
After a long while, Zhang Yanfei left, grumbling and cursing.
Seeing this, Lu Niannian and Zhou Hairong, who were behind the tree, finally came out from behind it.
"Mom, let's go back first. There are too many people around here."
"OK."
Zhou Hairong clearly thought the same thing, and she immediately followed her daughter toward the team entrance.
Halfway there, it was as if I suddenly remembered something.
Zhou Hairong stopped and asked in a low voice, "Niannian, I think Ning Tang is ruthless. She won't even help Ning Xin, so how could she help us?"
When this was mentioned, Lu Niannian's expression turned extremely unpleasant.
She originally intended to threaten Ning Tang.
To everyone's surprise, instead of winning over Ning Tang, Zhang Yanfei ran into her and was severely humiliated.
Suddenly, Lu Niannian felt a little uncertain.
"Why do you care so much? You can't help me anyway, so don't ask so many questions and annoy me," she said coldly.
Looking at the disgusted look in his beloved daughter's eyes, Zhou Hairong felt incredibly sad, as if he had been cut by a knife.
Since I was fired from the hospital, I haven't been able to help with anything.
She knew she was useless, so she could only silently follow behind Lu Niannian. From a distance, they didn't look like mother and daughter, but rather like enemies.
Zhou Hairong remained silent the entire way, like a child who knew he had done wrong.
——
On the other side.
Ning Tang did not leave the team directly, but went to the office on the second floor next door to find Xu Qiaofeng.
She arrived at an inopportune time; the man had just gone to a meeting.
I heard from others that it was a sudden decision, and they won't be able to come out for a while.
Ning Tang is almost eight months pregnant, and her belly is quite noticeable.
These rough men, fearing she might hurt her stomach, quickly gave her the stool with the best leg in the room.
I also went next door and grabbed a cushion to put on her.
Ning Tang was a little embarrassed by the scene. As soon as she sat down, she was surrounded by a group of men in training uniforms.
Their eyes were as bright as light bulbs, and their voices were all louder than the last.
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here? Are you looking for Captain Xu?"
A dark-skinned young man was the first to speak.
His eyes couldn't help but fall on Ning Tang's stomach.
As he looked at it, he seemed to remember something, quickly moved away, scratched his head, and chuckled sheepishly.
"Yes, sister-in-law, your belly is so big, you have to be careful when you walk. The road here is uneven, and it's easy to fall."
One by one, everyone spoke, their faces full of concern.
These men were all soldiers brought by Xu Qiaofeng, and they already knew of Ning Tang's existence.
Xu Qiaofeng usually seems cold and aloof, but he cherishes Ning Tang very much.
He goes home almost every time he has time, and he doesn't even go to his friends' gatherings anymore.
After a while, everyone started calling Ning Tang "little sister-in-law" along with Xu Qiaofeng.
Ning Tang smiled and said softly, "I know, I was just passing by and stopped by to see him. Thank you for the stools and cushions."
She had barely finished speaking.
The group of burly men immediately started asking around.
"Sister-in-law, when are you going to give birth? You have to let us know when it's time so we can prepare a gift for the little one."
"That's right, Captain Xu is really good at hiding things. If you hadn't come over last time, we wouldn't have known that he secretly found such a good-looking partner."
"I bet this belly is going to be a girl. Look how beautiful your sister-in-law is, her daughter will definitely look like you, just like a little fairy."
Ning Tang was amused by them.
She reached out and touched her round belly, her eyes filled with the tenderness of someone about to become a mother.
"The doctor said I have less than two months until delivery, and we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl yet. As long as the baby is healthy, we don't care about the gender."
He had just finished saying that.
Immediately, a fierce-looking man pushed his way forward in the crowd.
He wore an embarrassed, sheepish smile, and besides rubbing his hands, his tone was full of anticipation.
"Sister-in-law, I have a son who's five years old this year. He's chubby and very strong. If you have a daughter this time, do you think we could arrange a marriage between our children?"
His words caused a brief moment of silence.
Then a burst of laughter erupted, almost making the roof collapse.
"Wang Tiezhu, do you have any shame?"
Everyone was laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight.
"Your son is so naughty he can climb trees to steal bird eggs, he's always fishing in the river, starting fires, and causing trouble every other day. How dare you mention a marriage between our children?"
"Of course! Don't you even look at yourself? With Captain Xu and his wife's looks, their child would be an angel. Is your son good enough for her?"
"Wang Tiezhu, look at yourself, you're as black as coal. Sometimes you go out in the middle of the night without a flashlight, and I can't even tell where you are. Stop thinking about your sister-in-law's child."
Wang Tiezhu blushed as he was spoken to.
He wasn't annoyed and quickly retorted, "My son is tough and will definitely be responsible when he grows up. Besides, betrothal is all about fate; what if it works out?"
"Fate, I think you're trying to climb the social ladder."
A person next to him mercilessly undermined him.
"If you ask me, even if it were a girl, I'd still arrange a marriage between her and my son. My son is a top student; he gets awards every year!"
The two of them were exchanging words back and forth.
They rack their brains to praise their own children.
Those around, eager for a good show, joined in the commotion, and the office became as noisy as a market.
Ning Tang sat on the stool, watching these grown men blushing like children, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She knew these people meant no harm; they just thought it was fun.
After arguing for almost half an hour without a clear winner, the two simply stopped looking at each other.
The office finally quieted down.
Ning Tang felt bored and wandered around the room for a while. Just as she was about to go downstairs to the playground, a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out behind her.
What are you all doing here?
Hearing the sound, everyone turned around.
I don't know when Xu Qiaofeng appeared at the door.
He was wearing training clothes, with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a section of his muscular forearm.
He seems both wild and reliable.
Xu Qiaofeng's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Ning Tang.
His previously cold gaze instantly softened.
"Captain Xu."
"Captain, you're finally back."
“Yes, Captain, it was quite a commotion in the room when you weren’t here, especially Wang Tiezhu, he just kept talking nonstop.”
Xu Qiaofeng ignored them and strode over to his wife.
The man was somewhat stunned as he looked at the woman in front of him.
After all, this was only the third time Ning Tang had come since they got married.
Xu Qiaofeng said, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Your belly is so big, it must be tiring for you to walk."
Ning Tang looked up at him, her eyes filled with a smile.
"I was just passing by, what brings me here?"
Xu Qiaofeng sighed helplessly, reached out and carefully supported Ning Tang's waist, helping her to sit down on the stool.
His expression was so gentle it was unbelievable, completely different from the cold and aloof captain he usually was.
This scene made the teammates next to them grimace in disbelief.
Many people said this was incredibly sour.
"By the way, what were you all arguing about just now? I could hear you from far away." As if he had just remembered something, Xu Qiaofeng looked at everyone.
His tone was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure.
Upon hearing this, no one dared to speak, and the room fell silent.
In the end, it was Wang Tiezhu who had the courage to speak up.
"Captain Xu, we were just chatting with your wife. I was thinking that if your child is a girl after it's born, could we arrange a marriage between our children?"
Almost the instant the words were spoken, the people around him were holding back their laughter.
He secretly glanced at Xu Qiaofeng's expression out of the corner of his eye.
As expected.
Xu Qiaofeng's brows furrowed instantly.
That face was as black as the bottom of a pot, so black it could drip water.
He glanced down at Ning Tang's round belly, then looked up and glared at Wang Tiezhu, his tone icy.
"Arrange a marriage between our children? My daughter isn't even born yet, and you dare to make such a suggestion?"
“Let me tell you, my daughter will decide for herself who she marries. You all need to keep an eye on your own sons and not let them have any ulterior motives.”
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