Chapter 88: Sacrificing Family for the greater good
Grandma Xu had specifically calculated this before because she couldn't sleep at night.
Ning Tang is now three months pregnant, and the baby in her belly is stable.
The young couple were in the prime of their lives, and being both handsome and beautiful, it was normal for them to lose control.
It's better for the two of them to go back to their room and deepen their relationship than for some ill-intentioned people to interfere.
She figured it out: Lu Niannian from the Lu family next door was definitely not coming back to China for good; she was here specifically to see Qiaofeng!
Tangtang is her chosen granddaughter-in-law, and as long as she lives in this world, no one can drive her away!
Grandma Xu felt it was important to deepen Ning Tang and Xu Qiaofeng's relationship as soon as possible, so she took something out of the cabinet.
She lowered her voice and whispered in Ning Tang's ear: "Take it."
"Grandma, what is this?"
"You'll need it then." Grandma Xu didn't say anything, she just kept smiling.
Ning Tang looked closely and realized it was a stack of family planning supplies.
Her face turned so red she could fry an egg on it.
Her hand recoiled as if it had been branded with a hot iron, her entire body filled with resistance.
"Grandma... I don't want this kind of thing."
"Silly child, what's there to be embarrassed about? You and Qiaofeng are a legally married couple. I know you young people can't resist, but you must remember to protect yourselves."
Without saying a word, Grandma Xu stuffed the family planning supplies into Ning Tang's pocket, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
She continued, "Grandma went to the hospital before and specifically asked. The doctor said that it's okay to have sex during pregnancy, as long as you're careful with the intensity."
"Listen to Grandma, keep it safe and don't let that brat Qiaofeng see it. You can figure it out yourself when no one is around at night."
The things in her pocket felt like hot potatoes to her hands. Ning Tang wanted to take them out, but she was too embarrassed to do so.
He was looking down, extremely anxious, and his pert nose was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
I felt like I was about to faint.
Having lived two lifetimes, Ning Tang had never discussed such a bold topic with anyone else, especially not with an elderly person.
But Grandma Xu next to me was still rambling on and on.
He held up the red dress to Ning Tang, gesturing to her body repeatedly, becoming more and more satisfied with the look. His eyes seemed to wish he could put it on Ning Tang himself.
"Look at this waist! The design is so good. Even though you're pregnant, it's not obvious from behind. Wait a while, wear it in the house tonight and let Qiaofeng see you. I guarantee he'll stare at you and won't be able to take his eyes off you!"
"grandmother……"
"Alright, alright, you're still shy, aren't you? I won't say anything more, let's go out to eat."
The Xu family's dining table remained quiet as always.
After Aunt Zhang cleared the table, everyone sat down in the living room and began to talk about what had happened that day.
This is an activity that the Xu family must perform every day.
It is said that it can promote relationships among family members and make the family more stable.
Ignoring Ning Tang's objections, Xu Qiaofeng and Xu Qiaoyan recounted the events of the day, one after the other, about what had happened during the rain.
After listening.
Everyone's face looked grim.
Grandpa Xu was so angry that he stood up and paced around the room, shouting, "This is outrageous!"
"Back when the Ning family used underhanded tactics against Qiaofeng, I hadn't even taken any action yet, and Ning Xin actually dared to confront Tangtang directly demanding an explanation!"
"You keep calling me a thief, what? My Xu family is broke and can't afford to support Tangtang?"
Grandma Xu had a fiery temper since childhood, but she was forced to become a lady after developing heart disease in recent years.
She stood up and followed behind Grandpa Xu, her mouth chattering like firecrackers.
"That's right, Tangtang, don't be afraid. Tell Grandma the truth, does Ningxin often come to cause you trouble?"
Faced with the concerned looks from the two elderly people, Ning Tang's heart softened, and her eyes welled up with tears.
She whispered, "Not often..."
"If Tangtang said that, then she must be pregnant!"
Grandma Xu was so angry that she wanted to drag the Ning family mother and daughter out right now and give them a good beating.
Why should they be allowed to pamper their precious children?
Do they really think the Xu family is easy to bully?
"Tomorrow, old man, go to the neighborhood office and ask why Ning Xin, who should be in the Great Northern Wilderness, is staying in the city."
"She dares to confront my granddaughter-in-law and cause trouble? Does she really think no one can handle her?"
Xu Qiaolan, the eldest brother, nodded in agreement, a rare sight to see the honest man get angry.
He said in a serious tone, "Grandma is right."
“If she dares to cause trouble for her younger brother and sister-in-law again, I will send her directly to the police station and let the police officers investigate her return to the city.”
Xu Qiaolan always felt that something was definitely wrong with Ning Xin's smooth return to the city.
Moreover, during this period, he heard from many colleagues that there were many educated youths who deliberately injured themselves in order to return to the city. If this were verified, their whole families would definitely suffer the consequences.
Seeing that everyone was speaking up for her, Ning Tang's eyes were frighteningly red. If she hadn't been biting the meat in her mouth so hard, she probably would have burst into tears.
Xu Qiaofeng noticed it.
He didn't say much, but simply reached out and pulled the person into his arms, gently comforting them.
The voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it.
"Cry, I'm here."
"Once we've cried enough, let's stop thinking about those upsetting things, okay?"
Ning Tang buried her face in Xu Qiaofeng's arms, smelling his cold scent, and her tense emotions finally relaxed.
Tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string, but she bit her lip so hard she didn't make a sound.
She was afraid that if she cried out, the old man would become even more anxious.
Xu Qiaofeng didn't make a sound. He placed his large hand on Ning Tang's back and gently patted her back.
It's just like an adult comforting a child.
Everyone could tell that Ning Tang was in a bad mood, and in the end, they all made a decision together.
If the Ning family continues to be so blind, we must retaliate severely and teach the Ning mother and daughter a lesson.
Tomorrow morning, Grandpa Xu will go to the subdistrict office in person and also make a phone call to Shanghai to find out exactly what happened.
After the meeting, Xu Qiaofeng, with everyone's subtle hints, led Ning Tang back to their bedroom on the second floor.
As soon as I entered, I had someone sit on the edge of the bed, then turned and went to the bathroom.
They disappeared for quite a while before returning.
Pushing open the door, the man was carrying a basin of warm water, the temperature just right for soaking his feet.
Xu Qiaofeng placed the wooden basin in front of Ning Tang and knelt down on one knee to help her take off her shoes and socks.
Ning Tang froze, instinctively trying to pull her leg back: "I can do it myself."
She had never been served like this before in her life. Although Xu Qiaofeng often washed and massaged her feet before, she still couldn't accept it.
In particular, the man's upright and elegant posture while kneeling on one knee made her heart flutter.
Xu Qiaofeng didn't move, but had already taken off her socks, his tone filled with tenderness that left no room for refusal:
"Don't bend over while you're pregnant, listen to me."
As he spoke, he gently placed Ning Tang's feet into the warm water.
The warm water washed over her feet, instantly dispelling the day's fatigue. Ning Tang closed her eyes comfortably and stopped talking.
A few mugwort leaves floated in the wooden basin; she used them to ward off the cold.
The man's large hands wrapped around her ankles, applying slight pressure without causing pain, massaging her from her toes to her calves, and even the soles of her feet.
The house was quiet.
The only sound was the rushing water.
Ning Tang, who was pregnant, was already sleepy, and she fell asleep leaning against the pillow behind the bed.
——
at the same time.
After fleeing the supply and marketing cooperative in a panic during the day, Ningxin didn't dare to go home.
She hadn't finished buying everything Zhang Yanfei had asked her to buy. If she went back empty-handed, she would definitely get beaten again.
This morning, when I looked in the mirror, her body was covered in bruises. It hurt when I touched her even slightly. If she were beaten again, she definitely wouldn't be able to take it.
With no other option, Ning gritted her teeth and braved the scorching sun to go to the supply and marketing cooperative, which was a little further away, to buy grain.
It took two hours to go there and back.
He was drenched in sweat, his hair was stuck to his face, his lips were chapped, and he looked extremely disheveled.
Ning Xin was carrying a bag of rice and was about to go home to her apartment building when she suddenly stopped.
A woman covered in patches was running towards them, with several men in military uniforms chasing after her.
Normally, Ning Xin wouldn't even glance at it.
However, she felt... why did that woman in front of her look so much like her mother who was working in the countryside in Northwest China?
Impossible. Her mother is the most elegant woman in all of Shanghai. She even uses four or five plates when she eats. She can't be a woman who is even worse than the village aunties.
Ning Xin turned around and wanted to leave.
While being chased, Ning's mother ran towards Ning Xin in a panic. When she saw Ning Xin's face, her eyes lit up.
As if grasping at a straw, she shouted in a hoarse voice, "Xinxin, save Mommy!"
Ning Xin was startled by the sudden sound and trembled all over.
She tried to pretend she didn't know her, but Ning's mother had already pounced on her, grabbed her arm tightly, and pulled her behind a big tree.
This tree is too narrow; it can't even hide two people.
Without a second thought, Ning's mother pulled Ning Xin to lie down on the ground, showing no trace of her previous obsession with cleanliness.
"Xinxin, Mom ran away secretly, and they want to take me back!"
"I never want to go back to that godforsaken place in Northwest China again. Let's hide quickly!"
Ning's mother's hands were dirty and smelly, with dirt under her fingernails. They scratched Ning Xin's arm so hard that she frowned in disgust.
"Mom, how did you end up here all the way from the Northwest?"
"Does this mean our family's problems are resolved? Can we go back to the villa, have our assets returned, and continue living in Shanghai?"
Ning Xin was filled with longing and nostalgia for her past life and didn't notice her mother's increasingly unpleasant expression.
"You brat! Your mother has to get up before dawn every day in the Northwest to work in the fields, eating cornbread mixed with sand, and fighting with donkeys for space to sleep at night. You don't care how I've been doing, but you're the first to ask about this nonsense!"
"Besides, our family has been labeled as capitalists and all our assets have been confiscated. What are you dreaming about?" Ning's mother rolled her eyes without any politeness.
Almost instantly.
Ning Xin's face fell; these words had chilled her to the bone.
"All...all confiscated? What about the little villa? What about all our jewelry and savings in Shanghai?"
"How dare you bring this up?"
Whenever these things are mentioned, Ning's mother feels like she could eat Ning Xin alive.
"If you hadn't given in to questioning and spilled the beans about our family's history in just a few words, would I be in this situation?"
She found out that the fool she gave birth to had even handed over the most important land deed.
It's enough to drive her crazy.
Feeling guilty, Ning Xin awkwardly looked away and changed the subject: "Mom, how did you suddenly appear here? Who was that person chasing after you just now?"
"It's all because of that little bitch Ning Tang..."
To make a long story short, Ning's mother recounted everything that had happened that morning.
Ning Xin was so angry she could have teeth itched: "Mom, you were right not to tell Ning Tang about her biological parents. That little slut is living a good life and dares to eat all the food by herself and ignore us. Why should we tell her?"
Ning's mother thought to herself, "I do want to use this to threaten Ning Tang."
The key issue is that she has absolutely no idea who Ning Tang's biological parents are.
She saw a child sitting on a bench at the train station in Beijing, with no one around. Ningxin had just gone missing at that time, and seeing that the child was pretty, she decided to take her home.
"Xinxin, these things are not important. The most important thing now is that you take in your mother."
Ning's mother's tone was full of frustration and despair, "I just sneaked away. As long as you take me home and hide me, these people will definitely not be able to find me."
"I ran away this time because I don't want to die in the Northwest! Xinxin, you're my only child, you have to help me!"
Ning Xin's eyes widened, as if what she had just heard was some kind of cryptic text.
"How can I help you? I don't even have a place to live myself."
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms. Her fair skin was covered in a patchwork of blue and purple marks, and some of the wounds had already begun to heal, making her look frightening and grotesque.
Ning Xin said, "I can't even take care of myself. Zhang Yanfei takes his anger out on me whenever he's unhappy. If he knew I dared to bring you home, he would definitely beat me to death!"
She's seen through it all.
Zhang Yanfei is a smooth talker than anyone else, and he cares more about his future than anyone else.
If she really can't see things clearly, she'll definitely die.
Ning's mother was stunned. She couldn't believe that Zhang Yanfei had beaten her so badly, but when she thought of the hellish life in the Northwest, her heart immediately hardened.
She said coldly, "Then hide me away."
"Anyway, he's not home during the day. I'll hide in the closet, and he definitely won't find me."
"No! He's not stupid, he'll definitely find out!" Ning Xin trembled with fear at the thought of the consequences of Zhang Yanfei's rage.
"You brat, I'm your own mother, are you just going to stand by and watch me get caught and sent back to the Northwest to die?"
"It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that it's really impossible." Ning Xin said, her face pale. "If Zhang Yanfei finds out about you, not only will I get beaten up, but you won't be able to escape either."
"Then why don't you try to find a solution?"
Ning's mother lowered her voice, and a brilliant idea popped into her head.
"Just say I'm a distant relative of yours, coming to the city to stay with you. As long as you coax him well, do you think he'll kick me out?"
Neither the mother nor the daughter would back down when it came to their own interests.
Ning Xin gritted her teeth and, without hesitation, chose herself over being beaten and her mother.
Under the panicked gaze of Ning's mother, Ning Xin stood up from the ground and scrambled towards the people who came to grab her mother.
She shouted, "I'm reporting you! The person you're looking for is hiding here!"
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