In a residential area in the northern part of the city.
As soon as Xiang Niannian arrived at her door and opened it to change her shoes, she heard a gentle voice coming from inside the living room.
This was the voice that Xiang Niannian had dreamed of hearing for over a decade.
I wanted to say this for her.
"Son, how about we have a glass of warm milk and then go to sleep?"
"Sweetie, let's continue playing tomorrow morning, okay? Your health is the most important thing."
"We are still young, and staying up late is bad for our health."
"Are you hungry right now? Mom will cook you some noodles."
"Get lost! Can you please stop bothering me? My rank is about to drop."
"Okay, okay, sweetie, don't be angry, Mommy won't scold you."
Xiang Niannian watched as her mother held a cup of hot milk and kept coaxing her younger brother, Xiang Hao.
She found the scene incredibly ironic.
Still young? You're already in the first year of high school; people who didn't know better would think you were still in kindergarten.
Xiang Haohao is a treasure, while she is just a blade of grass.
From the moment Xiang Niannian was sent to an old man by her parents, she was completely disappointed in this family. She no longer longed to find love in the garbage dump.
After changing her shoes, she went straight back to her room, which was more like a small space separated from the living room by a curtain than her own room.
"Xiang Niannian, do you think I'm dead? You came back without saying a word, and you acted recklessly when we went out to play, right? Don't think you're all grown up just because you graduated. Let me tell you, your choice is either to study in Beicheng or not to study at all."
Zhang Wenyan got angry whenever she saw Xiang Niannian, who had let the opportunity slip away. She had finally found a rich man last time, but this little girl had ruined it by finding a savior from somewhere, and the rich boss refused to come back no matter what.
"Mom! You have no right to deprive me of my choice!" Upon hearing Zhang Wenyan's words, Xiang Niannian suddenly felt a pang of panic, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Hearing Xiang Niannian talk back, Zhang Wenyan immediately stood up, walked up to Xiang Niannian, and poked her forehead hard with her finger: "You brat, do you know how hard it was for me to give birth to you and raise you? I found you a good family, but you don't appreciate it and you want to fly away. If you know how to be grateful, then work hard to earn money, support the family, and pay for your brother's education and marriage! What's the use of a girl studying so much? Sooner or later, she'll belong to someone else."
Zhang Wenyan spoke one hurtful word after another, showing no regard for Niannian's feelings, and looked at the man on the sofa next to her, her father Xiang Yuan.
There was no reaction; instead, he looked down at his phone.
Xiang Niannian didn't understand what she was hoping for. She didn't understand why her mother could say such things. Wasn't she a woman too?
"What's all the noise about? Get out of here! Damn it, I finally got a game, and all I can hear are your voices!" Xiang Haohao roared impatiently.
Upon hearing Xiang Yuan's voice, Zhang Wenyan's attitude immediately underwent a 180-degree change: "Okay, okay, we'll keep it down. Sweetie, you keep playing. We can rest after this round, okay?"
Xiang Niannian gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Mom, I just want to know if I'm your biological daughter?"
"You ungrateful wretch, how dare you say such things to me? If you weren't my biological son, I would have abandoned you long ago." Zhang Wenyan lowered her voice to avoid disturbing her son, but she continued to poke Xiang Niannian's forehead with her fingers.
Xiang Niannian's forehead turned red at a visible speed and kept receding.
But she didn't refute it; saying more wouldn't make a difference.
She used to think that as long as she was obedient, took good care of her younger brother, didn't compete with him for anything, and got first place in her exams, her parents would like her.
But the facts told her otherwise; they only thought their daughter was worthless and a money-loser.
Xiang Niannian casually wiped away the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her eyes: "Okay, Mom. Didn't I do quite well in my grades this time? The school will give me a reward of 200,000 yuan and the government will give me a reward of 300,000 yuan. I don't want a single penny. I'll give it all to my family. I only have one request: I can decide my own college application."
It was at the party tonight that she learned from the principal that there would be scholarships, but they wouldn't be issued so soon.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenyan's eyes lit up instantly. Xiang Yuan, who was on the sofa, also came over, and even Xiang Hao, who had just been angry about playing games, stopped.
"Really?! I didn't expect you to be so useful. This money isn't for your family, are you planning to embezzle it? You're nothing without me." Even after hearing that it was 500,000 yuan, Zhang Wenyan's attitude didn't improve much.
"Mom! I want those new sneakers! Two pairs!"
"Okay, okay, once the money arrives, Mom will definitely buy it for you. It's a full 500,000 yuan, and then we'll save the rest for our sweet baby."
Xiang Haohao then obediently quieted down.
"Niannian is amazing! Not only are your grades excellent, but you also earn so much money." Xiang Yuan was about to pat Xiang Niannian's head, but she dodged away.
Xiang Yuan could only awkwardly lower his hand, and then finally said on behalf of Xiang Niannian, "Wenyan, look, Niannian has agreed to give you the money, so let her pursue her own choice."
"Alright, alright, whatever you want, but let me tell you, no matter how far you fly, your roots are still here." Zhang Wenyan was in a good mood at the moment, so she agreed.
Xiang Niannian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled slightly: "Thank you, Mom and Dad. I'm going to rest now."
As Xiang Niannian spoke, she walked back to her own space. Just as she sat down on the bed, she heard Zhang Wenyan say, "Tomorrow your dad and I will get up early to go to the store to buy goods. You can cook breakfast for your younger brother in the morning and then bring lunch to us at noon."
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