Manager Lin knocked on the door, and Meng Zikang, though reluctant, opened it anyway. He glared venomously at Xu Keke, having overheard their conversation outside. He said bitterly, "She's dead, and you won't even let me have some peace. I told you long ago, she has nothing to do with me. Why are you looking for me?"
His eyes were filled with malice, as if he were looking at his father's killer, not his own daughter.
Startled, Meng Jia tugged at Xu Keke's sleeve and hid behind her. Xu Keke could probably feel her trembling body pressed against hers.
To get Chen Yurong to agree to divorce him, Meng Zikang, that bastard, used deadly methods. Chen Yurong was beaten so badly that she was bedridden for several days after the worst beating. The young girl was clearly terrified by him.
Xu Keke wasn't from this era. From Meng Dong's memories, she saw that divorce was extremely rare. Those at the very bottom of society were the least accepting of divorce. They had been steeped in traditional thinking for years; in their eyes, men were the pillars of society, a woman's lifelong support. Without a man, a woman simply couldn't survive.
Therefore, divorced men often don't care. They can remarry, have children, and so on. Women, on the other hand, have to bear all the social pressure. They are gossiped about and even slandered.
Therefore, even though Xu Keke strongly disagreed with Chen Yurong's actions, she couldn't bring herself to criticize her. Chen Yurong's upbringing and education shaped her way of thinking. She couldn't think of any other way out; the only thing she could think of was that she'd rather die than get a divorce. A divorced woman is not a good woman.
Chen Yurong always believed that she endured all of this for the sake of her two daughters, unaware of what she had brought to Meng Dong and Meng Jia. She always said that the three of them had bad luck, that they were all destined for hardship. And indeed, her two daughters later truly did have bad luck.
Chen Yurong once told Xiao Mengdong that she couldn't get a divorce; she couldn't let people point at her two children and say that their parents were divorced. She was afraid of gossip. But in reality, even if they weren't divorced, people still gossiped a lot behind their backs.
Little did she know that the pitying looks those people gave them were like needles pricking at Xiao Mengdong's heart, making her feel inferior and unable to hold her head high.
Chen Yurong told Meng Dong that if they got divorced, their lives would be difficult. But with a man like that, it made little difference whether he existed or not. Meng Dong came to ask him for five yuan for books, but she couldn't find him after several trips. When she did find him, she had to beg him in front of everyone and listen to him berate her and her mother.
Chen Yurong once told Meng Dong that if she died, Meng Zikang would take care of her and her sister. But how could that scumbag do that? Chen Yurong's death wouldn't affect him in the slightest. If he had any conscience at all, he wouldn't have done these things.
Xu Keke didn't turn around, gently patting the little girl's back. Her eyes, however, were fixed on Meng Zikang. There was no point in wasting words with this kind of person.
“Zikang, let’s talk this out. Why are you yelling at the child?” Manager Lin patted Meng Zikang’s arm. “When someone passes away, there’s always a funeral to be held. How can you not care?”
"I don't have any money..." In front of Manager Lin, Meng Zikang knew he couldn't really not pay a single penny. Reluctantly, he took out five yuan from his pocket and threw it at Xu Keke. "That's all I have. Don't come looking for me again."
Xu Keke didn't move, letting the five yuan float down from her body. Without even looking at it, she raised her hand and slapped Meng Zikang across the face. If Meng Zikang hadn't been short and thin, she could have beaten him to a pulp.
How dare you hit me?
Meng Zikang froze for a moment, then reached out to grab Xu Keke. Qi Chang grabbed his arm. Xu Keke took the opportunity to kick him in the groin.
Qi Chang released his grip, and Meng Zikang's expression changed drastically as he squatted down in pain.
"Oh dear, you child, why did you hit so hard?" Manager Lin grabbed Xu Keke's hand and pulled it back, seemingly criticizing her, but actually afraid that Meng Zikang would get up and hurt her again.
Little did he know that Xu Keke's kick was quite forceful, and Meng Zikang wouldn't be able to get up for a while.
Manager Lin pulled Meng Dong aside, saying, "Child, your mother is gone. What happened to her? Is she still at home? I'll go back with you first to see her and handle her funeral arrangements. We can talk about other things later."
Manager Lin winked at her, signaling her to stop making a scene. Xu Keke obediently took Meng Jia's hand and followed Manager Lin. This left Qi Chang, who hadn't understood what was going on, completely bewildered. Judging from the child's posture, he thought she was about to cause a scene. Unexpectedly, Manager Lin resolved the matter with just a few words.
In Meng Dong's memory, after Chen Yurong passed away, she was so busy crying while holding her younger sister Meng Jia that she didn't even know who had notified the stationery store. When she had any recollection of it, Manager Lin arrived. He and the others in the compound helped with Chen Yurong's funeral arrangements.
Later, this became a regret for Meng Dong. She felt that she should have let her father come to see her mother one last time and send her off on her final journey.
So when Xu Keke came, her thoughts were simple: she wanted to bring Meng Zikang back. She might not be able to fulfill Meng Dong's wish, so she would at least make up for some of her small regrets.
From the moment Meng Zikang uttered his first words, Xu Keke regretted it. There was a reason he hadn't shown up in her past life. She felt no fatherly affection for this man, nor could she accept his claim that "no matter what, he's still your father." Meng Dong's regrets were just that—regardless. That was the difference between her and the original owner of this body.
They returned to the courtyard, and just like in their previous life, Manager Lin took the initiative to help with the arrangements. However, this time, he asked Xu Keke for her opinion. Chen Yurong didn't have any other relatives here, and he wanted to skip all the formalities, find a burial plot, and bury her that very day. Xu Keke, of course, had no problem with it; in fact, that's how it was done in their previous life.
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