Perhaps it was because she had finally rested enough, or perhaps it was because of Tang Ruo and Tang Jun's concern, but Tang Ning woke up that very night.
Upon waking up and seeing the worry in her younger siblings' eyes, Tang Ning gently comforted them for a while before they were able to relax a little. Then, seeing that it was really late and the two younger ones had to get up early for school the next day, Xu Sinian immediately asked someone to arrange for them to go out to wash up and rest.
When only Tang Ning and Xu Sinian remained in the room, Tang Ning's upturned lips involuntarily fell as she watched Xu Sinian, who was sitting in front of her bed, pick up the medicine bowl placed to the side and look at the dark liquid inside.
The man had just slowly blew on the medicine on the spoon and handed it to Tang Ning when she awkwardly moved away.
Seeing Xu Sinian's brows furrow slightly, Tang Ning pursed her lips, "I'm sorry, Xu Sinian, I really can't drink anymore..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Sinian gently put down the bowl of medicine in his hand.
"What's wrong? Do you find the medicine too bitter? Good medicine tastes bitter. You're sick. How can you get better without taking medicine? Or do you prefer Western medicine? These Chinese medicines were specially prescribed for you by the doctor at Renhetang. They're tonics to nourish your body, and their effects are incomparable to Western medicine."
Xu Sinian offered this words of comfort.
He had already said all that, so Tang Ning really couldn't go against his wishes. She could only nod slightly and open her mouth. But as soon as the medicine entered her throat, she choked on it without realizing it.
"Cough cough cough..."
Tang Ning coughed violently, not knowing whether it was because she was choking too much or what.
She coughed twice, and a tear slid down her pale cheek.
From that point on, Tang Ning's tears fell more and more, her fingers, hanging to one side, unconsciously gripped the sheets beneath her, and her body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
From the moment the first tear fell, Tang Ning's head drooped.
The next second, across the edge of the bed, she was embraced tightly by Xu Sinian, who was standing right next to the bed.
The man's embrace was tight and warm.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Tang Ning instinctively wrapped herself around him, then buried her head in his neck, letting her tears flow freely.
"Xu Sinian...I'm heartbroken..."
Tang Ning's aggrieved voice rang in the man's ears.
Upon hearing this, Xu Sinian tightened his arms around her even more.
"I know."
"I...I heard it..."
Tang Ning spoke again.
Upon hearing those words, Xu Sinian immediately understood what she had heard: she had heard Tang's mother's insults at the Xu family's door that morning.
The man frowned with heartache. Even though he was usually eloquent, he couldn't find the right words to comfort her. All he could do was hold Tang Ning tighter and tighter.
"Is this my retribution? I've wronged you, so God is punishing me. Lu Chen... lied to me, my sister resents me, even my mother hates me... I think my mother might have been right about something: I'm just an unlucky person, otherwise..."
"No!"
Before Tang Ning could finish speaking, Xu Sinian hurriedly denied it, then released her from his embrace, placed his hands on Tang Ning's shoulders, and looked directly into her red eyes.
"No, don't believe that nonsense. What ominous person? It's clearly always someone else's fault, someone else's malicious intent. What does it have to do with you?"
"It was your biological parents who were unkind when you were young, that they wanted to sell you. That was their fault. Lu Chen was narrow-minded, selfish, and single-mindedly wanted revenge on you. That was his fault. Your sister was greedy and vain, and resented you. That was also her fault. Your mother adopted you and has spent all these years using the money you worked so hard to earn, yet she still complains about you. That was also her fault. Even I... didn't care about your feelings back then, about your relationship with Lu Chen, and I schemed to separate you and tie you to my side. That was my mistake..."
"From beginning to end, you have done your best. Don't let other people's mistakes imprison and blame yourself."
At this point, Xu Sinian smiled and said, "Tang Ning, whom I love, has always been the best girl in the world."
Hearing this, Tang Ning's tears welled up in her eyes again. Finally, just as the tears were about to fall, perhaps afraid that Xu Sinian would see her tears, she turned her head away in a fluster.
Seeing that Tang Ning seemed not to believe him, Xu Sinian took out a handkerchief from his pocket and stretched out his arm to wipe away Tang Ning's tears little by little.
As she wiped, she said, "Have I never told you about my mother?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning slowly turned her head and saw a distant longing in Xu Sinian's eyes.
"You may not know this, but my mother personally poisoned my father and his concubines."
Hearing this, even though Tang Ning already knew the secrets of the past from the system, she couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in her eyes.
This surprise stemmed from Xu Sinian's honesty with her.
Seeing the surprise in Tang Ning's eyes, Xu Sinian smiled again. "My mother was the daughter of a scholar in a small town in the countryside. She never left the house and was gentle and obedient. When she was sixteen, her only act of rebellion was to break off her engagement with her fiancé, with whom she had been betrothed since childhood, and instead marry my father, a peddler who was still traveling around the streets at the time."
"That was the only time she rebelled in her life, and the only gamble she ever took. As you can see, she lost everything. But even so, she still loved her father very much, and even on her deathbed, she wanted to leave me behind and go with him."
"This has made me feel since I was a child that love is a terrible thing, and the most unreliable thing in the world. You may give a lot and not get a single thing in return. It is really the most unprofitable deal in the world."
"So, after I met you, even though I was already captivated by you from the very first glance, I still restrained all my feelings. Because if I couldn't feel even a trace of love from you, I was unwilling to give any more. I didn't want to end up like my mother, who gambled everything on herself and ended up losing everything."
"But only now do I realize I was wrong..."
As he said this, Xu Sinian suddenly reached out and gently tidied Tang Ning's hair. "Love is different from buying and selling. It's about enjoying the sweetness of it. Even if you don't love me at all, and don't want to be with me, I still want to give to you, to love you, to take care of you, to protect you, and to care for you, even if I don't get anything in return."
"I feel sad when I see you sad, and I laugh when I see you happy. Just like I said before, it's because you are the best girl in the world that I am so willing to do this for you."
Hearing this, Tang Ning moved her lips, then moved them again, and after what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Xu Sinian, is it worth it?"
"It's worth it, it's worth it as long as it's you."
The expression on Xu Sinian's face was one of piety and sincerity that Tang Ning had never seen before.
It was at this moment that Tang Ning, who had been staring at the other person the whole time, noticed that there was a smear of black ash on the other person's earlobe at some unknown time.
Upon seeing the black mark, Tang Ning couldn't help but ask, "You...did you personally brew the medicine?"
"Um?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Sinian's eyes, followed by a somewhat embarrassed smile. "How did you know?"
"here……"
Pointing to the black ash on Xu Sinian's ear, Tang Ning burst into laughter through her tears, then took the handkerchief from Xu Sinian's hand and bent down to wipe it off for him.
"It's all on me! How could you be so careless? And Ah Sheng and the others just let you mess around like that without watching over you. What if you got burned? And this medicine, it's so bitter, and you're still feeding it to me spoonful by spoonful. Are you trying to make me suffer from the bitterness?"
Tang Ning complained as she wiped him.
No matter how much she complained or blamed him, Xu Sinian just kept watching her silently, even as her ears were rubbed red, without ever telling her to be gentle.
Tang Ning's wiping motions became lighter and lighter until she finally stopped completely. She stared intently at the blush before her and suddenly asked, "Xu Sinian, shall we get married?"
Yes, at this moment she didn't want to care about anything, didn't want to pay attention to anything, didn't want to care about Tang's mother, Tang Yin, or Lu Chen. She just wanted to shrink under Xu Sinian's wings like a bird with a broken wing, and not have to worry about anything or pay attention to anything.
Upon hearing Tang Ning's question, Xu Sinian's eyes widened, his fingers clenched, and he looked directly into Tang Ning's eyes.
"Are you acting on impulse or out of pity for me?"
Upon hearing Xu Sinian's question, Tang Ning opened her mouth, "I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Sinian had already pulled Tang Ning into his arms.
"Anything is fine, Tang Ning, anything is fine. But you know my personality. Once you've said it, I will never give you a chance to back out. Let's get married."
Xu Sinian's voice trembled slightly, and even the arm holding Tang Ning trembled a couple of times.
Xu Sinian's current favorability rating: 99.
Almost the day after the two made their decision to get married, Xu Sinian started getting busy. Not only that, but in just one morning, everyone in the Xu family, young and old, knew that the two were about to get married.
Congratulations poured in, and Xu Sinian's upturned lips never left his mouth.
Tang Ning's good mood lasted until evening when Tang Ruo and Tang Jun returned to the Xu family home after school and told her the news that Tang's mother and Tang Ruo had suddenly disappeared, which brought it to an abrupt end.
“Gone? How could they just disappear? Mom often goes out to play mahjong, and your second sister… she often interviews until very late. It’s still early now, they’ve probably just gone out and haven’t come back yet.”
"No..."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Tang Ruo immediately retorted. Perhaps because tears were about to fall, she raised her sleeve and wiped them away fiercely. "No, I... Xiao Jun and I have both checked. Many of Mom and Second Sister's clothes are missing, and even the money you left at home, Eldest Sister, has all been taken by them. They must have left!"
The more she spoke, the more pronounced Tang Ruo's sobs became. Although she was always precocious and sensible, she was still a child after all, and being abandoned by her own mother like this was truly heartbreaking.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning and Xu Sinian exchanged a glance, and the man immediately sent his men to inquire about the news. About three hours later, Tang Ning and her two siblings, who were waiting at the Xu family's house, learned that the two had boarded a train to Fengcheng.
"Fengcheng..."
Tang Ning murmured.
As if she had thought of something, Tang Ning was about to force a smile, but she quickly frowned. No, how could Tang's mother and Tang Yin just go to Fengcheng like this? The world is getting more and more chaotic these days. Is it really okay for the two of them to take the train so casually? She really couldn't believe that Tang Yin would do something so stupid. Tang's mother had also been raised to be too naive.
However, she didn't show these thoughts to the twins, who were even more heartbroken upon hearing the news; she only told Xu Sinian about them.
However, most of Xu Sinian's forces were in Haicheng, making it difficult to reach him. He could only send some people to search for him, but whether they could find him was uncertain.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning almost subconsciously glanced at the current situation of Tang's mother and Tang Yin with 540881. The next second, she saw Tang Yin and Tang's mother, dressed in disheveled clothes, huddled in a dilapidated temple. They didn't seem to have suffered much, but they were terrified. Even when they were sleeping together, they would involuntarily have seizures.
Then the money was gone. 54088 scanned the screen and found that Tang's mother and Tang Yin were probably penniless now.
Rewind a little further, and Tang Ning saw the mother and daughter who had been tricked off the train by a handsome man. Almost as soon as they got off the train and entered a small alley, the man immediately revealed his true colors. Not only were their luggage snatched away, but he even started to lay hands on the mother and daughter. In the end, Tang Yin used a knife to cut the hand of the man who had torn her clothes, and she and her mother fled in panic.
Then, the two hid in this small, dilapidated temple, and didn't even eat dinner.
Tsk.
After that, Tang Ning kept track of the two's situation for two more days.
Perhaps because the dilapidated temple was not safe, they only hid there for one night before helping each other to another city. Having learned from their previous experience, the two dared not take the train again, let alone go to Fengcheng, and besides, they had no money left.
In the end, Tang's mother pawned the jewelry she wore—a jade bracelet and a gold necklace—and used the money to rent a small courtyard. However, living off their savings wasn't a long-term solution. They couldn't go back to Haicheng or go to Fengcheng. To make a living, Tang Yin had to go out and find work. But instead of stepping into any newspaper offices, she stood directly in front of a nightclub called Lixiu in the city...
Tang Ning stopped reading after seeing this much.
Tang Yin understood what was on her mind. She was just resentful that the original owner was doing so well in Li Du, and felt that with her looks and abilities, she would never lose to her.
Fine, since you think the original owner's money came easily and in a glamorous way, then let her be.
And then there's Tang's mother; I'm sure her filial, obedient, sensible, and well-behaved second daughter will take good care of her.
That's good.
There are many things to prepare for a wedding, but the most important thing is a girl's ultimate dream: her wedding dress.
However, after seeing all those snow-white wedding dresses with Xu Sinian, Tang Ning decided that she only wanted the purest Chinese wedding. She wanted to wear a bright red dragon and phoenix gown with Xu Sinian to perform the wedding ceremony. There was no other reason than that she felt that white was too unlucky, but she could still take some wedding photos to keep as a memento.
The day they chose to take the photo was sunny and cloudless.
Even Tang Ning's mood improved considerably, and she even begged Xu Sinian to let her have some when she saw someone selling candied hawthorns on the roadside.
Seeing her like this, Xu Sinian had no choice but to give in to her. The two spent a long time choosing candied hawthorn sticks, but Tang Ning seemed to have suddenly seen something. After greeting Xu Sinian, she immediately went to a rice shop not far away where a young Taoist priest was diligently unloading goods.
"Hey, little Taoist priest!"
She greeted them.
Meanwhile, the young Taoist priest Yuming, who was carrying rice, heard a familiar voice and turned around abruptly, only to see Tang Ning smiling in the sunlight.
"You're working here now? How's it going? Are you eating well? I'm sorry, I said I'd introduce you to Lidu, but I didn't expect it to take so long..."
Upon hearing Tang Ning's words, Yu Ming immediately took off the rice bag from his shoulder and scratched his head sheepishly.
"It's okay, the owner of this rice shop is a very nice person. He provides me with three meals a day, and now I can eat my fill every day."
"That's good!"
Tang Ning also showed a happy expression for the little Taoist priest, and then saw the other party make a hesitant expression as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"What's wrong?"
"I...can I ask about your sister, that girl named Tang Yin? Why did she suddenly disappear? I haven't seen her for several days now?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning raised an eyebrow in surprise, then smiled and said, "My sister went to Fengcheng with my mother a few days ago, and they probably won't be back for a while..."
"Fengcheng!?"
The young Taoist was genuinely shocked, but then he thought of his meager purse and realized that he probably wouldn't see his calamity again for a while.
"Then... when she comes back, can you let me know? I work at the rice shop."
"OK."
Tang Ning nodded.
Just then, Xu Sinian finally arrived in front of Tang Ning with the candied hawthorns he had bought. "Have you finished chatting? It's getting late, don't be late..."
"Okay, it's all settled."
After saying that, Tang Ning looked at Yu Ming across from her again, "Then I'll be going now, I have some things to do later. If you're ever hungry again, you can come and find me, I live at the Xu Mansion."
"Huh? Oh!"
Yu Ming nodded, but as he looked at the sweet atmosphere between Tang Ning and Xu Sinian, he suddenly blurted out, "And this is...?"
"Um?"
Tang Ning, who was already about to leave, paused in surprise, then smiled and introduced, "My fiancé, Xu Sinian. We're getting married soon..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Sinian reached out and grabbed Tang Ning's finger. Tang Ning turned her head and smiled slightly at him.
Upon hearing these words, Yu Ming felt a strange sense of loss, but it was only a little bit, followed by pure happiness for her.
Congratulations!
"Thanks."
Tang Ning replied with a smile, and then, with the help of A Sheng and the others, hurried toward the car not far away.
Just as Tang Ning was bending down to introduce the young Taoist priest named Yu Ming to Xu Sinian, an unexpected incident occurred.
Gunshots rang out one after another.
"careful!"
Tang Ning only had time to give that warning before she crashed hard into the wall.
"Tang Ning!"
Xu Sinian, who had been pushed to the ground, immediately looked in Tang Ning's direction. When he saw that Tang Ning, who was lying by the wall, was unharmed and looking at him, the man's clenched heart relaxed a little. He made a gesture for Tang Ning to stay by the wall and not move.
Upon seeing the chaos and Tang Ning hiding by the wall, Yu Ming's eyes sharpened. He stepped onto the roof using the wall as a foothold and swiftly dragged out all the guys who were shooting from the roof.
The conflict came quickly and ended even faster; seeing that they were outmatched, the group retreated as quickly as possible.
Xu Sinian rushed to Tang Ning's side immediately, asking, "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning shook her head slightly.
"It's too dangerous today, how about we skip the wedding photos? If you like, I can have the photographer come to our house, and we can take them in the yard downstairs, okay?"
Xu Sinian proposed this.
Tang Ning nodded, then slowly stood up. Xu Sinian led her by the hand toward the car not far away. But before they even got close, her hand slipped, and she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Xu Sinian reacted quickly enough and pulled Tang Ning into his arms. Then he touched the dampness on the back of her head...
"Tang Ning... Tang Ning..."
Xu Sinian's eyes immediately reddened, "Was it just now, was it because you pushed me away just now..."
Seeing Xu Sinian like this, Tang Ning desperately tried to smile at him, but it was too much effort, so she gave up. She weakly tugged at Xu Sinian's sleeve, and the man quickly lowered his head, then heard—
“Xu Sinian, I feel like... fate is always working against me. Every time... I'm about to be happy, all sorts of things always happen. I'm someone even God doesn't like…”
"No, that's not it. My Ningning is the best girl in the world. If God doesn't like you, it proves He has no eyes. Okay, let's not talk anymore. Ningning, I'll take you to the hospital now. We'll go to the hospital. Everything will be alright, everything will be alright!"
Xu Sinian spoke incoherently, and then saw Tang Ning obediently respond, slowly releasing her grip on his sleeve.
At this moment, Xu Sinian's eyes were bloodshot, but the more anxious he was, the more likely he was to make a mess. Just as he was pushing his wheelchair forward, the wheelchair ran over a stone, and the two of them, along with the wheelchair, fell to the ground.
"Tang Ning..."
Xu Sinian cried out in despair.
Then, a figure lightly landed in front of Tang Ning, first squatting down to take her pulse, and then hurriedly took out a silver needle from his shirt pocket and deeply inserted it into the top of Tang Ning's head...
It was Yuming.
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