Inferiority complex is an emotion.
Ning Yuan was listless.
If she remembered correctly, Rong Zhaonan's educational background was not low, as she had seen in his previous job resume.
As the person with the lowest level of education in the room, she deeply regretted her past mistake of regarding Grandma Xia as an uneducated rural woman.
"Oh dear, this is such a trivial matter from so many years ago, what's there to talk about? You shameless old man!" Granny Xia came in carrying a pot and glared at Old Tang.
But Ning Yuan could hear the subtle sweetness in the old lady's words.
As she watched Granny Xia grumble and curse while serving Old Tang the boiled brown sugar eggs, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.
In the Republican era, a beautiful banker's daughter and a gentle, refined young man who had studied abroad fell in love at first sight in a foreign land.
Hand in hand, we walked through the years of war, from our spirited days to our difficult old age.
We'll stay together until our hair turns white, and for the rest of our lives, we'll walk the path of life and death together. The most precious thing to me is you.
What could be more moving than this scene?
Ning Yuan felt a mixture of envy and admiration.
"So, tell me, what do you think people would say if they moved into the former local temple?" Rong Zhaonan suddenly asked.
Ning Yuan fell silent.
In this village, the former landlady now lives in a local temple that represents feudal superstition. What can one say?
They might seize on this as an excuse to do something bad to the elderly couple!
Looking back now, with Rong Zhaonan's abilities, even if the elderly couple lived in such a dilapidated house, he could have found a way to repair it.
But he didn't do it. In fact, when the roof of the cowshed was leaking, he preferred to use a basin to catch the water rather than fix it.
It's not like he said before—lazy.
Rather, they are all very cautious, and these are their camouflage.
She was overthinking things and was presumptuous.
Ning Yuan felt a pang of self-reproach and guilt: "I'm sorry, Mr. Tang..."
"Alright, I didn't say anything, why do you have to lecture us like this, you brat?" Grandma Xia suddenly slapped Rong Zhaonan's butt in annoyance.
Rong Zhaonan was startled by the slap, his brows furrowing: "Don't slap people's butts like that..."
Grandma Xia's eyes widened: "Oh ho, you brat, do you think I'm taking advantage of you? When I was all the rage in the village, no, all the rage in the provincial capital and England, your dad was still wearing open-crotch pants!"
As she spoke, she took off the sole of her shoe and continued to chase after Rong Zhaonan, spanking him: "You've done this to my old lady, you deserve a beating."
"No..." Rong Zhaonan hurriedly ran out the door, his handsome face as black as hell.
He didn't understand what he had done wrong to deserve being hit, especially a spanking!
Ning Yuan couldn't help but laugh so hard she bent over, watching him being chased by Granny Xia, and silently cursed under her breath—
Serves you right for being so sarcastic and lecturing people with such a domineering attitude!
Old Tang shook his head with a helpless smile: "My old lady was quite steady when she was young, but she's become more and more shrewish as she gets older. Please understand."
Ning Yuan remained silent for a while before saying, "If it weren't for the pressures of life, who wouldn't want to live a peaceful and idyllic life as a lady from a respectable family? Besides, Grandma was originally a lady from a respectable family."
A well-bred young lady who went abroad to study has completely transformed into a petty thief in the countryside, foul-mouthed and stealing food.
Is it because she wants it this way?
Just like decades later, men will mock women who have gained weight from having children, and say that housewives who are only good at housework and are boring and nagging deserve to be cheated on.
But weren't they also beautiful and youthful girls before they had children and got married?
Old Tang looked at Ning Yuan, somewhat taken aback: "Is that what you think?"
Ning Yuan looked at Old Tang and said softly, "You have a gentle intellectual personality. Even after experiencing the hardships of life, you still try your best to maintain the dignity of an intellectual."
She paused for a moment: "But when life is difficult, there is no room for respectable people. If you want to live, someone has to be the one who is not respectable."
Grandma Xia was the one among them who became the one who was not respectable.
Old Tang stared at her blankly, then his eyes suddenly reddened. He took off his glasses and closed his eyes—
"Yes, she's always been the one protecting me, doing all the undignified things to earn a living. I'm a man trying to maintain this useless facade... but she doesn't blame me."
Managing the manure trucks and composting, doing the dirtiest, smelliest, and most tiring work in the whole village, is nothing to worry about.
But he endured all the other suffering in between, all thanks to Grandma Xia, who stood in front of him like a shrew, screaming, rolling around, and smashing things to prevent anyone from hitting him.
Ning Yuan was stunned to see Old Tang crying. She quickly took out a handkerchief and gave it to him, saying, "Please don't cry. I shouldn't have said those things."
She had no intention of making the old man cry.
"You brat, what are you doing? I didn't even make my old man cry!" Grandma Xia suddenly rushed into the room again, holding up her shoe sole, and glared fiercely at Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan was startled and quickly stood up and raised her hand: "I didn't, I...I...didn't do anything."
"I hope the old lady won't hit her. She still remembers how fiercely she spanked Rong Zhaonan's butt just now."
Grandma Xia gave her a complicated and annoyed look, then suddenly threw off her shoe sole, put it on, and angrily shooed her away—
"Get out, get out! You brat, take your brat and go back home! Don't get in my way here!"
Ning Yuan nodded quickly, turned around and ran away.
After running a couple of steps, she suddenly remembered something, turned around, grabbed the flashlight, gave a dry laugh at the fierce-looking Granny Xia, and ran off again.
Watching Ning Yuan's figure disappear into the distance, Grandma Xia turned around and scolded her old man in annoyance—
"You're just bored, why are you talking about all that with a little girl? It's all in the past, I'm already embarrassed enough!"
“What’s shameful about it? Even if you’ve gone from being a rich young lady to being just an old village granny, you’ll still be the same Miss Xia in my eyes.”
Old Tang gently held Grandma Xia's hand and said.
Grandma Xia blushed on her withered face and muttered, "You old geezer, you just love to say sarcastic things."
Old Tang smiled and suddenly asked, "What do you think of Xiaoyuan? How about I teach her to read in the future? My skills should have a successor."
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