"What? Rong Zhaonan gave you... his mother's... keepsake?" Madam Ning was completely stunned.
A flash of lightning struck her mind, and she swayed.
Ning Yuan nodded: "Yes, everyone is simple. I can't wear these things often, including since his father is meeting me tomorrow. The older generation prefers simplicity."
“By the way… he also has the surname Rong… and also… you… do you know what his mother’s surname is!” Madam Ning asked in a trembling voice, gripping her daughter’s hand tightly.
Ning Yuan looked at her mother's tense appearance and found it strange. She thought for a moment and said, "I think her surname is Zhou. I heard from Zha Mao Wang... um... Rong Zhaonan said that he used to have his mother's surname and his name was Zhou Zhaonan."
Madam Ning was stunned. Looking at what Ning Yuan was holding, she suddenly couldn't help but burst into tears: "Zhu Jun... Zhu Jun... he's actually Zhu Jun's child..."
In the past two years, Ning Yuan's mind has become increasingly sharp. Thinking back to what her mother had said before, she suddenly understood something.
She couldn't help but ask, "Mom, the close friend you mentioned isn't Rong Zhaonan's mother, is it?"
Madam Ning closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "If even the surname is Zhou, then it must be her, Zhou Zhujun, the once famous eldest daughter of the Zhou family in Shanghai, a renowned industrialist, financier, and founder of a socialite club. You should call her Aunt Zhou."
After listening, Ning Yuan could only think—emmmm, what a small world!
The "six degrees of separation" or "small world theory" that became popular on the internet decades later is real. That is, in social relationships, any two people can know each other through a maximum of six mutual friends.
Even if the other party is the President of the United States!
Ning Yuan recalled complaining about Aunt Zhou, wondering how she could send her 13-year-old, still somewhat dim-witted son back to China.
She never imagined that her thirteen-year-old son, who was still considered silly, would become her dead husband!
Ning Yuan rubbed her temples: "No, Mom, I want to ask, Auntie has been in England for so many years, my eldest brother has studied in England for many years, and in fact, all the children in the Ning family are sent abroad to study, how come you have never contacted her? How come you don't even know her son's name? Have you never met him?"
At thirteen, she's already in the first year of junior high school. Surely she can recognize people?
Madam Ning paused for a moment: "Actually, we were in contact years ago. I met that child in England when he was three years old, but the child's name has always been Albert Chow."
Ning Yuan: "..."
She shivered, her toes digging into the ground, and for some reason, she started to feel embarrassed for others: "Ah... Albert Zhou..."
Although she thought he looked like a noble young man from the Republican era when she first met him two years ago, her illusions have long since shattered.
She found it hard to imagine that Captain Rong, who was both sharp-tongued and a straight man, had such a name.
What could she say? Hahaha... She didn't know the Chinese name, and her mother didn't recognize her best friend's child.
Mrs. Ning thought for a moment and said, "Besides, your Aunt Zhou always calls him Baby Xiao Ai or Xiao A'a, we didn't even know he had a Chinese name."
Ning Yuan: "Okay."
It turns out Rong Zhaonan has this strange nickname—
Because the first letter of her son's English name is A, Aunt Zhou evolved her nickname for him from "Little A" into the distinctly Chinese names "Little Ai" and "Little A'a".
The former sounds like the name of some artificial intelligence in later generations... no... artificial intelligence; the latter sounds like a nickname that people would use in Shanghainese, but it sounds like you're calling a mentally challenged person who can only make "ah ah ah" noises.
That makes sense. Will he only be able to yell "Ahhhhhhh" soon after meeting his father and stepmother?
Aunt Zhou was truly prescient.
To avoid being scolded for laughing during her mother's sentimental moment, Ning Yuan tried her best to steer the conversation back to the important matter at hand.
"And then what happened? Why didn't you contact Aunt Zhou again, and why didn't you visit her in England again?"
Madam Ning sighed: "At first, your Aunt Zhou lived in a manor near London. Later, she moved away after sending Xiao Ai to receive a better private education. She rarely saw us. I went there twice but didn't see the child."
She paused, then sighed deeply, "Later, her health deteriorated, and the Zhou family split up. By the time we found out she was dying, she had already been in the hospital for a year, her mental state was very poor, and she didn't want to see any of us."
Madam Ning gritted her teeth: "Later I found out that Zhu Jun was really confused. She never let go of that man from beginning to end. She sent the child back to the country without telling us. Otherwise, I would never have agreed!"
Ning Yuan had mentioned to her that the child hadn't been doing well all these years! Otherwise, how could they have met in the countryside!
Ning Yuan paused for a moment, then sighed, "Well, now that you've met him, he's your son-in-law."
Madam Ning sighed, "Yes, you should call your Aunt Zhou 'Grandma.' You two were betrothed since childhood." (In Cantonese, "grandma" refers to one's mother-in-law.)
The thought that the baby she had met so many years ago was now her son-in-law filled Madam Ning with a flood of emotions.
Ning Yuan looked completely bewildered: "What?"
Madam Ning slowly recounted the past marriage agreement to Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan felt complicated after hearing this. That bastard Rong Zhaonan had actually arranged a marriage between them since they were children, so... why did he marry Cha Meiling in his past life?
Because Cha Meiling is also considered a daughter of the Ning family, did they fulfill the marriage agreement?
But this marriage was originally meant for me...
Since her rebirth, she has felt somewhat guilty whenever she sees Cha Meiling, feeling that she stole Cha Meiling's marriage and husband.
This was partly the reason why she refused to become a real couple with Rong Zhaonan in the first place.
Now that I know the whole story, I understand...
It turns out that he didn't steal Cha Meiling's marriage; rather, it seemed that Cha Meiling had taken her place and become his wife.
As for her, she neither reunited with her mother and family nor her original fiancé, and faded into obscurity, living a life of depression and unhappiness.
but……
Why did Cha Meiling separate from her elder brother, and why did Rong Zhaonan marry Cha Meiling?
Because it was to fulfill his mother's last wish.
Ning Yuan fell silent for a moment, her mind a jumble of complex emotions.
Madam Ning grew angrier the more she thought about it, especially when she remembered that the scoundrel surnamed Rong dared to be dissatisfied with her daughter. She sneered, "That bastard Rong Jiuyu is a real piece of work. He married a vixen and now he acts like a tyrant!"
Ning Yuan asked in surprise, "Huh? Who is it?"
Why did her mother suddenly start cursing at someone she'd never heard of?
Madam Ning was furious, and her elegant demeanor vanished: "Who else could it be but Xiao Ai's dead father!"
Ning Yuan asked in confusion, "Mom, you're mistaken. Uncle Rong's name is Rong Wenwu."
The name Jiuyu sounds like a rough and tough military general, while Jiuyu sounds like a pale-faced scholar.
Madam Ning continued to sneer: "Ha, he changes his name and suddenly seems all respectable, thinking nobody remembers his past!"
She didn't recognize Xiao Ai back then, partly because Rong Jiuyu changed his name.
When she first heard that her future father-in-law was named Rong Wenwu, she thought he was a member of some collateral branch of the Rong family. She never expected that he was Zhu Jun's former pretty boy!
Ning Yuan noticed that her mother's expression was not good, and the chilling aura emanating from her body made Ning Yuan shiver. The imposing presence of the matriarchs in TVB dramas was truly impressive!
She asked cautiously, "Mom... are you alright?"
Madam Ning took a deep breath and smiled gently: "Mom is fine, my dear daughter. You said Daddy Ai wants to see you tomorrow?"
Ning Yuan: "Yes, there's a tea party at a guesthouse tomorrow. Also, Mom, let's talk... could we not invite Xiao Ai? Especially Xiao Ai's daddy..."
When she heard "Xiao Ai" and "Xiao Ai's Daddy," her lips twitched and her toes dug into the ground.
And why does my mom's expression look a little scary?
Madam Ning leaned back on the sofa, her sharp, bright eyes looking out of the car, and smiled elegantly: "A tea party, huh? A tea party is good. Well then, even if Little A'a doesn't go tomorrow, A'a's father will definitely be there."
Ning Yuan's face turned green: "..."
Mom, that's enough! Stop calling her "Little A-Ah" and "A-Ah's Dad"! It's so distracting! Little Ai and Little Ai's Dad are much better!
Also, why is your Hong Kong accent mixed with a Shanghai accent?!
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