A woman's cold voice came from the phone: "You still answer the phone? I thought you had forgotten about me as your mother."
Ning Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, "I didn't."
In her previous life, she never met her biological parents; she only relied on Ning Jinyun to care for her in her old age and see her off in death.
Ning Jinyun sneered: "Is that so? You secretly married a demoted reformer, severely injured your aunt, didn't make a single phone call, and didn't reply to my letters. Isn't this trying to sever ties?"
Ning Yuan took a deep breath: "Mom, all you do in your letters is scold me. Have you ever asked how Auntie treats me?"
"How did they treat you? They just hit you on the head with a stool, right? If I had been there, I would have hit you even harder!!"
"I'd rather beat you to death, you little beast, than let you fool around with men and bring trouble to your family!"
"Your eldest brother is in the army in Shanghai, your second brother at least has a permanent job, and your sister is a key member of the performing arts troupe. You're a good-for-nothing who can't help with anything, and you even act like a prostitute. Why don't you go sell your body..."
Ning Jinyun's shrill voice came through the phone in rapid succession.
Ning Yuan felt suffocated, as if she couldn't breathe. It was always like this when her mother scolded people; she never held back her words.
Her older brother and sister, and even her father, were often scolded by her like this.
But he is especially cold to himself, as if he were an emotionless animal!
The eldest brother is also an adopted son, and publicly so. Ning Jinyun treats the eldest brother more gently than she treats her younger daughter, whom she raised as her own.
But clearly in her past life, it was she, the adopted daughter, who took care of Ning Jinyun the most, lived with her, and cared for her until her death.
"Mom!" Ning Yuan finally couldn't hold back any longer and raised her voice: "Have you been treating me like this all along because I'm not your biological child?"
Upon hearing this, not only did the voice on the other end of the phone suddenly stop, but the other end also suddenly stopped responding.
The telephone operator at the brigade was also stunned for a moment and looked at Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan pretended not to notice the strange look in the operator's eyes.
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.
Ning Yuan let out a soft sigh: "Mom, can you tell me?"
If she despises herself so much, why did she take the initiative to tell her the truth that she wasn't her biological child a few years after she got married in her past life?
She remembered Ning Jinyun's tears as sincere, filled with the fear and pain of losing her youngest daughter, which softened her heart and made her feel sad.
After a long pause, a woman's hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone: "Who's spouting nonsense in front of you? Who said you're not my biological child?!"
Ning Jinyun finally raised her voice in anger, leaving Ning Yuan with mixed feelings.
She did not answer her question directly.
Ning Yuan lowered her eyelashes: "...It's my aunt."
The phone was abruptly hung up on with a loud bang.
Ning Yuan listened to the ringing phone and gave a self-deprecating smile.
She lied and said that her aunt told her.
Because she really wanted to know why Ning Jinyun suddenly decided to tell her the truth in her past life.
If time were moved forward by more than ten years to the present, how would Ning Jinyun react? Does she really love herself as much as she says?
Ning Yuan put down the phone and, under the pity of the operator, turned and left with mixed feelings.
Just wait, she'll find the answer eventually.
...
Ning Yuan returned home with a heavy heart.
Sure enough, a few days later, Rong Zhaonan went to the carpenter and had a new bed made.
The villagers found it strange that this impoverished person who had been sent down to the countryside had actually made a bed.
But the red armband-wearing cadres from the commune brigade haven't come to the village to check on ideological work for almost two months, and nobody said anything.
But now that they sleep in separate beds, it's as if their relationship has returned to how it was when they first met and started living together—respectful and courteous to each other.
Days passed by one by one.
Seeing Rong Zhaonan's distant and indifferent attitude, Ning Yuan felt awkward, but she silently continued to study and work.
Grandpa Tang has been hinting to me these past few days that he won't be staying here for much longer.
When he returns to Beijing and she is in Ningnan, they will be separated. It would be reasonable for them to get a divorce certificate after a year or two.
She has her own things to do and people to deal with, and there's no need to drag him into it.
I just hope that before he leaves, their relationship can improve, and at least they can still be friends.
Besides...
Every morning when she got up, Rong Zhaonan was no longer in the room.
There was always a bowl of porridge, pickled vegetables, and an egg on the table, clearly reserved for her.
Ning Yuan couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart.
Her roommate was cutting ties with her, not seeing her in the mornings anymore, and even saving her breakfast every day.
That's truly touching; what a wonderful roommate I am!
She got up, washed up, and took some meat bones out of the storage room.
A gray, furry figure, drawn by the scent, darted in from outside the door and fawned around Ning Yuan's feet.
Ning Yuan placed the meat bone in a broken enamel basin and patted its wolf head: "Little White, eat slowly."
"Woo woo woo—" the little she-wolf cried out joyfully.
Yes, Xiaobai is the gray-white female wolf that Rong Zhaonan brought back. Not only is she pretty, but she's also really 'dog-like'.
Whether she was completely terrified by Rong Zhaonan or not, the little she-wolf was completely submissive, behaving like a dog.
Not only can it stick out its tongue, it has even learned to wag its tail at people.
Moreover, he cleverly regarded Ning Yuan as his owner and protector.
Every day it followed Ning Yuan around wagging its tail, and never bared its teeth again.
He really did become a 'little wolfhound' guarding the house.
Ning Yuan now keeps it as a pet.
After all, Rong Zhaonan basically ignores her now, except when he's with Grandpa Tang and Grandma Xia.
The atmosphere at home was very cold.
Little White became her only source of joy.
"Xiaobai, I'm going to town to sell things today, so you keep a close eye on the yard." Ning Yuan patted Xiaobai's head.
Little White is very smart, as if it can understand human speech. It rubbed its mouth against her palm, wagged its tail, and lowered its head to eat meat.
Ning Yuan looked at the empty room and the two beds separated by the window.
Today is Sunday, and Rong Zhaonan hasn't stayed in the house.
She shook her head, not wanting to wallow in her gloomy mood any longer. She washed her face, put on her scarf and coat, and went out with her basket on her back.
More than an hour later, she arrived at the flea market.
Ning Yuan looked at the bustling flea market, pulled her collar and scarf tighter to keep the cold wind from getting into her neck.
She hasn't come for more than two weeks.
Ever since her last encounter with the thugs and human traffickers, she has been filled with lingering fear. The honey badger has been arrested, but who knows if he has any accomplices?
With Lunar New Year's Eve just around the corner, she needed to sell the bowl that Grandma Xia had given her and buy some other New Year's goods to take home.
She had secretly saved up more than two hundred yuan, which made her a wealthy household in the village.
But half of this money must belong to Rong Zhaonan; she can't keep it for herself.
She also needs to take care of Grandpa Tang and Grandma Xia.
Ning Yuan pondered this as she entered the secondhand market.
Rong Zhaonan will be returning to the capital, probably after the Lunar New Year.
She needs to think of something to give him; their relationship can't stay like this forever.
I'd like to ask him for help with something important in the future.
Why would an old woman who has lived two lifetimes and is several decades old need to engage in a cold war and argue with a young boy like him?
With that thought in mind, Ning Yuan calmed down and started walking towards the antique exchange area, following the route she had taken from the previous stalls.
The 13th meeting determined that the focus of the country's work should be completely shifted to economic work.
As the wind picked up, the secondhand market, or rather the black market, in the county town became increasingly active, and the red armband-wearing officers stopped interfering much.
Having learned her lesson from last time, Ning Yuan didn't rush to make a move. Instead, she squatted down near the antique stalls.
Then, she took out all the mountain produce she had brought out of the basket and displayed it.
The stall she chose didn't have many customers. She spent the whole morning there, selling only a small portion of her mountain produce and earning just over ten yuan.
Business was much worse than usual.
But after half a day, she had already started talking and bragging to almost all the antique and secondhand vendors around her.
They even buy half of the mountain produce to improve their meals.
"Uncle Liu, Brother Tu, would you like some hot steamed buns?" Ning Yuan took a large aluminum lunchbox out of her basket, opened it, and handed it to the person next to her.
She bought this from Sister Zhang early in the morning, wrapped it in a thick scarf, and it was still warm by noon.
The uncle selling goods on the side said somewhat embarrassedly, "Is this your lunch? I brought my own."
The man in his thirties, whom Ning Yuan called Brother Tu, was quite unceremonious and took one without hesitation: "Thanks, brother. You're quite the gentleman."
He bought several kilograms of mushrooms and other mountain produce from Ning Yuan, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to eat a steamed bun.
Ning Yuan directly handed one to the uncle: "Uncle Liu, don't be shy. It's not easy for us to do a little business secretly."
Seeing this, the vendor didn't refuse anymore. He took the bun and sighed, "Girl, you're not much older than my daughter. You've come all the way from the countryside, it must have been tough for you, right?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan thought, "Great! The time to sell has come. I've been waiting for you to say that, Uncle."
She sighed and said in a low voice, "Yes, I have grandparents in their seventies who depend on me for support. What can I do? My husband, a cadre who was sent down to the countryside, has returned to the city and doesn't want me anymore."
The first step in selling goods is to play the victim and avoid being pressured to lower the price.
Ning Yuan has big eyes and a small, round face, which makes her look very young.
Her bowed head and pitiful, vulnerable appearance immediately drew sympathetic sighs from those around her.
Tu Ge, a native of Sichuan, couldn't help but curse in his dialect: "Damn it, those city bastards who've read a few books think they're Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife), fuck them!"
Ning Yuan coughed lightly: "Yeah, dog shit."
Although she decided not to argue with the children.
However, Rong Zhaonan was always giving her the cold shoulder and being incredibly rude. He was just like a piece of dog shit.
Rong Zhaonan, who had just entered the cowshed courtyard, suddenly sneezed and then felt like he had stepped on something.
He took a step back expressionlessly, looking at the dog poop he had stepped in—no, wolf poop.
Little White lay at the doorway, paws raised, gloating: "Woof woof woof~~"
The next second, Xiaobai met Rong Zhaonan's cold gaze and was so frightened that it tucked its tail between its legs and shrank into a corner.
Rong Zhaonan said coldly, "If you still can't learn to eat, drink, and relieve yourself at designated times, your lover outside will still turn into a wolf-hair doormat."
Little White cried out in terror, "Waaaaahh ...
Rong Zhaonan withdrew his gaze and looked into the room, his expression somewhat complicated.
Ning Yuan should have left long ago; we won't run into each other.
They just started sleeping in separate beds like that, and that little spy didn't even say anything, humph.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
