Chapter 187 Mei Nan
Shao Muyan and Yu Yan went to the welfare home again.
They went to see the red cotton quilts that Aunt Mei had sewn for the babies. Although the patterns were different, the two highly educated intellectuals were able to figure out a lot from Nan Song's guidance over the phone.
The needlework is also Suzhou embroidery, the same as the red cotton quilt that wrapped Shao Yun.
The two remained silent for a long time.
Yu Yan gently stroked Shao Muyan's back to calm him down and tell him not to panic.
At least we've found some clues now.
Shao Muyan was indeed not in a hurry this time, because he knew that there was no use in being anxious.
We've been investigating for so many years, what's a little more time?
It started to drizzle shortly after they arrived at the welfare home.
The children returned to their classrooms, sat in rows, and waited for their teachers to give them snacks.
After the renovation, the welfare home's infrastructure has improved a lot. The yard has been paved with cement, so even on rainy days, we won't be walking in the mud everywhere. The heating has also been reinstalled, so the rooms are very warm. In any case, the children can eat their fill and stay warm.
All of this was naturally thanks to the support of Shao Muyan, Shao Min, Yu Yan, and others.
Dean Xia brought over a few small stools, and Shao Muyan quickly took them and handed one to Yu Yan. The three of them sat at the classroom door watching the rain outside and listening to Dean Xia tell Xiao Mei's story.
"Xiaomei, you've had a hard life too."
Dean Xia is old and has experienced a lot. Even without deliberately adding any tone, he can't hide the vicissitudes of life when he speaks.
“Unlike other babies, she was quite old when her parents abandoned her and sent her to the orphanage.”
Dean Xia tried hard to recall, "I remember, she was about four or five years old? Anyway, she was old enough to remember things. I don't know if we were afraid she would cry or run away, but when we found the child at the door, she was tied up with hemp rope all over her body and her mouth was sealed. My husband was there at the time, and we were terrified. We thought the child had been kidnapped."
"...Later, the child stayed. She said her parents didn't want her anymore, and all they wanted was a place to live and food to eat. She could do anything. Xiaomei was indeed sensible and hardworking. Even though she was still a child herself, she started taking care of people."
"Later, Xiaomei grew up. Although she wasn't as pretty, she was hardworking and down-to-earth. She went out to work and could do several jobs a day. She kept a little money for living expenses and gave the rest to the orphanage to repay our kindness in raising her. She was a grateful child. It's just that such a child was stuck with such bloodsucking parents."
At this point, Dean Xia couldn't help but sigh deeply again.
Shao Muyan and Yu Yan listened with heavy hearts, never interrupting, and simply listened quietly.
“As soon as Xiaomei grew up, her biological parents found her again and wanted to take her back to their hometown to get married so that they could save up a dowry for their son to get a wife.”
Dean Xia's eyelids were deeply creased, with tear tracks on them. She was talking about Xiaomei's past, but wasn't she also reminiscing about her own past life...?
“Xiaomei tried to run away several times, but she couldn’t escape and was forced to return to her hometown. After that, she lost contact with us. My husband and I were worried that she had been sold to the mountains, so we asked many people to help us find her. In the end, we found her, but when Xiaomei reappeared in front of us, she was already married and very pregnant.”
"I still haven't seen what her husband looks like. I only know he's quite fierce, has a very bad temper, loves to drink, and beats people when he drinks. Xiaomei was so scared that her water broke, and that man didn't take her to the hospital, but brought her here instead. Luckily, there was a medical team from the welfare home here that day conducting physical examinations. I guess that man saw that there were doctors and an ambulance available, and he didn't want to spend money, so he brought Xiaomei here. We hurriedly delivered Xiaomei's baby girl."
Dean Xia smiled slightly as he said this: "When Nannan was first born, she looked like a wrinkled little mouse. I could tell at a glance that she looked more like her half-dead father. Fortunately, she grew up slowly."
After a woman gives birth, she begins a new chapter in her life.
"After giving birth, Xiaomei held her daughter, crying and smiling at the same time, saying that she must live a good life and make something of herself, and she would never let her daughter become a second her!"
Dean Xia wiped away her tears. "Xiao Mei went back to work before she was even out of confinement. Her husband couldn't help her take care of the child, so she left the child at the orphanage and asked us to look after her. She went to work as a maid for wealthy families, saying she could earn more. Later, her husband went out to work for several years. Those years were probably the happiest time for Xiao Mei and her daughter, Nan Nan."
"Nannan is very smart. She can learn everything the teacher teaches in no time. Later, Xiaomei sent her to school. She always ranked at the top of her class and got first place. Xiaomei also took good care of Nannan. There was only one time when Nannan came back from school. She was very dirty and had bruises on her face. I could tell at a glance that she had been bullied. But she shook her head and said it was nothing. She washed her face and went to do her homework."
"When Xiaomei came home from work, her eyes were red and swollen. She threw herself into my arms and burst into tears. Only then did I learn that Nannan had been humiliated by a group of young masters at the house where Xiaomei worked. She was forced to kneel on the ground and they took turns riding her like a horse. They even pulled her hair and slapped her..."
At this point, Dean Xia also burst into tears. Yu Yan handed her a tissue, her fingertips icy cold.
She looked at the drizzling rain outside, her brows furrowed and her eyes red.
Suddenly, I understood why Mei Nan had been climbing up like a madwoman.
Only by climbing to a high place, standing at a high position, and becoming strong can one avoid being trampled on by others.
"Fortunately, the young master of that family is a good person. He saved Nan Nan, helped her deal with those bad boys, and gave Xiao Mei a large sum of money for medical expenses so that she could take Nan Nan for a check-up. Xiao Mei said that was all of their young master's pocket money."
Both Yu Yan and Shao Muyan's brows twitched.
They all realized that this "good young master" must be Xiang Jingheng.
No wonder, no wonder Mei Nan went to Gan Xiaoxing's research lab right after graduation, and helped Xiang Jingheng support that lab when he was in his most difficult time, and has always been loyal to him. It turns out that it was based on her chivalrous act and selfless help when she was a child.
Dean Xia's story continues, "It's not easy for Nan Nan to have such a father. When she was in high school, her irresponsible father came back, carrying a mountain of debt, and forced the mother and daughter to pay it off. When Xiao Mei couldn't pay it off, he forced Nan Nan to drop out of school. The child had such good grades, but he wouldn't let her go to university, and actually made her go to... go to work in a dance hall."
Yu Yan gritted her teeth, and the veins on her forehead bulged.
This kind of father is worse than a stray dog.
Even stray dogs know to guard their food.
"Xiaomei is soft-hearted and powerless to fight back, so she has been beaten countless times. Nannan is tough-minded and always confronts her father head-on, so she is beaten the most. She has called the police and reported her father many times, but each time the case was dropped due to domestic violence. After she got out, the man beat them even more viciously. Until that time... the man beat them like a madman. Xiaomei's spine and one leg were broken, and Nannan was beaten until she vomited blood, almost missing her college entrance exam... It's truly a tragedy."
Yu Yan's hands tightened inch by inch, her eyes were already as red as they could possibly be.
She couldn't stand hearing such things... and she couldn't imagine how Mei Nan managed to get into Shangzhou University despite her illness.
"Heaven has eyes, that man is dead."
Yu Yan and Shao Muyan both looked at Dean Xia in unison, "Dead?"
"Yes, it is said that he accidentally fell into the lake after drinking and drowned. When he was pulled out, his whole body was soaked and rotten."
Dean Xia said calmly, "That day was the day Nan Nan finished her college entrance examination and received her results. She ranked second in the province."
Shao Muyan was taken aback.
Yu Yan was the top student in the province that year.
He had seen the report card; first and second place were separated by only one point.
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