That night, Ruan Xianxian sat by the window, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, alone until dawn.
That night, the lights in Grandpa and Grandma's room remained on all night.
That night, Ruan Tai's life of the past thirty years was completely overturned.
As the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room, Ruan Xianxian stirred her stiff and numb body, and a soft closing sound came from the living room door.
She knew that Ruan Tai had left.
This person not only left the Yan family, but also completely disappeared from Beijing, vanishing without a trace until Ruan Xianxian received a lavish gift on her wedding day...
But that's a story for another time...
This morning, Xie Zheng unusually went downstairs to buy breakfast, because the state-run restaurant is a bit far away, and the elderly couple usually make breakfast at home.
Homemade salted duck eggs, paired with a bowl of soft and sticky pumpkin and millet porridge, are Ruan Xianxian's favorite.
Today, she sat at the table, looking at the fried dough rings and soy milk laid out in front of her, her little face scrunched up.
Despite living in Beijing since childhood, Ruan Xianxian doesn't drink douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) because the taste is too strong. She prefers sweet douzhi with added sugar.
Seeing her expression, as if the sky were about to fall and she had an irreconcilable grudge against Douzhi, Xie Zheng was holding back his laughter until his stomach hurt.
He even deliberately asked, "Why aren't you eating? Don't you like it?"
Ruan Xianxian gritted her teeth, squeezing out two words, "No, no!"
After saying this, he picked up the bowl like a hero going to his execution and drank it all in one gulp. The bowl was empty, and the stick was visibly withered...
His expression was one of utter disbelief, as if he couldn't understand why such bizarre cuisine existed in the world.
For lunch, I had pancakes and stir-fried eggs with shrimp paste as my main dish.
It was delicious, and the flavor was so addictive that my eyes were practically glued to the food after lunch.
In the late afternoon, I followed my grandma around like a sentinel, keeping watch with my eyes to prevent her from having another sudden whim.
Seeing her completely absorbed in the thought, "This thing is fit for human consumption? I must have picked it out of the trash. I've only wasted my time..."
When Xie Zheng carried the three boxes of beef noodles upstairs in a lunchbox, the light that had been extinguished in his eyes finally rekindled, becoming sticky and irritating:
"Grandpa, you must have gone into the wrong bridal chamber back then. You are my real grandpa."
After dinner, Ruan Xianxian returned to her room with her slightly bloated belly. Soft snores could be heard from inside. The two elders, who were leaning against the door, looked at each other and finally showed expressions of relief.
Back in her room, the old woman slumped against the headboard, her body completely limp.
"I told you, feed her two meals of her picky food first, and then give her her favorite food at night, and she'll forget everything."
"This child has always been strange. I wonder what kind of hardships he suffered in the Ruan family when he was young. Other children know to tell their parents when they are bullied."
She's like a gourd with its mouth sawed off; when she's bullied, she never asks me for help, as if she's afraid of causing me any trouble.
They would only retaliate in a cowardly manner, not even daring to use any particularly ruthless methods.
So sensible it breaks my heart.
It took me several years to slowly pull her out of her shell.
Seeing her granddaughter again after many years, the timidity she once displayed, the desire to hide and be invisible, was gone.
I knew she wouldn't have a good time in the Ruan family, but seeing the bright confidence in my granddaughter, she stood there like a little sun.
They assumed that even if she wasn't doing well in the Ruan family, it wasn't too bad.
Xie Zheng, I was wrong!
Even if they hadn't been so presumptuous as to send her back to the Ruan family before the accident, and had instead brought her to the farm where life was tough, it would have been better than sending her back to the den of wolves that devour men!
At first, Yan Fenghua was smiling, but before she knew it, tears had filled the lines on her face.
Xie Zheng gripped her hand tightly. "It's not your fault. Back then, let alone how many children died on the farm when they were so young? Even we two old folks narrowly escaped death several times."
Every step we took was the best choice available at that time.
You're doing alright in Beijing, but you should understand that that beast Ruan wouldn't let you take Xianxian out of Beijing.
He built a cage for his child, allowing her to enjoy a few good years with him, only to have her return to suffer when the time was up. He wanted to try and use this method to stimulate her special abilities.
How can you know how dark the night is if you've never seen the light?
So it's not your fault. He was already calculating with his own mind, and no matter how the game unfolded, you couldn't escape the devil's controlling hand.
Then, changing the subject, she added, "It has to be our Xianxian. There was no way forward, but she carved a path out of it."
Shan Jing has finally resolved the child's long-standing inner conflict; things will get better from now on.
The elderly couple comforted each other.
Ruan Xianxian stood blankly outside the door.
She recalled her past life, whether she was sent to her grandmother's side or returned from the countryside to marry Lu Yi, Shan Jing was always behind the scenes.
As she herself said, she couldn't give her much, but she kept helping her leave that home, giving the best she could.
The grievances and suffering I endured in my previous life seem to have found a reasonable explanation.
Regardless of how much truth or falsehood Shan Jing spoke, at this moment, Ruan Xianxian finally decided to reconcile with her past self.
This time it's a true reconciliation.
She cleared her throat and said in a strange voice outside the door, "You two should stop being so lovey-dovey. You'll get tired of each other in less than two years."
The door slammed open, revealing Grandma's dark face. She grabbed a feather duster from the vase and sneered.
"It's not certain that we'll get tired of each other after two years, but you're definitely going to get these two slaps today."
Ruan Xianxian was shocked.
"Talk it out, don't hit the child." Xie Zheng seemed to be trying to mediate, but in reality, every step he took was blocking Ruan Xianxian's escape route.
Soon after, a heart-wrenching wail echoed from the small room on the third floor: "Ouch! I was wrong, you two will never get tired of looking at this for the rest of your lives, will you?"
A black figure that had been standing downstairs for a long time saw the three figures chasing and fighting in the shadows cast on the curtains. Without saying a word, it turned and disappeared completely into the darkness.
But soon, another figure caught up, and Lu Yi, his eyes filled with sorrow, stood in front of Shan Jing.
"You've already divorced Ruan Tai today? Are you leaving? Why won't you give me a chance?"
Dan Jing stopped in her tracks, looked up, and smiled, "Are you sure?"
Lu Yi hesitated for only a moment before nodding firmly.
"Then come with me."
The two had walked for quite some time, but Lu Yi was still rambling on, "Going back where? Back to the South? If you decide to settle down, I'll transfer to the South with you."
Dan Jing observed her surroundings, seemingly finding the suburbs too quiet on this cold winter night. She stopped and opened her bag, holding something in her hand...
Lu Yi, who was still dreaming of a bright future, saw a dark shadow flicker before his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his forehead, and some warm liquid flowed down his forehead where he had been hit hard.
He instinctively reached out and wiped his eyes, his vision blurring as he asked in a hoarse voice, "Why?"
No one answered; instead, the second brick, the third brick, and so on... answered him.
Until Lu Yi's body crashed to the ground, one side of his head caved in completely, his eyes wide open and stubbornly staring ahead, Shan Jing, panting heavily, approached Lu Yi's ear.
"Because my daughter doesn't like it."
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