This made Ning Lu extremely excited. If, after she moved to the military base, she could transplant the seedlings from the space into a real vegetable garden, she would never have to worry about vegetables again.
The next morning, Yan Bingqin and Ning Lu both got up at five o’clock.
It was late summer, and the air was fresh and cool. Running in the early morning felt wonderful.
After several laps, they were drenched in sweat, but their bodies felt relaxed and refreshed. All worries and anxieties seemed to disappear. The world felt vast, vibrant, and full of hope.
Most importantly, it helped maintain health, lose weight, and improve fitness.
Yan Bingqin was in an excellent mood.
“Lu Lu, I never thought I could actually lose weight someday. From now on, let’s keep up our morning runs. This feels so good!”
She looked carefully at Ning Lu.
Although Ning Lu still wasn’t exactly slim and still weighed over 140 pounds, compared to her heaviest days she looked like a completely different person.
Her features had always been beautiful. Her skin was fair as snow, her eyes clear and bright like precious gems, her lips pink and smiling, and her nose delicate and refined. Even without makeup, she was stunningly attractive.
Now that she had lost weight, most of it had come off her arms and legs, while her chest remained full and curvy. Even slightly fitted clothing gave her a strikingly attractive appearance that naturally drew attention.
Yan Bingqin quietly whispered something to her daughter.
Ning Lu blushed.
“Mom, I’ll be careful. When we travel later, I’ll dress a little plainer.”
Yan Bingqin smiled.
“I’m just worried about you. My daughter is too beautiful—far prettier than I was when I was young.”
In the future, she would be extremely careful when choosing a son-in-law.
She absolutely could not let her daughter end up like she had—trapped in a desperate situation and easily swept away by Ning Tiegen’s pursuit, only to endure years of emotional neglect after marriage, practically living like a widow.
As the mother and daughter chatted happily, they suddenly saw two people entering the village.
It was Lin Anguo helping Ning Yue home from the town hospital.
They had returned early specifically to avoid being ridiculed by villagers.
Ning Yue sat on a handcart with a cold expression. Her leg was injured, she was pregnant, and her head was still bandaged.
Lin Anguo pulled the cart, feeling exhausted and frustrated.
The two of them had argued countless times recently.
Lin Anguo had little money. Even while hospitalized and pregnant, Ning Yue often went hungry and survived on coarse corn buns.
Meanwhile, Lin Anguo blamed her for distracting him from studying and for failing to take care of his mother as a daughter-in-law.
But the moment they saw Ning Lu, Ning Yue immediately softened her voice.
“Brother Anguo, my stomach hurts. Can you check on me? Maybe our son is uncomfortable.”
However, Lin Anguo had frozen in place.
He stared at Ning Lu in shock.
The cart handles slipped from his hands.
The cart jolted violently, causing Ning Yue to cry out in pain.
Lin Anguo stared with wide eyes.
Last time he had thought Ning Lu looked slightly thinner.
Now he was certain.
She hadn’t just lost a little weight.
She had lost a lot.
Before gaining weight, Ning Lu had already been pretty.
Now that she had slimmed down, she was even more beautiful than before.
Years ago, she had been like a flower bud just beginning to bloom.
Now she resembled a fully blossomed rose—fragrant, breathtaking, and impossible to ignore.
Her skin glowed with a rosy complexion. Her dark hair flowed like ink. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with life. Her lips were as delicate as newly opened cherry blossoms.
What surprised Lin Anguo most was her figure.
Her limbs had become much slimmer, and her waist now had visible curves.
The contrast only made her natural fullness stand out more.
Her figure was stunningly attractive, soft and fair like a perfectly ripe peach—the exact type of beauty many men dreamed of.
Ning Yue exploded.
“Lin Anguo! What are you staring at? Do you stop to stare at every dog by the roadside too?”
Only then did Lin Anguo snap back to reality.
His thoughts were in complete turmoil.
When he had first become engaged to Ning Lu, it was because she was beautiful.
Later, after she gained so much weight, he had started thinking Ning Yue was prettier.
But now…
He regretted it.
Ning Yue continued angrily:
“Lin Anguo, I’m carrying your son! We’re already married! Even if some vixen tries to seduce you, I’m warning you—spit in her face the moment you see her!”
Yan Bingqin’s expression darkened, and she was about to respond.
But Ning Lu held her back and smiled.
“Mom, let’s go. Why waste time watching dogs fight? If we stay too long, we might get bitten too. And those dogs are experts at stealing and take pride in it. Who knows? They might start rolling around together right here on the road. That would be disgusting. Let’s go.”
Yan Bingqin pursed her lips and smiled.
“Fine. We won’t lower ourselves to a dog’s level.”
Furious, Ning Yue struggled off the cart with her crutch and prepared to argue back.
Just then, the ringing of a bicycle bell sounded.
A mailman shouted:
“Letter for the Ning family! Letter for the Ning family!”
Yan Bingqin paused.
“A letter for the Ning family?”
She lowered her voice.
“Lu Lu, after your father died, we don’t really have any relatives living elsewhere. Who could be sending us a letter?”
Ning Lu replied:
“Let’s go take a look.”
Before they could reach the mailman, Ning Yue’s brother, Ning Xingde, suddenly appeared and snatched the letter away.
Looking nervous, he said:
“Yes, it’s for our family. I’m Ning Tiedan’s son, Ning Xingde.”
After confirming his identity, the mailman handed over the letter.
Without even glancing at it, Ning Xingde stuffed it into his pocket.
Ning Yue asked:
“Brother, who sent—”
Ning Xingde immediately interrupted:
“Aren’t you pregnant? Why are you standing around here?”
Then he turned to Lin Anguo.
“Anguo, take Yueyue home and let her rest. If you don’t take good care of her, I won’t let you off.”
Lin Anguo didn’t dare provoke Ning Xingde.
Suppressing his frustration, he pushed Ning Yue away.
Yet he couldn’t stop himself from glancing back at Ning Lu several times.
The admiration in his eyes lingered.
Ning Yue noticed and bit her lip until she trembled with anger.
Lin Anguo was the most promising man in the village.
She would never let Ning Lu take him away.
If Ning Lu dared to touch what belonged to her, she would make sure Ning Lu paid dearly.
After returning home, Lin Anguo became even quieter.
He locked himself in his room and tried to study.
Meanwhile, Mother Lin resumed her endless stream of insults toward Ning Yue.
This time Ning Yue fought back.
Soon the house erupted into chaos.
Inside his room, Lin Anguo pounded the table furiously.
“Do any of you actually want to live properly? Are you going to let me take the college entrance exam or not?!”
Ning Yue felt utterly miserable.
The married life she had dreamed about had turned into a nightmare.
Her mother was dead.
Her leg was crippled.
She was pregnant.
Hungry.
And suffering every day.
Meanwhile, Ning Lu seemed to be thriving.
Was it because she had stopped drugging Ning Lu recently?
Was that why Ning Lu had become thinner?
No.
She had to poison her again.
As Ning Yue was lost in thought, her brother Ning Xingde arrived and quietly called her outside.
After hearing what he had to say, Ning Yue’s eyes widened.
“Brother, really? That’s wonderful! When do we leave? To go stay with our relati—”
She quickly corrected herself.
“To go stay with our relatives? Did Dad really say that?”
Ning Xingde nodded.
“He has conditions.”
“We must first deal with Ning Lu and her mother. We have to make sure they can never interfere with that side again.”
“Only then will we be allowed to go and seek refuge there.”