“Aunt Wu asked, “Xiaoning, did you go to the auditorium? Did you go to the matchmaking event?”
Ji Wanning nodded without trying to hide it. “I did.”
The moment they heard those words, both women’s eyes lit up.
“Then how did it go? Did you find a suitable match?”
“I did.”
Aunt Wu clapped her hands, her eyes shining even brighter as her voice rose with delight. “That’s wonderful! Once you get your marriage certificate and apply for your own housing, you’ll finally be able to move out of the Lin family home.”
Both aunts knew just how difficult life had been for Ji Wanning in the Lin household, especially with her mother, who looked like a delicate little white flower, seemingly incapable of doing anything and utterly indifferent to her own biological daughter.
Ji Wanning had wanted to leave the Lin family as soon as possible, which was why she had gone to the matchmaking event in hopes of getting married quickly.
“Xiaoning, we’re truly happy for you that you’ve found someone suitable.”
As for a wedding banquet or a housewarming celebration, those wouldn’t be held. The times discouraged extravagance and waste.
Ji Wanning did not care about such formalities.
To her, the most important thing was simply for two people to live a good life together.
She said nothing more to the two women and headed toward the Lin family home.
The moment she stepped inside, she saw the slender figure busily working beside the coal stove in the kitchen, with something simmering in the pot.
Dressed in plain clothes, her frame was thin and delicate. Her dark hair was loosely pinned up, and even from behind she looked exceptionally fragile.
Hearing someone enter, she turned around, revealing her face.
Her features were gentle and refined, her skin fair, the corners of her eyes slightly lowered with a timid air. Her gaze was soft and yielding, naturally carrying a pitiful, vulnerable charm that made her seem harmless and obedient.
Even though she was already middle aged, she remained beautiful and graceful.
The woman was Ji Wanning’s mother, Sulian.
Ji Wanning found it difficult to reconcile the woman before her with the one who had been so heartless. Just six months after her father had died in the line of duty, Sulian had resolutely remarried. Afterward, she had left her own daughter behind in their hometown, never returning to see her for years, never even sending a single letter, much less providing child support.
During those years in the countryside, Ji Wanning had survived on her father’s martyr’s pension and her grandmother’s loving care. She had finished high school at fourteen and gone on to become a commune schoolteacher.
Sometimes Ji Wanning wondered whether, after her grandmother passed away, she had come to the military district and lived under someone else’s roof because she still wanted to see whether her mother was truly the person she appeared to be.
Reality had given her the answer.
She was.
“Xiaoning, you’re back from kindergarten. Honestly, today was the military district’s big matchmaking event. You’re not getting any younger, so you should’ve gone. Maybe you would’ve met someone suitable.” Sulian spoke softly, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes as innocent and gentle as ever.
“Mom, do you think your life now is exhausting?” Ji Wanning ignored the question and asked one of her own.
Sulian froze, clearly confused.
A trace of mockery tugged at Ji Wanning’s lips. “When you were married to Dad, you never had to cook. Whenever he got paid, he gave nearly all of his salary to you so you could buy new clothes and cosmetics. Even if your life wasn’t better than when you were still living in the city, it certainly wasn’t bad.”
“But only six months after Dad died, you remarried. A woman who never even cooked before learned how to cook, didn’t she?”
Sulian had not expected such a question. Meeting Ji Wanning’s gaze, she looked flustered and at a loss, but she quickly lifted her beautiful, misty eyes. Her voice carried both helplessness and grievance.
“Xiaoning… are you blaming Mom?”
“But you don’t understand. After a woman’s husband is gone, how can a young woman raise a small child on her own? People would bully her to death.”
“Mom had no choice.”
“Xiaoning, can’t you understand your mother?”
Ji Wanning gave a quiet laugh, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“So that’s the excuse you’ve used to convince yourself.”
With that, she said nothing more, turned around, and returned to her room, ignoring her mother’s calls behind her.
She entered her room and closed the door.
Leaning against it, she felt the coolness of the wood seep through her back, spreading from her spine into both her body and her heart.
Slowly, she slid down to the floor, hugged her knees, and buried her face against them.
The moment she blinked, tears slipped silently from the corners of her eyes.
In truth, she had already known the answer during the six months she had lived with the Lin family.
Because Uncle Lin had been her mother’s first love.
Her father had only been the second choice she had settled for.
That was why she was willing to cook for Uncle Lin, willing to do all the things she had never wanted to do before.
Did she really not realize how hollow her own words sounded?
If she truly believed it was too difficult for a young widow to raise a child alone, then why had she abandoned Ji Wanning in their hometown, ignoring her for all those years?
After her father died and Uncle Lin’s wife happened to pass away from illness, she had chosen to leave behind the daughter who carried the blood of a man she had never truly loved.
Ji Wanning thought that if she had not come here six months ago, her mother probably would have forgotten about her for the rest of her life.
“Ji Wanning, why are you crying? You already knew this was the truth.”
“You can’t cry, understand? Today is your wedding day. You should be happy.”
As she spoke to herself, Ji Wanning lifted her head, wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and forced a smile onto her face.
She did not know how much time had passed before the noise outside grew louder. She could vaguely hear chairs scraping across the floor.
Then came a familiar voice filled with complaint.
“The moment she gets home, she hides in her room. Why doesn’t she just stay in there forever?”
“She’s been freeloading in my house, eating and living here without leaving. Does my family owe her something?”
Ji Wanning immediately recognized Lin Yun’s voice.
Her expression darkened as she abruptly pulled open the door, meeting Lin Yun’s eyes.
Lin Yun jumped in surprise.
“Lin Yun, I paid both board and lodging to live here. I’m not eating or staying here for free. As for whether I stay in my room, that’s my business. You have no right to interfere.”
When Ji Wanning had first moved in, she had paid for her stay, and the amount had been considerably more than what a hotel would have charged.
Sulian had just carried a bowl of chicken soup out of the kitchen. She had spent quite a bit of money and grain coupons to buy the chicken from a village outside the military district because she always doted on Lin Wenbin and wanted him to have the very best.
But as soon as she stepped out, she heard the two of them arguing.
She hurriedly placed the chicken soup on the table. “Xiaoning, Xiaoyun was only saying a few words. Don’t take it to heart. She’s still a child.”
Hearing those words, Ji Wanning felt a sharp ache in her heart. Her own biological mother had chosen to stand on her stepdaughter’s side.
“A child? If I remember correctly, she’s a year older than I am.” Ji Wanning curled her lips in ridicule.
Those words instantly enraged Lin Yun. She pointed a finger at Ji Wanning, her voice loud and shrill.
“Ji Wanning, I don’t care what your reasons are. Get out of my house right now. Our family doesn’t welcome you.”
After saying that, Lin Yun smugly assumed Ji Wanning would lower herself and beg to stay.
But this time, she guessed wrong.
“Fine, I’ll move out of here tomorrow.”