By the time Ning Yi brought Xu Shaonian and Xu Xiao’an to the Ning household, it was already dark, and the family had finished dinner.
Upon arriving, the two men went straight to the room where the tables, chairs, and desks were stored, carrying the sandpaper and paint they had bought. Soon, the sound of hammering and knocking echoed from inside.
Xu Xiao’an, meanwhile, stayed behind to help Ning Xin.
She found a small stool, sat down across from Ning Xin, and picked up a small cloth. Mimicking Ning Xin’s movements, she carefully began wiping the dust from the crevices of the ceramic stewing jars.
Xu Xiao’an and Xu Shaonian looked nothing alike.
Xu Shaonian was as thin as a bamboo pole, standing straight with an air of uncontainable pride.
Xu Xiao’an, on the other hand, was plump and fair.
Standing less than one meter fifty, she looked to weigh at least 120 or 130 jin. Her flesh was soft and loose, and her facial features seemed squeezed together.
Whenever she made eye contact with someone, her face would first turn red, then she would offer a humble, almost fawning smile.
When she smiled, two small, deep dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.
She looked very much like those chubby dolls in New Year paintings.
Seeing Ning Xin observing her, Xu Xiao’an’s face grew even redder. She lowered her head further and became even more cautious in her movements.
Only after she had polished a white ceramic stewing jar until it shone did she hand it to Ning Xin and ask timidly, “Sister, is this okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. Xiao’an, you’ve wiped it very clean.” Ning Xin took the stewing jar, examined it, and praised her sincerely.
Xu Xiao’an’s face turned even redder.
Ning Xin set the jar down and said to Xu Xiao’an, “Xiao’an, why don’t you keep sorting these for Sister? I’ll go brew some tea for everyone, alright?”
Xu Xiao’an immediately looked uneasy. “There’s no need, Sister. I’m not thirsty.”
“There’s your brother and my brother too.”
Ning Xin winked playfully at her and said in a conspiratorial, intimate tone, “I still need to rely on them to help me work, so I’d better butter them up a little.”
Xu Xiao’an clearly didn’t expect Ning Xin to say something like that to her. Her mouth fell open in surprise.
At the same time, she felt a sense of being trusted, and her eyes lit up with excitement.
She nodded vigorously and said, “Mm! Sister, go ahead. I promise I’ll wipe all of these clean, spotless!”
Ning Xin went to the kitchen and cut open a watermelon.
She scooped out the flesh into a large bowl, sliced the rind into thin strips, then took out some corn silk she had collected earlier. After washing them, she put them in a pot with the rind strips and boiled them.
Once the tea was boiled and poured into bowls, Ning Xin went to the flower bed, picked a few mint leaves, washed them, and placed them into the bowls.
Then she took out a few of the red bean buns she had made that evening and put them in a bamboo basket. From her homemade icebox, which was wrapped tightly in quilts, she retrieved a few small pieces of crushed ice and dropped them into the tea bowls.
Finally, she placed the brewed tea, the red bean buns, and the watermelon onto a tray and carried it to the room where the two men were working.
“Brother, Xu Shaonian, take a break for a while. You’ve been working nonstop since you got here. You’ll get heatstroke. Come have something to eat.”
Ning Xin set the tray down on the desk and called out to them.
Seeing what she had brought, neither of them stood on ceremony. They both gathered around.
Even though they had already eaten on the roadside while looking for Xiao’an earlier, they were strapping young men with appetites like bottomless pits. They could always fit more food.
And besides, it was Ning Xin’s cooking. Even Xu Shaonian, who didn’t come often, knew it was something good.
After downing a bowl of tea, Xu Shaonian let out a long, comfortable sigh.
He used a toothpick to spear a piece of watermelon, popped it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Then he patted the chair he was sitting on and asked Ning Xin, “Are you planning to open your restaurant in these two rooms? How are you going to arrange them? Knock down the wall between them? If so, the tables and chairs you bought won’t be enough.”
“I know,” Ning Xin nodded.
“But I’m only planning to put tables in the center of the room. Around the walls, I want to build a ring of shelves, using angle irons for support. Stools can go underneath…”
As she spoke, Ning Xin walked to the wall and gestured to the two men, showing them what she meant.
In fact, she was describing the most common layout for small eateries in later generations. A ring of fixed shelves along the walls, where bowls and chopsticks could be placed.
Customers would eat around these shelves, which saved space while ensuring a smooth flow of people.
After all, who would sit facing a blank wall for hours on end?
But this kind of layout was still uncommon in the early 1980s. People in that era valued durability above all else, a set of tables and chairs was expected to last for decades.
The idea of replacing tables with a row of shelves fixed to the wall seemed unimaginable to most.
“Will that work?” Ning Yi asked hesitantly. “Wouldn’t it be too crude?”
Xu Shaonian, however, didn’t respond immediately.
He put down his toothpick, picked up a pen and paper from the side, and sketched out what Ning Xin had described.
After a moment of thought, he said, “I think it could work. This approach saves a lot of space and wood. And if the color matches the tables and chairs placed in the center, it shouldn’t look bad. Who knows, some people might even find it novel and specifically want to sit there.”
Hearing his explanation, Ning Xin broke into a smile.
She felt that this person’s mind was quite quick at accepting new ideas. Communicating with him wasn’t tiring at all.
Much better than talking to her brother.
Ning Yi, who had just been silently dismissed by his sister, stared at the sketch in his friend’s hand for a long time.
He was clearly trying hard to visualize in his mind the picture Xu Shaonian had described.
But after much deliberation, Ning Yi still couldn’t see what was so appealing about that setup. Nor could he believe that anyone would specifically seek out such a spot to sit.
But Ning Yi knew his limitations.
He understood that when it came to quick thinking, he couldn’t match either his sister or this friend of his.
In such situations, he figured he’d let them handle the thinking, and he’d just focus on doing the physical work.
While Ning Yi was still mentally adjusting, Xu Shaonian pointed to the paint cans on the floor and asked Ning Xin, “The hardware store only had three colors, red, blue, and white. We picked blue. What do you think?”
Ning Xin quickly went over to take a look.
As soon as the paint can was opened, the pungent smell characteristic of oil-based paint hit her, making her stagger back.
“After painting, we’ll need to let it air out for several days,” she said instinctively.
Xu Shaonian looked at her, the corners of his mouth curling into a barely noticeable smile.
“That’s why we need to get it painted as soon as possible. While the weather is good, we can let it ventilate thoroughly.”
As he spoke, he walked over, dipped a brush in the paint, and applied it to a freshly sanded chair leg.
Ning Xin crouched down beside him and leaned in to look.
The paint was a slightly deep shade of blue.
Darker than sky blue, but much lighter than navy.
Although it couldn’t compare to the latex paints of later generations, the color wasn’t as soft, she thought that against white walls, blue tables and chairs would actually look simple and pleasing.
At the very least, it suited her taste.
“Looks good. This color is very nice,” Ning Xin said approvingly, nodding.
Then she turned to Ning Yi. “Brother, did you buy enough paint? If so, paint the shelves the same color, for consistency?”
“Definitely not enough. I’ll go buy a few more cans tomorrow,” Ning Yi responded.
By this time, Xu Shaonian had already picked up a tape measure and was taking measurements around the room.
He frowned slightly, clearly deep in thought.
Only after the siblings had finished talking did he continue, “Aside from this ring of shelves, do you have any other plans? It’s best if you tell us everything now, so we can figure out how to proceed. If we knock down the wall and replace the tables with shelves along the walls, the room will feel even larger. It’s not that you only bought ten tables, you could buy ten more and still not fill the space. And we’ll be short on chairs, too.”
“If we’re short, we’ll buy more. Xu Shaonian, could I trouble you to handle the tables and chairs? Since you’re familiar with Director Zhang anyway.”
Ning Xin had spoken more to Xu Shaonian today than she had since she first met him, combined.
She suddenly realized that he wasn’t as aloof or unapproachable as she had imagined. He might just be naturally quiet.
So this time, she didn’t stand on ceremony. She looked at Xu Shaonian with a smile and made her request.
Sure enough, Xu Shaonian didn’t seem to think it was any big deal. In fact, he appeared to take it for granted that this was something he should handle.
Upon hearing Ning Xin’s words, he simply grunted in acknowledgment and gave a casual nod, without saying much else.
The two men quickly finished their food and started working again.
It was only today that Ning Xin realized that in this era, men were all skilled craftsmen.
Before this, she had been thinking of finding a construction crew to do some basic carpentry work, to help her build a counter, as well as a display case for desserts and herbal tea.
But when she voiced these ideas, the two men put their heads together for a while, and in less than ten minutes, they had not only drawn up the blueprints but also worked out the budget.
They calculated how much money would be needed, which lumber could be substituted with secondhand wooden crates from the scrap yard, and even where to get the ration slips from the brick and tile factory, everything was clearly planned.
All that was left was to split up and take action the next day.
The more Ning Xin listened, the more superfluous she felt.
“You two figure things out. I’ll handle the support, money when you need it, meals when you want them. If you need me to ask anyone for anything, let me know. As for the rest…”
Ning Xin stood up, bowed to the two men, and said with a cheeky grin, “I leave it to you, both dear brothers.”
Xu Shaonian looked up from his notebook at the young woman before him.
He had figured it out by now, she was a real sly little fox.
When she needed him, she called him “brother.” But normally, whenever she saw him, she just said, “Xu Shaonian.”
At this thought, a fleeting hint of a smile appeared in the depths of his eyes.
Just then, he heard Ning Xin ask him, “Xu Shaonian, is Xiao’an on summer vacation?”
He was momentarily startled, then thought for a moment before answering, “I suppose so.”
Ning Xin shot him a dissatisfied look and scolded bluntly, “You’re not a very responsible brother, are you? You don’t even know if your sister is on break or not. You can’t compare to my brother.”
Hearing this, Ning Yi burst out laughing beside her and fondly pressed his hand down on the top of her head again.
Dodging her brother’s “claw,” Ning Xin continued, “I heard my brother mention earlier that Xiao’an is living with your elder sister right now, isn’t she? Why don’t you ask your sister if she’s taken Xiao’an to the hospital for a check-up?”
Hearing this, Xu Shaonian’s expression changed dramatically. “Is Xiao’an sick? You saw something, what kind of illness?”
“Mm, don’t get too nervous. It’s probably nothing serious. I just think that if it’s convenient, it would be best to get her checked. If it’s not convenient, I can help regulate her for a few days and see how it goes before deciding.”
Seeing Xu Shaonian’s face turn white with worry, Ning Xin let go of the slight dissatisfaction she had felt earlier.
She waved her hand and continued explaining, “I think Xiao’an should have her endocrine system checked. I suspect her weight gain is a type of false obesity. One reason is that there’s too much dampness in her body, that I can help regulate. But I’m afraid there might also be another reason, endocrine imbalance.
If that’s the case, she might need to take some medication.
Besides, she’s already fourteen and hasn’t grown much in height. Looking at your stature, Xiao’an shouldn’t be this short. So, it would be best to take her for an X-ray to check her bone age. If the city has the appropriate equipment, it would be ideal to check her pituitary gland. Logically speaking, a girl her age should be going through a growth spurt…”
When it came to professional knowledge, Ning Xin easily went into overdrive.
She spoke as she thought, unaware of how her words might sound to someone without any medical background.
The more Xu Shaonian listened, the paler his face became and the more distressed he felt. He was overwhelmed by guilt, realizing how neglected his sister had been all these years, she was sick, and he hadn’t even known.
The feeling of self-reproach tormented him so much that he couldn’t stand still for another minute. He turned and started to walk out.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Seeing Xu Shaonian turn away, Ning Xin realized she might have said too much.
“Xiao Xin, explain properly. What exactly is Xiao’an’s illness? How serious is it? How did you figure it out, and are you sure? Don’t just rattle off so much, you’ve scared Shaonian.”
Ning Yi, having a better understanding of his sister, spoke up.
He noticed that although Ning Xin had chattered on about a bunch of things, her expression remained calm, without any sign of worry or tension.
His intuition told him that Xu Xiao’an was probably fine.
Only then did Ning Xin realize her words had frightened him. She quickly stepped in front of Xu Shaonian.
“Hey, don’t go looking for Xiao’an. She’s helping me with work right now. If you go over like this, she might think she did something wrong and that I tattled on her. Don’t worry too much. All I meant was that you should take Xiao’an for a check-up, better safe than sorry. It’s not that Xiao’an has some serious illness.”
She paused, a conflicted look appearing on her face.
After a moment’s thought, she carefully said, “Xu Shaonian, I don’t know if I should say this, but… if possible, bring Xiao’an to live with you. I’m not implying anything bad about her living with your sister. It’s just… compared to living under someone else’s roof, it’s better to be with one’s own brother.”
With that, she reached out and took Ning Yi’s hand, adding, “Just like me and my brother.”
Xu Shaonian pressed his lips tightly together, his hands clenched into fists.
Didn’t he already know all this?
When he was sent to the countryside, his sister had been only six. Back then, Xiao’an was cheerful and lively, loved to run and jump, and wasn’t the least bit fat.
But now…
“I’ll take her to see a doctor tomorrow,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“Could you write down all the tests you just mentioned? I’ll take her to get them done, just as you said.”
“I’ll write it down for you right now,” Ning Xin said, then went to get a pen and paper.
“Get the tests done early so you can have the results sooner. That way, adjustments can be made. But don’t worry too much. The things I listed are just to better understand Xiao’an’s current health. If there aren’t suitable machines available and you can’t get some of the tests done, don’t panic.
Xiao’an is still young. Even if her development is a bit delayed, it’s nothing to fear. It can be gradually adjusted. Since she’s on break these days anyway, bring her over to play more often. If that’s not possible, just let her eat here. I’ll help regulate her through her diet.”
Xu Shaonian had helped the family out a lot recently.
And here he was, still working diligently and without complaint for her.
Ning Xin wasn’t ungrateful. She had kept this debt of kindness in her heart.
If she could repay it through Xu Xiao’an, she would be glad to.
But to Ning Xin’s surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Ning Yi made an immediate decision. “Let Xiao’an stay at our place. No more running back and forth. The bed from my old room is still empty. You work during the day and need your rest at night, let Xiao’an sleep with Grandma. None of you need to worry about this. I’ll go talk to Grandma.”
Without even giving Ning Xin a chance to question him, he waved at Xu Shaonian. “We’ll do these jobs later. I’m going to talk to my grandma right now. You go say something to Xiao’an. Talk to her gently, don’t scare her.”
After giving these instructions, Ning Yi finally looked at his sister.
With a pleading look that only siblings could recognize, he said, “Keep an eye on Xiao’an’s health. Sister Xiaowan is too busy with work to manage everything. Although Shaonian is her brother, there are things he’s not comfortable asking about. Treat her like our own little sister. Help her where you can, ask her questions when needed, don’t treat that child like an outsider.”
Ning Xin had never seen her brother speak to her so forcefully.
She felt sure there was something behind this that she didn’t know about.
But regardless, a healer’s heart is parental. Since she had agreed, she would naturally do her best to help the girl get better.
She didn’t need anyone to tell her that.
Besides, she was Xu Shaonian’s sister.
“Mm, I understand. You all go do what you need to do. I’ll go talk to Xiao’an.”
With that, Ning Xin glanced at Xu Shaonian’s face. “If you go over there with such a dark expression, you’ll scare her.”
Xu Shaonian hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
Ning Xin took the empty bamboo basket and the empty tea bowls back to the kitchen, washed them, and put them away. Then she picked up the cuiyi liangcha yin (green rind herbal tea drink) she had prepared earlier and returned to the storage room.
By then, Xu Xiao’an had already wiped all the dozens of white ceramic stewing jars and neatly arranged them on the wooden boxes beside her.
Seeing Ning Xin come in, she gave a timid smile. “Sister, take a look, did I do a good job?”
“Excellent. Our Xiao’an is so efficient. I couldn’t have done it this fast or this well myself.”
As she spoke, Ning Xin handed her the bowl of tea. “Xiao’an, drink this tea. Sister made it especially for you.”
Hearing that it was made especially for her, Xu Xiao’an’s face showed clear surprise, which quickly turned into flattery.
She immediately stood up from the stool, nervously wiped her hands vigorously on her pants, and then reached out to take the bowl.
She murmured softly, “You didn’t have to, Sister. You didn’t have to make this for me.”
“Drink up. This tea is good for your health. There’s more in the kitchen, I’ve set it aside for you. Drink as much as you can. This tea clears heat and removes dampness. Drinking more can help you lose weight.”
At the mention of losing weight, Xiao’an’s eyes lit up.
“Really?” she asked softly, hardly daring to believe it.
“Really.” Ning Xin said with conviction. “Xiao’an, you might not know this, but I’m a doctor. I can treat many, many illnesses. Your weight gain isn’t because you’re not careful, it’s likely due to a small health issue.
But don’t worry. I’m sure I can help you get better. How about you stay at Sister’s house for a while and go back when school starts? I promise that by then, you’ll have become a beautiful little girl.”
Ning Xin’s words seemed to strike a chord deep in Xiao’an’s heart.
The girl’s face flushed bright red, and her eyes blinked rapidly. With emotion, a faint glimmer of moisture appeared in her gaze.
Only then did Ning Xin notice that the girl’s facial features were actually very beautiful, strikingly three-dimensional.
What made her look plain now was simply the excess flesh weighing her down.
If she could lose the weight, she truly could become a stunningly pretty young girl.
Ning Xin didn’t know what Xu Xiao’an had experienced during her years living at her brother-in-law’s house.
She didn’t want to be cynical, but if she judged by appearances alone, the weight gain might not mean much.
But the girl’s personality and her attitude toward others, clearly, she had been conditioned to suppress herself. That was why Ning Xin had suggested earlier that Xiao’an should live with Xu Shaonian.
Even though their older sister, Xu Xiaowan, had sacrificed her own marriage for her younger sister back then, it was clear that life after marriage hadn’t turned out as rosy as she had imagined.
While the Ning family was working hard toward a brighter future, the household of Li Cuihua, two courtyards away, was in complete chaos.
Li Cuihua had kept her plan to go to the Ning family’s house a secret from her own family.
In her eyes, her husband, Wang Erjun, was the type who had no real ability but cared too much about saving face. She knew he wouldn’t be able to help with something like this and would only hold her back.
So, after her husband left for work, she had handed her two children over to her mother-in-law, sent them off to the vegetable shop together, and then gone to the Ning house on her own.
After being driven out by Ning Xin, Li Cuihua was both humiliated and furious. She went home, lay down on the bed, and groaned, but she didn’t tell her family what had happened because she was too embarrassed.
Most of the people in Li Cuihua’s courtyard worked during the day, so at noon, not many were home. Since she kept quiet, her mother-in-law had no idea what had transpired.
Li Cuihua thought the matter would just blow over. But to her surprise, shortly after lunch, a police officer showed up at her door.
It was Xiao Li, the neighborhood officer for their district. Without saying much, he took Li Cuihua away on the grounds that “someone has accused you of trespassing. Come to the police station with me to explain the situation.”
It was only then that Old Madam Wang panicked.
She hurried out to ask around, and after questioning several households, she finally learned what had happened at noon. Furious and anxious, she rushed to the textile factory to find her son.
But instead of finding her son, she first spotted Leng Hui, who was coming in for the afternoon shift.
At that, Old Madam Wang went berserk. She lunged forward, grabbed Leng Hui by the clothes, and began brawling with her right at the entrance of the textile factory.
“It was all you! You little shameless thing! What did you stir my daughter-in-law into doing?!”
Old Madam Wang cursed as she clawed at Leng Hui’s face with her nails, her expression filled with extreme rage.
On her way there, Old Madam Wang had carefully recalled what her daughter-in-law had said in recent days, trying to find the cause. Then she remembered her daughter-in-law mentioning that she had run into Comrade Leng from the textile factory on the road.
She had also said that Comrade Leng told her, “If there’s a common-law marriage, there will be common-law property.”
At the time, Old Madam Wang hadn’t thought much of it. After all, her daughter-in-law talked nonsense all day long, she usually couldn’t be bothered to listen.
But today, what the neighbors had said suddenly made her connect the dots to that very phrase.
Old Madam Wang felt that although her daughter-in-law liked to take advantage of small gains, she didn’t have the nerve.
More importantly, she wasn’t clever enough.
It wasn’t that Old Madam Wang looked down on her daughter-in-law, she simply thought that without someone putting the idea in Li Cuihua’s head, she never would have thought to go cause trouble at the Ning house on her own!
So when she saw Leng Hui at that moment, Old Madam Wang immediately flew into a rage.
Leng Hui had been distracted ever since returning from the Ning household that morning. Because things had changed so much from her previous life, she couldn’t adjust all at once and was feeling dazed and disoriented.
She hadn’t even gone home for lunch.
It was only by clinging to her last shred of rationality that she had managed to drag herself to the factory for her shift.
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect that as soon as she reached the factory gate, she would run into Old Madam Wang.
Leng Hui had dealt with Li Cuihua’s mother-in-law plenty of times in her previous life. She knew this woman was even harder to handle than her daughter-in-law, Li Cuihua.
To put it bluntly, Li Cuihua was just a firecracker that went off in the front, while Old Madam Wang was the one who lit the fuse and stoked the flames from behind.
Leng Hui knew Old Madam Wang had come after her because of what had happened to Li Cuihua at the Ning household that afternoon.
Her mind raced as she quickly reviewed everything she had said to Li Cuihua the other day. After confirming that there was no evidence the woman could use against her, she finally felt relieved.
Leng Hui put on a surprised expression. “Auntie, who are you? You must have the wrong person. I don’t know you!”
Old Madam Wang spat on the ground. “You don’t know me, but I know you! Group Leader Leng, advanced worker of the weaving workshop, who in the textile factory doesn’t know you!”
With that, Old Madam Wang tightened her grip on Leng Hui’s collar and cursed, “Stop pretending with me. Your little tricks might fool my daughter-in-law, but they don’t impress me one bit!
Because of you, my daughter-in-law has been taken to the police station! She took the fall for you! Leng Hui, tell me, how are you going to handle this? Our family has the old and the young, my little grandson is only three years old!
It was because of your words that my daughter-in-law got arrested. What grudge do we have against you? Why are you doing this to us?! Leng Hui, let me tell you, you need to go to the police station and trade yourself for her, or I won’t let this go! How can you be so cruel?!”
As she spoke, she reached out again and clawed at Leng Hui’s face.
Old Madam Wang didn’t actually know exactly what Leng Hui had said to her daughter-in-law. But deep down, she was convinced that her daughter-in-law’s troubles were connected to Leng Hui!
So she spoke in circles, never mentioning anything specific, but her every word implied that her daughter-in-law’s arrest was entirely Leng Hui’s fault.
And Leng Hui had to take responsibility for it!
The moment Old Madam Wang started hitting Leng Hui at the factory gate, the textile workers coming in for their shifts naturally wanted to defend Leng Hui.
A small crowd had already gathered, trying to mediate.
Even though Old Madam Wang was older, Leng Hui was an advanced worker at the factory and was fairly well-liked.
Seeing her being grabbed like that, people found it hard to look the other way.
But hearing Old Madam Wang’s tearful outburst, and the mention of the police station, made people hesitate.
Feeling that the matter was quite serious and not sure who was right or wrong, even those who had come to mediate stopped in their tracks.
Leng Hui hadn’t known that Li Cuihua had been taken to the police station. When she left earlier, the woman had already run home. Only now, hearing Old Madam Wang say this, did she realize the gravity of the situation.
She immediately knew, she absolutely could not take the blame for this.
Leng Hui’s eyes welled up with tears.
She placed her hand over Old Madam Wang’s hand, which was gripping her collar, let out a small sob, and said pitifully, “Auntie, could you be mistaken? My name is Leng Hui, but I don’t know you at all! And as for your daughter-in-law, I don’t know her either. I don’t know either of you. How could I be responsible for any mistake she made? You can’t just falsely accuse someone!”
“That’s Wang Erjun’s mother from the mechanical repair shop. Her daughter-in-law is Li Cuihua. She used to come to the factory often.”
Someone nearby explained.
Only then did Leng Hui put on a look of sudden realization. “Oh, Sister Li? I know her. But I’m not at all close with Sister Li, we’ve barely exchanged a few words!”
Then, with a pitiful expression, she looked at Old Madam Wang. “Auntie, what exactly happened to Sister Li? Tell me about it. If there’s anything I can do to help, I certainly will. But I really don’t know her well. You can’t just accuse me for no reason…”
Her voice was soft and delicate, her face streaked with tears. As she spoke, her body swayed slightly, as fragile as a willow in the wind, as if she were suffering an immense injustice.
In her previous life, Leng Hui had run a restaurant and had made money early on.
At that time, her family life was unhappy and her heart felt empty, so she poured most of her energy into dressing up and grooming herself. Later, she became one of the earliest people to become obsessed with plastic surgery.
She was willing to spend money and could endure the pain, so she had all her facial features swapped out early on, becoming utterly unrecognizable from her original appearance.
Back then, people didn’t understand plastic surgery very well, nor did they have the ability to spot a surgically altered face at a glance.
So Leng Hui became a renowned beauty in her circle, constantly praised for her stunning looks.
Accustomed to being flattered, she had also learned to act frail and pitiful to gain more advantages.
But now, she still had a square face and a strong jaw, a healthy, plain-looking appearance. At the factory, she was known for being hardworking and resilient, an iron-willed woman.
This kind of delicate, clingy, orchid-like demeanor felt somewhat out of place.
The onlookers couldn’t quite put their finger on it, but they all felt that something was off.
The textile factory had mostly female workers. Seeing Leng Hui acting like a vixen, almost everyone instinctively pursed their lips or frowned.
People often act on instinct.
Although no one could say for sure whether Leng Hui had done anything wrong, they all instinctively withdrew their willingness to defend her or stand up for her.
So, even as Leng Hui cried as if she might faint at any moment, most people simply watched from a distance, and few came forward to speak on her behalf.
Fortunately, at that moment, Wang Erjun was called over.
“Mom, what’s going on? What happened to Cuihua?” Wang Erjun ran over, sweating, with a pair of pliers still in his hand, clearly he had been pulled out of the workshop.
Seeing her son, Old Madam Wang found her anchor. She pushed Leng Hui aside and immediately burst into tears in front of her son.
“Erjun! Cuihua was arrested by the police! Xiaojun and Xiaobing are so young, how can they manage without their mother?”
As she cried, she suddenly turned and pointed at Leng Hui. “It was all this woman’s fault! Erjun, you know your wife, without someone putting ideas in her head, she wouldn’t have that kind of cunning. I’m telling you, she was used as a pawn by this little shameless thing!”
Wang Erjun’s mind was completely foggy. He didn’t have the presence of mind to listen to what his mother was saying.
He tugged at his mother’s arm impatiently. “Let’s go home. We’ll deal with everything else later. I’ll go to the police station and find out what’s going on.”
With that, Old Madam Wang naturally had no more time for Leng Hui. She agreed and ran off with her son.
Leng Hui stood at the factory gate, her clothes and hair a mess from Old Madam Wang’s grabbing. She looked utterly messy.
But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that she hadn’t even had a chance to clear her name!
Old Madam Wang’s words had just been thrown over her like a bucket of filthy water. At this moment, the looks her coworkers were giving her were filled with scrutiny and suspicion.