Chapter 194: 196: She Wants to Leave

The thing had not been hers in the first place. But now, it had changed hands, becoming someone else’s, this person’s.

As for if they were who had rescued him? It was a risky bet. It was two days ago, yes, two days ago, if no one else showed up, then it should be her.

As Gu Ning raises his face again, his excessively deep pupils never carry too much emotion, appear impenetrable, and induce fear.

“What do you want?”

“I want…” Zhang Yindi lowered her head, looking at her toes, and the worn-out shoes on her feet. In every aspect, she is left in a state of abject embarrassment. Her clothes, trousers including the shoes were all hand-me-downs from her older sister.

Why was it that, when she was a child, she was sent to live with her uncle and suffered endless scorn? When she returned home, she was teased by her elder sister and younger brother. Why was it that her elder sister and younger brother could go to school, but she couldn’t?

Could it be, that she wasn’t her parents’ child?

No, she wanted to go to school. She didn’t want to live a hard life. She didn’t want to be sold off to some faraway, old and repulsive man just because her elder sister had to go to school or her younger brother had to marry.

She wanted to control her own destiny; no one else should have any control over her life.

“I want to…” she licks her dry, cracked lips.

“I want to leave this village, I want to continue going to school.”

“Alright,” Gu Ning looks out of the window, his thin lips slightly open, and the word he utters is “alright”.

Alright, yes, alright.

He takes her away, he takes her away from the village, whatever she wants, he will get for her; she saved his life.

But part of him still feels that something is not quite right. Yet, when he glances at Zhang Yindi, he only sees her bowed head. He vaguely remembers the voice of a young girl, and a unique scent that simultaneously seems to linger around the girl before him.

Yes, it’s there.

But his determination hasn’t faltered, and he is still waiting here. A few days later and still, no one has come. The fragrance he had once smelled has faded and will soon disappear altogether.

Tang Yuxin returns just a few days later. She, along with her father and second uncle, had gone to their new apartment in the city. They left to clean the apartment; although no one’s living there at the moment, they need to keep it tidy and not just let grime pile up. They didn’t like the idea of moving in later with dust everywhere.

They found themselves with some free time as there was lighter workload in the fields. They cleaned the whole house before the new year. They ate and slept at the apartment, even Sisi and Zhang Xiangcao went with them. However, they were not accustomed to city life, especially grocery shopping. Though the vegetable market was nearby, they had to spend money. Back home, they would eat the vegetables they planted themselves. But here in the city, the money simply exchanged hands.

Zhang Xiangcao didn’t like the city life at all, but Sisi did. Tang Zhijun, having nothing else to do, would take her to shop, buying stuff like dresses and shoes. They bought an item each day, and thus piled up a mountain of things in the few days they were in the city.

“Don’t buy anything else for her,” Zhang Xiangcao felt Tang Zhijun spoiled the child too much. Sisi was old enough to help with house chores just like the children in their village did, but instead, she didn’t know how to do anything.

“I have only one daughter. If I don’t buy things for her, who should I save money for? Money is for spending. It’s for my Sisi,” Tang Zhijun squeezed Sisi’s little face. “Sisi, don’t you agree? Dad earns money to spend on my Sisi, to buy new clothes and shoes for my Sisi and to allow you to attend college one day.”

Sisi gleefully hugged Zhijun’s neck, her face pressed against her father’s cheek. She loved her father the most.

“Zhijun, I’m sorry,” Zhang Xiangcao felt even worse, seeing how much Tang Zhinian loved their child.

“I’m at fault for not being able to give you a son.”

She choked on her words. She’d made up her mind never to reveal to him the fact that he was sterile. If there was anyone to blame or anything wrong, she would shoulder everything. Including keeping his infertility a secret.

Their mother and daughter owed Tang Zhinian too much. Without him, she and Sisi might have starved to death or died in one of those harsh winters.

“Whether or not we have children is fate,” Tang Zhinian was a broad-minded man. He reached out an arm and draped it over Zhang Xiangcao’s shoulder. “Haven’t I told you? I almost died in that pile of dung.”

“Sometimes I think, perhaps I should have died then and there. But, ironically, I survived. I escaped that misfortune. Otherwise, there would be no ‘me’ today.”

“I have you now, and we have Sisi. I’m already very content. And as I said, who says Sisi is not my daughter? She is indeed my dear daughter. In the future, she will be the one to take care of me in my old age.”

“More so, what’s so good about a son? Look at Aunt Zhang on the east side of the village. She has four sons, but now she lives off her daughter. None of her sons care about her. If she didn’t have that daughter, she might have died and decomposed without anyone knowing.”

“So, it’s good to have a filial son. But if one gets a son like Aunt Zhang’s, it’s better not to have any.”

He still thought daughters were better.

Zhang Xiangcao squeezed Tang Zhinian’s hand. Ever since they got married, their relationship had been really good.

Meanwhile, outside, Tang Yuxin was about to invite her aunt to eat but overheard their conversation.

As expected, her aunt hadn’t spilled the truth. She wanted her uncle to live an honest life without burdens. His infertility was kept a secret.

Her uncle’s kind treatment towards the second aunt was not in vain.

Second Aunt didn’t marry the wrong person.

Tang Yuxin didn’t know if she would ever find such pure love in her life, with no ulterior motives, no exploitation, just affection, just love.

However, she knew that in the future, in an era where material desires were rampant, even though people were getting closer with all kinds of communication and transportation options, emotions were growing distant.

Would she ever find it?

Maybe not.