Die Faust zerschmettert alle Himmel und unzählige Welten

Kapitel 41

Bao'er yawned delicately, looked at Feng Ning carefully, and called out in a childish voice, "Mother..." Feng Ning was so happy that she shed tears. This child was so beautiful and lovely.

Qiao Li said, "Look, doesn't she look just like you when you were little? Her eyes are like her father's, though." Feng Ning nodded repeatedly, her heart filled with joy. She had such a lovely daughter, her and Long San's daughter. She wasn't afraid of turning into a pig anymore. She wanted to raise her daughter and live a good life with Long San.

She excitedly turned to Long San and shouted, "Long San, look, our daughter! Isn't she adorable?" But Long San's reaction was completely unexpected. He was neither happy nor excited, nor surprised nor angry. He just stared at everything expressionlessly.

The smile froze on Feng Ning's face. Her hand was even still outstretched in mid-air, ready to take Bao'er and hug her, but she was stunned by Long San's reaction. She turned to look at Bao'er, then back at Long San. She stared into Long San's eyes, which held complex emotions that she couldn't understand. She shook her head, wanting to ask, but no sound came out. She found she didn't dare.

Suddenly, the words Long San had said that night flashed through her mind: "That matter is unverified, and since it is unverified, there is no point in saying more."

Feng Ning felt her blood freeze, and she shivered uncontrollably. She had secretly given birth, left the child at the Feng family under a pretext, and returned to the Long residence as if nothing had happened. No one in the Long residence should know she was pregnant, otherwise they would have already used it against her. Therefore, there was only one most likely explanation…

Feng Ning covered her mouth with her hand; she couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe it at all.

She deceived both sides, the Long family and the Feng family. But secrets can't stay hidden forever; rumors inevitably surfaced. So Long San claimed it was unconfirmed, but everyone harbored their suspicions. That's why they disliked her so much—for her infidelity, for her theft… Feng Ning stared into Long San's eyes, staring intently, feeling as if she couldn't breathe. So that's how it was!

How could he possibly let it go? No man in the world could let it go. What good is it if she becomes better now? What good is it if he likes her even more now?

A chilling despair filled Feng Ning's heart. She truly loved him—his gentle voice, his magnanimity, his cheerful smile, and even his helpless expression. She wanted to be with him, to spend her life with him. She was determined to change everything; she planned to start over. But her former self had left herself no way out.

Feng Ning could no longer hold back. She rushed out of the hall, ran into her courtyard, went inside, and collapsed onto the bed, bursting into tears.

She hated herself, hated everything she had done. She hated her infidelity, her greed, and her cruel heart. She also hated that she loved Long San; otherwise, she wouldn't be in so much pain. She also hated that she had such a deep connection with him; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so acutely aware of what a wicked woman she was.

She hated it so much, so much!

Now, not to mention the Long family, even her parents must know how wicked she is, and they must be utterly disappointed in her. She has lost everyone's trust and affection; why did she let herself get to this point?

Feng Ning's mind went blank; all she could do was wail and cry. There would be no more shoulders for her to lean on. The unverified matter was confirmed in person by her family.

She no longer had the face to tell Long San not to leave her. He would never smile at her again, never look at her with that tenderness. She was a bad woman, a thoroughly wicked woman.

Feng Ning cried so hard she could barely breathe, cried until her heart was breaking, cried until the world seemed to lose its color. In this small house, she was the only one there, venting her emotions in solitude.

Feng Ning didn't know how long she had been crying. She couldn't cry anymore and lay on the bed in a daze. Her mind was blank and chaotic. She only felt grief and despair. Fear gripped her heart tightly.

There was a knock at the door, but Feng Ning didn't move; she didn't want to see anyone. After a while, the knocking started again, and this time she heard her mother's voice asking, "Is she inside?" Then Xiao Qing's voice answered, "Yes."

Feng Ning heard her mother send Xiao Qing away, and then she heard her softly say to her father, "Don't worry about it, I'll talk to her." Feng Ning sat up, rubbing her eyes; her desolate heart finally found some comfort. Granny Yu had once said that her parents were close to her. Feng Ning thought she must be right. Seeing this shameful affair, only her parents would care about her and come to visit her.

The person outside knocked on the door again, and Qiao Li's voice rang out: "Fengfeng, it's your mother. Don't cry, don't be sad. You're sick and don't remember many things. Don't worry. Open the door and let your mother see you. Let your mother talk to you, okay?"

Feng Ning wiped her face, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the door. She felt a mix of emotions: gratitude, grievance, and above all, shame and guilt. She timidly called out, "Mother..."

Qiao Li nodded and pushed her into the house: "Let's go inside and talk."

The mother and daughter entered the house. Feng Ning moved a chair for Qiao Li and was wondering how to start the conversation when she looked up and, unexpectedly, Qiao Li slapped her across the face, making Feng Ning's face twist and her cheek burn with pain. Her mind went blank, and she heard Qiao Li viciously curse, "You shameless thing!"

Author's Note: The second update is here right on time at 8 PM.

Tomorrow's update schedule will be the same as today: the first update at 10 AM and the second at 8 PM. Thank you for your support!

I'll be back to my daily 8 PM updates starting the day after tomorrow!

P.S.: I'm working on this article these past few days and haven't had time to reply to comments or give out points. Please be patient, I'll do so as soon as I finish.

31

31. The Third Madam Long eavesdropping...

Feng Ning was stunned and at a loss. She covered her face and stared blankly at Qiao Li. How could she change her expression so quickly?

Qiao Li seemed furious. She paced back and forth in the room for a couple of steps, then stopped, pointing at Feng Ning and yelling, "Tell me yourself, what exactly happened? You didn't do a single thing right, and you even went back to your parents' house while pregnant. I knew something was wrong, but you actually dared to lie to me, saying that she'd be disliked if she gave birth to a daughter, and that you'd come back for her after she gave birth to a son. I actually believed you!" Her hands trembled with rage. "Tell me, whose child is this bastard?"

Feng Ning shook her head violently and burst into tears again. Qiao Li angrily said, "What are you crying for? Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Feng Ning burst into tears. Qiao Li asked again, and Feng Ning finally cried out, "I don't know anything. I really don't remember anything."

"Fine, very well." Qiao Li gritted her teeth: "You don't remember a word, you don't know anything, and you've left me with a mess to clean up." She paced back and forth a few more times, then looked at Feng Ning, who was frowning deeply: "Now the Long family insists that this child isn't from the Long family, what are we going to do?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ning couldn't even cry anymore; a sharp pain gripped her heart. Qiao Li continued, "You've been here for three years, and you still haven't managed to restrain Long San? He's the most mild-mannered of the three brothers. You promised back then that you would definitely establish a foothold here, obtain the goods, and avenge our Feng family's great grudge. And what has happened? Three years have passed, and you've accomplished nothing, only producing an illegitimate child. You're truly more trouble than you're worth.

Feng Ning lowered her head and sobbed without speaking. Her mind was a mess, and she didn't pay attention to what Qiao Li was saying. She was filled with shame and no longer had any curiosity about her family or why she came to the Long family.

Qiao Li paced around the room for a long time before finally coming up with another idea: "It's a good thing you've lost your memory now, so you don't have to admit to anything. The Long family doesn't acknowledge this child, so I can conveniently pin the blame on them for disliking their daughter and forcing their wife to abandon her. I'll take Bao'er away, and you can stay here. We have a marriage contract, passed down from our ancestors, so they won't dare force you to leave. Just stay here; there's plenty of time, and there will definitely be other opportunities..."

Before she could finish speaking, Feng Ning interrupted her, wiping away her tears and pleading, "Mother, I have no face to stay here. Please take me home. I'm sorry to Long San. I can't stay here anymore."

Qiao Li was so angry that she raised her hand, but she restrained herself and didn't hit her. She glared at Feng Ning, holding back again and again, but still pointed at her nose and shouted, "You useless thing, you couldn't get Long San to cling to you, but someone else took your heart. Tell me yourself, if you don't stay here, with a bastard child in your arms, who would want you?"

"I made a mistake, but I didn't mean to. I'm still your father and mother, aren't I? Even if no one else wants me, I still have my father and mother, right?" Feng Ning looked up with tear-streaked face, her clear eyes revealing longing. Her blood relatives were her last resort.

Qiao Li choked, gritted her teeth, and finally poked her forehead: "You good-for-nothing child. Don't worry about this. I'll take care of it. I'll go talk to Long San."

"Mother..." Feng Ning said anxiously, tugging at Qiao Li's sleeve, "Mother, don't go. It's my fault, I'll go home with you."

Qiao Li waved her hand dismissively: "Don't be foolish. Even if I don't think about anything else, I still have to plan for your future. I came here this time because I heard that you were sick and confused. I was worried that the Long family would take the opportunity to drive you away, so I thought of bringing your child here. Even if it's an unpopular girl, she's still my own flesh and blood. You've given birth to a child for the Long family. I just never thought that you would do such a foolish thing."

As she spoke, she became increasingly angry, clenching her fists to control her temper, and said, "I was too hasty. I should have thought more carefully about the strangeness of this matter. I also had doubts about what you said at the beginning, but you have always been obedient and well-behaved, so I didn't think any worse. I just thought that you were under too much pressure to please your husband's family here. If I had thought it through before setting off and hadn't brought this child with me, I wouldn't be in this passive situation today. Alas, I was too hasty and confused."

Feng Ning felt even more upset: "I'm sorry, it's all my daughter's fault."

Qiao Li said impatiently, "What's the use of saying all this now?" She glared at Feng Ning, "You really can't remember the child's biological father at all?"

Feng Ning shook her head. She felt disgusted and terrified by the matter. Had she abandoned her husband and fallen in love with someone else? In her mind, even if she had fallen in love with someone else, she wouldn't have done something so outrageous. Had something terrible happened to her? Thinking of this, Feng Ning covered her mouth and cried again.

Qiao Li looked at her and sighed, "Fengfeng, just pretend you don't know anything about this. Even if you remember who the child's father is, you can't tell him. Just tell your mother, and I'll stand up for you. I'm going to find Long San right now and I'll definitely settle this matter. Don't panic, I'm here. They want to take this opportunity to drive our Feng family away? No way!"