"Thank you." Fang Zidu thanked her, opened the package and handed it to Xiang Lan, who pulled off her mask and took two sips.
Give me your hand again.
Xiang Lan handed over her hand with some skepticism. Milan grabbed her wrist with one hand and pressed down on her thumb and forefinger with the other, saying, "Pinching the thumb and forefinger will relieve the pain a little."
Milan was very strong. At first, Xiang Lan felt a little pain and tried to pull her hand back, but Milan pressed it down firmly. "Don't pull back. It will hurt at first, but it won't hurt once it's open."
Xiang Lan endured it, and after a while, whether it was psychological or her attention was diverted, she no longer felt tightness in her chest, nor did she feel nauseous.
Seeing that her complexion had improved, she let go of her hand and said, "Have your husband pinch you; he can control the pressure himself."
"Thank you," Xiang Lan said.
Xiang Lan placed both hands in front of Fang Zidu, who tentatively followed Milan's movements. However, she turned to Milan and said, "Milan, you know a lot."
"You need to take care of yourself while working away from home," Milan said casually. "You look a bit young, just twenty, right?"
"Um--"
"They're bearing fruit so early." Milan shook her head. "What were you thinking?"
Xiang Lan looked at her expectantly, "You've met the right person—"
"You can date first, and then get married when you're more or less settled. Kids are a real hindrance; there are many things you want to do that you can't do because of them—"
"Yes." Xiang Lan managed to utter a single word after a long pause.
“I have an older sister who just couldn’t make the right decision. She had a child right after graduating from university, and it was out of wedlock,” Milan said. “When we were in school, she always had better grades than me, and she was more decisive than me. Everyone thought she would become an elite or a powerful figure in some field. But she surprised everyone—”
Was she scammed?
“God knows, she kept it a secret very well. She never told anyone about that man, not a single one.” Milan shrugged. “While her classmates were looking for jobs with high spirits, she was heavily pregnant; while her classmates were gradually getting used to working life, she was overwhelmed with baby diapers every day; after I graduated, she was worrying about how to register her child’s household registration; when I earned my first money, I gave it all to her to pay for my child’s kindergarten fees and to help her open a small restaurant.”
"You're so strong."
“She’s my sister. If I don’t help her, her life will be ruined.” Milan said indifferently. “Right now, her demands on herself are extremely low. She just wants to raise her children and make a living.”
"So, getting married and having children too early can affect an individual's development. Do you think her kind of life is good?" Milan wanted to continue, but met Fang Zidu's eyes, which were full of disapproval.
Xiang Lan felt a sharp pain in her hand and said, "Fang Zidu, you pinched me too hard."
"Milan, could you please change the subject?"
“We were just chatting—” Milan said, puzzled.
“I’d like to hear about it too,” Xiang Lan said. “How is your sister doing now?”
"He's in his early thirties, raising a seven or eight-year-old daughter, and running a small restaurant."
Where is that man?
Milan pursed her red lips slightly. "God knows, he missed all the important milestones in my sister's and child's lives. We don't even know if he's dead. If he were dead, it would probably be better; it's the living who bring despair—"
"What a scumbag." Xiang Lan blinked. She had always thought that her brother and his friends were the epitome of scumbags, but it turned out that this man she had heard about was no less so.
“That’s your sister’s personal choice.” Fang Zi couldn’t help but say, looking at Lan’s approving expression, afraid that these gossips would have a negative impact on her. “We outsiders don’t understand, so we can’t comment casually.”
Xiang Lan didn't listen at all and said with interest, "Didn't she ever think about going to him? If a man isn't responsible, he should at least pay up, right?"
“He’s supposedly an artist—” Milan said with a look of disdain. “He gave my sister some stones and pieces of wood that she couldn’t eat or drink. Of course, these days, any beggar walking down the street can claim to be a performance artist. It’s totally unreliable.”
Xiang Lan chuckled dryly. It seemed that was indeed the case, but she had always felt that performance art was a very cool thing.
“She’s just too young. She hasn’t figured out what kind of life she wants, and she’s messed everything up in a daze.” Milan sighed, getting carried away with her words. “In short, men are creatures who can date and sleep around, but they should be very careful about getting married and having children.”
Fang Zidu let go of Xiang Lan's hand, stood up, and said to her, "Let's switch seats back."
Milan covered her mouth, "Oh, I was just saying, don't take it to heart."
Xiang Lan chuckled and pushed him to sit down. "I'll chat with Sister Milan. You can read your book."
Fang Zidu sat down helplessly and said, "Don't let this affect your mood."
"I find it very interesting." Xiang Lan had always been someone who only ate, drank, and had fun, and had never known that there were such things in life. It was really new to her. "What about your parents? How did they deal with this?"
“How can parents resist their children?” Milan shook her head, opened the Lock & Lock container to look at the prescription, and used a toothpick to feed Xiang Lan fruit.
With her mouth full, Xiang Lan asked between bites, "Has she started dating again?"
“Yes, I’ve introduced her to some people, and she even participated in some online dating events, but with little success.” Milan picked up some beef jerky and started eating. “Society is still not very fair to women. Marriage and having children are two important points of devaluation. For women who have never been married, it’s easy to find any kind of partner; divorced women without children can also settle; divorced women with children are barely considered normal; but for women like her, who are unmarried and have a child, it’s the most troublesome. Not only do they have to be selected, but their character is also questioned.”
She nodded vigorously, recalling Xiang Yuan's anger and Hu Li's disapproval, "So that's how it is—"
"Didn't your parents ever tell you this?"
“My parents are busy with work and don’t have much time to take care of me. My brother takes care of me, but he’s a complete jerk himself and is too embarrassed to tell me these things; my uncle is in charge of taking me out to play, but he’s an even bigger jerk.” Xiang Lan unconsciously licked the fruit juice on Fang Zidu’s fingertip. He pulled away and shook his hand, no longer feeding her. She was a little dissatisfied and reached out to grab it herself. “I know they often broke up when they were dating, but I don’t know what happened after the breakup, and those women wouldn’t suffer like this.”
Xiang Lan thought for a moment and said with a smug look, "My brother loses a lot of money every time he breaks up with someone. My sister-in-law says that she saved our family, otherwise my brother would have squandered all our money on women."
"In this society, a man who is willing to spend money is no longer considered a scumbag."
Fang Zi looked down at the two glamorous women with a black line on his forehead, lamenting the tragic fate of women. He had a very strange feeling in his heart, no less than when he thought that the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen would produce water, but instead produced oil.
"Has your sister ever considered the option of not getting married?" Xiang Lan had become energetic; gossip really could lift her spirits. "Marriage is so troublesome; you can still have a partner by dating without getting married."
Milan seemed thoughtful. "I feel that's what she was planning, but she was afraid I would criticize her, so she kept it a secret."
“The divorce rate is now over 30%. The only advantage of marriage is that there is a 70% chance of providing a relatively stable environment for children to grow up in. But considering the percentage of couples who are only superficially compatible or whose partners cheat but refuse to divorce, the percentage of truly good marriages should not exceed 50%.” Milan calculated and said, “That 50% is a rather optimistic calculation.”
"Does this mean that women who don't receive a discount have a better chance of becoming part of that 50%?"
"This is the current social reality, which I dislike very much. However, based on the principle of obtaining a good life by abiding by the rules, I will still maximize my own interests."
"So what kind of man are you looking for?"
"Good looks, a certain level of financial strength, and most importantly—" Milan glanced at Fang Zidu, who was flipping through a book but listening intently to their conversation, and whispered in Xiang Lan's ear, "Good sexual performance."
Xiang Lan laughed heartily, and Milan laughed too.
Fang Zi suppressed the urge to blush and turned his head to look at the scenery rushing past outside the window. They were talking very loudly, and he heard everything, okay?
"Zidu, help me massage my hands again." Xiang Lan placed her hand in his palm and said enthusiastically, "Sister Milan, let's write down a phone number, so we can hang out together in the future."
Fang Zi pressed down on her tiger's mouth with one hand and turned the pages of the book on the small table with the other until he saw a sentence: "It will definitely be novel and will unexpectedly reveal the complex nature of our extraordinary animals."
He believes that replacing "we" with "women" in this sentence would be more appropriate.
Author's Note: I said I'd update extra tonight, but I had to go out, so I'm updating early. Enjoy the story, my little angels!
Chapter 40
When the high-speed train arrived in Haicheng, it was already 8 p.m.
After reluctantly parting ways with Milan, Xiang Lan jumped over and grabbed Fang Zidu's arm, "Zidu, which way do we go now?"
"Let's go to the hotel."
"Aren't we going to your house?"
"I was notified at the last minute that I have to go back home, and there's nothing prepared. My mom is working overtime tonight, and my dad is going to keep her company. It'll be empty when we get home, and you won't feel comfortable in an unfamiliar place. It's better to stay in a hotel. What do you think?"
"I'll listen to you."
Xiang Lan had been to Haicheng before, accompanying Xiang Yuan on a business trip. She visited a few tourist attractions on her own, but finding them uninteresting, she eventually returned to the shopping mall. This time, however, the feeling was completely different. This was the city where the person she loved had lived, and the path he had walked. All the unfamiliarity and indifference had become part of his life.
In the taxi, Xiang Lan's phone rang. She took it out and saw that it was Liu Nanyang. Remembering how he had yelled at her, she didn't want to answer.
"Uncle—" she answered anyway, after all, she held the power of life and death over him.
“I heard from your mother that Zidu has returned to China, right?”
"Yes. We are in Haicheng now."
“I know,” Liu Nanyang said. “I’m asking you, when are you coming back?”
"I don't know, it depends on my mood."
"Come back quickly."
"don't want."
"I have good news for you."
Xiang Lan remained calm and composed, saying, "Go ahead and say it."
"I've reserved some space at the art fair for this year's outstanding graduation works exhibition. Would you like it?"
"think."
"That's ambitious," Liu Nanyang praised. "Then come back soon and prepare your work."
"My graduation project is still nowhere in sight."
"I'll help you." Liu Nanyang chuckled dryly. In fact, Xiang Lan's level was not bad; she was considered one of the better students in this year's class. However, this did not match her talent and did not meet his requirements for her. Therefore, he used a little harshness to push her to her limits.
"No need." Xiang Lan knew that this uncle of hers wouldn't come without a reason. "Tell me the truth, is there something difficult about asking me to go back?"
Liu Nanyang felt extremely aggrieved, "It's all because of you."
"What does this have to do with me?"
“Your brother and your mother are both blaming me for not taking good care of you.” Liu Nanyang felt ashamed when he said it, but what could he do when the money was in someone else’s hands? “Especially your brother, you’ve always known him to be a ruthless person.”
"Of course. I thought you saw through him long ago—"
"He stopped sponsoring me."
"What?"
“The art exhibition sponsorship.” Liu Nanyang’s head was spinning. “At this critical juncture, most of the exhibited works have started to be packed and shipped over, and all the invitations have been sent out. He siphoned off the money from me. That swindler has no integrity whatsoever.”
"Uncle, I'm broke right now, I can't help you."
"He's making things difficult for me because of what happened to you."
Xiang Lan wanted to laugh out loud, it was obvious, but she still said with sympathy, "Uncle, you should go and beg him for forgiveness. Otherwise, go to my dad. My brother only listens to my dad."
Liu Nanyang cried bitterly, "I've already looked for them."
She was helpless and said, "Then I can only offer you moral support."
"If you help me get your brother on my side, I'll let you graduate smoothly, how about it?"
“This is an unethical deal, I refuse.”