Je vends des vêtements et j'achète du vin à boire avec toi

Chapitre 69

“No,” Feng Ning said seriously, “I said there’s no need to worry because Second Uncle is definitely unwanted. Since it’s a done deal, there’s no point in worrying.”

An Ruochen blinked and smiled: "Then it seems I have to ask my husband to help Second Master snatch a bride..." The two women were joking when they suddenly heard Qiao Li scream. Feng Ning looked up and saw a young man holding her wrist, seemingly about to snatch the baby from her arms.

Feng Ning's back hairs stood on end. She strode forward, but Long Qingsheng reacted even faster. He was standing next to Qiao Li and struck the man's arm with a palm strike. The man was taken aback by the fact that the boy dared to make a move. Before he could react, Bao'er had already been snatched away by Long Qingsheng and was quickly pulled back into his arms.

Feng Ning had already arrived. The man knew he had no chance after his first attack failed. He hurriedly said something to Qiao Li, but Feng Ning didn't hear it clearly in her haste. However, she remembered the man's voice. When she met his eyes again, she immediately realized that this was the man who wanted to kill her and steal her treasure. He was also the one who had lied to her that she was not the wife of the Long family.

Feng Ning shouted and lunged at him, but the man didn't linger. He turned and fled. Feng Ning was about to give chase when she suddenly thought, what if he had accomplices nearby, using this as a diversionary tactic to attack Bao'er? She stopped, turned around, and took Bao'er, who was crying in panic in Long Qingsheng's arms, comforting her, "Bao'er, don't be afraid, Mommy's here, Mommy's here..."

Holding Bao'er's soft little body, Feng Ning began to feel fear. If Long Qingsheng hadn't intervened, she probably wouldn't have been able to save Bao'er in time, given her distance. Who was that person, and why did he try to snatch Bao'er?

Feng Ning hugged and kissed Bao'er repeatedly, her heart pounding with anxiety. Suddenly, her wrist tightened, and she turned to see Qiao Li. Qiao Li's expression was strange as she stared at her. Feng Ning thought her mother was probably terrified too, and was about to comfort her when she heard Qiao Li ask sharply, "Who is that man?"

Author's Note: My feet and calves are swollen, I don't know why. My face is also sunburned, even though the sun wasn't that strong. Why did I get sunburned? I'm such an unlucky person. Luckily, I don't have much to do tomorrow, so I can rest more. Goodnight everyone.

50. The Long couple, initially facing a crisis

Who is that man?

Feng Ning didn't know that she only knew this man wanted to kill her and steal the Long family's treasures before; now she also knew he wanted to take Bao'er. If killing her was to silence her and stealing the treasures was for personal gain, then what was the purpose of taking Bao'er? Did he think Bao'er was a child of the Long family and wanted to use her to blackmail her?

Seeing Feng Ning's bewildered and stunned expression, Qiao Li was furious and shouted, "Speak up! Who exactly is he?"

Qiao Li's tone was so fierce that Bao'er in Feng Ning's arms trembled and dared not cry loudly anymore. She clutched Feng Ning's collar tightly, buried her head, and sobbed in a low voice. Feng Ning patted her back to comfort her and said to Qiao Li, "Mother, we'll talk about it when we get back."

"Don't try to fool me." Qiao Li, seemingly provoked, continued her tirade in the street, attracting the attention of many. Just as she was about to continue, An Ruochen calmly said, "Stop making a scene here and go back to the manor." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried the authority of a general's wife. The guards who had been hiding nearby also appeared and stood by. Qiao Li thought for a moment, then, with a dark face, she turned and walked towards the Long manor.

An Ruochen gently patted Feng Ning's shoulder and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Feng Ning shook her head, then suddenly realized a possibility. She shook her head again, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear.

Back at the Long residence, Feng Ning, unable to resist Qiao Li's repeated urging, had no choice but to hand over the incessantly crying Bao'er to An Ruochen for care, while she and An Ruochen had a private talk behind closed doors.

When it was truly just the two of them, Qiao Li fell silent again. She frowned, pacing back and forth. Feng Ning felt flustered and didn't know what to say. The mother and daughter remained silent for a long time before Qiao Li finally sighed, sat down in a chair, and asked in a low voice, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Feng Ning didn't know how to answer. In fact, the question was too broad; she wasn't even sure what Qiao Li was asking. What did she mean by "what happened"? What was being asked? So Feng Ning countered, "What did that person say to you?"

Qiao Li stared at her for a long while before replying, "He didn't say anything. It was chaotic at the time, and I didn't hear anything clearly. But he wanted to take Bao'er away, so I need to ask you who that person is."

"I don't know who he is?" Feng Ning pursed her lips and replied, "He tried to kill me and came to the Long family to steal treasures, but I don't know him."

"Hmph, you don't remember again, do you?" Qiao Li sneered, "Your forgetfulness is really useful."

Feng Ning gritted her teeth, feeling incredibly wronged. She had truly lost her memory, so was that her fault too? So much time had passed, and they were still blaming her?

Qiao Li stood up irritably, took a few steps, and then suddenly asked, "I haven't asked you yet, what did Long San say about you taking Bao'er with you?"

“He naturally treats her like his own child. He treats Bao’er very well, and Bao’er is also very close to him.” Feng Ning was very alert to this issue, and her tone became firm.

Qiao Li remained silent, pacing back and forth a few more times before her tone softened. She said, "Fengfeng, I've always had a short temper, and sometimes I say things too harshly. Please don't blame me." Feng Ning didn't speak, so Qiao Li continued, "You must know that no matter what, your parents are the ones who love you the most and are closest to you. You've forgotten everything from the past, and I imagine you must have been most vulnerable and lonely when you first woke up. It's just that I found out too late, leaving you to suffer in the Long family. Although you feel that your suffering has finally come to an end, it's still good to think things through."

"What exactly is Mother trying to say?" Feng Ning felt that there was something more to her words.

"Your mother hopes that you will be sensible and understand loyalty and filial piety. If you find the treasure this time and it proves that the Feng family was indeed harmed by the Long family, you must not be deceived by the Long family."

Feng Ning's heart sank. She hadn't actually considered this possibility. She truly trusted Long San wholeheartedly; Long San regarded her grandfather as a hero, whom he admired and revered. Therefore, she had always believed that Old Master Long wouldn't do such a thing. But what if there was concrete evidence proving that he was indeed the one who did it…

Feng Ning replied, "Mother, it's useless to speculate on a thousand possibilities now. It's not too late to discuss our actions after we find out the truth. I'm not being unreasonable. Regardless of the past, the most important thing now is for us to treat each other with sincerity. There's always a solution to every problem, so let's not get stuck on one thing."

"Treat each other with sincerity?" Qiao Li shook her head: "That kind of thing has never existed. Fengfeng, you are too naive."

"Why are you so pessimistic, Mother? I see that you and Father have a very good relationship. Isn't this based on sincerity and love? How can you say it doesn't exist?" "Your father and I have shared joys and sorrows, and endured many hardships together. Naturally, we can't compare to others. But all these years in the Long family, you've never won their favor, and you've even done such shameful things. No man in the world could tolerate that. So why is Long San treating you so well? Have you thought about that?"

"What exactly is Mother trying to say? Are you telling me that you and Father are a truly loving couple, while Long San and I are just scheming against each other?" Feng Ning suddenly became angry: "Mother looks down on me because I've done wrong, isn't that right?"

"Do you really think this is something to be proud of?"

“It’s not honorable, it’s shameful.” Feng Ning raised her head and said, word by word, “I was so ashamed that I wanted to disappear. I hated myself. During that time, I thought about it day and night, why did this happen? What’s wrong with me? Did I fail to uphold my wifely virtue? Was I tempted by someone? Or was I simply bullied? Mother, you say my forgetfulness is very useful, but I would rather remember every single thing clearly. The most unbearable facts are always more painful than imagined ones. Mother, you said you’ve endured a lot of hardships, and I’ve also endured them.”

Qiao Li was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond. She had thought that Feng Ning would have nothing to say about this matter, but she did not expect that Feng Ning would be so eloquent.

Feng Ning continued, "Mother, when this happened to me, did you ever care about the reason? Did you ever think about what your daughter had gone through? Back then, when you were in the Long family, you were only thinking about how to resolve the issue of the Long family abandoning me, and you were only thinking about how to send Bao'er away to prevent future troubles. Did you ever consider my feelings?"

"When I negotiated with the Long family and arranged Bao'er's future, wasn't it all for your sake? How could I not consider your feelings? Do you think it's considerate to abandon you?" Qiao Li was furious at the rebuke: "Go and find out which family's daughter did such a despicable thing and their family still went to such lengths to protect her? Tell me, where do you think I put my face?"

Qiao Li grew angrier as she spoke, pointing at Feng Ning and yelling, "Where did your usual obedient nature go? You're like a completely different person now that you've hit your head! With your abilities, you cheated on Long San and still managed to make him eagerly come looking for you? Do you really think such a good thing exists in the world? I was afraid of hurting you, so I only hinted at it without going into too much detail. Now you're blinded by greed and can't see anything clearly. I have to ask you, what kind of family is the Long family? Who are the three Long brothers? What kind of reputation does the dashing Third Master Long have in the martial arts world and the capital? How could he not have a lot of female admirers? You've been married for three years, and he didn't even give you a second glance. Now that you're injured and have a bastard child, he's suddenly fallen for you. Tell me, is that even possible?"

Feng Ning clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, causing a sharp pain, but this pain paled in comparison to the wounds inflicted by Qiao Li's words. She fought back tears, her voice hoarse as she said, "You only think of all my bad points, so of course it's impossible. But Long San saw my good points..."

“If you can’t see any improvement after three years, how come you can see it later? What is the ‘good’ in his eyes?” Qiao Li ignored Feng Ning’s expression and continued to speak cruel words.

"Then what do you mean, Mother? You knew the Long family was a den of dragons and tigers, yet you still forced me into this marriage. During the wedding ceremony, there wasn't even a groom; I was bowing to heaven and earth with a pig. Were you just standing there watching? Is that what you call caring about me the most, being the closest to me? I secretly gave birth to my child at my parents' home, but I didn't dare bring him back to my husband's house. Doesn't that mean my situation in my husband's house was terrible? Why didn't you keep me here, why didn't you protect me, but instead let me come back? All these years, have you cared more about the Feng family's great revenge, or about me, your daughter? Why can't others see my good side? Whether it's three years or thirty years, if it's about genuine affection, what does it matter if it's a few years or decades? I haven't used any tricks, I haven't done anything wrong. No matter what happened in the past, I'm open and honest now, with a clear conscience. What's wrong with me? Long San likes me, I believe him. He knows my worst and most despicable aspects. I've never lied to him. He likes me so much, why can't it be true?"

Feng Ning's words seemed to strike Qiao Li, who was startled. Feng Ning, however, seemed oblivious and continued to yell, "You can't stand to see me doing well. What's wrong with you, a mother?"

Qiao Li took two steps back in surprise and exclaimed, "You, what do you know?"

Feng Ning was still angry and shouted, "I know you're a heartless mother."

Qiao Li narrowed her eyes slightly, but quickly calmed down. She thought for a moment and changed her tone: "I do care about you. I just... I just... after you got sick, your personality changed drastically, and I panicked a bit. Plus, I raised Bao'er for you for two years and gave so much, only to find out in the end that I was deceived by you. That child Bao'er actually... I couldn't accept it for a while, so that's why I did this."