Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 116: Chapter 105: Extreme Goodbye, Never See Again

”So tell me how you can give the money, right now we are penniless, is a family of ten years really not worth a few bucks?” He Guo asked Huang Yueran with a stern face.

”When we were ’family,’ I didn’t see any of you treating me well; you took the dowry and asked us to hand over our salaries every month. When I gave birth to a daughter, it was even worse—you said she was a loss and a waste of money and that it would be better to help you raise a son.” Huang Yueran said with a cold face, ”You didn’t do anything for a year. Originally, the fields at home were all farmed and harvested by He Jun alone, and you still took most of it. You did nothing but eat and wait for death; on what grounds do you now say we are a family? When I was in my confinement, I still had to cook for you—did I say anything? It was a difficult birth, and if it weren’t for my mother bringing money over for me to have a cesarean section, it’s uncertain whether my daughter and I would still be alive. And now you’re talking to me about ’family’—what, did I owe you in my past life?”

”You can’t talk like that. When you were giving birth, our family had no money. Mom didn’t want you to have a C-section, and natural birth is better for the child. Look how well Juncai has grown, and your girl... how skinny she’s become.” Cong Xin tried to explain to Huang Yueran in a gentle and friendly tone.

”Hehe, anyway, now I’ve survived, so whatever you say is useless. I will remember this for a lifetime, want money? No way! If you have the guts, go sue me at the police station, since we are already divorced anyway.” Huang Yueran sneered. How could this family have the courage to go to the police station—they are too timid to even stand up for themselves.

”Yueran, Mom knows you’ve suffered these past years...”

”Stop, you’re not my mom, my real mom is living just fine, my parents love each other very much, my dad wouldn’t want you and wouldn’t take a second look at you!” Huang Yueran directly interrupted Cong Xin.

”You!” Cong Xin glared, ”If you don’t give us money, we’ll just sit in front of your store and not leave.”

An Zilan, seeing Huang Yueran about to lose her temper, quickly said, ”Fine by me. After all, our boss said business would resume after the New Year’s, so we’ll just clean up after the celebrations. You don’t have the keys, so we aren’t worried about the door being dirty. If it’s dirty, we can just wipe it clean.”

With several days left until the New Year, and considering the plan to reopen the business after the festivities, if they kept waiting at the door, they might not freeze to death, but they’d certainly starve.

”Mom, I’m begging you, please be kind.” Cong Xin was about to kneel in front of Huang Yueran, who stepped aside with a cold look.

”What’s wrong with you.” He Juncai stepped forward and pushed Huang Yueran. If An Zilan hadn’t been quick to react, Huang Yueran might have fallen to the ground.

”What’s the matter? Did you think this was the village? That you could do whatever you want?” Huang Yueran stood up straight, staring down He Juncai, who wasn’t as tall as her but was three times her weight, ”If you can’t accept it, keep going. If your parents don’t teach you, naturally someone else will!”

”I fuck your mother...” He Juncai, growing angry, was about to lunge forward again.

An Zilan glared, ”I bought your tickets home. Watch your mouth, or you might as well walk back!”

The three of them, upon hearing this, were overjoyed yet dared not speak.

”Qhianqhian’s mother...” Huang Yueran now was quite unwilling to spend money on this family.

”It’s okay, spending money to ward off disaster. After hearing all that, don’t you feel even your ears are dirty? People like them in the city would only sully the eyes of many—besides, if someone demands medical fees from you, you definitely couldn’t afford to compensate,” An Zilan said with a narrow gaze, waiting for them to curse so she would have an excuse to leave.

Seeing An Zilan’s gaze, the three of them just glared back in anger without saying a word.

”Hehe, you’re really something, aren’t you? Got all quiet all of a sudden?” Huang Yueran couldn’t help but admire An Zilan inwardly, though her words carried a teasing tone.

”Money makes the world go round, don’t you know that?” An Zilan chuckled. She thought about the past when she struggled to provide for the family day and night, barely making ends meet—a stark contrast to now, in just over a year, having bought a house and preparing to open her own store, no longer needing to scrimp and save for a month just to afford what the family wanted to eat.

”You’re right,” Huang Yueran said with a smile, watching the family that always tried to dominate her now impotently seething.

”But you’ll be even better off in the future,” An Zilan said with a light laugh, and Huang Yueran nodded in understanding. They exchanged smiles, understanding each other.

The train station wasn’t far, and the group of five made their way there.

”Yueran, see if you can talk to your friend about whether your sister-in-law can stay in the detention center...” Cong Xin, seeing An Zilan queuing up to buy tickets, hurriedly spoke well of her to Huang Yueran.

”Talk about what? Let you keep staying here? Do you believe that after speaking up, she won’t even buy yours?” Huang Yueran looked at An Zilan buying tickets with a sense of apology as the crowd was bustling and she had to squeeze in: ”After you go home, you can send her money for the return ticket yourself, it’s none of our business.”

Cong Xin tried hard to suppress the anger that was about to erupt, and tried to control her tone as she said, ”But there’s not much money at home anymore...”

”Owe you?” Huang Yueran chuckled lightly: ”Then maybe you shouldn’t go back at all.”

”Forget I said anything.” Cong Xin shut her mouth, and He Guo stood aside with an air of indifference.

”Got them, tickets for the afternoon.” An Zilan, of course, did not fork over extra to buy sleeper tickets, and actually, there were a few seated ones left, but she stubbornly took three standing tickets.

Cong Xin took the train tickets, frowned, and asked, ”Why standing? Such a long journey...”

”No one forced you to come.” Huang Yueran scoffed coldly: ”It’s near the New Year; being able to buy a ticket at all isn’t bad, so stop complaining. If you want to suffer, that’s your business, but don’t bother me in the future. If I see you again, I’ll call the police!” Having said that, she left the ticket hall arm in arm with An Zilan.

”Hey, Huang Yueran, buy us something to eat and drink. It’s such a long journey.” He Guo had not had a good meal the previous night, and now it was almost noon and he had only eaten half a deep-fried dough stick.

”You won’t starve to death.” Huang Yueran’s voice carried from a distance.

”Damn it, you good-for-nothing!” He Guo’s voice swelled with annoyed rage, reaching the ears of the two women, who exchanged glances and then burst into laughter, attracting the curious looks of the people around.

”It’s good that I didn’t buy seated tickets, people like that deserve to stand.” An Zilan said with a smile, looking at the ticket information on the big screen that showed no more seats available.

”Finally sent them off, let’s buy some food and make a nice meal for the kids. Old He hasn’t had a good meal these past few days either. The snoring he did last night, I actually wanted to kick him onto the floor.” Huang Yueran felt even closer to An Zilan after this incident.

”Sure, by the way, where are you spending New Year’s? I just saw that the train tickets are almost sold out, I reckon I’ll take the two kids to my mom’s house in the next couple of days.” An Zilan nodded and pulled out a piece of white paper from her pocket, which listed the items her daughter had requested she bring to Grandma’s house.

”After such an incident, who has the mood to go anywhere? We’ll stay at home. I guess Old He will be off work these next few days, too. We’ll tidy up and rest at home for a couple of days, then clean up the shop to get it ready to open after the New Year.” Huang Yueran shook her head.

”Speaking of which, those kids actually gave me a few suggestions, like using wallpaper—no need to repaint, convenient, and no smell.” An Zilan mentioned the plans the two kids had suggested to her a few days ago.

”That’s a good idea, and it’ll be easier. Old He can handle it himself.” Huang Yueran nodded in agreement.

”Also, they said we need a glass display case. Xiao Bai has already been preparing it. Don’t forget to pay them for it; they’ve helped so much already.” An Zilan continued.

”I know that, Xiao Yu told me, even mentioned that whole transparent production process for safe and reliable food. How do these kids come up with so many ideas?” Huang Yueran took the piece of white paper from An Zilan’s hand: ”What’s this? Milk and nutritional supplements, alcohol, clothes... why are there kids’ things, too? What are these check marks?”

”It’s Qhianqhian’s shopping list, stuff to bring to my mom’s house. The check marks indicate what the kids have already bought.” An Zilan looked at the list with a bitter smile: ”I feel these kids are not like normal kids anymore, they’ve matured too much.”

”That’s not surprising with Qhianqhian.” Huang Yueran sighed: ”How many kids can stay calm and seek help after being kidnapped? And to win a Silver Award at a national competition? You’re fortunate indeed; both of your children are so outstanding.”

”You’re not bad either, a husband who dotes on his daughter so much. Our two families are just exemplary, ha ha.” An Zilan unapologetically accepted the praise. If it were praise for herself, she might feign modesty, but when it came to her children, she would never yield—that was her pride.

”Right, so let’s go shopping first and then head home to cook.” Huang Yueran agreed with An Zilan, laughing.