On the way back, Shen Mianmian and Xiaocui chatted idly. "This is the first time you’ve been apart from your mom for so long. She must have missed you a lot, right?"
Talking about it made Xiaocui couldn’t help but laugh, "When my mom saw me go back, she was so surprised. After I gave her my salary, she went and bought two kilograms of meat the next day."
Having returned home and brought back her salary, her mom was very happy and treated her especially well, so her mood was also very good.
"If Auntie Liu has time, she could come to the city for a visit. If she sees your work environment, she could be more at ease." Auntie Liu was a nice person, and Shen Mianmian still liked her.
"My mom is busy every day digging up wild vegetables. To her, coming out for a day means earning less money for a day; she wouldn’t want to waste that. She’s even thinking about building a few new tile-roofed houses by the end of next year." As she mentioned this, Xiaocui felt very grateful to Shen Mianmian. If it hadn’t been for her, how could she have gotten her current job?
Not to mention building new tile-roofed houses at home.
Shen Mianmian nodded, "Building new tile-roofed houses is good. Earthen houses are too damp, living in them for a long time is indeed not good."
Xiaocui nodded in agreement, then her smile faded as she spoke softly, "Mianmian, recently, your mom has been spoiling your reputation around the village. She’s been saying you stole money from home and ran off with some man. My mom defended you, saying you went to the city to study. But apart from the village chief, not many people believe it."
After all, Shen Mianmian hadn’t come back during the summer vacation, and with Zhou Lanfang spreading rumors every day as if they were true, people slowly started to believe them.
Although no one said anything to her face, they spoke a lot behind Shen Mianmian’s back.
"I guessed this would happen a long time ago." Shen Mianmian let out a cold laugh, "Has my dad said anything?"
"Your dad is working at the kiln factory again. When people ask him about you, he just sighs and doesn’t speak." Xiaocui glanced at Shen Mianmian’s expression, and seeing she wasn’t too heartbroken, she let out a sigh of relief. She sometimes really pitied Shen Mianmian—how could such a kind person have parents like that?
Shen Mianmian said with self-mockery, "My dad doesn’t really have me as a daughter in his heart, naturally he wouldn’t care about my reputation."
Xiaocui looked at Shen Mianmian sympathetically, bit the corner of her mouth, and finally made up her mind to tell her the truth, "Mianmian, there’s something I need to tell you, but I’m not sure if it’s true. Prepare yourself mentally."
"Go ahead." She had already been through rebirth, what else couldn’t she bear?
"I heard from my mom that you’re not your parents’ biological daughter. You were a child they found. I don’t know if it’s true, but considering how your parents treat you, it’s likely to be true." These words shouldn’t be coming from the mouth of an outsider like her, but she really couldn’t bear to see Shen Mianmian saddened.
She worried Shen Mianmian might feel obligated and return to that family, having finally escaped such parents.
It was clear to any discerning eye that if Shen Mianmian went back to that family, she’d be picked to the bone.
But she also worried Shen Mianmian wouldn’t be able to accept this truth. After all, anyone would be devastated to find out they were picked up.
"Actually, I’ve known about it for a long time," seeing Xiaocui’s worried expression, Shen Mianmian couldn’t help but smile, "Not only have I known about it for a while, but to be precise, I know even more than you do."
This time it was Xiaocui’s turn to be surprised, "You’ve known for a long time? Did Auntie Li tell you?"
Thinking it over, Shen Mianmian only really got along with the village chief’s wife.