Ruan Lingyu and Ruan’s mother exchanged glances. Obviously, both of them disapproved of Cheng Xining’s words. What era was it now? Cheng Xining’s thinking was clearly not very good.
"Xining, do you have any jobs that you like?" Ruan’s mother couldn’t help but ask.
"No," Cheng Xining shook her head.
Ruan’s mother and Ruan Lingyu grew even more worried. Their niece was already twenty-three and had graduated a year ago, yet she had no interest in working at all.
"Would you like to work at Brother Yiqian’s place? I can ask him to arrange an easy position for you," Ruan Lingyu said.
"Auntie, Auntie-in-law, don’t bother," Cheng Xining sounded impatient. "I don’t want to work at all. I just need to be beautiful, and later marry Nan, have a couple of children for him, and educate them well. What’s the point of working so hard to earn a meager salary that’s not even enough for a meal?"
Both felt helpless but also knew that saying more would be pointless to Cheng Xining.
Ruan Lingyu sighed and seeing that Cheng Xining didn’t want to continue the conversation, stood up, "Auntie, Auntie-in-law, I have plans to go shopping with friends this afternoon, so I’ll be leaving first. You two take your time and chat."
Ruan’s mother waved her hand.
Watching her leave, Ruan’s mother sighed again, "We’ve spoiled Xining too much. What are we going to do?"
Ruan Lingyu also sighed, "This child has never suffered since she was little, and her thinking is too simplistic. It’s okay if she doesn’t want to work; with our three families here, we won’t let her suffer. But her feelings for Xiaonan are too deep. If Xiaonan doesn’t marry her in the future, I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it."
Ruan’s mother nodded, "I’m also worried about that, but there’s nothing we can do now. We’ll talk about it later. Xiaonan has grown up with her. He should still have some feelings for her."
"Hopefully," Ruan Lingyu’s face became solemn as she thought of the way He Nan had protected Shen Mianmian.
Ruan’s mother, thinking of something else, changed the subject, "Sister-in-law, I heard there was news about Mianmian before, but why has there been no follow-up?"
Talking about her daughter made Ruan Lingyu’s eyes turn red, "We found out before that Mianmian had been sold several times. After being sold to a family in Licheng, that family moved away, and before leaving, they sold Mianmian to a blind man. Not long after, the blind man accidentally fell to his death, and Mianmian also disappeared without a trace. Brother Yiqian went to Licheng when he heard some news but came back empty-handed."
Thinking of her daughter made Ruan Lingyu’s heart ache as if it were being cut with a knife.
Ever since their daughter was lost, her relationship with her husband had not been great. They rarely appeared together, and she resented her husband for not taking good care of their child. Although she knew that her husband had also been blaming himself for years and had been searching for their daughter, the fact that her daughter was lost by her husband was like a thorn that had been embedded in her heart.
"Sister-in-law, take care of yourself. Since there’s news about Mianmian being in Licheng, that’s a good thing. At least we have a direction," Ruan’s mother said happily upon hearing there was news about Mianmian.
Their niece had always been very smart and cute, speaking early. At seven or eight months old, she could call out ’mama’, and by over a year old, she could call ’auntie’. Back then, she often took her son and Mianmian out together. On the day Mianmian went missing, she had lunch at her home. Who could have imagined that in just an afternoon, the child would be gone, and for so many years at that.
Ruan Lingyu sighed, feeling a wave of sourness in her heart again, wondering if she would ever see her daughter in her lifetime.