Training the Heavens

Chapter 186: Just As If I Don’t Have This Family

Arriving at the courtyard, Zhuang Hualin and Xiangdong quickly put down their Guizhou specialties. Huang Ling complained for a long time, "You came all the way back and have to start all over again. Money should be spent wisely. Why did you buy so many things for us?"

"It's as I should. From childhood to adulthood, I've never been the one to have good things happen to my family. I'm the only one they think of when something bad happens. My parents, elder brother and younger brother have never helped me. I didn't expect that the one who helped me in the end was Tunan! He allowed our family to be reunited. It's such a great favor. What's a few gifts from me?" Zhuang Hualin couldn't help wiping away his tears as he spoke.

Huang Ling could only sigh when she saw this. She had been the Zhuang family's daughter-in-law for more than ten years. She was well aware of the Zhuang family's patriarchal character. She had also heard a lot about the grievances Zhuang Hualin suffered at home, and she was full of sympathy for him.

"It was just in time. Mayor Yang happened to ask Tuanan about how well you educated Pengfei. Tuanan liked him very much, so I mentioned it by the way. I didn't expect Mayor Yang to really help you solve the problem." Huang Ling did not have the idea of ​​repaying the favor.

She may not care, but Zhuang Hualin and Xiangdong cannot but acknowledge her. They were transferred from the mountains of Guizhou to Suzhou, and both of them are in good units. How great a favor is this?

"This may not seem like much to you, but it's something we'll remember forever!" Zhuang Hualin called Pengfei over, looked him in the eye, and instructed him word by word. "Aunt and Tunan have helped us so much, and Xiaoting has always taken good care of you. You must remember these things. Study hard now, and repay them when you become successful in the future, okay?"

"I know. My aunt, Tuanan and Xiaoting are the best to me. In the future, if I have anything good, I will give it to them first." Pengfei answered seriously.

"Pengfei is still young, don't put so much pressure on him!" Huang Ling was afraid that this matter would become a burden on their family, so she quickly comforted them, "Now that you're back, the most important thing is to adapt to your new work and teach Pengfei well. As long as you live well, Tunan and I will definitely be happy."

"Well, Xiangdong and I are going to report to the unit tomorrow, and then we'll find time to visit Mayor Yang." Zhuang Hualin stopped there. Things like repaying a favor must be shown by actions, and it's meaningless to talk too much.

As for Mayor Yang, he may not meet them or accept their gifts, but they cannot not go because of this. They must show the right attitude.

When Xiangdong heard this, he glanced at Zhuang Hualin. It was already getting late, and Huang Ling would definitely keep them at home for dinner. It would probably be quite late after dinner, and they had to report to work tomorrow. So when would they go to Zhuang's house again?
After chatting for a while, Huang Ling went to the kitchen to cook, and Zhuang Hualin quickly got up to help. The two of them cooked a table full of dishes. Huang Ling also called Song Ying's family to have dinner with them, mainly to let Lin Wufeng accompany Xiangdong for a drink.

At the dinner table, Zhuang Hualin opened up in front of everyone. "The last time I came back, I was at the door of the Zhuang family's house, staring intently at the two rows of houses and a few willow trees by the river. The willow trees, the riverside houses, the stone embankment, the riverside pier... This is where I often played with my friends when I was a child. It's also my most profound memory of my hometown, and it's a scene that has appeared repeatedly in my dreams since I left Suzhou."

"There are a few stone benches under the tree. I think they've been there since I was a child, but I can't quite remember. This place is no longer my home. Home is a place you can return to. When I knelt on the ground and begged my parents, they refused to let Pengfei stay. That's when I knew I only had one home, and that was my little home with Xiangdong and Pengfei."

"In the end, thanks to Sister Ling taking Pengfei in, my connection with Suzhou wasn't completely severed. Now that Tunan transferred us here, I've rekindled my connection with Suzhou!"

"But this fate is only for this city, and for Sister Ling, Tunan, and Xiaoting. My parents, my older brother, and my younger brother have never considered me a member of the banker's family. It would be pointless for me to shamelessly stick to them."

"I have made up my mind along the way. I will not go to their place this time when I come back, so as not to annoy them when they see me, and I will be upset when I see them. From now on, I will pretend that I don't have this family. I will take good care of my own small family and educate Pengfei to be a useful person. I will be satisfied in this life." "Hua Lin, they are your parents after all." Xiang Dong couldn't help but persuade.

"Haha." Zhuang Hualin sneered twice. "I've always treated them as my parents, but they never treated me as their daughter. From childhood to adulthood, they always called me a money-loser. My name is Zhuang Hualin, not a money-loser!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help crying again. "I can't remember anything about when I was first born, but I heard from the neighbors that I often cried loudly because of hunger when I was young. But my older brother and younger brother never did that!"

"After my little brother was born, I was only that tall," Zhuang Hualin said, gesturing. "I had to carry him on my back and take care of him. If he cried, I would suffer. If they were in a good mood, they would beat me up, but if they were in a bad mood, they would even starve me of food."

"They always slept in the bed, so I had to sleep on the hardwood on the table. It was okay in the summer, but I shivered in the winter. When they were younger, I could sleep on the table, but when they grew up a little, I had to curl up. Many times, I fell under the table while sleeping."

"Later, I went to Guizhou as an educated youth. Other educated youth cried before leaving, but I was happy from the bottom of my heart. From then on, I no longer had to compromise myself to surpass Britain or catch up with the United States."

"When I arrived at the place, I met Xiangdong. It was the first time someone wanted to take care of me, and I fell in love with him immediately. I married him soon after, and for the first time in my 20-plus years of life, I felt the warmth of family."

These words were so bittersweet that Huang Ling and Song Ying couldn't help but wipe away their tears.

Xiangdong regretted what he had said. The old couple from the Zhuang family had treated Hualin so harshly. He held Hualin's hand and said, "There's really no need to go back to a home like this. Let's just not go there anymore."

"Hua Lin, don't mention these unhappy things. Your life will definitely get better and better in the future." Huang Ling took out a handkerchief to help her wipe away her tears.

"Yes, today is a good day for us. We shouldn't say such things. Come, Sister Ling, I'll toast you a glass." Zhuang Hualin picked up the glass and drank it all.

After a few drinks, Zhuang Hualin slowly came out of his sadness and smiled as he imagined a beautiful life in the future.

They quickly completed the registration procedures and were assigned a dormitory. Although the area was small, it was enough for three people to live in. They took Pengfei in, and whenever they were not busy, they would come over on weekends to reunite with Huang Ling and the others.

That day, Zhuang Hualin was seeing patients in the hospital as usual. When a new patient came in, she was stunned.

(End of this chapter)