Meng Yan's Transformation

Zhan Zi'an helped Zhan Mengyan write an application for admission and happily submitted it to her homeroom teacher Zhang Deren.

One day, neighbor Zhang Yumei came to Yunqing to borrow a sickle. Zhang Yumei said to Yunqing intentionally or unintentionally: "I heard that the daughter of Mr. Liu who worked at the post office on the street last time was recommended to a normal school in East China. The admissions office of a normal school in Central China came to Xinxing Middle School and promised to give two recommended places, but later changed it to only one. Didn't you say that Mengyan of your family ranked first in the exam? Why didn't she apply for the recommendation qualification?"

Yunqing's head buzzed when she heard this, but she pretended to be calm and said, "Yumei, you go back first. I don't want to chat with you anymore. You see, it's getting dark. It's probably going to rain. I'll also go and take the clothes and tobacco leaves that are hung out to dry back into the house."

After Zhang Yumei left tactfully, Yunqing hurried to Mujiatun. She wanted to ask Qian Jingui why she let her son Zhang Deren give Zhan Mengyan's admission quota to someone else; why she took revenge on a girl who was ignorant of the world; why she had such a deep hatred for her...

Yunqing had just walked halfway when thunder rumbled like drums, shaking the entire sky. It was also like the roar of a god, as if showing its endless power to the earth. Heavy rain suddenly came, and raindrops as big as beans hit Yunqing's head.

"Mom, mom...it's raining too hard, let's go home quickly..." Zhan Mengyan shouted as she ran from behind Yunqing.

"Mengyan, why are you here?" Yunqing asked.

"I found out at school that my admission quota was taken by someone else. I was so upset that I ran home. I saw that you were not at home, so I asked our neighbor Zhang Ersao. She said that she saw you heading towards Mujiatun. I think you came to look for my second aunt. Let's not look for them. It's no use. We will only make ourselves sick with anger. Let's punish ourselves with other people's mistakes. Let's go home quickly." Zhan Mengyan said in a crying voice.

"No, mom must get an explanation for you today. Can Qian Jingui and Zhang Deren still cover up the truth? I have to get it clear. Even if I die, I have to know the truth..." Yunqing said angrily.

"Mom, don't be angry. I'm afraid that I'll make your heart disease relapse. I brought you some quick-acting heart-saving pills. Do you want to take them?" Zhan Mengyan said with a sob.

"Good boy, Mom is not angry, don't be afraid, Mom doesn't need to take medicine yet. Mengyan, don't worry about me, run over that slope first, and find someone's house to hide from the rain." Yun Qing said with a deep breath.

Zhan Mengyan ran away.

At this time, the sky was dark and lightning kept striking around them. This made Zhan Mengyan feel the horror of natural forces for the first time in her life. Lightning struck the stones and trees not far in front of her eyes one after another. A white light flashed, and the surroundings were instantly dark, with flickering sparks, strong winds and thunder. It was several seconds later that her eyes could see the surrounding environment clearly again.

Zhan Mengyan thought she would be struck to death by lightning on the dirt slope. The fear pushed Zhan Mengyan to run desperately up the dirt slope. The dirt slope, which was not high to begin with, became muddy and slippery due to the erosion of rain, like a steep cliff that was difficult to climb.

Suddenly, in the wind and rain, Zhan Mengyan vaguely heard her mother Yunqing calling weakly from behind her: "Meng... Yan... wait a minute, mom..."

In Zhan Mengyan's mind, her mother, who had always been indestructible and fearless, actually felt scared. Her voice was like a kitten relying on people. Zhan Mengyan glanced at the slope, hesitated for a moment, and ran back. When she got close to her mother Yunqing, she pulled her mother to climb together...

Later, they finally saw the family's home. A big dog and a few puppies were barking at them in the heavy rain. The mother and daughter didn't care about anything else and rushed directly towards the dogs, scaring them back into their kennels. Without even knocking on the door, they rushed into the family's outer kitchen.

The family was cooking in the dark. The orange-red flames were dancing happily in the stove, bringing warmth and light to the whole room.

The owner of the house was called Wang Quan. He recognized Yunqing as Dr. Zhan's wife and asked them how they got into this state. Yunqing and Zhan Mengyan were trembling and could not speak. The rainstorm was still very fierce. After each thunder, the glass "crackled" and lightning flashed like a white sword, cutting through the dark sky. The wires in the dark house of this family were sparking...

The mother and daughter sat in the family's house for more than half an hour. The host poured a bowl of hot water for Yunqing. Yunqing took the medicine, and the thunder faded away. Zhan Mengyan said, "Mom, let's go home."

Wang Quan wanted to harness the carriage to send the mother and daughter home, but Yunqing refused.

That night, Zhan Mengyan and Yun Qing walked towards home in the mud in the extremely refreshing night after the rainstorm. The rain was pouring under their feet and thunder was faintly rumbling in the sky.

The mother and daughter talked a lot along the way. Yunqing talked about the difficulties and hardships of her life since she was a child, as well as the people who were good to her and the things that were not good to her. Zhan Mengyan just listened silently and did not respond.

Yunqing looked at Zhan Mengyan who was silent and expressionless all the time, and said with great distress in her heart: "Mengyan, you insisted on not letting me go to find your second aunt Qian Jingui and your head teacher Zhang Deren. You are worried that I will be angry and quarrel with them. Let's go home and ask your brother Zi'an to find Zhang Deren, and we can ask him clearly. Mom is very worried about you. Even if your recommendation quota is replaced by someone else, can you untie the knot in your heart?"

"Yes..." Zhan Mengyan replied.

When the mother and daughter returned home, they saw Zhan Yu with a gloomy face, sitting on a chair, smoking a pipe that he didn't know how to smoke, and coughing from the choking. Zhan Zi'an was burning a fire beside the stove like a child who had done something wrong.

Zhan Yu stood up angrily, threw his half-smoked cigarette to the ground, stomped it out and said, "You two still remember to come back? What's the point of having a fight with Qian Jingui? How did Qian Jingui raise such a bad son? We have to settle accounts with Zhang Deren and make him compensate us for Zhan Mengyan's admission quota!"

Zhan Zi'an looked at his mother and sister who came back exhausted and in a mess. He quickly held Zhan Yu and said, "Dad, ask my mother and sister Mengyan first, don't be impulsive. Cousin Zhang Deren was wrong. He shouldn't have forgotten to submit Mengyan's recommendation application form. I went to find him, and he felt very guilty. No matter how much I quarreled with him, he was powerless to change the facts. The time for review has expired, and Mengyan's recommendation place has been replaced by someone else. And Mengyan will not have the opportunity to fill in the application form like in the college entrance examination. The time to choose to obey the adjustment has passed. We need to face the reality calmly now. It will not help to settle the account with cousin Zhang Deren, and it will alienate the relationship between relatives. Mengyan still has to study in cousin Zhang Deren's class. Besides, if Mengyan does not go to normal school, won't it be the same if she takes the high school entrance examination?"

"You little brat, you call me cousin? I call him Zhang Deren? Do you think he deserves it? Our whole family trusts him so much, but he just said casually: Mengyan forgot to submit the application form for recommendation. Is that it? Didn't he destroy our family's hopes and Mengyan's life? Why should we be afraid of alienation from such relatives? It's better not to have them. Zhan Zi'an, you are in high school, but you are also working on the farm. Why would a girl want to take the high school entrance exam? It's useless. You have to support Mengyan to go to high school. It's easy to talk without any pain."

"Dad, calm down first. You can just beat me up first. It's all my fault that I didn't do my job well. I'll go find Zhang Deren to settle the score tomorrow, okay? If Mengyan really gets into high school, I'll support her and you don't have to worry about anything, okay?" Zhan Zi'an hurriedly persuaded.

Zhan Yu looked at Zhan Zi'an's pitiful begging for a fight, and his anger subsided a lot. He still said in an angry tone: "Yunqing, Mengyan, you guys went to find Qian Jingui, what did she say?"

"Dad, we didn't make it to my second aunt's house. We were nearly electrocuted on the way. We finally found a family to shelter from the rain. If I hadn't caught up with mom in time and brought her medicine, I'm afraid..." Zhan Mengyan said with tears in her eyes.

It was then that Zhan Yu noticed that Yun Qing was lying on the kang with a pale face, motionless...