Meng Yan's Transformation

As Mrs. Liu spoke, her eyes gazed into the distance, as if recalling her youthful, spirited self.

"Grandma Liu, Happy Chinese New Year!"

As Zhan Ziyou spoke, Guihua and her three daughters bowed to Grandma Liu and wished her a Happy New Year.

"Look at you, Yunqing, you are such a blessed person! Your three granddaughters are all so grown up! They can even give New Year's greetings now!"

As Grandma Liu spoke, she took out candy from her pocket and gave it to the three girls.

Before long, the main room of Zhan Yu's house was filled with people watching television—on the floor, on the kang (a heated brick bed), and even on the windowsill.

For the first few days, Zhan Yu and Yun Qing were busy entertaining the people who came to watch TV—serving tea and water, giving out melon seeds and candy… In the end, even the radishes and carrots in their house were eaten up.

Zhan Zixun lost his initial enthusiasm and started complaining. Sometimes, he would deliberately break the antenna to make the TV screen display static, but Zhan Yu would always fix it.

Zhang Xincheng came a few times and saw that Zhan Yu's family was overcrowded. He dragged Zhan Zixun to his house to do his homework. Sometimes Zhan Mengyan would go along, but as soon as she saw Zhang Xincheng's father, she would back down and run home.

After the ninth day of the first lunar month, Zhan Yu embarked on his journey to petition higher authorities, while Zhan Mengyan went to the sports school for training ahead of time.

Soon after, Zhan Yu returned dejectedly.

“Zhan Yu, you shouldn’t have fallen out with the staff. They asked you to come back for news, but you’re making excuses to us. Your sister and brother-in-law won’t help us either. The procedures for returning to the city are going to be very difficult.”

Yunqing's words revealed a sense of disappointment.

"This is still your fault. Back then, my sister didn't have a daughter and wanted Mengyan, but you refused. If we had given Mengyan to my sister as a daughter, she would have helped me with the procedures to return to the city, out of consideration for the daughter we gave her."

When Zhan Yu spoke, he revealed a strong sense of accusation.

"What mother would willingly give her daughter away unless she's dead!"

Yunqing's hands trembled with excitement as she spoke.

"Yunqing, think carefully before you speak! Is Zhan Mengyan your own daughter?"

As Zhan Yu spoke, he looked at Yun Qing with a disdainful expression.

"Zhan Yu, you...you...you still have the nerve to say that? When I was pregnant, I was malnourished, which caused the fetus to be malnourished as well. I was over eight months pregnant and you still made me do this and that, keeping me busy from morning till night, which caused me to have a premature birth and a stillbirth. I almost died along with my daughter. The child died, and you didn't even tell me. You gave me Wulan Yayan and Zhao Mingqi's daughter and said that I gave birth to her. Later I found out that Zhan Mengyan was not my daughter, but I had already treated her as my own daughter. How could I bear to give her away? Now, if anyone wants to take Mengyan away from me, they will have to kill me first...Waaah..."

Yunqing became more and more agitated as she spoke, and began to sob—she was heartbroken for her deceased daughter, saddened by Zhan Yu's lack of understanding, and worried that she would lose Zhan Mengyan one day.

Zhan Yu suddenly realized he had lost his composure, and froze on the spot, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. His anger was instantly replaced by guilt, and his hands hung in mid-air, unsure of what to do. He wanted to comfort her but was afraid of touching Yun Qing's deepest wounds again, so he could only stand there watching her sobbing back.

Seeing Yunqing crying so sadly, Zhan Yu felt that her tears were a silent accusation against him, like the blade of a sharp knife, cutting through Zhan Yu's heart.

“I couldn’t get the paperwork to return to the city this time, and I’m really upset. My heart feels like it’s being crushed by a thousand pounds. I’ve neglected all that you’ve done for this family. As a man, I didn’t protect you back then, and I didn’t keep our child safe…”

As Zhan Yu spoke, he slowly approached Yun Qing and gently patted her back.