Meng Yan's Transformation

Zhan Mengyan opened her mouth again, but no sound came out. Her throat was choked by a sour emotion, and only warm liquid kept rolling down, leaving dark water stains on the front of her clothes. She saw the "Three Good Student" certificate still pasted on the wall behind Zhan Yue.

“Don’t cry. I’ll apply for a leave of absence in a few days. Once your aunt is better, I’ll go back to school and repeat my studies. We’ll go work together at the cannery as temporary workers. We’ll watch the Big Dipper together at night and the morning star together in the morning.”

Zhan Yue's promise made Zhan Mengyan unable to hold back any longer. She buried her face in her arms and trembled violently. She remembered that summer when Zhan Yue showed her the picture book of Xiong Yue Academy. At that time, her eyes were bright and full of starlight. But now, the starlight was gone.

Finally, Zhan Mengyan collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and wept uncontrollably, for Zhan Yue's broken wings, and for what she had lost forever that afternoon.

"Sister Mengyan! Don't cry, Sister Yue, don't cry either. I won't let Sister Yue drop out of school. I'm not good at studying, so I can stay home and take care of Mom. I'm still waiting for Sister Yue to become an agricultural scientist in the future."

When Zhan Chun spoke, he stared into her bright eyes, revealing a pure confusion and heartache.

Zhan Mengyan's crying caught the attention of Wang Shujuan and Yunqing, who were chatting. The relaxed atmosphere between the two was disrupted.

"Zhan Mengyan, I'm talking to you right now. What are you crying about? When you get home and your dad sobers up, he'll definitely beat you up! You still have the nerve to cry now?! You'll be crying when your dad beats you up. Save your energy for now. Let's go home and not disturb your aunt's rest any longer."

When Yunqing spoke, her taut profile was framed by a cold, hard contour.

The air is stagnant.

"Yunqing! Mengyan is crying, and instead of comforting her, you're scaring her! We were having a nice chat, why did you suddenly change your attitude?! Let me tell you, if Zhan Yu dares to hit Zhan Mengyan or Zhan Yingying, don't blame me for turning against her as her sister-in-law! Girls have their pride now that they're grown up, how can you just hit them like that?! Besides, the two children came to visit me today, I have to protect them both!"

Wang Shujuan spoke with a displeased expression.

“Third sister-in-law, I’m disciplining the children for their own good. A sapling will grow crooked and become useless if it’s not pruned. If the children aren’t taught properly, they’ll become unruly. If you spoil them like this, they’ll feel emboldened when I say something to them, and they’ll become even bolder. You have no idea how unruly Zhan Mengyan was at Old Zhang’s house today. The adults were talking, and she forcibly took Zhan Yingying away.”

As Yunqing spoke, she revealed an angry expression, her brows furrowed and her lips pressed tightly together.

"The children have already explained, so why are you dawdling over this?! They were anxious to see my sick aunt. If the Zhang family says our children are ill-mannered because Zhan Mengyan and Zhan Yingying were so eager to see their sick aunt, then the Zhang family is truly heartless. I think it's right for Zhan Yingying to escape from such a family as soon as possible. And you and Zhan Yu beat the children because they came to see me today. Does that mean you're telling the children they're not allowed to visit their aunt anymore? Are you trying to sever ties with me?"

As Wang Shujuan spoke, she looked at Yunqing with an air of self-righteousness.

"Third sister-in-law, why are you trying to pin this on yourself? How could my husband and I not support our children visiting their third aunt?! Look how close those cousins ​​are. Do you think we, as elders, can sever ties so easily? Blood ties can't be broken."

When Yunqing spoke, her tone was as gentle as usual.