Chapter 172: This Is My Fate

Ling Yao followed Ma Meifang’s steps and arrived at the apartment building in front.

They climbed the narrow stairs to the second floor. There was a long, dark corridor in front of them.

Both sides of the corridor were piled with all kinds of odds and ends, making the already narrow passage even more crowded.

“Sister Lu, be careful of your feet.” Ma Meifang reminded Ling Yao and stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor.

“This is my home.” Ma Meifang pushed open the door and invited Ling Yao in.

“Where have you been? You’re just coming back now? Are you trying to starve me to death?” A sharp and sarcastic voice came from inside the house.

Ling Yao looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old woman about sixty or seventy years old.

She was wearing a worn-out, slanted-collar Dacron shirt and black trousers with patches.

 What was most striking was her pair of heavily worn and dirty shoes.

The front of one shoe had a big hole, and you could clearly see the toes inside.

At this moment, the old woman was sitting on a chair in the living room, her two dirty feet propped up on another chair, swaying rhythmically. She looked very relaxed.

She was cracking sunflower seeds, and the shells were carelessly spat out on the ground, making the already dirty floor even dirtier and more cluttered.

Hearing the other woman’s scolding, Ma Meifang’s body trembled involuntarily. “Mom, San Ni is sick.

I went to ask Sister Lu to take a look at San Ni.” Her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, her eyes filled with fear.

“What are you looking at? What’s so interesting about a little girl, she won’t die. Go make dinner, I’m starving.”

The old woman glared at Ma Meifang, her eyes full of disdain.

A woman who only knows how to give birth to money-losing daughters, just looking at her is annoying.

 She will make her son divorce her sooner or later.

“Mom, San Ni is really sick. If we wait any longer, San Ni will die. Please, let Sister Lu take a look at San Ni, Mom…”

 Ma Meifang could no longer suppress her inner anxiety and worry. Tears flowed out like a broken dam.

But Old Lady Zhang remained unmoved. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted,

“If you don’t go make dinner, when Tiger comes back, I’ll make him divorce you.”

Ma Meifang dared not say anything more.

She reached out with trembling hands to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, raised her feet, and silently walked towards the kitchen.

Ling Yao grabbed Ma Meifang’s arm, looked at Old Lady Zhang, and said coldly,

“Platoon Leader Zhang’s mother, Ma Meifang is your wife, not your servant. You treat her like this, ignoring your sick granddaughter.

 I will report this to the organization.”

Old Lady Zhang glanced at Ling Yao with disdain and sneered, “Who are you? How dare you interfere in our family affairs? Get out, or I’ll use a broom to chase you out.”

“Mom, she’s Captain Lu’s wife.” Ma Meifang looked at Old Lady Zhang nervously, afraid that she would really use a broom to chase Ling Yao out.

Hearing this, Old Lady Zhang was stunned for a moment, then a flattering smile appeared on her face,

“Oh my, so you’re the Captain’s wife! This is all a misunderstanding. You’re so magnanimous, please don’t take it to heart, hehehe…

 Please have a seat. Meifang, what are you still standing there for? Quickly go make a cup of hot tea for the Captain’s wife.

You have no sense at all. Captain’s wife, please don’t blame her.”

Her own son was just a small platoon leader, while Captain Lu was a big official several ranks higher than her son.

 If she offended him, she would be in big trouble.

“Please call me Comrade Ling. Also, I’m here to see San Ni.” Ling Yao turned to Ma Meifang, “Sister, where is San Ni now?”

“She’s lying in the room.” Ma Meifang replied.

“The child’s illness can’t be delayed. Let’s go in and take a look.”

“Okay, come with me.” Ma Meifang quickly led the way.

When they reached the door of the room, Ma Meifang gently pushed open the slightly dilapidated door, “Sister Lu, San Ni is inside.”

Ling Yao nodded and walked into the room.

When she saw the condition of the room, Ling Yao frowned. It was more accurately described as a messy storage room than a room.

Except for a simple bed placed in the corner, the rest of the space was filled with all kinds of clutter.

There wasn’t even room to walk, and the clutter had an indescribable smell.

Living in such an environment, even healthy people would get sick.

“Sister Lu, be careful where you step. This room is a bit crowded.” Ma Meifang’s face showed a mixture of apology and embarrassment.

 These things were all piled up by her mother-in-law, most of them were things that other people didn’t want.

 She had advised her mother-in-law not to pick them up, but her mother-in-law wouldn’t listen. She even scolded her.

Ling Yao nodded and walked to the bed.

When she saw the child lying on the bed, her heart tightened.

The child’s eyes were closed, and her face was as red as a ripe apple because of the high fever.

 Her body was trembling slightly, as if she was struggling against the pain.

Ling Yao reached out and touched San Ni’s forehead. The burning temperature came through her hand.

She quickly took out a pill and put it in San Ni’s mouth. If she had come a little later, the child would have been gone.

“Sister Lu, will San Ni’s fever go down?” Ma Meifang asked anxiously.

She had been applying a wet towel to San Ni’s forehead all night, but it didn’t work at all. Instead, it got hotter and hotter.

“I’ve already given her medicine. Her fever will go down soon.”

Hearing this, Ma Meifang breathed a sigh of relief. The stone hanging in her heart finally landed.

She thanked Ling Yao gratefully, “Sister Lu! Thank you for saving San Ni. You’re our mother and daughter’s great benefactor.”

As she spoke, she was about to kneel down to Ling Yao.

Ling Yao quickly helped Ma Meifang up and stopped her from kneeling, “Sister, don’t do that.”

“Sister Lu, I really don’t know how to thank you. If you need any heavy work or rough work in the future, just give it to me.” She had nothing but her strength now.

Ling Yao shook her head, glanced around, “Sister, it’s best to move these things out. It’s not good for the child’s health.”

“I… I know, but my mother-in-law…” As she spoke, Ma Meifang started to cry.

At first, when she married her husband, her husband and mother-in-law were fine to her.

After she gave birth to Da Ni, her mother-in-law and husband’s attitude changed.

 Later, she gave birth to Er Ni and San Ni in a row, and her mother-in-law and husband’s attitude became even worse.

They would vent their anger on her whenever they were unhappy.

Ling Yao sighed, “Are you going to live like this for the rest of your life?”

Ma Meifang wiped away her tears, her expression somewhat numb, “This is my fate.

Thankfully, the three children are very well-behaved.” The three children were her greatest comfort.