Chapter 248: Parents Who Favor Sons Over Daughters

Ling Feng smiled again.

"I also want to be good to you, but look at yourself—is there any point about you that makes you worth me being good to you?"

"I... am I not pretty? I am young, I can do housework, and I can play the guitar; I am a talented woman."

Ling Feng said, "Then you really are a very talented young woman. How about this: I will treat you to a drink."

"I am only worth a drink?"

"A drink is enough."

……

The next day, Ling Feng was still idle.

He came from a high-ranking official's family; although his family was strict, he was the exception. Because he was born late, his elders doted on him intensely, and with so much doting, his willful temperament was formed.

Now that his parents had retired, they spent their time traveling or drinking tea with friends, and with a nanny to manage the house, he was urged to marry as soon as he returned, so gradually, he stopped wanting to go home.

In any case, he had a large house of his own outside.

As for friends, those he had hung out with over the years were all married with children; he couldn't exactly go find those cousins to play with.

Regarding work, he considered himself a very capable manager; as long as he hired excellent subordinates to do the work and paid them enough, he could be a hands-off boss.

Life suddenly became boring.

He suddenly wanted to go see other people giving birth.

Hearing that a cousin was giving birth to a second child at the hospital, he went to take a look.

The hospital had many rules; visiting was allowed, but one had to change into a sterile gown and wear a mask to be allowed in.

He didn't understand anything, watching as the cousin's husband also scrambled to change diapers and coax the baby.

The little baby kept crying, and only the nurse knew what she was crying about.

"She is hungry. Are you not feeding her?"

"There is no milk coming down, so how can I feed her?"

"Then mix some formula. Also, even if there is no milk, you must let her suckle; you must let her, the more she suckles, the more there will be," the nurse said.

Ling Feng felt embarrassed being there and couldn't help, so he left.

He suddenly felt that life and giving birth were both very boring and meaningless.

After leaving the hospital, he really went to a temple to see how the monks inside lived.

After wandering around for half a day, he came out, bored again.

These monks chanted sutras during the day and drove luxury cars to go drinking after work; it was very meaningless.

He suddenly thought of Mou Lili again.

Having someone to bicker with seemed quite fun.

……

Mou Lili was currently at her old home in the county town.

Her father had called her back, saying her grandmother had fallen ill and asking her to come back quickly to see her. Mou Lili's parents were quite scummy, but her grandmother was very good to her, so she came back.

As it turned out, after returning, she discovered her grandmother was perfectly fine.

Mou Lili was angry, but since she had gone through the trouble of coming back, she just treated it as keeping her grandmother company.

The county town house was an old one; in recent years, there had been demolition everywhere, but it just wouldn't reach this area, so the family still lived in this old house built in the early 90s—two stories, selling steamed buns downstairs and living upstairs.

There was also a small backyard, originally a kitchen, which had later been converted into a room with two beds installed, where Mou Lili and her grandmother lived.

Now, Mou Lili was chatting with her grandmother.

"Grandma, didn't I send money to you? Why didn't you buy a couple more pieces of clothing?"

Mou Nainai shook her head and said, "I didn't receive a single cent."

"It must be Mou Jiaqiang who took the money, right? Forget it, I'll buy some for you separately next time."

Mou Nainai pulled Mou Lili's hand: "Don't talk to him about these things. Once you do, you and your father will argue again, and after you argue, he will blame me again."

"Fine, I won't mention it, and I won't argue," Mou Lili said.

"Grandma, I haven't been back for almost a year. How have you been? Has Mou Jiaqiang mistreated you?"

"Not really, your father is... quite good to me."

Mou Nainai said this very reluctantly.

How could Mou Lili not see through it? She said, "Grandma, why don't you come with me to Beishi? Once you're there, I'll take care of you."

"No, no, absolutely not," Mou Nainai said. "I have medical insurance here, and I can find acquaintances to chat with when I go out. If I go to a big city, I'll be shut in a birdcage every day, and I'll be a burden to you. I heard that you young people in big cities work especially hard, is that true?"

Mou Lili couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

In this family, the only person who cared about her was her grandmother.

Her parents had never spoken to her like this.

After chatting for a while, Mou Jiaqiang came in.

As soon as Mou Jiaqiang saw Mou Lili, he roared in anger: "You still know how to come back? I thought you had died somewhere! If I hadn't lied to you, you wouldn't have come back, would you? Your mother and I gave birth to you and raised you, scrimping and saving for your sake to put you through school, and now in our old age, we are covered in injuries and illnesses. It's bad enough that you don't send the money you earn back home, but now your younger brother is getting married and you refuse to contribute a little. I don't know what you're busy with every day in Beishi. If you can't earn money, you might as well just come back and get married."

Mou Nainai couldn't help but say, "Your daughter just got back. Can you speak properly? Don't yell at her, or you'll scare her away again in a moment."

"I called her back just to scold her! Last time, she made us lose so much face. The bride price had already been accepted, and in the end, not only was it taken back, but it also made us lose all face in the eyes of our neighbors."

Mou Nainai said, "Lili and that man hadn't even met. Why did you make her marry him?"

"Mom, shut up! She's like this because you spoiled her since she was little."

Mou Lili asked impatiently, "Dad, have you finished scolding me?"

"No! I get angry just thinking about this! Come here, I'm going to beat you to death today!" Mou Jiaqiang grabbed a broom at the doorway.

Mou Lili sneered; she didn't dodge, waiting for the broom to land on her.

One blow, another blow, hitting her hair, hitting her arms, and red welts immediately appeared on her arms.

"Oh my, Lili, hurry and run! Do you want your dad to beat you to death?" Mou Nainai wanted to come over and pull her away, but how could she hold her back?

Before long, Wang Lifen also arrived; seeing her daughter being beaten, not only did she not help, but she also cursed from the side: "You piece of trash who ruins your father and mother, it's one thing that you won't get married yourself, but you also won't let your brother get married. You deserve this beating! Jiaqiang, hit her hard!"

The small courtyard was in chaos.

The neighbors next door also came over to watch, and it wasn't until an uncle came over to stop Mou Jiaqiang that the beating finally ceased.

Looking at Mou Lili again, her hair was disheveled from the beating, and there were injuries on her arms outside her short sleeves, as well as on her thighs below her shorts.

Yet she remained stubborn and didn't make a sound.

Mou Nainai was so heartbroken she cried: "What a sin! Can't you just let the child be well out there? You had to use my name to call her back; you are trying to make me lose my old face..."

It grew dark, there were fewer people on the street, and the steamed bun shop also closed.

The Mou couple was still outside cursing and swearing, while Mou Nainai was inside applying Wanhua Oil for Mou Lili.