Chapter 161: Chapter 160: Bait

The Wang Family discussed among themselves, wanting Hongling to stay in Huicheng for a few days. Even if she doesn’t meet a good family, she can at least avoid the spotlight. When Zhao Hongqi remarries, Hongling can return home without attracting attention.

“This is ridiculous! This is simply bullying!” Wang Liansheng was the first to be angry.

Hongling is the child he’s watched grow up, his first niece, always obedient and adorable since childhood. He often held her when she was little. He has a soft spot for this eldest niece, and certainly can’t abide anyone scheming or bullying her.

Recalling Zhao Hongqi’s toad-like appearance and the fact that he’s nearly forty, Wang Liansheng was burning with anger.

He’s angry at Zhao Hongqi, but even more furious with the third daughter-in-law, Li Xiaoxia, for actually helping outsiders bully his niece… However, remembering how Li Xiaoxia even dared to secretly report on the second brother and sister-in-law, why wouldn’t she sell out her niece for glory?!

Ling Chengyan silently glanced at him, her mind echoing that the Wang Family’s second branch really is birds of a feather, a rare bunch of extraordinary people gathered together.

Wang Liansheng felt a bit awkward under his wife’s gaze and cleared his throat, saying, “We can’t just let this go, it’s simply intolerable. You don’t have to worry about it; leave it to me to handle.”

Ling Chengyan wasn’t planning on intervening either; it concerned the Wang Family’s second branch, and she’d rather keep far away from it, not wanting to step into any more mess.

Hongling didn’t have much education, but Ling Chengyan taught her a few hundred words and how to use a dictionary, allowing her to get the gist of standard newspapers and magazines.

Whenever she had the time, Ling Chengyan discussed with Hongling, planning to send her to the night school that Xiao Yu attended to continue her studies.

She found out that the night school offered skill courses in addition to cultural classes, like tailoring and sewing, basic nursing, and radio repair. Radio repair required some cultural foundation, but tailoring and sewing and basic nursing were suitable for Hongling.

Hongling was surprised, yet couldn’t help but be tempted, but she replied quickly, “Auntie, you and Uncle have a hard time taking care of the family; Hongbing is already causing you enough trouble. I shouldn’t…”

Ling Chengyan stopped her, simply asking, “Do you want to learn? If you do, there’s no need to mention these things. Once you master a skill and earn money, isn’t it better to honor us then?”

Hongling choked up, lowered her head for a long while, then lifted it again, nodding: “Auntie, I’ll learn; I want to learn nursing.”

During her first visit to the hospital to care for her brother, she had a close encounter with the competent and orderly nurses. There was a young nurse about her age, a vocational school graduate, who lived with incredible confidence, walking with her head held high and a bright smile… Hongling truly envied this.

If not for this experience, she might have chosen tailoring and sewing, but upon seeing the confident and attractive young nurses, she wanted to be like them, confident and bright.

Ling Chengyan had no objection, agreed, and called Xiao Yu over to find some books for Hongling to read.

Xiao Yu hadn’t attended school either, but relying on her own spirits and diligence, she only spent a little over a year in primary school before entering middle school, gradually catching up from below-average standing to becoming a top student in the class. She had experience starting from zero.

Upon learning that his elder sister was going to night school, Hongbing was actually the happiest, bringing out his own textbooks and unused exercise books for his elder sister, and even patting his chest, saying he’d faithfully teach her once he returned from his own schooling…

Ling Chengyan gave Hongling the tuition and asked Xiao Yu to take her to enroll. The enrollment went smoothly, signing up for two classes: cultural courses from Monday to Friday, and basic nursing Saturday evening and all day Sunday.

After learning of the smooth enrollment, Ling Chengyan presented Hongling with a school bag and stationery: “Go for it!”

With redness in her eyes, Hongling nodded heavily.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Hong Zhi had to start school, and Wang Liansheng volunteered to escort her home.

With her sisters and brothers, she was the only one returning home. Hong Zhi was inevitably displeased. Ling Chengyan didn’t say much, believing Wang Liansheng could manage the children’s thoughts, only reminding Hong Zhi to stay in touch by writing letters home, providing stamped envelopes and postcards in her prepared school bag.

Wang Liansheng stayed at home for one night, but upon returning, Ling Chengyan didn’t inquire about it.

After the evening wash, getting ready for bed, Wang Liansheng spoke up himself: “Zhao Hongqi has been transferred to the Sea Defense Commune to take up a position.”

Ling Chengyan almost burst into laughter: “Sea Defense?”

The Sea Defense area is near the beach, surrounded by tidal flats, without many teams, and the population of each team is minimal… Considering Zhao Hongqi’s performance, he’s assigned to an uninhabited beach, perhaps making plans for the fish in the sea?

Watching his wife’s smiling eyes, Wang Liansheng couldn’t help but press the corners of his mouth: “I told Hong Zhi, as long as she gets into middle school, I’ll let her study in Huicheng.”

Ling Chengyan’s smile didn’t waver, raising her eyebrows to indicate awareness.

Hongling, the eldest sister, is gentle and reserved, thinking mostly about her parents and siblings, rarely about herself, yet she is diligent and earnest; she decided to study and is indeed very scrupulous. Hong Zhi, however, is different. She has elder siblings above, and her uncle and aunt only have three sons, receiving her grandparents’ and parents’ pampering, making her somewhat spoiled. She’s less diligent and earnest than her siblings, even Hongbing is stronger than her, thus she indeed requires some polishing.

During the Lantern Festival, Ling Chengyan didn’t drive; on the streets were dragon dances, lion dances, and yangge dance troupes. The kids ate early, wanting to head to the streets to watch the festivities, but this time they didn’t dare let the kids go alone, with Wang Liansheng and Wang Lianfa accompanying them.

Ling Chengyan didn’t follow but quietly went up the street.

With many people watching the festivities, people crowded and pushed against each other, Ling Chengyan headed directly to the street in front of the department store building. This street was spacious, with a considerable open space at the department store’s entrance. The dragon and lion dance troupes would stop here for performances, so quite a few people had arrived early to watch the excitement. Ling Chengyan saw familiar public security officers, along with patrol members wearing red armbands, all diligently maintaining order among the crowd.

She didn’t pay particular attention to these people, fixing her gaze on a few figures weaving in and out of the crowd. She wasn’t wearing a military uniform, her half-worn navy blue cotton coat, appearing somewhat shabby, blending with the gray-black blue crowd, making her quite unobtrusive.

In these years, not many people dressed neatly and brightly.

The most conspicuous was the school bag tightly held in her arms. Not only did she clutch it closely, but she occasionally reached out to touch it, as if worrying about the contents inside, casting subconscious confirmations.

Her focus obviously wasn’t on the upcoming performances, tiptoeing, raising her head, and occasionally looking left and right, as if waiting for someone.

Actually, she had already noticed someone quietly moving toward her, including two whom she had been monitoring all along.

Heh, they’re not a team?

Her lure was quite successful!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep