Chapter 1430 - 1394: Home of the Cannon Fodder 2
Chapter 1430: Chapter 1394: Home of the Cannon Fodder 2
Anning pushed Zhao Xiaomeng away and went to the kitchen to bring out the cooked dishes and porridge.
"There’s nothing to be upset about. Your dad, well, he’s been really floating for the past few years. Honestly, I was already prepared for his infidelity in my heart, but after all these years of marriage, his sudden move does make me feel quite sad."
Anning used a calm tone to recount the whole story to her two kids.
"I noticed that your dad and Yu Mei were acting unusual a few months ago, but I was too busy then to investigate further. I thought, no matter what, him and me still have you both, and he wouldn’t... Who knew, there are many things in this world that, no matter how much you prepare mentally, when they truly happen, they’re still hard to accept."
Anning smirked while serving rice, "Alright, things are what they are now. We’ve divorced, but life has to go on. From now on, it’s just us three; we’ll live well and show those gossipers that we can manage just fine."
As Zhao Cong ate a bun, he grabbed some dishes and said, "Mom, we’ll definitely listen and behave well moving forward. Just like what you said, even if Dad doesn’t want us, we can’t let ourselves go, we’ll do better, even better than when he was here."
Anning smiled and patted Zhao Cong’s head.
She went to the bedroom and came back with two papers, handing them to the two kids.
"What’s this?"
The children took the papers and looked at them, instantly shocked: "Mom, is this real... this is too good."
It turned out those papers were documents Anning and Zhao Dahai signed regarding the two kids, indicating that the children would belong to Anning, severing all ties with Zhao Dahai. When Zhao Dahai reaches the legal retirement age, the children will give him money each month according to state standards, but until then, Zhao Dahai is not allowed to contact the kids no matter what happens.
Zhao Xiaomeng looked equally shocked: "Mom, when did you sign this?"
Anning smiled: "When I got divorced with your dad. I was so angry, thinking he was heartless, that even if things were bad between us, you two are still his biological children, yet he didn’t want you. In my fury, I said if he didn’t want you, then let’s cut ties, and who would’ve thought he’d agree. I realized mere words weren’t enough, so I took the opportunity and signed a formal agreement with him."
After speaking, Anning lowered her head and drank porridge.
Zhao Xiaomeng and Zhao Cong glanced at each other.
Zhao Xiaomeng laughed and picked up another bun: "Actually, thinking back, it’s not bad. Whether Dad is home or not makes no difference, as before the divorce, he’d only come home once every ten days or so. Having him home or not feels the same."
Zhao Cong nodded in agreement: "Sister’s right."
After the kids finished eating, Anning asked them to return to their room to do homework. Anning went to the kitchen to clean the dishes.
Once she finished the dishes, she went to the bedroom to tidy up, sorting out and preparing to throw away some unnecessary items, organized some of the original’s clothes, and looked in the mirror again, still feeling quite awkward.
She thought she should quickly lose weight; she didn’t want to walk around with this overweight appearance.
Moreover, she wanted to wear pretty clothes without the constraint of being overweight, as even if clothes fit, they wouldn’t look good.
Once Anning tidied up, the kids finished their homework, and Anning took it to check.
After checking, Anning pointed out the errors and had the kids correct them before bathing and going to bed.
Early the next morning, Anning sent the kids to school and then took the keys to leave home.
She wanted to lose weight fast and needed to exercise more; additionally, paired with her own weight-loss medicines, the effect would be even better.
Anning considered going to the pharmacy to buy some herbs to make her own preparations.
Although she couldn’t use many of her skills anymore, she hadn’t forgotten what she learned, like many kinds of knowledge, which won’t fade regardless of years.
Anning had been a Divine Doctor in countless lives, so her understanding of medicine was top-notch.
She didn’t need to remember recipes; she could easily make weight-loss medicines herself.
Anning jogged to the largest pharmacy in the county, and once there, she reported a few herb names, checked the quality upon receiving them, found them good enough, and ordered more herbs. After gathering the ingredients, Anning returned home to start making herbal packs.
She planned to make herbs for soaking baths, which would accelerate metabolism and also have skin-whitening effects. Using them for over a month, combined with exercise, Anning was confident she could shed about thirty pounds.
As for the skin sagging due to rapid weight loss, Anning wasn’t worried.
She planned to make another type of medicine for skin tightening and anti-aging.
Once home, Anning quickly crafted several herbal packs, boiled water to prepare the herbs, and then took a bath.
By the time she finished bathing, it was noon. The kids wouldn’t return for lunch, so Anning ate alone.
She made herself a diet-friendly meal and then tidied up the room.
The house had been chaotic for days due to the original’s constant sadness, so Anning spent the afternoon cleaning thoroughly. By five or six o’clock, the rooms were all tidy, and Anning felt much better.
She showered and prepared to go out to buy groceries when her phone rang as she grabbed the keys to leave.
Anning answered her phone and heard the voice of her original mother’s.
"Ningning, where are you now?"
Anning replied softly, "At home, I’m just about to go buy groceries. Mom, what’s up?"
"Are you okay?"
Mrs. Qin’s voice sounded concerned, "I heard from people in your community that you haven’t gone out much these few days. Are you still feeling down? Ningning, it’s not like I’m nagging, but actually, divorce is a good thing. Zhao Dahai becomes arrogant when successful. Over the past few years, you’ve never lacked money with him, but how he’s treated you, mom’s seen it all..."
Anning laughed: "Mom, I’m fine, I’ve come to terms with it long ago. I have a house and money, and two kids, what am I afraid of."
"Right, right, that’s how you should think."
Mrs. Qin was afraid Anning would get stuck on the issue and tried different ways to comfort her: "Your dad and I will be back tomorrow; we’ll come by to see you all when we’re back."
"Everything’s okay with An Ping there?"
Anning asked, "How’s Nana’s health?"
Anning’s brother Qin Anping lived in the city, while Mr. and Mrs. Qin stayed in the county, visiting the city when missing their grandson. This time they went because Qin Anping’s wife, Fang Na, needed surgery, so they went to help with chores and kids’ school pickups.
"Nana’s doing great."
Mrs. Qin smiled: "You know she’s already recovered, and Xiao Hui’s grandma is coming to stay for a few days, so we’re planning to come back."
"When will you return? I’ll prepare food for you."
Anning asked.
Mrs. Qin provided a time, and Anning marked it in her mind: "Okay, mom, I need to go buy groceries, so we’ll talk later."
After hanging up, Anning walked downstairs, pondering what to do next.
When she divorced Zhao Dahai, she didn’t get much money; Zhao Dahai claimed to have given child support, but it wasn’t much.
Anning ended up with an old house and tens of thousands in cash, and nothing else.
In a small county, having a house and tens of thousands seems a lot, but Anning has to raise two kids. Right now, they’re in middle school, which costs less, but once they go to high school and university, those expenses are significant.
Plus, she wants to improve her quality of life; relying solely on a teacher’s salary won’t suffice, so she definitely needs to find other ways to earn money.
As Anning chose vegetables at the market, she continued to ponder these issues.
She dismissed many options, thought over the original’s field of study and current job, and ultimately decided to write online novels.
After all, the original majored in Chinese in college, and currently works as a middle school Chinese teacher, so writing novels aligns with her expertise and wouldn’t raise suspicion.