Chapter 1440 - 1403: Home of Cannon Fodder 11
Chapter 1440: Chapter 1403: Home of Cannon Fodder 11
Before going to bed, Zhao Xiaocong went to find Anning.
"Mom, did you and Uncle Xiao get your marriage certificate?"
Anning pointed to the chair: "Sit down."
Zhao Xiaocong sat down, and then Anning said: "We’ve already registered, but we’ve discussed it and don’t plan to have a banquet."
"I wasn’t talking about the banquet."
Zhao Xiaocong scratched his head: "I was thinking that both our house and Uncle Xiao’s are small, and you haven’t moved in together even after getting your certificate. It’s not good. Shouldn’t we sell both houses to gather some money and buy a bigger one?"
Anning smiled and patted Zhao Xiaocong’s shoulder: "Not bad, our son’s grown up."
Zhao Xiaocong’s face turned red.
"Alright, we know what to do. Your Uncle Xiao is figuring it out."
Anning also laughed, pinching Zhao Xiaocong’s cheek: "Don’t worry, you’re not that old yet. Right now, the most important thing for you is to study; leave the rest to the adults."
"I’m just concerned about you."
Zhao Xiaocong mumbled: "Since you’re already thinking about it, I’ll leave it alone and head back to my room to sleep."
"Go on, go on."
Anning waved her hand.
Xiao Yuan’s days recently have been laid-back. During the day, he went to the city and managed to swap and sell a magic artifact, earning some small money—enough to cover household expenses.
Apart from this, he was cooking and tidying up at home, looking quite domesticated. Bao Bufen didn’t come over to find him, and Xiao Yuan wasn’t in a hurry.
Anning also had quite a good life; meals were cooked, housework was taken care of, and she felt a lot more relaxed.
These days, she has been on a diet, with reasonable eating, exercise, and medicinal baths. In just a few days, she lost several pounds—even those who see her every day could tell she had become slimmer.
Anning believed that at her current rate, she would definitely astonish everyone’s eyes in a month.
Besides that, she spent every evening writing.
She found that the world’s entertainment development was somewhat behind.
For example, TV dramas and music weren’t as developed as the modern world she experienced before; even online literature was at the early stages compared to other worlds.
Anning visited several major literary websites and discovered that the writing there was truly lacking in novelty. Even commonly written crossover stories, Mary Sue stories, Cultivation novels, and fantasy novels were not present in this world. Forget about Primordial stories, the old grandpa trope, or palace intrigue, none of these were seen at all.
Anning felt she could swim like a fish in water on these online platforms, with so many fresh new stories waiting for her to write.
Moreover, Anning’s command over words was unparalleled in this world, and having experienced so many worlds firsthand, she deeply understood people’s cultural sentiments. If she were to write a story, it would absolutely feel like a real world.
In recent days, Anning registered an author account, and the first story she started writing was a Cultivation novel for mortals.
Having lived through a Cultivation Plane, creating Cultivation novels was effortless for her, flowing naturally; she had met so many figures from the Cultivation World, having seen all sorts of people, so there was no fear of writer’s block.
Anning’s typing speed was particularly fast; within a few days, she had written over a hundred thousand words.
She had already begun posting her new story; since it was very innovative, with a vast world setting and distinct Cultivation levels, within just a few days of uploading, she gained quite a number of readers. The website’s editor even sent her a message and added her as a friend, discussing contract details with her.
Anning spent her nights writing, hoping to earn more money to improve the family’s living standard.
While Anning and Xiao Yuan were both working hard, in N City, the Zhang Family sat heavily on the sofa.
"Is LuLu okay?"
A young man suddenly pushed the door open and asked Mrs. Zhang, sitting on the sofa.
Mrs. Zhang’s eyes were red, clearly from crying: "She’s fine, just fell down the stairs and got a bit injured, and fainted. She’s in the hospital, and the doctor said she’ll wake up soon."
The young man was Zhang Lulu’s brother, Zhang Linfeng. He let out a sigh of relief: "That’s good, that’s good."
He sat down and asked his father, Zhang Hao: "Dad, what exactly happened? How come LuLu is not my biological sister anymore? Additionally, how did LuLu find out about this?"
Zhang Hao waved his hand weakly: "Who knows? We never expected Lulu wasn’t our biological daughter. Years ago, your mom and I had a fight, and she went back to her hometown to see your grandmother, and ended up giving birth prematurely in the nearby county. No one expected the child got switched."
Mrs. Zhang wiped her tears: "I brought Lulu up from such a young age to now. How can she not be my biological daughter? Moreover, where is our biological child?"
Zhang Linfeng looked complicated: "What’s our family’s plan? Are we going to find my sister and bring her back? And what about LuLu? Are we going to drive her away?"
Mrs. Zhang started crying again: "Honey, I can’t bear to part with LuLu."
Zhang Hao didn’t have particularly deep feelings for Zhang Lulu.
When Zhang Lulu was born, he was busy building his business. Since then, he hadn’t spent much time with her, so naturally, his feelings weren’t as deep as Mrs. Zhang’s. Besides, men generally place more importance on their bloodline and have a stronger sense of identity; upon learning that Zhang Lulu wasn’t their biological child, his feelings faded significantly.
"What about our daughter then?"
Zhang Hao looked at Mrs. Zhang: "We have to bring her back."
"I didn’t say not to bring her back."
Mrs. Zhang pleaded, looking at Zhang Hao: "But I also can’t part with LuLu; I was thinking, can’t we keep them both?"
Zhang Linfeng looked at Mrs. Zhang: "Mom, your idea isn’t very practical. If you bring my sister back and want to keep LuLu, what will others think? Wouldn’t they think we’re bullying them? Would LuLu’s biological parents agree?"
Zhang Hao patted Zhang Linfeng: "Your sister has been found; she’s in Baisha County. Her current father’s surname is Xiao, and the Xiao Family’s condition is not good. Xiao Yuan’s wife passed away from cancer a few years ago, and the treatment costs used up a lot of money. Xiao Family had no money and borrowed a lot, repaying debts only recently. Xiao Yuan doesn’t have a proper job, and Yilin... is really living a hard life."
Mrs. Zhang’s heart ached upon hearing her biological daughter’s tough situation: "Our daughter is so unfortunate."
Zhang Hao looked at Mrs. Zhang: "Yes, the Xiao Family’s conditions are really poor, and plus, Xiao Yuan remarried recently, which means Yilin has to live under a stepmother."
"Then I definitely can’t let LuLu go back. If her biological parents were manageable, just living a little hard would be understandable, at least they wouldn’t mistreat her, but with a stepmother..."
In the hospital, Zhang Lu woke up in the middle of the night.
After opening her eyes and realizing she was in the hospital, she reached into the bedside table drawer to take out her phone.
After checking the date and time on the phone, Zhang Lu both laughed and cried.
She never thought she would have such luck, having been back six years, back to the time when all the tragedy began.
Zhang Lu wiped away her tears, smiling faintly.
In her previous life, knowing she wasn’t the Zhang Family’s biological daughter filled her with fear and helplessness. All the relatives and friends she knew were on the Zhang Family’s side, and her relationship with Mrs. Zhang was quite good; she really didn’t want to leave, going to an unfamiliar place, living with people she could say were strangers.
It wasn’t about being materialistic; she was genuinely scared.
To continue living in familiarity, she started acting cleverly and submissively in front of Mrs. Zhang, saying many things that made Mrs. Zhang feel sympathetic, and thus she stayed in the Zhang Family.
She thought as long as she stayed in the Zhang Family, her life would remain the same.
Even if Xiao Yilin came, as long as she got along well with Xiao Yilin, refrained from causing trouble, and behaved, she should live peacefully.
Yet, she underestimated people’s hearts.
It was exactly because of her thinking that her days became increasingly miserable. Eventually, the Zhang family completely rejected her, causing her to suffer unspeakable harm by Xiao Yilin.
Thinking about these things, Zhang Lu reached a decision.
Since the Zhang Family wasn’t her real family and they all resented her, this time she chose to go back to her own home, to find her biological father.
Even if she hadn’t met him, he was nonetheless her biological father; her sister was also related, so it should be much better than staying in the Zhang Family.
Even if the Xiao Family was poor, after enduring life’s hardships, she was already indifferent to these things. She had hands and feet, and could earn her own money in the future. As long as she left the Zhang Family, as long as she gained freedom, being poor was hardly a problem.