Chapter 40

ZhiXia took out her watch and saw that it was brand new.

The old madam knocked on the open wooden door twice. When ZhiXia looked back, she asked her, "How do you feel? Are you satisfied with this room?"

"I'm very satisfied, thank you Granny." ZhiXia held the watch in her hand. Although she knew well in her heart, she still asked, "Is this for me?"

"I don't know what you young people like. I just had the salesman get me the latest style. Wearing it on your wrist to check the time and such is also more convenient." The old madam walked in, looking around the room with a reminiscent gaze. "The furniture in this room is still made of that sour jujube wood that the old master prepared for your young aunt back then. It was originally intended as her dowry, but unfortunately that child passed away early and didn't get to use it. In the last two years before the old master passed away, he personally had someone make this furniture, saying that he was getting old and afraid he wouldn't live to see his great granddaughter's wedding..."

In the blink of an eye, another ten years had passed.

In those years, the old master went with Old Pei to make revolution, coming back home only once every few years. She raised two children at home relying on the old master.

The old master really loved children, caring for them inside and out, and didn't have those conservative ideas of favoring sons over daughters that other families had.

Just as the war was won and good days were about to come, her daughter was killed by bandits.

Thinking of those events, the old madam couldn't help feeling distressed in her heart.

Forcing down that suffocating feeling, the old madam calmed herself for a good while before speaking again. "ZhiXia, don't look down on this wood in your heart. Although the old master didn't know of your existence when making this furniture, if the old master had known, he would have loved you even more. As for An MeiYun, the old master said more than once that even as a child she was too utilitarian and sharp, and that it would be trouble if she wasn't raised well. But after all she is of our family's bloodline, and as long as she didn't make big mistakes, she still couldn't be mistreated. It's just unexpected that the old master's words really came true. If it weren't for my lucky granddaughter, she really could have harmed me. If the old master knew she wasn't our family's own and that his dear great granddaughter was wandering outside, who knows how heartbroken he would have been."

Being sold into the mountains, even if she could keep her life, what kind of days would she spend? Whenever the old madam thought of this, her teeth itched with anger.

There was also Zhou Nan. Back then she didn't like her, feeling she was too petty.

But the old master said, after the victory of the war the times would probably change greatly, and their family was already quite wealthy, marrying a rich daughter-in-law might cause trouble.

Although Zhou Nan didn't have much experience, she was kind and good looking, and her natal family were all amiable. Marrying into the family she wouldn't cause trouble, so the old master couldn't harm his own grandson, and she conceded to accepting this daughter-in-law.

Afterwards, everything happened just as the old master said, and she didn't have any objections to Zhou Nan, instead feeling quite fortunate.

Of course, it would be even better if she didn't currently clearly favor An MeiYun.

In her opinion, An MeiYun should have been sent back to the Gao family as soon as ZhiXia returned. She wouldn't even have given her the chance to go to the countryside under the guise of being an An family child.

As for whether the Gao family was still there and how An MeiYun would live after returning, the old madam wouldn't consider these things at all.

The child of someone who had harmed her own flesh and blood, she could already show mercy by letting her leave intact.

But as people got older they had to resign themselves to old age, and she was no longer the matriarch with the final say.

Forcibly making that girl leave miserably, then causing estrangement between mother and son, really wouldn't be worth it.

She had already urged ZhiYang to go back and get to the bottom of things.

If that girl could really use even her own marriage, and cause estrangement between mother and son, then she could no longer let An MeiYun bear the An family name.

If this marriage was fake, she would still have to obediently go to the countryside, and wouldn't be able to escape.

ZhiXia also wanted to know if An MeiYun's marriage was real or fake!

Although the jujube wood furniture had been made for over ten years, it was still well preserved.

ZhiXia certainly wouldn't look down on the furniture for being originally made not for her. To be accurate, it wasn't made for An MeiYun either, but for her young aunt who passed away early.

She was more willing to believe that after making that assessment of An MeiYun, the old master making her this furniture was actually hoping to find her young aunt's shadow in her, after all that was the child the old master had raised. It was just a pity that she was a fake to begin with, and naturally didn't have the An family bloodline, nor any resemblance to her young aunt.

Taking a ruler from her space, she measured herself and found that she had indeed grown a little, just 1 centimeter, but it made her happy for a long time.

Her hair had also grown some, currently reaching below her shoulders, and although still somewhat yellowish wasn't as dry and brittle.

After a little while, the voices outside stopped.

ZhiYang said Old Pei had been supported back by Pei Jing, and ZhiXia felt truly relieved in her heart.

She was somewhat afraid he would come looking for her again.

Although she didn't plan on never marrying in this life, at the very least she didn't have any thoughts of marriage recently.

Especially since she hadn't completely resolved the crisis in the family yet.

An JingZhi came by that evening, bringing welcome news.

An MeiYun had indeed married, and the groom was the Lin Hao she had mentioned.

Although the Lin family was ordinary, Lin Hao was promising and talented. Relying on his own research abilities and the family connections, he currently worked in an agency.

An JingZhi wanted to advise ZhiXia to return, but was refused.

She had chosen to leave the An family after An MeiYun's marriage, and of course wouldn't change her mind in a moment's temper.

She had long known An MeiYun wouldn't obediently go to the countryside. Her original plan was to drive An MeiYun out before making a move, but the old master and madam's intervention had accelerated the timeline.

Lin Hao was still An MeiYun's husband from her previous life. It's just that in this life they had gotten together a full two years earlier than the previous life.

The gears of fate had already changed, it's just that this time, the initiative was in her hands.

An MeiYun, revenge, was only truly beginning now.