The single day was not enough, and the park soon closed. Many attractions were left unvisited, much to the children's reluctance.
Jiang Nanfang appeased them, "We'll come again tomorrow. You must be tired from a whole day of running. Let's go back and rest. Mommy promises to bring you back tomorrow."
"But isn't Mommy anxious to deal with Grandma's affairs?" Rui Rui looked at her understandingly.
"Not tomorrow. We'll deal with it later. Once Mommy finishes everything and is in a good mood, we'll come. Your Aunt and I are not in a hurry; we can wait."
Her sister also told Jiang Nanfang understandingly, "Yes, Mommy, we're not in a hurry. You and Daddy can take care of your business first, and bring us to play next time."
Jiang Nanfang hugged the two children, touched. Zhan Beijue urged from the car.
"Let's go. Parking here for too long is not allowed. We can talk in the car."
Jiang Nanfang led them to the car and looked at them boarding with infinite tenderness.
"Mommy, aren't you coming back with us in the same car?"
Jiang Nanfang yearned to go back with her children, even spend the night with them.
However, Jiang Xingchen's actions today had truly soured her mood.
Moreover, Zhan Beijue might not be willing for her to take the children away.
She didn't have the energy to argue with him and indeed needed his help to look after the children.
"You go back with Daddy first. Mommy will call you tonight. Mommy promises that once everything is settled, we will never be separated again."
"Okay then." The two children waved goodbye to her reluctantly. "Bye, Mommy, remember to miss us."
Taking a taxi home, Jiang Nanfang immediately turned on her computer and searched for information about her mother's house online.
To her surprise, she actually found it.
The real estate agent had listed it for 5.3 million yuan, with exquisite photos posted on a property website.
Seeing the familiar pictures, her heart ached with a long-lost pain.
According to her mother, Jiang Nanfang's maternal grandparents were professors of Chinese and Mathematics at Nancheng University, respectively.
From childhood to adulthood, she was also a cherished treasure in her parents' hands.
It wasn't until she was twenty that her mother, a sophomore, met Jiang Zhenjun, a senior two years her elder.
Jiang Zhenjun came from a poor background, but he was handsome and eloquent.
Her mother fell in love with him at first sight, quickly falling into a relationship regardless of their material conditions. Before long, Jiang Nanfang was conceived.
Upon learning of her daughter's premarital pregnancy, her maternal grandparents were furious in those times.
They demanded that her mother abort the child and return to her studies.
Her mother refused. Being head-over-heels in love, she moved with Jiang Zhenjun into the house her parents gifted them when she turned eighteen, choosing to sever ties with her parents to insist on giving birth.
Unfortunately, this desperate commitment did not earn Jiang Zhenjun's admiration; instead, it quickly diminished his interest.
By the time Jiang Nanfang was two, her mother discovered evidence of his infidelity.
The weak and foolish woman did not choose to break up but silently forgave him, which only led to Jiang Zhenjun's increasing transgressions.
From then on, "Ah San, Ah Si, Ah Wu" kept appearing, and her mother would stumble upon him with other women every few days.
Finally, when Jiang Nanfang was five, Jiang Zhenjun's career took another leap forward. He bought a new car and house, and her mother developed depression.
Jiang Zhenjun thoroughly detested her and openly moved Zeng Jiahui, the mother of Jiang Xingchen, into the new house.
Her mother watched them together, watched Zeng Jiahui become pregnant, and watched him have Jiang Xingchen.
Finally, when Jiang Nanfang was seven, her mother chose to commit suicide.
She was so foolish. She thought that by dying, Jiang Zhenjun would feel guilt and cherish her memory like a white moonlight, forever hidden in his heart.
In reality, trash lacks humanity and will not suddenly develop it.
Deep affection was worthless in their eyes; it was even mocked.
Before the seventh day after her mother's passing, the couple had already registered their marriage.
From then on, Jiang Nanfang's nightmare began.
As a child, Jiang Nanfang greatly resented her mother.
Weak and incompetent, she had given her life but not the means to live it.
Surviving under Zeng Jiahui's constant beatings and scolding, life was worse than death.
When she was eight, Zeng Jiahui was pregnant with their second child, and the whole family was happy.
Jiang Nanfang, then in second grade, still had to do laundry and cooking for Zeng Jiahui after school. Any slight displeasure would result in a beating.
One day, when Jiang Zhenjun was not home, Jiang Nanfang was kneeling on the second floor, scrubbing the stair treads. Her stepmother walked past her and deliberately stepped on her fingers.
"Wipe it cleaner! Can't you see all this dust? Are you blind? You eat like a pig all day, and you put on a sour face when asked to do any work. I can't stand looking at you!"
After saying that, she rolled her eyes, put her hand on her waist, and gracefully headed downstairs to find something to eat.
Looking at her own purple-bruised fingers, and remembering the grievances and torment she had endured these past few days, Jiang Nanfang felt a surge of unbearable sadness. She felt she couldn't take it anymore.
She didn't want to live anymore; living was too exhausting. No one loved or cared for her; it was all so meaningless.
It was all this damned woman's fault! If she wasn't going to have a good life, neither should that woman! Before dying, she wouldn't care about anything else and would fight her!
So, without thinking further, she turned around and kicked Zeng Jiahui hard in the back, watching her tumble down the stairs.
As expected, Zeng Jiahui miscarried.
Furthermore, because the fetus was relatively large, her uterus ruptured, and it had to be removed, rendering her unable to have children in the future.
Jiang Nanfang would never forget how Jiang Zhenjun that day was like a maddened lion.
Upon returning home, without a word, he grabbed her hair and smashed her head against the kitchen wall.
Jiang Nanfang lost consciousness on the spot and fainted. When she woke up again, she was lying on the cold floor. The house was empty.
Everyone had gone to the hospital to care for Zeng Jiahui; no one cared about her fate.
With a face full of blood, Jiang Nanfang stumbled out of the house in a daze, contemplating where to end her life.
Coincidentally, she met Grandpa Wang, who was returning home from work across the street.
Grandpa Wang was an old Chinese medicine practitioner who had practiced medicine in his own clinic his entire life.
Having lived next to the Jiang family for over two years, he had some understanding of their situation.
Seeing that Jiang Nanfang had been beaten again, and so severely, he took her to his home.
That day, Grandpa Wang told her, "One must know how to temper their edge and endure humiliation. You are living under someone else's roof now; you must know how to read people's expressions and not talk back to adults."
"Endure obediently for a few years. When you turn eighteen, leave this home, and no one will be able to control you; you'll be completely free."
Thus, with his help, Jiang Nanfang feigned a scar on her face and began to disguise herself day after day.
In the conflict, Zeng Jiahui lost her uterus, and Jiang Nanfang lost her beauty.
It could be considered a form of revenge for her. The couple then mercifully spared her life.
The painful memories flooded back like a horror movie.
Looking at the familiar house, Jiang Nanfang's whole body trembled; every cell within her vibrated with uncontrollable rage.
She now had the full capacity to confront them. What was she still waiting for? Why not go back and question them directly?
She wanted to get an explanation from Jiang Zhenjun. For her past naive self and for her mother who loved him to death.
She wanted to avenge her mother. She couldn't wait another second.