Chapter 6

Ding Ning looked at Aunt Wu's face with some annoyance, but since it was his mother who was talking to her, he didn't feel it was appropriate to interrupt. He turned his head away from Aunt Wu.

Thirteen seemed to have anticipated Aunt Wu's sudden outburst. She organized her thoughts and, with a calm and steady voice, said, "Sister Wu, since you've put it out there, I'll be straightforward too. Although our family is poor and both my son and I are not in the best health, we are not so desperate as to rely on others. If we were to lower our heads and live like that, we wouldn't be who we are."

For some reason, Ding Ning felt that his mother's tone was particularly firm when she said this, as if nothing could change her mind even if the sky fell.

At that moment, his mother's frail figure gave Ding Ning an incredibly tall and strong image, making him secretly resolve to do something.

Seeing the usually gentle and compliant Thirteen dare to contradict her face-to-face, the arrogant Aunt Wu was displeased: "Sister Thirteen, you shouldn't say it like that. There are thousands of people in Haibin City who make Chinese knots. Why would I specifically buy yours? Yes, your skills are good, but they're not so good that I would rush over to buy them. Don't you know why? I'll tell you the truth, this engagement must be broken! Our Yaoyao has such good conditions, and there are many boys chasing her. Someone like Ding Ning doesn't even come close."

"Mom... what are you saying? I'm still here."

Chen Mengyao pouted coquettishly. Actually, she was quite pretty, and her coquettish manner was somewhat like that of some actresses on TV. However, to Ding Ning, it felt very fake, extremely fake.

Ding Ning didn't have this feeling before, but now that he had the essence of heaven and earth in his body, he felt a closer connection to nature rather than to fakeness. Chen Mengyao's supposedly charming appearance seemed ugly to him.

Ding Ning turned his head away, unwilling to look, and muttered to himself, "Am I becoming a bit perverted after being able to cultivate? This woman is actually quite good-looking."

Turning his head, he saw that his master had also turned away, and Ding Ning's hesitant heart was immediately at ease: "Good, good, Master is the same as me. It seems I'm still normal."

"Good girl, don't be shy. I'm doing this for you."

Aunt Wu was very fond of her daughter's act. She turned to comfort her and then said to Thirteen, "Sister Thirteen, I'll be honest with you. I didn't really care about your Chinese knots. If we break the engagement, we can still be friends, and I'll take care of Ding Ning's tuition. If you don't break it, I won't want your Chinese knots, and I can guarantee that no one in Haibin City will want them either!"

Her tone was decisive. After saying this, she crossed her arms and looked up at the temple's ceiling, as if she had Thirteen cornered.

Ding Ning took a deep breath and was about to speak when Thirteen waved her hand to stop him.

"Sister Wu, I call you Sister Wu because you are older. Actually, I was planning to say these things even if you didn't. I let Ding Ning go to school so he can have a bright future, live with his head held high, and completely escape this poverty. If you want to break the engagement, then so be it. But we will find a way to pay for Ding Ning's tuition ourselves, and we won't trouble you."

Thirteen's words were not just to save face; she had been prepared. She took out a red cloth bag from her pocket, opened it gently, and inside was a jade amulet in the shape of a flying bird, with a color so vibrant it looked very valuable.

She handed this to Aunt Wu, who in turn returned a white bracelet to Thirteen. The bracelet was crystal clear and seemed to be of high quality.

Aunt Wu had thought Thirteen would not agree to break the engagement, given their poor family situation. She had even prepared for a long battle. She never expected Thirteen to agree so easily, and it seemed she had been thinking about it for a while. Aunt Wu felt a bit embarrassed.

Partly because she had gotten angry too soon, making her seem particularly materialistic, and partly because she was dissatisfied. She could break the engagement, but why should Thirteen, with her family's conditions, also think about breaking it?

She seemed to want to say something more, but the old man suddenly spoke: "If you both think it's not suitable, then that's that. Go back, we still have to eat."

Thirteen didn't look at Aunt Wu again. She walked over and placed the chicken soup in front of Ding Ning: "Come, Ning, drink the soup your mother made."

The old man saw that Aunt Wu and her daughter hadn't moved and said coldly, "My temple is small and can't accommodate such distinguished guests. Ding Ning, see them off for your master."

The old man had given the order to leave. Ding Ning walked to Aunt Wu and her daughter and said, "Please go."

Seeing the old man's displeasure, Aunt Wu felt a bit regretful.

The old man was not only skilled in martial arts but also seemed to have significant influence. When her husband had invited a city leader to dinner, she had overheard the leader mention visiting the Guandi Temple in Qingshan Village to see Master Situ.

Master Situ had deep connections, and since Ding Ning was his disciple, he would definitely arrange a good future for him. Her opportunistic nature made her feel that her decision had been hasty.

But with the old man's order, she didn't dare stay at the Guandi Temple any longer and left with Chen Mengyao.

In front of the stone courtyard was a white Infiniti, their car.

Ding Ning seemed to like it, circling the car and even looking at the sunroof.

Aunt Wu's eyes moved, looking at Ding Ning. She thought this might be a good opportunity to mend their relationship. Even if the engagement was broken, they shouldn't make an enemy. She said to Ding Ning, "Ding Ning, you're a big boy now. After the summer, you'll be going to Haibin City for school. Aunt Wu is in Haibin, and you can come to me if you need anything. Even if we can't be a family, we still have a connection."

She pointed to her car, "See this car? It costs 1.7 million. Aunt Wu can't guarantee anything else, but if you work hard, I can guarantee you'll have one like this in three years."

Ding Ning turned to look at Aunt Wu, a seemingly sincere smile on his fat face: "Aunt Wu, you don't know, I'm very stubborn. Once I set my mind on something, I'll stick to it no matter what. I might not be suitable to work under you."

"That's a good thing! Boys should be persistent. How can you achieve anything without such a character? Aunt Wu doesn't like people who are enthusiastic for only three minutes. What you have is... right! It's called the 'nail spirit,' a good habit!"

"Ha, Aunt Wu, you flatter me. The 'nail spirit' is indeed a good habit, but a nail alone is useless. Without a hammer to drive it, the nail can't move forward."

"That's fine, that's fine. Aunt Wu is willing to be the hammer to help you. I believe your master, the old man..."

"Aunt Wu, are you saying I'm the nail and you're the hammer?" Ding Ning suddenly asked with a stern face.

"Ah, yes, that's what I said." Aunt Wu was taken aback, not understanding Ding Ning's meaning.

"I see. The road is not easy to walk. Be careful when you cross the bridge, Aunt Wu. Goodbye, no need to see you off." Ding Ning suddenly changed his expression and turned back to the Guandi Temple.

"What does this fatso mean?" Aunt Wu got into the car, puzzled, and slowly chewed on their conversation.

"You're the nail, I'm the hammer... I'm a hammer?"

******

"Ungrateful! I'm a hammer? That fatso is the hammer! How dare he indirectly insult me, an ignorant bumpkin! Thirteen that woman doesn't know her place, does she think she's the mistress of some big shot? If she had the ability, she wouldn't live in this godforsaken place. Look at her, a fox spirit, over thirty and still trying to look like a young girl. She's clearly not a decent person. Pah! Mengyao, when Ding Ning goes to Haibin No. 1 High School, you must show him his place!"

Aunt Wu ranted in the car. Chen Mengyao, in the passenger seat, felt a bit angry after hearing her mother's tirade.

"Don't worry, Mom. After the summer, Ding Ning will go to No. 1 High School. I'm in the second year, and there are many boys chasing me. I'll have plenty of ways to deal with him."

"That's good. Open the sunroof, I'm so angry, I feel suffocated."

Chen Mengyao opened the sunroof as instructed.

As soon as the sunroof opened, there was a sound like paper tearing, but neither of them noticed.

*****

Two hours later, Aunt Wu and her daughter, with bruised faces, were giving statements to the police.

"You don't believe me? You actually don't believe me? We were hit by water, and in a panic, we drove the car into a ditch. The bruises on our faces and bodies are from the airbags. Look at my car, it's completely waterlogged!"

"We see that, but we can't believe your explanation. How could water fall from the sunroof? According to the weather forecast, there hasn't been any rain in Haibin these past few days."

Aunt Wu seemed to want to say more, but the police were clearly losing patience.

The lead officer put away the statement and said politely but firmly, "That's enough, Ms. Wu. Whether what you say is true or not, this traffic accident is your own responsibility. Since there were no other witnesses besides you and your daughter, we will send you the accident report soon. The tow truck is here, we're leaving. Goodbye!"

The police left, and Aunt Wu sat on the ground in despair, finding it hard to believe what had happened today.

Chen Mengyao, enduring the pain from the airbags, walked to the overturned Infiniti.

When the police were investigating the scene, they had casually thrown a half-torn piece of paper to the side. Chen Mengyao noticed it but didn't say anything, as some things, even if said, wouldn't be believed.

At that moment, she picked up the discarded half-torn piece of paper.

The paper had originally been stuck to the sunroof, and the middle part was torn. It had the word "water" written on it.

It was clear that the paper had an upper part, but it was nowhere to be found.

Chen Mengyao quietly clenched the paper in her hand, a glint of a woman's particular ruthlessness in her eyes.