CHAPTER 596: CHAPTER 596: FRIENDS

Speaking of his daughter, Feng Dajun finally closed his eyes.

The daughter really can’t go back to her hometown, and his mom indeed favors boys over girls.

If he leaves only the daughter, he can’t take care of her alone.

"Remember what you said, if it happens again, you’ll go back to your hometown."

"I, I... I remember, I won’t dare again..."

..................

The ringing of the school bell echoed through the campus, and the children ran out of the classroom like little birds.

Ningning, with a backpack on, skipped out while thinking about whether to have dinner with Mommy and Daddy Jia tonight or go back to eat with Grandma.

This was the most troublesome thing for her recently.

Daddy Jia now works at a different store from Mommy, and he only gets to have dinner with her when he picks her up from school.

But if she eats with Mommy and Daddy Jia at the store, Grandma would be home alone.

Grandma would also feel lonely without company.

Although Grandma says it’s the same with Ningning sleeping with her, Ningning feels that Grandma looks so happy when she eats with her.

As she was thinking, Ningning saw a familiar figure sitting by the flower bed not far away, and hurriedly quickened her pace to run over.

"Feng Jingjing, why aren’t you in a hurry to go home? Waiting for your mom to pick you up?"

Feng Jingjing slowly turned her head, saw it was Qin Ningning, and turned her head away again, speaking faintly, "No."

Ningning sat down next to her with a thud to keep her company, "Are you going home by yourself then?"

Go home? Feng Jingjing was silent.

She didn’t want to go back to that home. Her mom’s been in a bad mood lately, getting angry at any little thing.

Every time she got home, as long as her mom saw her, she would either hit or scold her. Even being extra careful not to make mistakes, her mom would always find faults.

Only when Dad was home would Mom let her off.

But Dad has been busy recently too, always coming home late.

Ningning noticed her unhappiness and asked with concern, "What’s wrong? Didn’t do well on the exam?"

Feng Jingjing shook her head again.

Ningning thought for a moment, then took out two candies from her backpack and put them in Feng Jingjing’s hands, "These are for you."

Feng Jingjing held the candies and couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because we are friends," Ningning said matter-of-factly.

Though she hadn’t interacted much with Feng Jingjing, the first time she saw her, she felt like seeing herself.

It was hard to describe that feeling.

Although she doesn’t feel that way anymore, she still thinks Feng Jingjing seems pitiful.

But she wouldn’t share that feeling; her mom said no one likes being pitied by others.

Feng Jingjing turned to look at Ningning; she didn’t expect Ningning to see her as a friend.

At school, she had no friends.

Her mom said city people are very cunning, and they look down on people from the countryside. Even if she tries hard, those city kids won’t play with or befriend her.

Her mom also said one should know their place, recognize their status, and not shamelessly mingle with others, only to be looked down upon.

However, seeing the light in Ningning’s eyes made her feel that Mom might not be entirely right.

Ningning had always been nice to her.

Ningning was about to say something else when she spotted Jia Liang across the street, her eyes brightened and a smile appeared on her face.

"My family is here to pick me up, you should hurry home too."

Following Ningning’s gaze, Feng Jingjing saw the man in the distance, tall and fierce-looking.

"Is that your family?"

She remembered a man coming to pick up Ningning last year, claiming to be her father.

Ningning didn’t want to go with him, and they even fought at the school gate.

Even from afar, she could tell that man was not the same person as the one in front of her now.

Ningning leaned in mysteriously, "Let me tell you a secret, this is the new dad Mommy found for me."

"New dad?"

"Yes, I used to have a dad who wasn’t nice to me, and that grandma, they disliked me because I’m a girl. Later, Mommy and I left that home, and she found me a new dad. Daddy Jia is very good to me, and my new grandma is especially fond of me. They don’t mind that I’m a girl."

She glanced around and lowered her voice, "I’ll secretly tell you, last time Daddy Jia took me out to play, I forgot to do my homework. The teacher asked me to call a parent. I didn’t dare to tell Mommy, but Daddy Jia came to apologize to the teacher and took the blame."

After speaking, Ningning couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Daddy Jia and Grandma Jia had always been good to her, and ever since Mommy married Daddy Jia, they’ve been even better. They said now they’re truly a family.

Ningning really liked such a family.

Feng Jingjing widened her eyes in disbelief, "He took the blame from the teacher for you? What happened then, did he hit you when you got home?"

Forget about getting blamed by the teacher, if her mom knew she hadn’t finished her homework, she would definitely be beaten badly.

Her mom said that girls going to school is just wasting the family’s money, and if she doesn’t study well, she is being ungrateful.

Ningning proudly raised her little head, "Daddy Jia wouldn’t hit me. After leaving school, he even bought me candied haws, saying I must have felt bad being scolded by the teacher... Oh, I won’t talk to you anymore, Daddy Jia is calling me."

Ningning saw Jia Liang had already spotted her and was waving. She quickly waved to Feng Jingjing and ran over.

Feng Jingjing watched the butterfly-like figure run over to the very fierce-looking man, jumping up and down, saying something to him.

That man, though looking so fierce, smiled gently when he saw Ningning and quickly took her pink backpack onto his own shoulder.

The tall and sturdy figure didn’t match the small pink backpack at all.

She quietly averted her gaze.

Ningning’s dad wasn’t nice to them, so her mom found her a new dad.

If her mom wasn’t nice to her, could she also find a new mom?

The campus was getting emptier, and Feng Jingjing knew if she didn’t head back soon, she’d get scolded by her mom again.

But even if she went back early, she would still get scolded. Coming home a bit late meant her dad would be back soon, and her mom might scold her less.

The weather today wasn’t good, the sky was gloomy. Feng Jingjing lowered her head and slowly walked home, suddenly seeing several feet blocking her way up ahead.

Looking up, she saw some familiar and arrogant faces. Instinctively, she wanted to run, but turned and was blocked by two more people.

This was the shortcut to her house, and when her mom used to drop her off, they’d take this path.

She rarely took this path alone, as it was too secluded, and it scared her a little.

Today she was lost in thought and found herself walking onto this path again without realizing it.