Chapter 6: The Mother - Daughter Pair Repays the Favor

"Have something to eat first." Ling Xuan brought out the last dish and said to this charming mother - daughter pair.

Ning Huifen glanced at her daughter, then looked around as if checking if there was anyone else. After getting a definite answer, she pulled her daughter over and knelt down without moving.

"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" Ling Xuan sat on the chair and asked curiously.

"Sir, both my and Lingling's humble lives belong to you. We... have already received your great kindness. How could we dare to... have a meal with you now?" Ning Huifen said.

"Don't be so polite. Since I saved you, I'll see it through to the end." Ling Xuan said.

Ning Huifen hesitated for a moment, looking at the sumptuous food on the table. She felt that she hadn't eaten for a long time. Especially her daughter's eyes, full of eagerness for food, were even secretly swallowing saliva. Because she didn't have her mother's permission, she didn't dare to move, just staring straight at the food on the table.

Ling Xuan said, "Do you think I've put something in the food?"

"No..." Ning Huifen said in a panic, "Our humble lives were saved by you, sir. How could we think like that... It's just..."

"Since not, stop hesitating. Come and sit down!" Ling Xuan beckoned.

After hesitating for a while, Ning Huifen finally brought her daughter over and sat on either side of Ling Xuan.

The two sat on the sofa, looking at the furnishings in Ling Xuan's house, and knew that this was no ordinary family, at least a petty - bourgeois one.

Ling Xuan divided the food into two portions and handed them to the mother - daughter pair.

"Eat. There's more if you're not full." Ling Xuan said generously.

"Thank you!" Ning Huifen looked at the food, lowered her head and said, then started to eat. To Ling Xuan's surprise, Ning Huifen pushed half of her food to her daughter, and then she only ate a small part. Her daughter pushed the food back, and the two of them were pushing it back and forth.

"Don't push it around. There's plenty of food here, and you can both have enough." Ling Xuan said.

Hearing Ling Xuan's words, the two continued to eat. In Ling Xuan's impression, beggars would surely gobble up their food, but these two ate unhurriedly and gracefully. Weren't they hungry? But they cherished every grain of food. Soon, they ate up all the food Ling Xuan had brought.

Ling Xuan watched them eating, and it made him feel quite hungry, so he ate a lot too. Seeing that they had finished, he was about to serve them more rice when Ning Huifen hurriedly said, "Sir, we're full!"

Ling Xuan was taken aback, looked at Lingling beside her, and said, "How about you? Are you full?"

The girl looked at her mother, slightly raised her head, nodded to Ling Xuan, and responded with an "Mhm!".

Ling Xuan nodded and said, "Anyway, the rice is here. If you're hungry, just help yourselves." Seeing that Ning Huifen and her daughter didn't speak, he asked again, "Where are you from?"

"We're from a remote mountainous area in XX City." Ning Huifen lowered her head and replied.

"XX City? It's very far from here!" Ling Xuan said in surprise.

"Yes, we've been begging our way here." Ning Huifen's tone was very respectful.

"Then why did you have to beg?" Ling Xuan asked.

When Ning Huifen heard Ling Xuan's question, her heart ached. She looked very sad, as if she had something hard to say.

Seeing her look of hardship, Ling Xuan said softly, "If it's inconvenient for you to talk about it, then don't."

Ning Huifen shook her head and said, "Sir, you've saved our mother - daughter's lives. There's no need to hide these things from you."

It turned out that Ning Huifen's family background wasn't bad. Her family was a revolutionary one. Her grandfather had participated in the revolution and contributed to the founding of New China. With such a family background and her beauty, in the 1990s, she married a well - known ten - thousand - yuan household in the village at that time. Her husband was Xu Hui. His ancestors were local landlords. His family was severely criticized during the Cultural Revolution, and all family members died, leaving only him. After much difficulty, when the reform and opening - up came, Xu Hui's family no longer had any fields. He could only go to Guangdong to work in the south. After coming back, Xu Hui used the money he earned from working to contract nearly a hundred mu of barren forest to plant economic species. Unexpectedly, he received strong support from the government. A few years later, he became the richest person in the village and married Ning Huifen, the most beautiful woman in the surrounding villages. The couple's life was very affectionate and enviable.

This peaceful and contented life lasted for more than ten years. Ning Huifen gave birth to a daughter for Xu Hui, that is, Xu Lingling. Because family - planning was strictly enforced in rural areas, Ning Huifen had an IUD inserted and could no longer have children. Since the family was well - off, she was well - taken care of in the village.

However, such a good life turned into a nightmare three years ago...

Xu Hui became addicted to underground gambling. At first, it was just small - scale, but later he got deeper and deeper, betting more and more, even placing bets of tens of thousands at a time. As the saying goes, nine out of ten gamblers lose. Xu Hui soon lost all his property. After Ning Huifen discovered her husband's behavior, she tried her best to dissuade him, but instead, she was severely beaten by her husband, who said she was meddling. Later, it got so bad that he even blamed Ning Huifen for not leaving a male heir for the Xu family to carry on the family line! Ning Huifen's dissuasion was ineffective. Xu Hui soon lost all the forest land at home and beat Ning Huifen and her daughter every day.

Unable to bear it, Ning Huifen ran back to her parents' home and told them what had happened. Unexpectedly, Xu Hui chased after her and beat Ning Huifen in front of her father - in - law, saying that she had shamed the Xu family!

Ning Huifen's old father was so angry that he died on the spot. Ning Huifen was extremely 痛苦. Instead of stopping, Xu Hui actually listened to the loan - shark and wanted to mortgage his wife and daughter to others to get gambling money...

Ning Huifen resisted desperately and fought with Xu Hui. Later, the neighborhood committee intervened and agreed to let her divorce Xu Hui. Before the final divorce agreement was completed, Xu Hui lost the house in gambling and owed a huge debt. Eventually, he was forced to death by the loan - shark.

The loan - shark, unable to get the money, kept chasing after Ning Huifen, who was living in her parents' home. The mother - daughter pair lived in constant fear. In order not to cause trouble and unease to her family, Ning Huifen took her daughter to the provincial capital to find a distant relative, hoping to find a job to make a living and get away from the days of constant anxiety.

They managed to scrape together enough money to take a bus here, but unexpectedly, the relative didn't recognize them at all and treated them worse than beggars. Since they had used up all their money and were too embarrassed to go back to trouble their elderly mother and elder brother in the countryside, Ning Huifen could only wander the streets with her daughter. Before meeting Ling Xuan, they had been 流浪 in the city for five days.

When Ning Huifen finished telling her story, tears couldn't help streaming down her face. Her daughter, Xu Lingling, who was sitting beside her, also cried.

No wonder they looked so charming, completely different from ordinary rural women. It turned out they were from a well - off family, but life had been cruel to them.

Ling Xuan sighed inwardly, handed them napkins, put one hand on Ning Huifen's back and the other on her daughter's shoulder, gently patting to comfort them.

"Have you two ever been to school?" Ling Xuan asked.

"My daughter studied up to the first year of high school. After her father squandered the family property, she couldn't continue. I also went to junior high school." Ning Huifen replied.

"What are your names?" Ling Xuan asked.

"My name is Ning Huifen, and my daughter is Xu Lingling. You can call her Xiaoling. She's very shy. In fact, it's okay for me to suffer, but it's really hard for her to come out begging with me." Ning Huifen said softly. Pouring out these things was like an unprecedented release, making her feel a sense of relief as if she had no regrets even if she died.

Ling Xuan looked at this charming mother - daughter pair. No wonder they ate so gracefully. They had a story behind them. Ling Xuan took some fruits from the refrigerator for them to eat, and then he ate something too.

As the saying goes, "When well - fed and warm, one may think of other desires."

Ling Xuan looked at this charming mother - daughter pair and suddenly had a strong sense of lust. He asked Ning Huifen and her daughter to clean up the table while he turned on the TV and leaned back on the sofa.

"Sir, I... I don't know how to repay you." Ning Huifen looked at Ling Xuan, a bit at a loss.

One should always remember the kindness received. It seems that Ning Huifen really knows how to be a person, especially a typical traditional Chinese woman with the virtues of a good wife and mother passed down for five thousand years.

Ling Xuan looked at her blushing face, and an unnamed fire ignited in his lower abdomen. Ling Xuan's heart started to beat faster.

It's time.

Ling Xuan thought to himself.