Snow Color

Chapter 399 Ode to Joy 43

"Yingying, you should take a look at your round belly first!" Fan Shengmei couldn't help laughing at Qiu Yingying's naive appearance. Interestingly, her own situation was not much better, except that her belly was slightly smaller in comparison.

"Okay, sisters, drink some tea first. It can help us digest food. Otherwise, you will probably feel uncomfortable in your stomach at night." As she spoke, Luo Yining came over with a few cups of steaming hot tea. It turned out that she saw that everyone ate so much, so she specially brewed some digestive tea that she carefully prepared.

"Oh my, Ningning, look at you, you are simply the standard of a good wife and mother! Not only are you multi-talented, but you also have such a gentle and kind personality." Qu Xiaoxiao praised with a smile.

Hearing this, Luo Yining shook her head slightly and responded with a smile: "As for the title of a good wife and a loving mother, it is not very appropriate for me." In fact, deep down, she did not particularly like such words. After all, these so-called skills and qualities were all the results of her learning, accumulation and gradual mastery after experiencing several completely different worlds. For her, the biggest wish was just to hope that her future life would be smooth and satisfactory.

"Hey, then tell me quickly, how many great good deeds do I have to do so that I can have the chance to become as outstanding as you in the next life?" Qu Xiaoxiao blinked her bright big eyes and teased half-jokingly.

"Stop it, Xiaoxiao. Look, you're doing well now! Your career is booming, and you don't know how many people envy you!" Luo Yining took a sip of tea and comforted her gently.

"It's just a small fight." Qu Xiaoxiao said with a smile and waved her hand gently, as if she didn't care about what she did.

"If those people outside heard what you said, they would definitely not agree!" Luo Yining responded.

At this moment, Fan Shengmei cast her eyes towards the two of them. Looking at this scene, she felt mixed emotions and didn't know what to say for a moment. Perhaps more importantly, Fan Shengmei felt a little uncomfortable with their natural and intimate way of communication, but she didn't say much at this moment, and even her facial expression didn't change at all, as if everything had nothing to do with her.

In this way, time passed quietly, and before they knew it, more than half an hour had passed. Seeing that it was getting darker, it was indeed late, so everyone stood up and prepared to leave. However, before leaving, out of courtesy and friendship, everyone worked together to help Luo Yining tidy up the table and other things, and then went home.

Since that day, Luo Yining has become extremely busy. Due to the numerous work matters, she has almost no time to care about the situation between the other friends on the 22nd floor, let alone know what they have experienced during this period of time.

However, as luck would have it, there is no such thing as a coincidence. One day, when Luo Yining was busy at the Municipal Bureau, her cell phone on the table suddenly rang. It turned out to be Guan Juer calling, and Guan Juer said anxiously on the other end of the phone: "Hello, Ningning, it's not good! Sister Fan's parents actually ran to Shanghai with her brother's child, and now they don't have a cell phone with them, and they don't have any money on them. We can't contact them at all, and we can't find them anywhere! Sister Fan is almost dying of anxiety."

As night fell, the sky was as dark as ink. Luo Yining looked up at the deep night sky and couldn't help but sigh that time passed so quickly. Although it was late at night, she was still familiar with the environment around the train station.

"Guan Guan, don't be anxious! Go and ask the staff or security guards there first to see if there is a place that can shelter from the wind and rain. After all, those people who come here without any relatives or friends will surely know some relevant information. Go and ask around, I'll be there soon." Luo Yining reminded them quickly.

After saying that, Luo Yining briefly explained a few things to the people around her, and then hurried out. She quickly got into the car, started the engine, and drove towards the train station. However, when the car was halfway there, Guan Juer called.

"Ningning, we've found a place to shelter from the rain. It's so late now, we plan to go straight back to Ode to Joy, so you don't have to come over." Guan Juer's relaxed voice came from the other end of the phone.

Hearing this news, Luo Yining breathed a sigh of relief, then turned the car around and headed home. Anyway, she no longer needed to be there to handle the affairs of the bureau.

When the elevator that Luo Yining was riding slowly ascended to the 22nd floor, as soon as the door opened, a pungent smell of cigarettes hit her in the face. She frowned and looked carefully, only to see an old man standing in the corridor puffing out a cigarette.

Luo Yining didn't stay outside for too long, because she also heard the noise coming from room 2202. Considering that the current time was not suitable for rashly entering that room, she decided to go to Andy's place for the time being.

When Luo Yining came to Andy, she couldn't help but ask, "Andy, you brought Sister Fan's parents back like this, but the space in Room 2202 is limited. Can it accommodate so many people?" Andy frowned slightly, thought for a moment and replied, "If we let them stay in a hotel, it will undoubtedly be a considerable expense and burden for Sister Fan."

Luo Yining nodded gently, indicating that she understood Andy's concerns. At this time, Andy seemed to suddenly remember something and said with emotion: "Ningning, in fact, I just returned to China not long ago, and I really know very little about the complicated family relationships in China. It was not until today that I learned about what happened in Fan Xiaomei's family that I suddenly realized that she had been silently carrying such a heavy burden all along."

Recalling the moments she had spent with Fan Shengmei in the past, Andy felt more and more distressed for this seemingly strong but actually fragile woman. She continued, "I never understood why Fan Shengmei was always short of money despite having a decent salary every month. Now it seems that everything has a reason! And she was always cautious and hesitant about certain things before, which must have something to do with her family situation."

"Yes, that's true. However, faced with such a situation, Sister Fan couldn't bear to resist after all, and ultimately could only helplessly allow her parents to manipulate her at will. However, from some of her daily behaviors, it can be clearly seen that Sister Fan is extremely insecure. I guess her feelings towards her parents are also quite complicated." Luo Yining explained with a sigh.

"Ah, to be honest, I really can't fully understand this series of things." Andy shook her head and responded with difficulty. After all, she grew up in a very different environment from Sister Fan, and she was really confused about this kind of family problems.

"Andy, Sister Fan's strong character means that she cannot accept pity or sympathy from others. And those trivial matters in her family ultimately have to be handled by her on her own. Otherwise, no matter how warm-hearted and eager we are to help, we will probably be rejected." Luo Yining continued to analyze the reasons earnestly.

"Even so, if Sister Fan encounters difficulties and needs assistance, we should try our best to lend a helping hand wherever we can." Andy expressed his thoughts seriously.

"Andy, I understand that you and Sister Fan have a deep friendship, and you don't care at all about helping her. But you may not even know all of Sister Fan's true thoughts and the actual situation in her family. In fact, this matter itself is not difficult to resolve, but the most difficult thing is the series of troubles that may be caused later!" Luo Yining frowned and reminded Andy with some concern.

"Andy, you might as well have a good talk with your Singularity about this matter. Maybe he can come up with some good solutions!" Luo Yining knew very well that with Wei Wei's ability and knowledge, it would not be difficult to properly handle this situation, so she gave some advice.

Andy nodded slightly to show his agreement: "Well, okay. Maybe it will be helpful to hear Qidian's opinion."

"Okay, Andy, I'll go back now." After saying that, Luo Yining turned around and prepared to leave. Just as she was about to step out of the door, she saw from the corner of her eye that the door of 2202 was open, and the room was in a mess and disorder. She glanced at it quickly, and left without staying for long.

The next morning, the sun shone through the thin clouds and fell on the ground, bringing a touch of warmth and hope. Luo Yining got up early as usual and started a day of exercise. After the morning run, she simply washed up, changed into a neat and decent professional suit, and went to the Municipal Bureau in high spirits to start a new day of work.

In the following days, Luo Yining occasionally heard from Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying about how Fan Shengmei was treated by her parents. According to their description, Fan Shengmei was asked to do all kinds of things by her parents, constantly nagging her to do this and that, without any regard for her feelings. The idea of ​​favoring boys over girls was so deeply rooted that it was the extreme.

Faced with such a situation, in order to avoid getting into an awkward situation in the house, Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying would choose to go to other residents' homes on the 22nd floor to take shelter every time they returned to their residence. They would then quietly return to their own rooms to rest when it was late at night and find that Fan's father and mother were still there.

Several days passed in a daze, and the unexpected and worst thing finally happened. However, at this critical moment, Luo Yining was not involved. It turned out that at this critical moment, a patient appeared in the military hospital who urgently needed Luo Yining's help. So Luo Yining devoted himself to the affairs of the military hospital and never left there.

By the time she finally finished all the tasks at hand and set out on her journey home with her exhausted body, everything was actually almost settled.

Unfortunately, Fan's father was paralyzed! Faced with such a heavy blow and high medical expenses, Fan Shengmei had no choice but to mortgage the house she bought for her brother and sister-in-law to Wei Wei and borrow 10 yuan from him, so that her father's treatment could continue.

The first thing Luo Yining did when she hurried back to her residence was to welcome Qu Xiaoxiao's visit.

"Ningning, you're finally back! What have you been busy with these days? We can't find you anywhere." Qu Xiaoxiao couldn't wait to ask as soon as she saw Luo Yining.

"Oh, it's nothing special. It's just that the police suddenly had an urgent task to deal with, and I had to turn off my phone during the period. But seeing how radiant and happy you are, I guess you've been having a good time recently?" Luo Yining responded lightly. In fact, deep down, she didn't want to tell others about the details of her trip to the military region. On the one hand, she felt that it was quite complicated to explain, and on the other hand, she didn't want to cause herself unnecessary trouble.

"Of course not! My doctor Zhao and I have been in love lately, and our relationship is so good!" Qu Xiaoxiao said excitedly, with a happy smile on her face, as if she couldn't wait to announce the sweetness of her love to the whole world.

"Oh, Ningning, I feel a little sympathy for Sister Fan now. Think about what she did in the past, it was not without reason. Maybe she worked so hard just to find someone to rely on." Qu Xiaoxiao suddenly put away her smile and said with emotion.

"Oh, how did you change your personality, little devil? You've become so sentimental. I'm not used to it!" Luo Yining couldn't help but joked as she looked at Qu Xiaoxiao's slightly sad expression.

"Hmph, Ningning, don't underestimate me! I'm not that kind of person! I'm just kind-hearted occasionally and say a few nice words. Besides, I've always been a beautiful person with a kind heart, okay!" Qu Xiaoxiao raised her chin and responded proudly.

"Okay, okay, I know you are kind!" Luo Yining smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Also, let me tell you a weird thing. That day, Sister Fan's mother actually tried to force me to pay money through moral blackmail, and even knelt on the ground to beg me. Oh my God, I was so scared that I was stunned. I had never seen such a scene!" Qu Xiaoxiao described the scene vividly, as if everything was still vivid in her mind.

"Did you say something? Or did you do something? Otherwise, why did they only pick you and not others when there were so many people present?" Luo Yining stared at Qu Xiaoxiao with a sharp gaze, questioning her tone. She knew clearly that people like this were typical bullies who only bullied the weak and feared the strong, and Qu Xiaoxiao must have accidentally revealed her easy-going and easy-to-control side, which gave those people the opportunity to pester her.

Qu Xiaoxiao's face was full of grievance and resentment. She explained angrily: "It was just at the beginning! An old lady suddenly ran to me to borrow my mobile phone to make a call. After the call, she actually asked me to borrow money. I told her without thinking that if Sister Fan was willing to give me an IOU, then I would consider lending them the money. Who would have thought that it would turn out like this in the end! Alas, it's all my fault for being quick-witted. If I had known it would be like this, I would never have said a word! Also, you don't know, because of the mortgage of the house, the old lady has always been unfriendly to us! If it weren't for Sister Fan's face, who would be willing to pay attention to her! Humph, it's really annoying!" As she said that, Qu Xiaoxiao stomped her feet indignantly, as if the anger in her heart had not subsided.

"Aren't you just asking for trouble?" Luo Yining frowned slightly and said helplessly to the person in front of him.

"Ningning..." Qu Xiaoxiao hugged Luo Yining's arm tightly, with a pitiful look on her face, and it was obvious that she was in a bad mood.

Luo Yining gently patted Qu Xiaoxiao's hand and comforted her, "Okay, don't be upset. Look, all these troubles have been solved! And the entanglement between them and us is almost over. Isn't that right?"

Hearing this, Qu Xiaoxiao raised her head, blinked her big eyes and thought for a while, then nodded, with a smile on her face again: "Yeah, that's true."

At this moment, Luo Yining suddenly remembered an important thing - this week she and Ji Weizhi were going to visit his parents. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but start thinking about what kind of gift she should prepare.

Just at this time, Qiu Yingying ran over to ask Luo Yining if she could help send Fan Shengmei and her family back. Luo Yining shook her head without hesitation to refuse. She patiently explained to Qiu Yingying but also reminded them: "Yingying, I really can't get away from here. I happen to be going to meet my unknown parents this weekend. Everything has been arranged and I can't be absent, so if you go, you have to be careful. Besides, if only you girls send them back, what if you encounter those debt collectors? Although Fan Shengmei's brother is gone, there is no guarantee that he will turn around and cause trouble for Fan's father and mother. You have to be more careful."