Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 30
In a sour mood, Jiang Ning gently freed herself from Father Jiang’s grasp. “What good is it if I go back and just get beaten?”
Father Jiang offered counsel, “Your mother’s temper will improve with time. Endure it for now and wait until school starts.”
The word “endurance” was the most unbearable thing in Jiang Ning’s life. Her father instructed her to endure her mother, while her mother taught her to tolerate bullying from others. The notion of “endurance” felt like a looming threat, ready to cut her at any moment.
Jiang Ning sneered as she settled into the bamboo chair crafted by her grandfather. “It wasn’t you being beaten, nor were you the one hurt. Of course, you’d advise me to endure it,” she remarked sarcastically. “I fail to comprehend. A father witnessing his child being beaten should protect them, not stand by and do nothing.”
Seated with her chin raised, she glanced sideways at Father Jiang, her demeanor casual, as if discussing someone else’s situation, as if she herself wasn’t the one being beaten. Her voice remained calm and composed. “I often find myself puzzled, reflecting on what I’ve done wrong and why I’m always the one getting beaten.”
“Later, I delved into books and came to realize that it wasn’t me at fault, but the perpetrators—those shameless, twisted, dark, and ugly individuals,” Jiang Ning’s tone shifted abruptly, her eyes piercing, yet her voice remained composed.
“Dad, Mom is an adult, while I’m just a child. You should be urging her to control her violent temper, but instead, you’re advising me to be patient. Don’t you find that amusing?” she asked.
“Are you not simply preying on the weak and cowering before the strong? Are you not bullying me, a defenseless child?” She continued, her voice tinged with frustration.
“Why does Mom only unleash her temper on me? Why not on her older son? Why not on you?”
Father Jiang seemed taken aback by his daughter’s words, as if he had never truly known her before.
“In countless rural households, it’s the same,” he replied dismissively. “Your mother only hits you with a bamboo stick; it won’t cause serious harm.”
“How can you be so sure it won’t hurt?” Jiang Ning’s composure cracked, revealing the turmoil within. “You’re blind to the bloodstains on my body. As long as I’m not beaten to death or disabled, it doesn’t count as an injury in your eyes.”
Jiang Ning couldn’t contain her laughter. “Dad, you don’t deserve to be a father, and she doesn’t deserve to be a mother either,” she declared.
“If you brought me into this world just to treat me like a pig or a dog, then why give me life at all? Can I return this life to you?” She pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation.
She strode to her grandfather’s stove, grasped a kitchen knife, and offered it to Father Jiang. “I plead with you, please end my life, and I’ll give you back this existence,” she urged, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
In that moment, Jiang Ning realized with startling clarity that despite her belief in self-redemption and self-rescue as she matured, the deepest wounds in her heart remained unhealed.
Father Jiang was overwhelmed with anger and a tinge of fear. Snatching the knife from his daughter’s hand, he hurled it to the corner of the room. “What nonsense are you spouting? You have no idea how much your grandfather and I cherish you. Your words cut us to the core,” he retorted, his voice laden with anguish.
Father Jiang was truly saddened; he was deeply hurt by Jiang Ning’s words.
He felt unjustly treated and remarked, “What pig or dog can still attend school? There aren’t many villagers who have graduated from junior high like you. Your grandfather and I supported your pursuit of high school and even encouraged you to take the college entrance exam.”
Not to mention the girls, there were many boys in the village who dropped out of junior high school to work.
Jiang Ning was really heartless when she said such things.
“Your mother may have been a little harsh at times, but no girl in the village has ever run away like this. She scolded you a few times, but you are using a knife to end your own life?” Father Jiang expressed, his pain evident. “Ning Ning, what’s happening? Regardless of everything, she is still your mother—the one who brought you into this world and raised you.”
“So I’ll give my life back to you.”
An unprecedented desire to commit suicide overwhelmed her like a massive wave.
It was a feeling she had always harbored in her previous life, restraining and resisting it. Yet, in that moment, it surged infinitely, sweeping over her, engulfing her entire being, rendering her unable to resist or break free.
She hurriedly dashed to the wall, grabbed the kitchen knife, and swiped it against her neck.
With a resounding bang, Father Jiang struck Jiang Ning’s arm. He lunged forward, grasping his daughter’s arm tightly, his heart pounding with fear.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
In just one second, no, half a second later, his daughter could have been lost to him forever. She had seemed determined to die without a second thought.
With such a large knife, she had attempted to slit her own throat without making a sound.
“What are you doing?” He shouted, his voice trembling with emotion. “Your mother only scolded you a few times.” Father Jiang was so shaken that he could barely speak. “You want to end your life over this? You’re being so irrational. Why are you acting like a child?”
He held Jiang Ning’s arms tightly, fearing to let go, and hesitated to release the kitchen knife, afraid she might still harbor suicidal thoughts.
“Do you realize what you just did? Do you understand how dangerous it was?” Father Jiang’s mind raced with worry.
He couldn’t comprehend what had transpired. One moment his daughter was speaking calmly, the next she attempted to harm herself with a knife.
“You’re still young, you don’t understand the gravity of your actions. You’ll realize when you’re older,” Father Jiang spoke, his words lacking coherence.
He couldn’t fathom why Jiang Ning harbored such resentment. Her situation was far better than many other girls in the village.
He prided himself on being a fair father, treating all his children equally without favoritism.
In her generation, she had a lot of cousin brothers, two brothers, and she was the only girl. They adored her. How could they be accused of favoring sons over her? If anything, the family doted on her.
Her grandfather had cradled her since infancy, holding her close to prevent any mishaps. He cherished her deeply, showing no less affection for her than for his two grandsons. Despite the four-year age gap with her eldest brother and the two-year gap with her second brother, she was shielded from heavy labor during her childhood. While her brothers tackled outdoor chores, she was tasked with household duties like cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning, not even allowed to herd cows.
In recent years, her responsibilities shifted to transplanting rice seedlings and harvesting rice, tasks confined to morning and evening hours.
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Kunoss
dark chapter. it made me 😢 ðŸ˜