When Feng Nan was born, Feng Zhongliang had just begun to emerge in Hong Kong and his career was in full swing. She had an older brother, and her mother had fulfilled her responsibility of raising children and received routine rewards from her elders. She was not actually that happy about the arrival of her daughter.
She was born in the Feng family. What she heard most since childhood was her mother's strict teachings and the densely packed homework assignments she had every day.
She seldom saw her relatives and parents. Feng Zhongliang was busy with his career at that time. He went out early and came back late. He didn't even have time to take care of his son, let alone see his grandchildren.
Feng Nan's biggest impression of her grandfather was that he was serious. She was somewhat afraid of this grandfather who even scared her parents. Every time she saw him, she was like all her cousins, not daring to breathe and behaving very well.
In her grandfather's heart, she is just an ordinary granddaughter. Feng Zhongliang has a traditional Chinese sentiment in his bones and likes the scene of a prosperous family with many children and grandchildren.
He had four sons and one daughter. The result of having so many sons was that, in addition to the gradual expansion of his family business, he also had a large number of grandchildren.
By Feng Nan's generation, the number of Feng Zhongliang's grandchildren was so large that they could not even be counted on two fingers. Feng Nan was just one of the well-behaved children and was not valued.
If there had not been the kidnapping that followed, Feng Zhongliang's impression of Feng Nan might have been that of an old lady's daughter, who was obedient and submissive.
Perhaps when Feng Nan grows up and gets married, he may not be able to remember what kind of personality Feng Nan has.
Feng Nan has been obedient since she was a child. In the years when she was born, the relationship between her parents had already become very distant. Feng Qinlun, as Feng Zhongliang's eldest son, inherited Feng Zhongliang's bloodline, but did not inherit Feng Zhongliang's character and upright style. He did not have his father's business talent and was not valued by his father.
But he was lucky. Although his talent was mediocre, his father had earned enough wealth for him to squander for several lifetimes.
When Feng Zhongliang was busy with his career, he was intoxicated with flowers.
For an ordinary child, seeing his father is just a very common thing, but the place where Feng Nan most often sees his father is on the covers of major Hong Kong magazines. When he occasionally comes home, he is drunk and smells of all kinds of perfume.
In the two years when she was born, Feng Qinlun and Wang Zhiqiu were having an affair. Her mother didn't mind her husband's philandering, but she could not tolerate any woman threatening her position.
Therefore, during that period, the two women fought fiercely. Feng Qinlun was wandering around with other women, Feng Zhongliang was busy with his career, and the people from other branches of the Feng family were busy vying for favor, fearing that the old man's family business would be taken away by the eldest daughter in the future.
The people who accompanied Feng Nan the most were servants and maids. It was precisely because of this situation that the kidnappers took advantage of the opportunity and let her fall into the hands of a group of bandits.
According to her mother's plan, she had to practice piano, dance, painting, and foreign languages every day, go to one school after another, make friends with children from the same upper-class background, and form her own social circle early to help her in the future.
She never had a day to relax. When other children acted like a spoiled child or cried, she had no right to resist. Her mother always said that if she was disobedient, submissive, and excellent, she would not be liked by her father, praised by her grandfather, or have her mother's approving gaze.
While others are sleeping in, she is already getting up early to review her homework. While others are going to the amusement park with their parents, she may have already cultivated friendships with a group of children from the same background.
While other children would go to school for the day, eat dinner, watch TV and play with their parents in the evening, she might be under the care of a tutor or a maid, eat with standard table manners, and then play the piano or read a book.
Life repeated itself day after day without any incident. When she was kidnapped, she was actually somewhat relieved because she had a party to attend that evening.
It was the birthday of a girl of similar age in a family that had business dealings with the Feng family. A few days in advance, she had carefully selected a gift with the help of her teacher. The teacher prepared a suitable speech for her and required her to say it in English.
She had spent two days memorizing the long congratulatory message, but she had not yet memorized it completely. She was feeling a little nervous, fearing that she would not be able to recite it by then and would be severely criticized by her mother when she returned home.
This problem troubled little Feng Nan for two days. He was restless and worried during class in the day.
When she was taken into the car by the kidnappers, she breathed a sigh of relief and felt like she was skipping a class.
But this is not skipping class after all.
She was taken to a remote hut, had three of her nails plucked off, and was sent back to the Feng family.
It was then that she realized that not everyone in the world would smile at her, compliment her, and please her. For the first time, she realized that there was a place where the sun could never penetrate; there was a kind of darkness that seemed eerie even when the lights were on.
Only then did she understand how painful it was to have her heart connected to her fingers. She trembled and curled up in a corner.
She waited for a long time, hoping that her parents would come to rescue her. On TV, when children encounter monsters, there are always heroes to save them. But after waiting for a long time, she heard the kidnappers whispering, "Brother Jiang, does the Feng family not want this child anymore?"
"Zhongnan Industrial has too many children..."
"The Feng family may think that the child is not worth the money, so why not lower the ransom..."
"The Feng family hasn't contacted us yet..."
"Brother, if the Feng family doesn't want this child anymore, we have to deal with it quickly to avoid leaving any clues and being discovered by the police."
She went from being full of hope to despair. Her fingers no longer bled and the pain was almost numb. Being abandoned by her parents seemed to be adding insult to injury.
She hadn't eaten for two or three days, nor had she seen the sun. She didn't know how long she had been curled up in the position. She tried to shrink her body as much as possible, and was afraid that the slightest movement would be discovered by the kidnappers, which would lead to even more terrible consequences.
When grandpa found her, she was hiding in a corner. She was still alive, but she looked like a fool.
She wouldn't cry and didn't dare to move. The slightest sound made her close her eyes tighter. When someone touched her, she didn't even dare to scream.
The sunlight was very dazzling and she was held in her grandfather's arms.
The accompanying doctor was examining her body, but she couldn't feel the needle piercing her pulse.
There were so many people around, and every shadow was swaying in front of her. She was so unfamiliar that she was scared. She didn't dare to speak and refused to drink water until her grandfather came down the mountain and bought a bowl of sugar candies and handed it to her:
"Anan, sweet, sugar, eat something, grandpa is here, protect my Anan, my dear granddaughter is not afraid anymore."
He coaxed her clumsily for a long time, and finally the voice reached her ears. Her eyes regained some focus and she opened her mouth tremblingly. It was the sweetest, sweetest thing she had ever tasted in her life.
In the private treatment room of the hospital, the parents accused each other in sharp voices:
"You spend all day playing cards, socializing, shopping for shoes and bags. Even when your daughter was kidnapped, you were reluctant to sell your jewelry to cash in."
"Aren't you using your money to support Wang Zhiqiu? If I sell jewelry, what will my friends think of me? They'll think the Feng family is going to fail, and that you're incompetent and have to rely on women to sell jewelry to make a living."
She buried her head in the quilt and shivered, but could not block out her parents' voices. They scolded her for not knowing the seriousness of the situation. It must be because she revealed her whereabouts to someone that she was kidnapped. Otherwise, why was she the only one in trouble when there were so many children in the Feng family and everyone else was fine
Feng Nan had been wondering if she had done something wrong to cause this kidnapping and this disaster. Later, she realized that she had done nothing wrong and the reason her parents did not come to rescue her was probably because she was dispensable.
She received psychological treatment for half a year. In the beginning, she was afraid of seeing any light and trembled when she heard the words "kidnapping" and "ransom". Later, she learned to hide all her emotions in her heart.
After the injury on her fingernail healed, her grandfather took her away from Hong Kong, and she was a little at a loss.
Hong Kong is where she grew up and where she was hurt. She is afraid of this place, yet she is familiar with it.
Leaving Hong Kong and heading to the imperial capital, it was another unfamiliar new place where she needed to adapt.
In her mind, her grandfather was strict and stern, and she dared not get close to him. But at that moment, he became her only support.
She held her grandfather's hand, afraid that she would get lost, and her little hand held him tightly, not daring to let go for a moment.
She accompanied her grandfather to visit old friends and saw Pei Yi for the first time.
The atmosphere in the Pei family was different from the gorgeous and cold atmosphere in the Feng family. Grandma Pei took her hand, asked her name, and asked her how old she was.
Grandpa was talking to Old Man Pei, smiling rarely, and the adults were all having a good time. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pei Yi in the corner, leaning against the wall, biting his upper lip, with an unconvinced look on his face, which made the group of people laugh.
"Stand up straight!"
Pei Jinhuai, who had been so friendly to her before, shouted at her, "How can you stand like this without any manners?"
"He broke a piece of his father's stuff, which was given to him by a comrade-in-arms. His father punished him for it."
Mrs. Pei felt a little distressed and amused. As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Yi burst into tears again, and the people around him laughed even harder.
She felt a little sympathetic. His face turned red from crying, and when his tears were wiped away by his dirty hands, he looked like a cat.
The adults were all chatting and laughing, and he cried for a while. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he cried even harder.
Feng Nan walked towards him and tried to coax him in a soft voice:
"Don't cry."
She took a handkerchief and wiped his face. His cheeks were chubby. Perhaps someone paid attention to him. He took advantage of the situation and went down the hill, gradually stopping talking.
He was cute and fair, with eyes and eyebrows very similar to Madam Pei. His eyes were washed by tears and were extremely black and shiny. When those dark eyes stared at her, there was a feeling of staring at her with wholehearted concentration.
A little bully like Pei Yi is a child of destiny. As the eldest grandson of the Pei family, the old man holds him in his hands for fear of dropping him, and holds him in his mouth for fear of melting him. He is not afraid of anything, but is afraid of no one paying attention to him. She plays the simple game of "Rock, Scissors, Paper" with him.
He liked to play scissors, and he made the same gesture every time. She coaxed him to be happy, let him win every time, and soon made him laugh through his tears.
While the adults were talking, the two children were in a corner, in a world of their own.
When Feng Zhongliang took her home, Pei Yi held her and refused to let her go, insisting on keeping her at home.
"Ayi, this won't work. Feng Nan is Grandpa Feng's granddaughter and she needs to go home."
Mrs. Pei tried to reason with her son, but Pei Yi refused to listen:
"Don't leave, she's in my house, I'll take care of her!"
The childish talk made Mrs. Pei laugh so hard that she couldn't straighten her back. Mrs. Pei couldn't help laughing and teased her, "How do you raise it?"
"I will share my meals with her," he promised loudly, "She can live in my room and I will give her the toys." He wanted to go to the room and get his toys to seduce the little girl, but he was afraid that if he let go, Feng Zhongliang would take her away. He looked a little pitiful.
"Mom, Mom." He hugged Mrs. Pei's legs and looked up, saying coquettishly, "Next time I will be obedient and not cause trouble. I want to keep her here, okay?"
He has always been overbearing and unreasonable, and his family spoils him to death. Mrs. Pei was so soft-hearted that she hugged her son and coaxed him: "Sister Feng Nan is going back with her family. If you miss her, let's invite her to our house again, okay?"
"She is a member of my family." When he heard that his request could not be met, he immediately turned hostile, and his words made the elders laugh and cry.
Feng Zhongliang couldn't help laughing and teased him: "Sister Feng Nan's last name is Feng, how can she be from your family?"
He showed no fear towards Feng Zhongliang, he raised his chin and straightened his back: "Then change your surname to Pei!"
Mrs. Pei saw that he was being unreasonable, so she touched her grandson lovingly and said, "How can you change your surname so easily? This is not like getting married in the old society."
"Marry me, marry me!"
He jumped and shouted, making the group of people laugh again.
At that time, no one thought about how much weight a child's words carried, and everyone treated his words as childish.
Pei Yi wanted to lock the door to stop them and to find his own weapons to protect 'his own people' from being taken away, but Feng Zhongliang finally took Feng Nan away. He followed behind the car crying and shouting at Feng Zhongliang that he was a bad guy. He was almost beaten by Pei Jinhuai but he refused to admit his mistake.
Everyone thought that children had a short memory, and no one took what he said to heart, thinking that he would soon forget Feng Nan. Even Feng Nan thought so.
In her understanding, her parents and relatives would forget her at critical moments, and she never thought that a child she had just met would care about her.
But since then, Pei Yi has appeared in her life again and again, grown up with her, liked to talk to her, and put her at the center of his life.
When she went to school, he also insisted on going with her. The Pei family couldn't persuade him, so they prepared a schoolbag for him, and he put his favorite toys in it.
The two were not in the same grade, but he insisted on carrying his things to her class despite the objections of his parents and teachers.
He is the eldest grandson of the Pei family. He wants to sit next to Feng Nan and drive away the little boy sitting next to her.
The little boy refused to leave, so he bravely fought with the man.
There is no hierarchy in the world of children. Pei Yi was several years younger than others, so naturally he suffered some losses. However, he was ruthless in his bones and could endure the pain even after being beaten. He bit, kicked and punched with his hands, and beat a boy who was five years older than him until he cried and screamed and went to tell the teacher.
He limped in triumph, his pretty little face bruised and bruised, but he still looked very proud, and sat next to Feng Nan.
His face was just level with the table, and he looked a little funny. There was skin broken at the end of his eyebrow, and his clothes were wrinkled. The teacher was called over by the crying child, and looked a little embarrassed.
When Feng Nan held his face and asked him if it hurt, he was still mocking the boy who had just complained: "It hurts more for him than it does for me!"
When Pei Jinhuai came, his face was livid, and he wanted to take him away. The child, who had not cried when he was beaten before, now grabbed the table leg and refused to leave, crying and shouting "Feng Nan, help me". (To be continued)