Chapter Seventy: Mengmeng Returns

Except for the hour on New Year's Eve when Ning Kang found an excuse to drive out, he and Jing Lu stayed in the factory for three days and nights, not setting foot outside. Jing Lu had asked why he didn't call home, and Ning Kang explained that the trip out was just to make a phone call to his family—but he didn’t want anyone tracing the call and finding out where he’d run off to. Understanding as ever, Jing Lu sensed Ning Kang’s predicament and, after hearing his half-hearted explanation, dropped the subject.

For three days, aside from cooking, eating, and Ning Kang’s routine rounds, the two remained in his dormitory, inseparable and lost in affection. After repeated waves of passion and pleasure that left her breathless, Jing Lu finally understood the extent of Ning Kang’s stamina and astonishing resilience. By the second night, Jing Lu, thoroughly exhausted, surrendered. Yet, seeing the burning hunger in his eyes, she could do nothing but muster all the ways she knew to comfort him, shyly tending to his needs as best she could, though he seemed almost possessed.

It was through such unrestrained abandon that the heavy sorrow weighing on their hearts faded, and the oppressive burdens within them gradually lightened—one of the outcomes Ning Kang had hoped for.

On the morning of the fourth day of the new year, Yi Zheng called. She first spoke with Jing Lu about Mengmeng’s continued absence. After chatting briefly, Yi Zheng, her voice catching with tears, poured out her grievances: Fang Xiong had only returned home for a single reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, then passed out drunk and, at dawn, rushed to the airport to attend some New Year’s gathering in Hong Kong. Yi Zheng had never gotten along with Fang Xiong’s overly critical mother, so with no choice, she returned to her parents’ home in tears. Seeing her siblings arrive hand-in-hand to celebrate with their parents, the sensitive and tender-hearted Yi Zheng could only hide away and weep in solitude.

After hanging up and returning to bed to embrace Ning Kang, Jing Lu sighed for Yi Zheng’s sake. But before she could finish, the phone on the bedside table rang again. Assuming it was Yi Zheng or Lin Lu, Ning Kang picked up and handed the receiver to Jing Lu, who lay across his bare chest to answer. After a few words, she handed the phone to Ning Kang.

“It’s for you—it’s Yusheng.”

Ning Kang greeted Yusheng and his family warmly before saying, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now?”

“No, there’s something. My parents say we mustn’t forget our roots, so from today I should move into the factory. Otherwise, you and Sister Jing can’t leave to visit relatives for the New Year. I wanted to come yesterday but was afraid you’d be upset.” Yusheng’s voice was earnest.

Ning Kang considered this. “Alright, Yusheng, thank your parents for me. Come by after three this afternoon.”

“Thank you, Brother!” Yusheng replied, his voice happy.

Ning Kang smiled. “Why thank me? I should be the one to thank you. That’s enough—see you soon.”

As Ning Kang hung up, Jing Lu said, “Yusheng is such a good kid—thank goodness he’s so thoughtful. Honestly, wherever you go, people seem to like you. I’m afraid one day some woman will steal you away!”

With a sudden movement, Ning Kang pinned Jing Lu beneath him, capturing her soft lips with his own. She protested, but he ignored her resistance.

“It’s already half past ten. Yusheng will be here at three, and after that, it’ll be awkward. You’re far too sensitive—not only can you not control your volume, but you try to stifle it. Rather than suppress ourselves later, let’s enjoy ourselves once more now.” He didn’t wait for further protest; his lips and hands set to work as Jing Lu’s resistance crumbled in moments, her arms winding tightly around his neck as she kissed him hungrily.

At exactly three in the afternoon, Yusheng arrived at the factory gate with a small bag. Ning Kang, dressed neatly, opened the door. Yusheng greeted him with a broad grin, headed straight to the little house that had once belonged to Uncle Wang, unpacked his bedding, and nodded enthusiastically when told the fridge was full and he could cook for himself. He then followed Ning Kang to pay respects to Jing Lu for the New Year, blushing as he accepted a small red envelope from her before setting off on his rounds.

Ning Kang and Jing Lu, dressed in new clothes, got into the car and headed to Yi Zheng’s teahouse. As they drove, Jing Lu said, “By the way, you mentioned you’ve never had a driver’s license. When we see Yi Zheng, I’ll ask her to help you get one. It’s just two or three thousand yuan, no exam needed—just a quick photo and four copies, and you’ll have it in a few days.”

Ning Kang pulled a driver’s license from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “I already have one. Got it two months ago.”

Jing Lu examined it closely, comparing it to her own. “The issuing authority matches your ID card. Who got this for you?”

Ning Kang smiled. “I paid three hundred yuan for it on Lei River Street. Took just two days. The traffic police systems aren’t fully networked across provinces yet, and in my hometown, it’s not even close. It’ll do—don’t worry.”

Jing Lu was still scolding him when they arrived at the teahouse’s back parking lot. She had no choice but to follow him, lock the car, and walk hand-in-hand to the third floor, where they immediately spotted Yi Zheng in a white cashmere suit, waving from a window seat.

As they sat, both Jing Lu and Yi Zheng pointed at each other and, in unison, exclaimed, “You’ve lost weight!” Then they burst out laughing. Yi Zheng glanced teasingly at Ning Kang, whose cheeks were faintly flushed. “You—have you not let my sister rest for days? Look at her dark circles!”

Ning Kang coughed awkwardly and, covering his face, took a big sip of tea.

Jing Lu, exposed, pinched Yi Zheng, and the two giggled until Jing Lu’s phone rang.

“Hello? Who is this? Good heavens, where have you been? ...Yes... wait.”

After a minute, she handed the phone to Yi Zheng, who exclaimed with delight, “Mengmeng! You wretched girl, you’ve worried us sick!”

Ning Kang realized Qu Mengmeng had resurfaced; ripples stirred his heart. As he was wondering whether to ask to speak with her, Yi Zheng handed him the phone.

On the other end, silence. Ning Kang spoke gently, “Mengmeng, come home. No one can force you to marry that man any longer.”

“I won’t! I’m afraid they’ll force me if I go back. You don’t understand—the Wang family is so unreasonable. I feel safer staying in Chongqing.” Qu Mengmeng’s voice trembled with grievance.

“Trust me. Come back boldly—I have a way to make that boy walk away on his own. It’s hard to explain over the phone, but believe me. Why not quietly stay with Sister Jing or Yi for now? I promise, within a week, he’ll show up at your doorstep asking to break the engagement.”

“Really? Don’t lie to me. If you’re lying, I’ll die to prove it!”

Ning Kang shook his head. “When will you come back? Or should I fetch you from Chongqing? ...Alright, three and a half hours from now, Yi and Jing and I will meet you at the station. Take care on the way.”

He ended the call and handed the phone to Jing Lu. Under their astonished gazes, Ning Kang detailed Wang Zihan’s illness; the two women listened, horrified.

“If I’m right, Wang Zihan’s suffering will only worsen, especially if he drinks. He’s already in the mid-to-late stages of the disease. Without timely treatment, he might not live out the year.”

“Thank heavens Mengmeng escaped! Heaven is watching!” Yi Zheng exclaimed, clutching her chest.

Jing Lu, recovering, grabbed Ning Kang’s arm. “How do you know all this?”

Ning Kang replied earnestly, “My father has a friend who’s a renowned doctor—though I hear he’s retired now. When I visited Lan Ning, he mentioned this stubborn illness. As far as I know, only he can cure it. If I explain it to Wang Zihan, he’ll understand and have no choice but to yield. As for treatment, I think the old expert will agree for my father’s sake.”

Unbothered by Jing Lu’s feelings, Yi Zheng pinched the flesh on Ning Kang’s arm. “Be honest—what else do you know besides fixing cars and traditional medicine?”

Ning Kang tried to appeal to Jing Lu, but she pinched his waist, glaring at him as fiercely as Yi Zheng. He had no choice but to close his eyes and plead, “I swear, those are my only two half-baked skills... Ladies, please have mercy—let me keep a little dignity! I still want to come here for tea!”

The two women, seeing his grimace, laughed until they were weak. Rubbing his arm and waist, Ning Kang mused in agony: If things are like this with two women, what will happen when Mengmeng returns with her heavy-handed ways?