Chapter 86: Letter of Introduction

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Letter of Introduction

"Since you want to kick me out of the house anyway, I want to see a public declaration in the newspaper severing our relationship within a week," Deng Yuyuan said.

Publishing a declaration to sever ties wouldn’t completely sever their legal parent-child relationship. However, if they ever ended up in a familial lawsuit in the future, having this statement would make things much easier for her. She would also only have to pay the absolute minimum in alimony for her parents.

"No! You can’t!" Mrs. Deng suddenly crawled toward her. "I can’t bear to let you go. When I gave birth to you, it was a difficult labor, and I even had to be cut open for you..."

Deng Yuyuan sighed helplessly and helped her mother up from the floor. Just as Mrs. Deng thought there was a glimmer of hope, her daughter’s words were cold and piercing. "So you’re blaming me for not being obedient enough when I was born?"

Mrs. Deng stiffened. "No, what I mean is, I love you very much... Even so, you were the daughter I doted on the most after you were born."

"Mhm, which is why they say the human heart changes easily." Deng Yuyuan patted her shoulder. "Live well with your family from now on."

"Deng Hualing was originally innocent, but the moment she started targeting me, she lost that innocence." Deng Yuyuan distanced herself from the Deng family. "But the ones I truly hate the most are the two of you. It’s because you two failed as parents that an older sister doesn’t act like an older sister, and a younger brother doesn’t act like a younger brother."

Deng Yuyuan sighed and turned to Deng Hualing, who was covering her face. "Congratulations on getting into college. I knew how to hold back when I hit you, so there won’t be any scars. We’ll be in different cities from now on, so we probably won’t see each other again. You’d better stay out of my way, too, or I might not be able to stop myself from beating you up every time I see you."

Deng Hualing let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Are you really this heartless yet sentimental now?"

"Bullies are forbidden from complimenting me to show goodwill." Deng Yuyuan pressed her index finger against Deng Hualing’s lips, giving her a warning with a smile.

"Oh, right." Deng Yuyuan remembered something. She took out a notebook and handed it to Mrs. Deng. "This is my ledger from back then. I might have missed half a year of accounts because I really didn’t know how to read at the time. Check if the numbers are correct. If they are, I’ll pay this money back to you, but not right now. Since the debts are tallied under the Deng siblings, you can go ask your son and daughter for it. This is the compensation for mental distress that I deserve."

Mrs. Deng flipped through the notebook with trembling hands, only to realize that the money she had spent on Deng Yuyuan over the years was pitifully little.

"Let’s all live our separate lives from now on and not disturb each other." Deng Yuyuan waited for Mr. and Mrs. Deng to finish reading before taking the notebook back. "And don’t spread rumors about me outside. If you must talk, don’t just say that I ignored my parents’ objections to marry a country bumpkin. Make sure you also mention how my parents pressured and forced me to go work in the countryside, and how they stayed home eating meat while refusing to send me even a single food stamp during my hardest times there."

Deng Yuyuan gave them one last half-smile before turning to leave the house.

Tuantuan refused to let her mother hold her hand, opting instead to grab the hem of her mother’s clothes and follow along by herself.

Mrs. Deng and Mr. Deng chased after her, shouting, "It’s so cold out, and it’s getting dark! Where are you going to spend the night?"

Deng Yuyuan exhaled a breath of cold air, speaking in a slightly playful, teasing tone. "Alright, alright, stop being so hypocritical. It was actually just as cold when I ran away from home back then. Just keep the same attitude you had back then."

When the original owner of this body had run away all those years ago, they knew she had nowhere to go and would eventually have to return with her tail between her legs. But now that she was a rebellious adult, they had suddenly learned how to ask someone to stay.

"I didn’t lay a hand on you two elders today, so let’s consider that repaying you for giving birth to me."

Deng Yuyuan hid the pity in her eyes. If she actually laid a hand on her scumbag parents in this era, the Deng parents could use it to reclaim the moral high ground. Her reputation would be ruined, and the public would label her as unfilial and unrighteous.

She just hoped the nest of cockroaches and ten mice she had released in the study would be useful. She had observed earlier that there were few stray cats in the city, so those little creatures shouldn’t die too easily.

***

[Player, you truly have a silver tongue. I can’t believe you managed to gloss over the reason for your drastic change in temperament just now.]

Deng Yuyuan walked down the street with Tuantuan, still pondering where to stay for the night.

"It’s alright. A person’s character naturally changes over time anyway. Even if it were the original owner herself, her personality couldn’t have remained soft and cowardly forever—not if she had lived longer. She was already very smart. Given more time and experience, she would have grown.

"If a sharp and spirited woman stood before me right now and claimed to be Deng Yuyuan, I would believe her, too."

[...So, where are we sleeping tonight?]

"We’ll ask for a place to crash." Following her memories, Deng Yuyuan set off to find the neighbors who had shown her kindness back in the day.

She was willing to spend fifty yuan just for a bed for one night. Even the most hesitant neighbor would generously agree to her request after hearing such great news.

Sure enough, when the neighbor opened the door and saw a beautiful woman with a cute little girl, their initial wariness melted away.

With the power of money paving the way, combined with Deng Yuyuan proving her identity and vaguely mentioning that she had gotten into another argument with her parents, the neighbor offered a few words of comfort and let them stay the night in peace.

Tuantuan busily dug out a handkerchief to wipe her mother’s hands. Cupping her mother’s hands, she blew on them gently, her heart aching for her. "Mommy, did it hurt when you hit them just now? When Tuantuan grows up, Tuantuan will hit them for you!"

Deng Yuyuan shook her head and asked in return, "Were you scared, Tuantuan?"

Tuantuan freed one hand and patted her own chest, proudly sticking out her little belly. "Of course not! Uncle Zhang said that Tuantuan is going to be the bravest Deng Wangshu who loves and cares for Mommy the most!"

"...Mhm, you’re such a good girl, Tuantuan. Though it would be even better if you remember to stick out your chest instead of your belly next time."

***

After a dreamless night, Deng Yuyuan took Tuantuan to the long-distance bus station the next day, only to realize something was wrong upon arriving.

As a state-owned enterprise, the long-distance bus service had a dedicated ticket window. Passengers had to buy a ticket from the window before boarding; drivers couldn’t just sneak people onto the bus.

Her initial plan to slip the driver some extra cigarettes and cash in exchange for a ride was shattered. Buying a ticket required a letter of introduction, and since she didn’t have a college acceptance letter, she had no valid reason to go to Beijing. The village couldn’t issue one for her either.

Wait a minute. Deng Yuyuan smacked her own forehead. How could she have forgotten the letter of introduction Mr. Cheng had given her?

To make things convenient for Deng Yuyuan, Mr. Cheng had done his best to leave plenty of blank space on the letter of introduction and even stamped it with the official seal. If Deng Yuyuan needed to, she could add her own writing.

Deng Yuyuan filled in her and her daughter’s names. Under the reason for traveling to Beijing, she added a mission: representing the Baitu Town branch of the Agricultural Research Institute to deliver mutated rice seeds to the Beijing Agricultural Research Institute.

She could simply redeem the rice seeds from the farm system store. Besides, delivering rice wasn’t considered a critical task, so it wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.