Chapter 293: The Helplessness of Reality

ncredibly difficult and he was always at a disadvantage!"F**k, what an abnormal freak."Wang Zheng sighed as one hand blocked Xie Ping'an's elbow strike, immediately feeling numbness in his arm. He the...Main Text Chapter 293: The Helplessness of Reality

"Ahem!"

Wang Zheng was coughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

Of course, Wang Zheng could tell the dish lacked salt. But could he say so This beef and potato stew really wasn't anything special; it didn’t taste as good as Ning Xia’s dishes. Yet, could he point out its flaws

That was Ning Xia's mother.

To his surprise, Wang Zheng’s flattery, intended as a joke, was exposed by Ning Xia without any consideration for him.

In this situation, all Wang Zheng could do was to pretend he was coughing out of discomfort.

"What's wrong If my cooking isn't good, why have you grown so big" Ning Xia’s mother seemed a little unhappy.

“No no no, your cooking is delicious. Look at Wang Zheng eating it; isn’t he enjoying it more than anyone else” Ning Xia smiled and then scooped the remaining half plate of beef and potato stew onto Wang Zheng's bowl.

This left Wang Zheng with a grim face.

“Little Wang, eat quickly. Eat more if you want to. If you’re not full enough, auntie will make some for you,” Ning Xia’s mother was very enthusiastic.

"Auntie, I’m really getting full," said Wang Zheng as he began a hearty attack on the mound of beef and potato stew in his bowl.

The more happily Wang Zheng ate, the happier Ning Xia's mother became.

At this moment, the door to their house opened. A handsome man wearing a windbreaker walked in.

Yes, he was indeed very good-looking—with thick eyebrows and large eyes that sparkled with intelligence. His slightly tanned skin added an extra touch of masculinity. He was definitely more handsome than Gudi Le (a reference to another character) and his scholarly demeanor wasn’t something those stars could compare to.

At this moment, even the self-absorbed Wang Zheng felt somewhat inferior. Of course, Lewandof wouldn’t feel this way because he himself was extremely handsome and had always looked down on others, so naturally, he didn't care about Chinese good-looking men.

Ningyuan, Ningxia's brother.

"My brother is back," Ningxia hurriedly introduced. "Brother, this is my friend; come have dinner with us."

However, to Ningxia's surprise, Ningyuan merely smiled and said, "You two can eat first; I still need to finish some materials, so I'll have to work overtime."

Saying that, he closed the door and entered his room.

"Brother seems a bit off," Ningxia explained to Wang Zheng. "Don't misunderstand him; he's not usually like this. He must have encountered something unpleasant."

Wang Zheng naturally didn’t think it meant that Ningyuan was unwelcoming, as he had seen the helplessness and indignation in his eyes when Ningyuan entered the room, and anyone could tell that the subsequent smile was forced.

"It’s getting late; shall we go back" The atmosphere became slightly awkward, so Wang Zheng suggested they leave.

“What Leaving so early” Ningxia's mother liked Wang Zheng more with every passing moment and said, "Stay for the night tonight and sleep in my little girl's room."

"Ah" Hearing this, Wang Zheng nearly fell off his chair; wasn't the mother-in-law a bit too forward

“This... isn’t it a bit too soon” Wang Zheng wasn’t sure what Ningxia's mother was thinking and could only voice his genuine thoughts.

In Wang Zheng’s view, this indeed felt premature.

Ningxia blushed furiously in embarrassment and anger. "Mom! What are you saying"

"I'm not saying anything random," the old lady said innocently. "Let Wang sleep on your bed and I’ll sleep with you; isn’t that fine"

“So it’s me who misunderstood,” Wang Zheng chuckled, relieved.

"To reap the benefit and still complain." Ningxia glared at Wang Zheng before laughing.

...

"When are you leaving Pei Prefecture"

Ningxia escorted Wang Zheng and Lewandow to the ground floor; the summer air made her feel inexplicably restless.

"When do you want me to leave" Wang Zheng suddenly asked with a smile, reversing the question.

"Cunning bastard," Lewandow said discontentedly from the side.

"This... " Ningxia clearly did not expect this question and stammered: "I haven't thought about it."

Seeing Ningxia's awkward expression, a warm feeling crossed Wang Zheng’s heart. "I'll leave tomorrow or the day after. I’ll come to see you again."

The phrase “come to see you” rather than “come to see the school” gave Ningxia a barely noticeable sense of joy. However, with Wang Zheng leaving in just two days, she felt a slight pang of sadness. After all, he was the backbone of this Hope School; despite carrying many responsibilities herself, Ningxia was still a girl and would eventually feel exhausted.

"Alright." In her view, Wang Zheng had much to do. By the time he returned, perhaps this school that had been the focus of so much effort and sweat would be completed.

"Don’t see us off; go back and check on your brother. He seems troubled."

Ningxia nodded at Wang Zheng before turning to head upstairs.

"How do you feel" Wang Zheng gazed at Ningxia's retreating figure with a gentle smile.

"Zhen, the way you are now is really creepy," Lewandow said. He had seen Wang kill people without blinking an eye, but this tender-hearted demeanor was nothing like the legendary killer he knew.

“Do you feel something akin to a young girl next door making your heart skip a beat” Without waiting for Lewandow’s reply, Wang Zheng smiled and walked away.

……

"Bro, what's wrong What happened" Ning Xia looked at her obviously unusual brother and asked with concern.

Ning Yuan was lying down with his eyes closed, still fully clothed and looking very tired.

"Nothing."

"Bro, tell me. Don't keep it bottled up," Ning Xia said softly while sitting beside the bed: "Did you have an argument with my sister-in-law"

Ning Yuan was thirty years old this year and worked as a staff member at Fenghui Township Government in Peizhou City. He was a grassroots civil servant earning around three thousand yuan, which wasn't low but not high either. Moreover, welfare benefits for such grassroots positions were almost negligible and didn’t live up to the rumors outside.

It is undeniable that some units indeed offered better benefits, but most grassroots civil servants' salaries hadn't reached the tax-paying standard yet.

In addition, many government jobs could be quite busy with daily work overload and significant pressure and responsibility. This was far from the rumors outside suggesting idle chatter during office hours, which only happened occasionally in some positions.

Of course, Comrade Ning Yuan was one of those struggling grassroots employees with no connections or background who diligently worked hard every day to do his best and strive for excellence within his job scope.

However, due to the meager salary, Ning Yuan only bought a small apartment last year. His girlfriend had been dating him for years, but because of the house issue, her family kept delaying their marriage.

Although he had bought the house, they still needed to save money for renovation costs. Seeing Ning Yuan's age and his classmates' children already in elementary school at this age made Ning Xia’s mother anxious as well.

However, even if she was worried, there was nothing much that could be done since her father only held a small leadership position in the town grain station, living an honest but frugal life. He was strict and fair at work all his life, supporting two children's schooling without saving up any money.

"Is it because your sister-in-law’s parents said something again" Ning Xia sighed looking at her dejected brother.

PS: Recently, I'm not in a good state and am not satisfied with my writing. I have a cold, the day is extremely busy, there are too many things to do, and my head hurts at night, feeling very exhausted. Please bear with me as I adjust soon.

Thanks to pzdsggz for your support!se hair and softly replied: "Actually, I don’t want Dad to be involved in these things anymore. Politics is the most dangerous thing in Huaxia; one can easily end up destroyed if they're not careful....