Chapter 1 : Women Change a Lot

• Late at night, in a remote village in the southern part of Xia Country.
• Lin Fan took a deep breath.
• The air was fresh and sweet. Nowadays, with skyscrapers covering the sky, Minghu Village seemed like a paradise.
• "Phew, it's been five years, and I finally returned here!"
• *Splash!*
• Before Lin Fan could enjoy the rustic countryside atmosphere, he heard a splash from under the bridge not far away.
• "Is someone jumping into the river at this late hour? Is it a suicide?"
• Without much thought, he quickly ran to the stone bridge, took off his backpack, and jumped into the river.
• Lin Fan swiftly rescued the person who was about to fall into the water.
• "Ah!"
• After being saved and brought back to the shore, Zhang Ling was startled.
• She had made up her mind to end her life tonight and secretly left home in the middle of the night, intending to jump into the river.
• But now she had been rescued.
• The man who saved her had his hand firmly grasping her chest!
• After they got ashore, he even pinched her a few times!
• It hurt so much that she couldn't help but cry out.
• "You can still scream, it seems you're fine."
• Under the faint moonlight, Lin Fan could clearly see the woman's face.
• It was a pure and enchanting face, with watery eyes staring at him in shock.
• She was wearing a faded floral dress.
• Even so, in a big city, she would be the goddess that wealthy young men fought over!
• Hmm, she feels really good!
• "Help! There's a hooligan!"
• Uh, uh, uh!!!
• Before Zhang Ling could scream loudly, her mouth was covered by a large hand.
• With watery eyes, she looked at the young man in front of her, filled with fear.
• "I just saved you! And you call me a hooligan?"
• Waa, waa!
• After whimpering twice, Zhang Ling's emotions calmed down a bit.
• Indeed, she had intended to end her life, and it was this man who saved her.
• "Let go of me, and let's talk properly."
• Zhang Ling nodded. The man's voice had a magnetic quality that she couldn't resist.
• "Cough, cough!"
• After coughing twice, Zhang Ling lowered her head. After calming down, she remembered the man's actions earlier, and she was very scared.
• "I accidentally pinched you earlier, mainly to see if you were conscious."
• "Oh..."
• Zhang Ling lowered her head even more. How could she respond when faced with such an explanation for his hooligan behavior? Waa, waa.
• "Which family in Minghu Village are you from? What are your parents' names? Why did you come to jump into the river in the middle of the night?"
• "My father is Zhang Hui, and my mother is..."
• "Hui Uncle? So you're Zhang Ling?"
• Lin Fan remembered Zhang Hui, that honest and simple middle-aged man who was the same age as his father.
• When Lin Fan's parents passed away when he was young, Hui Uncle had helped him a lot.
• When Lin Fan turned eighteen, his grandfather also passed away. At that time, Hui Uncle often gave him living expenses. Lin Fan would remember this favor for a lifetime!
• Hui Uncle only had one daughter, and Lin Fan had left the village for five years.
• Zhang Ling seemed to be only fourteen years old, such a little girl.
• Unexpectedly, after five years, she had become so beautiful!
• "Hui Uncle? So, you're Lin... Fan??"
• Zhang Ling looked up and stared at Lin Fan, the lighting wasn't very good, but she could make out his general appearance.
• Because in the whole village, the only person who would call her father Hui Uncle was Lin Fan, who had disappeared for five years.
• "Yes, it's me. Little Ling, I'm back."
• Lin Fan's heart warmed. This little girl still remembered him.
• "Waa, waa, waa! Brother Lin Fan!"
• Zhang Ling suddenly jumped up and tightly hugged Lin Fan, crying bitterly.
• She let out all the grievances she had experienced during these days.
• "Little Ling, tell me, what happened? Why did you come out to jump into the river in the middle of the night?"
• After letting Zhang Ling cry in his embrace for a while, Lin Fan gently patted her back and comforted her with a warm voice.
• "Brother Lin Fan, my father passed away two years ago, and then..."
• It turned out that Zhang Hui had died from a serious illness two years ago, leaving Zhang Ling and her mother Chen Yanfang alone and helpless.
• What was even more infuriating was that after Zhang Hui's death, the villagers seemed to deliberately ostracize the mother and daughter.
• A year ago, Zhang Ling was admitted to a university in Taoyuan City.
• Her mother, Chen Yanfang, sold everything she had and even borrowed 30,000 yuan to send her to college.
• But a year later, the lender came to collect the debt, asking them to repay 90,000 yuan!
• The debt had tripled, and Chen Yanfang and Zhang Ling couldn't come up with that much money.
• During this vacation, Zhang Ling had faced many injustices, the villagers' exclusion, and the pressure from high-interest loans.
• So she secretly bought insurance, hoping to use this method to get money for her mother to repay the debt...
• "Silly girl! You're a university student! How could you come up with such a clumsy plan?"
• After listening to Zhang Ling's story, Lin Fan was a bit dumbfounded.
• "Waa, waa, Brother Lin Fan, I had no other choice. I really couldn't bear to see my mother suffer like this."
• "It's okay. Now that I'm back, your family's matters are my matters. I will help you handle everything!"
• Lin Fan said firmly.
• "Brother Lin Fan, I..."
• "Don't say anything. When my parents and grandfather passed away one after another, if it weren't for Uncle Hui, I would have starved to death long ago. Now that Uncle Hui is gone, I am your and Aunt Chen's support. No one can bully you anymore!"
• "Brother Lin Fan, I..."
• Zhang Ling's nose started to feel sour again, and the feeling of being moved was indescribable.
• Since her father passed away, she hadn't heard such words.
• "Alright, little one, let's go back first. Even though it's summer, you're all wet. You might catch a cold."
• "Brother Lin Fan, I'm not little at all!"
• Zhang Ling said, raising her head and puffing out her chest, trying to show Lin Fan her assets clearly!
• "Hehe! Alright! Our little Lingzi has grown up, not little at all!"
• Lin Fan teased.
• "Hmph."
• Zhang Ling blushed and coldly snorted.
• Fortunately, it was quite dark, otherwise, she would be too embarrassed.
• "Aren't you worried that your mother will be concerned if you don't go back?"
• After returning to his old house, Lin Fan asked with concern.
• "My mom went to bed early. I don't want to wake her up by going back."
• "Okay, then you can stay here. Your clothes are all soaked, and I have a clean set in my backpack. You can change in the bathroom outside."
• Saying that, Lin Fan pushed open the old wooden door.
• This was an old house built from the earth and stones on the mountain.
• But it was built by Lin Fan's grandfather's generation, and even after ten more years, it wouldn't collapse.
• There was a large cabinet in the living room with many small compartments on top.
• In the past, Lin Fan's grandfather was the village's traditional Chinese medicine doctor and often traveled to various villages to treat people.
• If there were extra medicinal herbs collected from the mountains, they would be stored in the cabinet and sold in the town or county on market days.
• "Why is the house so clean? It seems like someone cleans it regularly?"
• Lin Fan was puzzled.
• He hadn't been home for five years, so the environment at home shouldn't be like this.
• "Brother Lin Fan, I changed into your clothes. What about you?"
• Zhang Ling came in from the doorway, wearing Lin Fan's loose shirt and big shorts.
• Under the flashlight's light, her straight and jade-like legs, her upright figure, made her look extremely youthful and beautiful...