Chapter 11: The Weight of a Mother’s Love
The excitement from the first day had kept Ning Xiyue awake all night, so when she got up the next morning, she was still in a groggy daze. After washing her face and fully waking up, the very first thing she did was to make sure everything she experienced yesterday hadn’t been a dream.
When she saw the little turtle system still there, she let out a sigh of relief. Seeing that all three daily sign-in opportunities had been credited to her account brought a satisfied smile to her lips.
It was real — and the sign-ins weren’t zero anymore. With chances available, she felt secure. And with chances available… her hands were itching to use them.
It was another joyful day of sign-ins.
Clutching her three sign-in chances, Ning Xiyue rushed to the locations she had already planned out the day before.
At the meat processing factory, she signed in and received 10 jin (about 5 kg) of pork belly. At the grocery store, she signed in and received a bag of fine salt and a bag of spices.
Checking the time, she realized it had been exactly 24 hours since yesterday’s sign-in at the Supply Station.
Excitedly, she opened her system panel and saw that the previously greyed-out cooperative icon had lit up in color again.
Overjoyed, she took her last sign-in chance of the day and hurried to the cooperative she’d been thinking about. She had a strange obsession with hoarding sanitary pads.
Ding! [Sign-in at Yue County Supply Station successful. Reward: One household supplies gift pack.]
She opened the gift pack and checked the contents. There weren’t many changes — except that one pack of sanitary pads from the modern era was missing. Everything else was exactly the same.
Oh no… her dream of stockpiling pads had failed. That was disappointing. She would have to ration the 20 packs she’d already collected.
Over the next few days, Ning Xiyue was either signing in or on her way to sign in. She visited every place she could: the food factory, waterworks, dairy station, steel factory, and more.
Her system backpack was now filled with canned goods, fruit candy, peanuts, sunflower seeds, tap water, fresh milk, milk powder, and other food and drink. She even signed for pots, bowls, and plates at the steel factory — including a 70 cm diameter iron wok perfect for a rural kitchen stove.
With all these supplies, she was well-prepared — whether for gifting, socializing, staying at home, or even surviving in the wilderness. She wouldn’t starve or freeze any time soon.
With only two days left before heading to the countryside, she used those last sign-ins to claim braised pork from a state-run restaurant — and each plate came with a large serving dish. Not bad at all.
With extra time on her hands, she spent it bonding with her parents. She also practiced cooking using the recipes her mother Yun Xiulan had handwritten for her, or quietly studied herbology guides.
The first thing she studied was herbs for treating external injuries. After that, she even went to the cooperative to buy some medicinal herbs and prepared her own poultices to apply on her forehead.
Thanks to the exercise she’d been getting lately, her complexion became rosier and her overall health improved.
After a few rounds of herbal treatment, the wound on her forehead had scabbed over nicely. Combined with the scar-removal ointment she’d gotten from a sign-in, the scar didn’t look nearly as scary anymore.
She stopped covering it with gauze and boldly revealed it.
She didn’t think it was a big deal, but everyone who saw it would shake their heads with pity.
At the same time, Zhang Yuan and Ning Xiaoxiao’s reputations worsened. After the previous incident, rumors spread even farther — and gossip about them was everywhere.
When Yun Xiulan saw the scar on her daughter’s forehead, she was both heartbroken and furious. She spent more than an hour cursing Zhang Yuan and Ning Xiaoxiao.
That afternoon, Yun Xiulan returned home smiling and pulled Ning Xiyue aside:
“Daughter, I have good news — Zhang Yuan’s job offer is gone. After the past few days of rumors, everything he did has become public knowledge, and word reached the steel factory leaders. Many people had their eyes on that position. Today, your Aunt Liu told me it’s already been given to someone else.”
After taking a sip of water, Yun Xiulan continued:
“And your uncle heard about the gossip surrounding Ning Xiaoxiao too. He was so angry that he publicly disowned her on the spot. You know how much he cares about his reputation — and how he values sons over daughters. From now on, Ning Xiaoxiao can forget about getting a single penny from that family. Your father and I also agreed that we won’t help her with anything in the future.”
Ning Xiyue hadn’t expected the scar on her forehead to have such an effect. Not only did it deliver a double blow to Zhang Yuan, but it also created obstacles for the female lead’s “beloved darling” storyline. Absolutely perfect.
In such a good mood, Ning Xiyue decided to celebrate with a special dinner that night.
“Mom, I got lucky today — I managed to grab a nice piece of pork belly at the grocery store. How about we make braised pork with potatoes tonight to celebrate? You and Dad can also try the results of my cooking practice.”
“Alright, let’s do it. I’ll help you in the kitchen today.” Yun Xiulan clapped her hands happily.
The mother and daughter rolled up their sleeves and began cooking.
Ning Xiyue actually did know how to cook, and her food tasted pretty good. But the original owner of this body had never cooked before — she’d only ever helped her mother with prep work.
Since Ning Xiyue was heading to the countryside, Yun Xiulan had gone out of her way to compile a handwritten recipe notebook, listing each dish’s ingredients and steps in detail.
When Ning Xiyue first saw it, she was deeply moved by this heavy, motherly love. From then on, she pretended she didn’t know how to cook and followed the recipes carefully, while Yun Xiulan explained each step during cooking.
Tonight, Ning Xiyue planned to show off her skills to ease her mother’s worries — to prove she wouldn’t starve in the countryside.
When the dishes were ready, she could clearly see her mother exhale in relief.
When the food was served and the family sat down, Ning Xiyue served each of them a piece of meat first. “Dad, Mom, try it and see how it tastes,” she said expectantly.
“Alright, let’s taste our daughter’s cooking.” Ning Hai smiled, picking up the meat. After eating it, he gave a big thumbs up. “Delicious! It’s no worse than your mother’s cooking. My daughter is so smart — she’s good at everything she does.”
After tasting a piece, Yun Xiulan’s smile widened. “Good. Now I can rest easy. My daughter won’t go hungry on her own.”
Ning Xiyue knew they might be exaggerating to encourage her, but the praise still warmed her heart — it felt like she’d gained her parents’ approval.
She picked up a few more pieces of meat for them, saying, “Eat more, there’s plenty.”
While eating, Yun Xiulan couldn’t help but feel sad — her daughter was leaving for the countryside tomorrow. She quietly wiped away a tear. “Alright, daughter, you eat more too.”
After dinner, Ning Hai volunteered to do the dishes, leaving mother and daughter some time alone.
Yun Xiulan brought a suitcase into Ning Xiyue’s room.
They sat together on the bed, and Yun Xiulan gently took Ning Xiyue’s hand, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When she spoke, there was a hint of sorrow in her voice.
“You’ve grown up so fast… Life in the countryside will be tough, but don’t be afraid. Your second brother is there — you two can look out for each other. Be careful around that ungrateful cousin of yours. Since your head injury delayed your departure, you’ll be going after her. I’m worried she’ll spread rumors to ruin your reputation. If she does, don’t hold back — say what needs to be said, and if you have to, fight back.”
She sighed, unable to stop worrying that her daughter was too kind and might get bullied.
“Mm, Mom, don’t worry. I won’t let myself be bullied,” Ning Xiyue said, her mood dampened by her mother’s emotions.
Yun Xiulan wiped away her tears and forced a smile.
“Enough of that. Yueyue, have you finished packing?”
“Yes, it’s all done. Look at that big bundle by the door — bedding, clothes, daily necessities, everything’s packed. I also bought everything I need.”
Ning Xiyue opened the bundle for her mother to inspect and pointed to another one on a chair near the wardrobe.
“And this bag is full of thick clothes and quilts. I’ve packed it too, but I won’t take it now. Once the weather gets cold, can you mail it to me?”
Seeing how neatly everything was packed and how thoroughly her daughter had prepared, Yun Xiulan nodded in relief.
“Alright. Put that bundle in the wardrobe, and I’ll send it to you later. My Yueyue has really grown up — you know how to pack properly now. That makes me feel better.”
She patted the suitcase she’d brought.
“Mom made you two new sets of sturdy clothes and included some extra fabric just in case. There’s also some dried meat for you to snack on, and a few miscellaneous things — a bit of everything.”
Then she pulled out a heavy money pouch.
“There’s 100 yuan in here, and the rest are various ration tickets. Keep them safe. I’ll send you more money later — it’s safer that way. If you ever run into an emergency in the countryside, call my workplace. Don’t be afraid to spend money on a phone call.”
“Mom, I have money. You don’t have to give me any.” Ning Xiyue was overwhelmed with emotion. Her nose reddened, and her voice choked up. “Keep it for you and Dad. Don’t worry about me. I took so much money from those two scumbags — I won’t run out for decades.”
At that moment, Ning Xiyue couldn’t tell if it was the original owner’s emotions still lingering in her body or her own. She didn’t know the reason — only that she wanted to cry.
Her tear ducts felt like a bursting spring, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, flowing in a steady stream — a mixture of gratitude, sorrow, and warmth.
