Modern Volume Chapter 11: Grudges and Favors

  After taking several deep breaths in the room, Zuo Xiaoyao quickly disappeared into the bedroom with a cheongsam that she had hardly ever worn before and a set of cosmetics that she had barely used.

  After setting the alarm clock for five hours later, she didn't plan to take action immediately. She simply sat cross-legged on the bed with her eyes closed in contemplation. This was a training secret she had discovered during this period of time. It turned out that training wasn't just about circulating Qi through the body; reflecting on life and summarizing the world's principles and laws was also a form of training. When this kind of training yielded results, it not only brought her a spiritual uplift from the inside out but also strengthened her training in the martial arts.

  Zuo Xiaoyao calls the cultivation method she discovered "temperament cultivation". She likes this kind of cultivation, which makes her more clear-headed and sensitive when looking at things. When dealing with problems, it is also more rational and reacts more quickly.

  For Zuo Xiao Yao, who has never lived with her parents, the love from her grandmother can completely make up for the lack of parental love. Although she never felt that she should be sad or regretful about her different growth experience compared to most people, due to the education she received since childhood, she always thought that parental love is sacred, pure and selfless. She has been secretly expecting that somewhere, there would be a pair of parents who were forced to abandon her but still think of her from afar, and one day they will reunite and ask about her life experience with great joy, caring whether she suffered too much due to poverty.

  It was only this thread of expectation that had not yet sprouted, but it was snuffed out in her seventeenth year. That Wang Zhaonan, Zuo Xiaoyao recognized him, they had been schoolmates, and she had seen the middle-aged couple a few times before. Even though they brought him nothing but pain, Zuo Xiaoyao couldn't help but admit that they were indeed her biological parents.

  When she met the middle-aged couple, she had just entered that university in S city, which was ranked among the top few in the country and had a great reputation. They were workers in the logistics department of the university, one was a security guard at the girls' dormitory building, and the other was an electrician. Zuo Xiaoyao, who was new to the university campus and somewhat bewildered by her surroundings, often chatted with this newly acquainted but very familiar 'auntie', because she had a six-degree similarity with 'auntie', and 'auntie' also treated her differently.

  After the two became close, 'Auntie' often turned a blind eye to her returning home late at night or going back to the dormitory after dinner, violating school rules. During this period, she also got to know 'Auntie's husband and daughter and understood their family situation.

  If it's said that her resemblance to "Auntie" is coincidental, then the similarity in appearance between Zuo Xiaoyao and her daughter Wang Zhaonan can also be considered normal. However, since she unintentionally heard "Auntie" mention that she had a daughter who was still alive and around the same age as her, and later found out that she was an orphan raised by her grandmother after being abandoned by her parents, Zuo Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel that something was off after inquiring about her family background.

  Unfortunately, the attitude of that 'auntie' towards her suddenly changed greatly afterwards, with an air of avoiding her as much as possible. After a while, the couple suddenly quit their jobs at the school and left, leaving Zuo Xiaoyao, who didn't have the chance to confirm her own guess, very puzzled.

  If she was abandoned, the reason is very common in that era - preferring sons to daughters. Zuo Xiao Yao could understand her biological parents' choice, even if emotionally she couldn't forgive them and didn't want to get close to them from the heart. She had quietly fantasized about how they would react when they knew of her existence, but 'Auntie's reaction was a bit too unreasonable.

  It wasn't until the end of her freshman year that Zuo XiaoYao accidentally found the "selling daughter" agreement in her grandmother's dresser drawer. She stared at the signature below in disbelief, and she had to accept a fact: "Auntie" and "Uncle" were indeed her biological parents, as there was also a paternity test document with the agreement.

  In the agreement to drop the charges of kidnapping against Grandma, not disturb Zuo Xiao Yao's peaceful life and will not harm her in the future, Grandma paid a price of 50,000 yuan in cash. Behind Zuo Xiao Yao's back, she sold at a low price the purple gold necklace that Grandpa had given to her, which was also one of the few pieces of jewelry that Grandma had joked about keeping as "dowry" for her long ago. Even when they were so poor that they could barely afford to cook, Grandma hadn't been willing to sell it.

  Until this meeting, Zuo Xiao Yao had not seen them for more than four years. She didn't expect the scene to be like this. It was neither anger nor hatred that she felt towards them. The pain they brought her as blood relatives had long passed. To her, they were now just strangers who could no longer stir up any ripples in her heart. Since she had never gotten anything from them, it didn't matter if she let go. It wasn't worth being sad or angry over a non-existent emotional connection. The drama they had put on before was just like throwing a stone into the calm waters of her life, causing only a slight ripple on the surface that others could see.

  After a moment of introspection, Zuo Xiaoyao exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, opened her eyes, and gazed clearly. She glanced at the time; there was still nearly half an hour left, enough for her to get dressed.

  Putting on this exquisitely made cheongsam, Zuo Xiaoyao's mouth curled up into a smile tinged with sadness. This was her grandmother's handiwork. Her grandmother was a true lady from a family of scholars and was well-versed in all the traditional feminine arts - music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and embroidery. In times when they were struggling to make ends meet, it was she who relied on her sewing skills, especially her expertise in making cheongsams, to earn a living.

  Zuo Xiaoyao, who had always thought about how to make money to support her family since she was a child, only excelled at painting. Even under the guidance of her grandmother, other skills were only learned to a mediocre level.

  Because makeup and painting have different skills, apart from painting, Zuo XiaoYao learned her grandmother's makeup techniques to perfection. She has always agreed with the idea that makeup is a way to show respect for others and to please oneself. Even at an old age, her grandmother insisted on putting on makeup every day before going out to meet people. Therefore, since she started doing her grandmother's makeup at the age of 11 or 12, Zuo XiaoYao has absolutely learned the true skills!

  Even if Zuo XiaoYao rarely wears makeup herself!

  In the real-time scenario of just half an hour, Li Suo's Xiao Ya had already gone downstairs with a small package in hand, looking refreshed and spirited, and no one could tell that she was the protagonist of the previous family ethics drama.

  Hearing the familiar footsteps, Cheng Luo, who was leaning against the car door and looking up at the building, subconsciously turned his head to look back, and a flash of surprise flickered in his eyes. What a elegant woman, as if she had walked out of an ancient painting of a noble lady!

  "Very beautiful! No wonder you were so confident before!" Cheng Luo said with a faint smile, trying his best to shift his gaze away from her.

  Thank you!

  Zuo Xiaoyao's expression remained unchanged, as gentle and calm as ever, not showing any signs of pride or satisfaction at the rare praise from Jin Hui, the famous Diamond King.

  PS: Thanks to Qing ☆ He's pink votes, Wenwen didn't get zero on the first day, and there will be a second update!