Chapter 145: Family Identity

The following morning.

Wenjing was woken up by her cell phone ringing.

She groggily opened her eyes, followed the sound, and found it was another video call from Zhao Yanxi.

Just like she said yesterday—to test the results!

Wenjing quickly pulled out her earphones from under her pillow, put them on, pressed the answer button, and lowered her voice: "Hello, Yan hope?"

"Good morning, Jingjing!"

Zhao Yanxi is always full of energy.

Wenjing glanced subconsciously at her side. Ding Heng was breathing evenly, his brows were relaxed, and he seemed to be sleeping soundly.

She shrank deeper under the covers and lowered her voice even further: "Keep your voice down, Ding Heng is still sleeping."

Zhao Yanxi squinted, scrutinizing Wen Jing's collarbone and shoulders through the camera lens, a slight smile curving her lips: "Oh... it's almost eleven o'clock and you're still sleeping. What time did you guys finish sleeping yesterday?"

Wenjing blushed, pulled the blanket up a little, and honestly admitted, "Around... six in the morning."

"Six o'clock?!"

"Um."

Wenjing buried her face in the pillow.

Zhao Yanxi clicked her tongue twice: "It seems that men still care about you. We finished talking on the phone last night at almost two o'clock. It was only four hours at most?"

"You jerk! Why do you usually take so long when you're with me? It's not fair!"

Wenjing didn't say anything, her ears burning red.

"Alright, alright..."

Zhao Yanxi changed her tone: "Let me see a man?"

Wenjing hesitated slightly, but finally raised her phone and slowly turned the camera around.

In the picture, Ding Heng is lying on his side, and the morning light makes his overall outline appear much softer.

The shoulder blades are slightly raised, and above that are strong shoulders with several clearly visible bite marks on the skin.

Holy crap!

Zhao Yanxi's eyes widened: "Wenjing, are you a dog?"

Wenjing quickly turned the camera back, her face flushed with embarrassment: "Zhao Yanxi, that's enough! If there's nothing important, I'm hanging up."

"No, no, no! I have important business to attend to, I have important business to attend to."

Zhao Yanxi quickly stopped them, her tone becoming slightly more serious: "I mainly wanted to remind you about the follow-up procedures. The medicine is in the drawer. Take the small box within 24 hours today, and take the large box for long-term use. Please read the instructions carefully."

Wenjing subconsciously looked at the bedside table. The drawer was half open, and a rough count revealed four or five boxes inside.

She asked worriedly, "Won't this... cause any problems?"

Although she is only eighteen years old, Wenjing's thinking is still quite traditional in some respects.

She had long envisioned giving birth to children for a man, and naturally didn't want any irreversible damage to her body.

"Don't worry, Ding Heng said it's fine."

Zhao Yanxi said casually, "He also gave me another medicine that I can't name, but overall it had no side effects. I went to the hospital for a check-up two weeks ago, and I'm perfectly healthy. On the contrary..."

"On the contrary, what?"

"On the contrary, my cup size went up by one size."

"Still going up?"

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Yanxi raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously: "You wouldn't want something like this?"

Wenjing reached into the bedside table drawer, took out one of the boxes, and examined it from all angles. The dense text on the instruction manual made her a little dizzy.

She sighed softly, "Let it go up... Is there anything else?"

"That's all, I won't disturb your rest."

Zhao Yanxi said confidently, "I'll conserve my energy and wait for my sister to come back so we can take on Ding Heng two-on-one and make him beg for mercy!"

"..."

Wenjing remained silent and pressed the hang-up button.

Why doesn't Zhao Yanxi have any self-awareness?

Wenjing tossed her phone aside, plucked a pill from the medicine box, popped it into her mouth, and swallowed it whole with the cold water on her bedside table.

As she put down her cup, preparing to snuggle into the man's arms for another nap, a large hand suddenly reached out, grabbed her waist, and pulled her back sharply.

"Eh..."

Before Wenjing could react, her back was already pressed against a warm chest.

The next second, a tremendous force came from my chest.

"It hurts~"

Wenjing let out a short moan, but the only response was the heavy breathing behind her.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

Wenjing slowly moved into the bathroom, the warm water washing over her body, cleansing away the fatigue and stickiness of the night.

After taking a shower, Wenjing changed into a clean cotton nightgown and returned to the living room.

Ding Heng had already changed his clothes, looking satisfied, like a lazy big cat that had just finished sunbathing.

"come over."

Ding Heng beckoned, and Wen Jing immediately obediently walked over and sat down.

Open your mouth.

Ding Heng took out a small, white pill from his pocket, without any packaging.

Wenjing didn't ask what it was, and obediently opened her mouth as usual.

Ding Heng put the pill into her mouth and handed her a glass of water.

Wenjing swallowed the pills with water, figuring they were probably the unknown pills Zhao Yanxi had given her.

As for what the effect will be?

Ding Heng didn't say anything, and she was too lazy to ask.

In short, she trusts everything a man gives her unconditionally and 100%!

Ding Heng then gently lifted Wenjing's clothes and placed his warm palm on her lower abdomen.

Wenjing felt a slight burning sensation in her abdomen, and her body trembled slightly.

Golden lines intertwined and coiled on her lower abdomen, eventually forming a unique pattern that shimmered with golden light and stood out against her fair skin.

A warm sensation began to spread from her lower abdomen, flowing with blood to her limbs and permeating her entire body.

My legs are no longer weak, my back is no longer sore, and even my eyelids are no longer heavy.

Wenjing looked up in surprise.

Ding Heng withdrew his hand and asked with a smile, "Feeling better?"

"Um……"

Wenjing touched her belly and moved her arms and legs; she did feel much better.

She couldn't help but ask curiously, "When you rub my stomach, it feels like you're using internal energy to heal me, just like in martial arts novels?"

"Trade secrets".

Ding Heng gently pinched her cheek.

After last night, the [Holy Flame Inscription] could finally be used on Wenjing. Ding Heng immediately exchanged it for the girl and equipped it to ensure her physical condition.

She nestled greedily in Ding Heng's arms, saying, "Ding Heng, stay with me today."

"affim."

"So what are we going to do this afternoon?"

"Um……"

Ding Heng thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the supermarket to stock up on some New Year's goods for my grandparents. Isn't the Little New Year coming up soon?"

Wenjing's eyes lit up, and she sat up from his lap: "Okay! Okay!"

For a woman like Wenjing, who is naturally family-oriented, large-scale shopping events like preparing for the New Year always get her very excited, even more so than when ordinary women buy luxury handbags!

Half an hour later, the two of them finished getting ready, changed their clothes, and went to a large supermarket.

Most of the time, there are only two situations in which Chinese people are willing to treat money like paper – one is gambling, and the other is during the Chinese New Year.

But nowadays, people, especially young people, no longer prepare New Year's goods half a month in advance as they used to; many buy and eat them on the spot.

Firstly, there's no time for that, as everyone has to wait until New Year's Eve to have a holiday; secondly, freshly bought items are fresher.

Therefore, even though it was close to the Little New Year, there weren't many people in the supermarket. People made their purchases while listening to festive songs such as "Gong Xi Fa Cai" and "Xin Nian Hao".

Wenjing pushed the shopping cart, with Ding Heng beside her.

She walked slowly, her eyes scanning the rows of shelves, occasionally stopping to pick up something to look at before putting it back.

"Don't your grandparents run a convenience store?"

Wenjing suddenly remembered something and looked up at Ding Heng, asking, "We shouldn't need to buy ordinary snacks like melon seeds, right?"

Ding Heng smiled and said, "No need to ask me, I'll leave everything to you!"

Wenjing blinked, then lowered her head to continue scanning the shelves.

Ding Heng then said, "On the day before the Lunar New Year, I'll be with you and your grandparents at noon. In the evening, my dad and his girlfriend are coming to Xingcheng, and I'll have dinner with them."

Wenjing nodded, said "Oh," and didn't ask any more questions.

Ding Heng didn't take her to see her father for the Lunar New Year, which she thought was simply because the time wasn't right yet.

Isn't Zhao Yanxi also staying in Zhuzhou?

A moment later, Wenjing's gaze fell on a row of New Year's gift boxes on the shelf.

"How about this one?"

She picked up a box of traditional Beijing-style pastries, the packaging of which was quite festive.

Ding Heng glanced at it, and although he thought it was all show and no substance, he still agreed, "Okay."

Wenjing put the gift box into the shopping cart and walked forward.

"What about this one?"

She picked up a box of imported nuts: "Grandpa and Grandma's shop probably doesn't have these."

"Alright."

"this?"

"Anything is fine."

"Well……"

Wenjing turned around and glared at him with displeasure: "Can't you be serious for once?"

Ding Heng shrugged: "I already said, I'll do whatever you say!"

Wenjing pouted and ignored the man, focusing on choosing her own items.

She is very careful when choosing things. She turns each item over to check the production date, squeezes the packaging to check for leaks, and weighs it to see if it is heavy enough.

Ding Heng followed behind, and suddenly saw the girl intently working on a packet of five-spice seasoning. He couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Are there different kinds of five-spice seasoning?"

Wenjing picked up a packet of five-spice powder, sniffed it, and patiently explained, "You have to choose good quality five-spice powder, otherwise the food won't taste good when you cook it."

"How about we buy one pack of each, and you can try them out at home?"

"Um... don't waste money."

After spending a full ten minutes, Wenjing finally picked out a satisfactory pack of five-spice powder and continued walking.

As she passed the candy section, she stopped and looked at the rows of colorful wrappers, her eyes shining.

"Ding Heng, shouldn't we buy some candy for the New Year?"

"purchase."

"good!"

Wenjing immediately picked out several kinds, all of them cheap and nostalgic White Rabbit candies and preserved plum candies, packing only a small bag, mostly for her own cravings.

Next was the fruit section, with apples, grapes, oranges, cherries... Wenjing checked everything very carefully, afraid of accidentally buying rotten fruit.

Finally, in the fresh produce section, she bought fish, shrimp, and ribs, saying she wanted to marinate them in advance so she could cook a good meal for her grandparents on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

Seeing the girl's meticulous calculations throughout the journey, Ding Heng couldn't help but laugh: "You have so much money in your account now, why are you still so frugal?"

Wenjing said earnestly, "I've told you so many times, that's your money. I'm just temporarily holding it for you, so of course you should save money whenever you can when buying things."

Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated, and reached out again to gently pinch her cheek.

After the shopping was completed, both shopping carts were piled high.

Ding Heng pushed one cart, and Wen Jing pushed another; the two walked past the cashier and out.

Stepping out of the supermarket, it was drizzling outside. The damp cold of the south was like a pure magical attack, making me shiver.

The car was on the other side of the road, about two or three hundred meters away.

Wenjing put on the hood of her down jacket, but unfortunately, both her hands were carrying shopping bags, so she couldn't put them in her pockets.

Ding Heng switched the bag in one hand to the other, and with his free hand, he took both large bags from Wen Jing's hands.

"The car keys are in my pocket, go warm up in the car first."

"No, I'll go with you."

Wenjing gently took Ding Heng's arm, determined to share the hardships with the man.

"Silly girl."

Ding Heng glanced down at her and then pulled her closer into his arms.

More than an hour later, the car stopped in front of a shop on the outskirts of the city.

As soon as Wenjing got out of the car, the old lady immediately came out of the convenience store to greet her.

"Oh dear, why didn't you tell me you were coming!"

She stepped forward and took the bag from Wenjing's hand, complaining but unable to hide her smile: "Hengya, you shouldn't have made Xiaojing carry such heavy things by herself!"

Ding Heng, carrying bags in both hands, smiled helplessly: "Grandma, I'm carrying them right now, aren't I?"

Wenjing greeted her sweetly, "Hello, Grandma."

"Your hands are all red from the cold, come inside and warm up!"

The old lady pulled Wenjing aside with concern, saying, "Why did you buy so much stuff?"

"To help you stock up on New Year's goods."

Ding Heng carried the last bag into the house and put it on the ground: "It'll be a few days before the Lunar New Year, so you won't have to make the trip again."

Grandma still complained, "Why are you stocking up on New Year's goods? What don't we have in our own store?"

"The things in the shop are for the shop; these are what Ding Heng and I picked out."

"What are you doing? My wife and I are old folks at home; we'll be eating like this until next year."

The two chatted on and on, while Ding Heng followed behind, carrying the items into the inner room one by one.

Grandfather was reading the newspaper in the inner room. When he saw them come in, he put down the newspaper and stood up.

"Little Jing is here!"

"Hello, Grandpa."

She called out quietly and obediently.

She couldn't stay idle for a moment. Seeing several unwashed dishes on the dining table, she picked them up and headed to the kitchen.

Grandma called out from behind, "Jingjing, you can leave it here, I'll take care of it."

"It's alright, Grandma, I'll do it."

She went into the kitchen, turned on the tap, washed the dishes one by one, dried them with a cloth, and put them back in the cupboard.

After washing the dishes, she glanced at the stove and then tidied up the rest of the pots and pans.

Grandma followed in and couldn't help but click her tongue twice: "This girl is really diligent."

Ding Heng leaned against the door frame, smiled, and said nothing.

After finishing her work, Wenjing wiped her hands and noticed that the trash can in the corner was full, so she bent down to change the trash bag.

Grandma quickly stopped her: "Oh my girl, can't you take a break? You just got here and you're already doing chores, how can this old woman like me accept that?"

Wenjing was forced to sit down by her grandmother, and smiled shyly, "I... I just can't sit still."

Even if you can't stay idle, you still need to rest.

Grandma glared at her, then turned to Ding Heng: "Heng, you little brat, what are you doing? You brought that girl here, didn't you even let her catch her breath?"

Ding Heng shrugged: "She wanted to do it herself, could I have stopped her?"

Wenjing blushed slightly and lowered her head without saying a word.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the shop entrance, followed by a loud voice: "Aunt Sun! Are you home?"

Grandma responded, "Yes, yes, come in."

The curtain was lifted, and a woman in her fifties walked in, with curly hair and a piece of cured meat in her hand.

Seeing that there were strangers in the room, she couldn't help but look Wenjing up and down with curiosity.

"Oh, this is...?"

She put down the cured meat and asked, "Aunt Sun, do you have guests?"

Grandma introduced them with a smile: "This is Heng Ya's girlfriend, Wenjing! Wenjing, this is Aunt Qiao from next door."

Wenjing quickly stood up and politely greeted, "Hello, Aunt Qiao."

Aunt Qiao clicked her tongue in amazement: "Oh my, Hengya already has a girlfriend? She's so pretty! How old are you, young lady?"

Wenjing was a little overwhelmed by Aunt Qiao's overly friendly enthusiasm and answered softly, "Ten, eighteen, nineteen soon..."

Nineteen? Isn't that still in school?

"Yeah, freshman year."

"Dating in freshman year? Young people these days..."

Aunt Qiao shook her head, then turned to her grandmother: "Aunt Sun, you've chosen a good granddaughter-in-law. She's beautiful and seems sensible."

Grandma smiled and said modestly, "Oh, he's just an ordinary child."

Wenjing stood there, her face growing increasingly red.

Aunt Qiao mumbled a few more words, then turned and left.

When her grandmother saw her off, she returned with a smile still on her face.

"Neighbors, just dropping by."

Grandma put away the cured meat and explained, "She likes to come over and chat with us whenever she has nothing to do, and bring us some things."

Wenjing nodded without saying anything.

I don’t know if Aunt Qiao spread the word, but several groups of people came intermittently throughout the afternoon.

Some came to buy things, some came to visit, and some were just passing by.

Every time someone came, Grandma would pull Wenjing aside and introduce her—"This is Hengya's girlfriend."

Wenjing stood up again and again, politely greeting everyone, and then listened to the praise from her aunts and uncles.

At first, my face would blush, but later it became completely desensitized...

Ding Heng sat to the side watching the fun, occasionally getting glared at by the girl, but he just smiled.

Around 5 p.m., Grandma closed the door early to refuse guests, and the house finally became completely quiet.

Wenjing slumped in the chair and let out a long sigh.

Grandma brought over a cup of hot tea and placed it in front of her: "Are you tired?"

Wenjing shook her head: "It's alright..."

"Don't mind it."

Grandma patted her hand with a smile: "Those old women have no self-control and love to join in the fun, they're so annoying... When they heard that Hengya had a girlfriend, they all wanted to come and see."

Wenjing lowered her head to drink her tea, feeling not annoyed, but rather warm and cozy.

Compared to Zhao Yanxi, she is indeed more liked by the elders, which is one of her few advantages.

Ding Heng specially arranged for her to meet her maternal grandparents, probably so that she could feel a sense of belonging...

Grandma suddenly patted Wenjing's hand again: "Xiaojing, come with me for a moment."

Wenjing quickly put down her teacup, stood up, and followed her grandmother into the inner room, glancing back at Ding Heng.

Ding Heng was looking down at his phone, seemingly unaware.

The two of them went to the old man's bedroom one after the other. It was not big, but it was clean and tidy, and there was no trace of old age smell.

Several old photos hang on the wall, one of which is of Ding Heng's mother when she was young. Her eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar to Ding Heng's, and she has a typical masculine appearance, looking cool and dashing.

Against the wall was an old-fashioned wardrobe with mirrors on the doors.

Grandma opened the wardrobe, pulled out a drawer, and took out a red silk cloth package.

She turned around, holding the cloth bag, and solemnly called out to Wenjing.

"Xiao Jing, come here."

Wenjing walked over, looking a little lost.

Grandma opened the red silk cloth package, and inside was a gold bracelet.

The bracelet has an old-fashioned design, but the workmanship is exquisite, and it is engraved with traditional auspicious patterns.

Grandma picked up the bracelet and took Wenjing's hand.

Wenjing instinctively tried to shrink back, but her grandmother held her firmly.

"This bracelet..."

Grandma said in a weary voice, "It's Hengya's mother."

Wenjing was stunned.

The bracelet's cool touch pressed against her wrist, and with a gentle push from her grandmother, it nestled perfectly above her wrist bone.

Wenjing was startled and quickly shrank back, saying, "Grandma, I can't accept this..."

Grandma gripped Wenjing's hand tightly, her gaze fixed on the bracelet, as if she could see something through it.

"His mother passed away early, and she kept his things. The old couple always thought about leaving them for Hengya's future wife."

Wenjing looked at the gold bracelet on her wrist, and her breathing became rapid.

"Grandma, I..."

Her expression was flustered, and her voice was unsteady: "Ding Heng and I are only freshmen, and we don't know what the future holds. This thing is too valuable, I..."

Grandma waved her hand, interrupting her.

"No matter what happens in the future, I've decided on you, my wife."

Wenjing raised her head and met the old man's cloudy but firm gaze.

"My wife and I don't know how many more years we have left to live. If we pass away one day and we can't give this away, I won't be able to die in peace."

The old man's voice was soft, but every word was clear.

"You're a diligent and sensible girl, and you're good to Hengya. I've lived to be this old, and I'm still good at judging people. Besides, I know Hengya's personality well; he wouldn't bring a girl back to meet us unless he truly loved her."

Grandma was almost certain: "If you two are not destined to be together in the end, it must be Heng Ya's fault. Consider this bracelet as compensation for you."

Wenjing's eyes welled up with tears after the old woman's words: "Grandma, please don't say that..."

"Good child, please accept it."

"Um……"

Wenjing ultimately didn't refuse too much.

After dinner, the two returned to the car; it was already completely dark outside.

Wenjing sat in the passenger seat, her heart still pounding with anxiety.

"Ding Heng".

She asked softly, "Did you know that if you brought me here, Grandma would give me a gold bracelet?"

Ding Heng didn't answer directly, but only advised, "Just keep what your grandmother gave you, no matter what."

"But……"

"No buts."

Ding Heng patted her head: "It's rare for Grandma to be this happy, just go along with her."

Ding Heng felt that since the girl had bled last night, he should at least give her some kind of response.

For example, after returning from Chengdu, he indulged Zhao Yanxi's material needs in large quantities, partly because of this...

Wenjing is not a materialistic person, or rather, she is not that sensitive to material things.

What she longed for was recognition of her identity and the love she lacked from her family, so Ding Heng took her to meet her maternal grandparents.

Ever since the loss of their daughter, the elderly couple had always felt a void in their hearts, and now Wenjing perfectly complemented that void.

Having lost her daughter and being quite old, she naturally hopes her grandson can get married soon.

Although Wenjing had only met them a few times, in their eyes, she was the perfect granddaughter-in-law!

So her grandmother couldn't wait to give her the gold bracelet, partly out of a desire to keep her "tethered" to Ding Heng.

Wenjing lowered her head and gently touched the gold bracelet.

The bracelet is old and has many fine scratches on the surface.

I wonder how many years Ding Heng's mother wore it.

I don't know how many years my grandmother kept it.

Now it's on my wrist.

heavy.

The weight made her feel a little uneasy.