The Cannon Fodder in Quick Transmigration Refuses the Usual Path

Chapter 617: The Villainous Cannon Fodder in the Imperial Examination Story 1

"Ning Ning, Ning Ning, don't scare Mother!"

"Ning Ning... Doctor, why isn't Doctor Yang here yet? Xiao Tao, go hurry him up..."

"And the Master and Madam over there, at this hour..."

Late at night, the Liang residence.

"Cough, cough!"

Accompanied by a burst of urgent, chaotic noise in her ears, An Ning had just begun to regain some consciousness when a wave of oppressive pressure in her lungs nearly suffocated her.

This was a sign of excessive fluid in the lungs.

Without even needing to check her pulse, An Ning quickly made the diagnosis.

And over here, although it was just the faintest of movements, Madam Lin, who was already extremely anxious by the bedside, reacted immediately.

Seeing that her daughter's chest was clearly rising and falling but she stubbornly refused to open her eyes, Madam Lin's panic intensified even more.Carefully holding her daughter's hand, while urging the doctor to hurry, Madam Lin also kept holding the young girl's hand on the bed, constantly murmuring:

"Ning Ning, Ning Ning, Mother is right here, you absolutely must not fall asleep!"

"When Ning Ning wakes up, Mother promises you, I'll buy you beautiful clothes, and also, also Lin Family Village... Mother will never take you back there again..."

As she spoke, a stream of clear tears fell silently from her eyes, making the already slender and delicate figure appear even more fragile.

Unfortunately, at this moment, aside from the occasional coughing sounds, the young girl on the bed showed no further movement.

It's unknown how much time passed before hurried footsteps finally sounded outside the door.

Immediately after, a slightly more steady male voice rang out: "What's wrong with Ning Ning!"

"Didn't they say they specifically sent a message for you to go back today?"

Listening carefully, Master Liang's voice carried a hint of anger.

As his words fell, not far away, Madam Lin's tears instantly began to fall again.

"Master..."

Taking advantage of the moment while the two were talking, An Ning quickly grasped the key phrase. The Lin family, the original owner's maternal family? Could it be?

And soon after, the original owner's memories quickly confirmed An Ning's guess.

It wasn't until the night was about to fade that An Ning slowly opened her eyes in the room.

As expected, the next second, she met a pair of weary yet pleasantly surprised eyes beside her.

"Ning Ning, you're finally awake!"

"Cough, Mother!"

Seeing no one else around, An Ning then weakly called out before being carefully helped up.

Despite Madam Lin's delicate appearance, she had done plenty of manual work since childhood, so her current strength was actually quite considerable. She effortlessly helped her daughter sit up and even remembered to turn and instruct the little maid in the outer room to bring hot tea.

Only then did she cautiously ask:

"Ning Ning, are you still feeling unwell?"

The six-year-old girl silently shook her head, her face still bearing the pale, cold pallor from being frozen by the river water earlier.

Seeing this, a pained expression quickly flashed across Madam Lin's face as she tightly hugged her daughter in her arms:

"Ning Ning, don't worry, from now on, if Ning Ning doesn't want to go to Lin Family Village, we won't go back..."

"Cough, cough, is Mother telling the truth?"

As these words fell, An Ning's pair of large, dark eyes instantly lit up. Even her cheeks flushed slightly with excitement from the agitation. And still, her small hand tightly held onto the other person.

As if afraid this person would go back on her word.

At this point, Madam Lin had no mind for anything else and hurriedly nodded.

As if a weight had been lifted from her heart, after taking her medicine, the young girl on the bed "fell asleep" again to the gentle hums of the woman beside her.

It wasn't until the person at the head of the bed left quietly on tiptoe that An Ning imperceptibly moved a finger.

The original owner's surname was Liang, given name An Ning. She was the third daughter of the Liang residence, the largest cloth merchant in the county town. The person beside her was the original owner's birth mother, Concubine Lin.

Master Liang had two sons and three daughters. Besides the legitimate son and daughter born to the main wife, there was also an elder brother who shared the same mother as the original owner.

The two were born in the same year, considered an auspicious dragon-phoenix twin pair. Because of this, even though she came from a farming family, Madam Lin quickly established a firm footing in the Liang residence.

Both children were also quite favored, never wanting for food or drink.

The reason for today's misfortune was entirely due to the Old Lin Family mentioned earlier, or rather, the original owner's own maternal uncle, Lin Qingyun, who was only eighteen this year.

Qingyun, meaning "rising straight up to the blue clouds," and being the only male descendant of the Lin family's main branch, one could see the family's expectations for him.

Especially since this cheap uncle had been clever since childhood and quite ambitious.

Unfortunately, throughout all dynasties, where were the imperial examinations ever easy to pass! In these times, for a farming family to support a scholar, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they'd sell their pots and pans.

Oh, actually, the pots and pans weren't sold, but the elder sister, the original owner's birth mother, was sold completely...

A little over ten years old, she was sold to the Liang residence to be a maid, said to be on a living contract, just helping with work. They said she'd be properly redeemed in a couple of years, but this wait dragged on until she was eighteen, an age where she could have been a mother herself in this era, with still no word from home.

Indeed, the Liang residence was wealthy, and the old madam was generous to those below. Not to mention rewards, just the monthly allowance alone was a considerable sum.

The Lin family was supporting a scholar, which was already money-burning. How could they cut off such a good source of income?

Getting married?

Forget her age, at that time Lin Qingyun hadn't even passed the Tong Sheng exam. Those who came seeking marriage were mostly ordinary families, so the bride price naturally wouldn't be substantial.

Besides, with the Lin family's current signs, what ordinary family would dare gamble?

In short, for various reasons, not only was the original owner's mother's marriage delayed, but even the promised return home to marry after working a few years came to nothing.

Half a year later, under the old madam's arrangement, Madam Lin became a concubine of the Liang family.

But this very act became a taboo that the Lin family, especially Lin Qingyun himself, was most unwilling to mention.

Especially seven years ago, after Young Uncle Lin passed the Tong Sheng exam...

An eleven-year-old Tong Sheng was considered quite precious in this area. This was also why the original owner's mother, despite being a concubine, could occasionally go back to visit.

However, for such a visibly promising scholar's family, one with a proper academic title, to have an elder sister who was a lowly merchant's concubine...

As the saying goes, when life gets better, that remaining stain becomes especially grating.

One can imagine what treatment the original owner and her brother would receive when they went back?

The original owner was just a six-year-old little girl, spoiled since childhood. How could she endure it! So once, in a fit of anger, she ran off. The countryside paths were slippery, and not far away, she accidentally slipped and fell into the water!

Of course, this was just the beginning...

In the original owner's memories, despite this young uncle repeatedly failing the exams in recent years, just a short year later, he would suddenly have his meridians opened, sailing smoothly all the way until passing the advanced scholar examination.

All the brothers and sisters in the family would benefit alongside him.

And the original owner's family?

Well...

Shameless, willingly degrading themselves as concubines, constantly belittling and looking down on their younger brother, ungrateful for family ties, despised by the whole family as the worst kind of relatives?

Look at this slapping of faces! If she didn't know the inside story, An Ning would want to give a thumbs up.

What a true power fantasy!

In the end, the elderly couple, fearing it would tarnish the family's reputation and affect their grandson's official career, even went so far as to strike the original owner's mother, Lin Ting, from the family register, acting as if they never had this granddaughter.

And certainly not the original owner and her brother, outsiders with a different surname!

A scholarly family, with pure and upright family traditions!

Lying on the small bed, An Ning couldn't help but let out a soft, disdainful snort.

This is really... laughable!