After accepting Fu Zheng's proposal, Ning Wan began thinking about introducing him to her mother.

When she had brought her mother from her hometown to Rong City, introverted, awkward Mother Ning had at first been a little uncomfortable with the pace of city life. Although Ning Wan did her best to spend time with her, she still had to work. Thankfully, after Ning Wan changed her mother's phone number and contact information, her father could no longer find them. Eventually he gave up on harassing them and disappeared in an attempt to avoid his gambling debts.

But perhaps because Ning Wan's mother had been so traumatized, it was difficult for her to get past it. Although Ning Wan herself could provide support and encouragement, it was her mother who in the end had to make up her own mind. In this, Ning Wan was helpless.

She couldn't bear the thought of her mother having to sleep on the floor of her little apartment's living room, so Ning Wan found a suitable place in the same community and rented it on her mother's behalf. Now, mother and daughter took care of each other.

This time, however, when she visited Mother Ning's rental apartment and knocked on the door, her mother wasn't at home. She never went out in the evening, so with some confusion Ning Wan pulled out her phone to give her mother a call. "Mom, I have something to tell you. I'd like to introduce you to..."

But before she could finish her sentence, her mother interrupted. She must have been outside, because the background was quite noisy--

"Hello? Ning Wan? Mom is out and a bit busy! Talk to you later!"

It was rare for her mother to leave the house, so this made Ning Wan quite happy. But when this happened several times in succession and her mother began getting so busy that neither hide nor hair of her could be seen, Ning Wan begun feeling a little uneasy - had she been tricked into some MLM scheme or something?

In the end she haunted the apartment for a little while and finally found her mother-- getting ready to leave and dressed in a cheongsam that Ning Wan had never seen before.

"Mom?"

Ning Wan was stunned to see her mother. Setting aside the sudden change of style and unfamiliar cheongsam, her hair, which she had never much cared about before, was now styled into a fashionable curl. She even had on light makeup and a very dignified lipstick... It... It was as though her mother had become a completely different person!

Mother Ning seemed a little embarrassed to see Ning Wan gazing at her. "Is it so strange, for you to look at me like that?" she asked, nervous and a little insecure.

"No!" After getting over her stunned moment, Ning Wan felt happiness welling up from the bottom of her heart, "Mom, you look lovely!"

Although she had gotten her mother to move to Rong City and temporarily separated her from her father, Ning Wan's mother remained hesitant about divorce even after several nudges. She was a very cautious and traditional woman, and although she had said many times that it was fine not to live with him, she had never been able to cut him off completely.

All this time, Mother Ning had never been able to embrace her new life. Ning Wan had been mired in helpless, impatient anxiety. Now, looking at these changes in her mother, she felt like she had suddenly seen hope.

"It looks great! It really suits you, what a beautiful cheongsam!"

Her mother had worked hard all her life and always dressed plainly without dolling herself up. After this makeover, she realized that her mother was beautiful, too.

When she praised the cheongsam, Mother Ning brightened up and relaxed a little. "Really? When she bought it, she said it suited me and that I had to have it. I was worried that you young people would think I was weird to be wearing something like this..."

"'She'?" Ning Wan asked tentatively. "Mom, have you made a friend?"

"A sister¹Ning Wan also asked if it was a man or a woman, and Mother Ning clarifies here. However, since English has gendered pronouns, the clarification wasn't needed in the translation.," Mother Ning became much more animated when talking about it. "I just met her, she lives nearby too and is very chatty. She's five years older than me, but is so good at taking care of herself that she still looks very young. She's a wonderful person, she's taught me a lot of things, like where to find cheap, nice clothes, and stepping me through how to put on makeup."

Mother Ning was obviously very satisfied with this new sister of hers. During the conversation, Ning Wan found out that she had actually only known this sister she was praising so much for a week. Yet her mother, who had always been slow to warm up to people, was actually speaking of this sister in intimate terms, with a hint of admiration--

"She's so amazing. She knows how to use everything, Taobao, Douyin, Weibo. She's even more fashionable than the young people are. I've learnt so much from her."

"She's in such good shape, even at this age she isn't fat. She says that she does yoga all year, I'm supposed to try it out with her in a few days. She said it isn't only good for keeping in shape, but also for health...”

"She took me for a facial yesterday. I'm only just realizing how many ways there are to wash and mask your face..."

"Also, I went and got this massage from Thailand with her, and it felt great! It's a girl from Thailand rubbing your neck and shoulders, it hurts a little during the massage, but afterward I felt so relaxed. The only thing that's weird is the name of the massage. What's a perfectly good massage called 'die massage'²'Thai massage', probably :) for? What an unlucky name..." As Mother Ning spoke, she looked at Ning Wan with a smile. "You're a lawyer, sitting in an office all day long, you probably have some achy shoulders yourself. You should try out a 'die massage' next time, too, it's really good. Your mother has only just discovered that not all of these massages are scams, some of them actually are useful..."

Ning Wan had been was quite happy at first, but the more she listened, the more uncomfortable she felt. "Mom," she asked tentatively, "How much did it cost you for all this?"

Had her mother encountered a fraudster? First, disguised as a lady, she would bring you to have some fun, and then bust out the classic routine - "Sister, my business isn't doing so well all of a sudden, won't you help me out just for a little while...?"

Mother Ning glared at Ning Wan angrily. "I know what you're going to say, kid. Your mother's seen plenty of storms in my time. I know what liars are like and who I shouldn't believe. My sister's an actual nice person. I didn’t spend a penny on all of this, she paid for it all! Said that she was a member of that 'die massage' place!”

…

Alas, Ning Wan didn't relax after hearing this but got even more nervous instead. This old sister was a bit wild, not letting her mother pay even a penny in the early stages. She must plan to defraud her mother later, right? Wasn't there a term for this sort of scam called the 'pig butchering scam'³Wikipedia: A pig butchering scam is a type of confidence trick and investment fraud in which the victim is gradually lured into making increasing contributions, in the form of cryptocurrency, to a seemingly sound investment before the scammer disappears. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_butchering_scam ? The victim was the pig. First the scammer would worm their way into its confidence, then fatten it up, and finally kill it... It was said that the longer the pig was kept, the worse off they would be in the future. After all, you got wool by shearing sheep. Was there such a good thing in this world as a sister suddenly falling from the sky to buy you things, help you shop, get facials, and enjoy life?

Ning Wan suddenly became alert. The matters of introducing Fu Zheng and his proposal were thrown by the wayside. "Mom, are you going out to see your sister right now?"

Mother Ning nodded. "I can't talk much longer. We agreed to go and watch a movie today, and if I don't leave now, I'll be late."

"It just so happens I don't have anything on today. Why don't I go along with you to meet Auntie? Is it her treat for the movie again today?"

"Yes, she's the one who invited me to watch it..."

"How can that be! When you're friends with someone, you should reciprocate, right? What about this - I'll go with you and we'll all watch that movie together. After that, I'll treat you both to a meal, to show our sincerity!”

Mother Ning had been a little hesitant at first, but she was persuaded upon hearing Ning Wan's words. "That's true. I've always wanted to treat her, but she keeps refusing, saying that I don't even have a pension, and telling me not to waste money. If I bring you along and have you treat us, she would definitely agree. She's also quite interested in you and your law work and has asked about you several times. It would be just right to introduce you to each other."

In for a penny, in for a pound. Ning Wan followed Mother Ning out the house. She was eager to find out exactly what sort of monster or demon this upstanding lady was!