AMRWFA -Chapter 209 You’re a Fake (a “Watered-Down” One)

Ru Anzhi’s mouth twitched.

Mom, don’t agree so quickly. Do you even know how to cultivate?

If you do, teach me. I might actually be able to turn it into a divine ring. But if even you don’t know…

Then I’ve got even less hope!

But the problem is—Mom, do you?

Qin Shibo had left, and only then did Ruan Yaoyao realize that the national team didn’t actually have anything like this. She genuinely thought that since both she and Ma Aotian had it, the national team must definitely have it too.

Not only must they have it—but theirs must be way more powerful than these “watered-down fake versions.”

Unlike her, who still hadn’t figured out what her own golden finger actually was.

After meeting Ma Aotian and then witnessing her son Ru Anzhi successfully bind the spatial ring, Ruan Yaoyao’s day had been quite eventful.

She had originally wanted to investigate what was going on with that little golden snake, but after Minister Qin Shibo left and she checked the time, it was already very late. She decided to postpone it and get her beauty sleep instead.

Ru Anzhi: “……”

My mom really has a strong heart.

I wish I had her mindset.

That night, Ruan Yaoyao slept extremely well and woke up naturally the next morning.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but when she looked in the mirror, she felt refreshed—like she had become younger.

She touched her face happily.

“Hehe!”

“Having a good mindset really is great. Look at my little face—fair, rosy, and glowing. I’m practically like an 18-year-old girl.”

The little golden snake in her dantian sneezed, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

On top of its head, a pair of small horns had fully grown out. They looked like deer antlers—delicate, beautiful, and shining with a faint golden light.

Ruan Yaoyao applied some hydrating skincare, feeling her complexion was so good she didn’t even need blush. She only lightly applied lipstick before going downstairs.

The eldest and second sons had already left for work after breakfast.

The third son was practicing boxing in the backyard.

The fourth was still asleep.

After finishing breakfast, Ruan Yaoyao saw her fourth daughter, Xu Nannan, lazily coming downstairs.

Thinking that Ma Aotian’s “golden finger” had already disappeared, Ruan Yaoyao suddenly found the idle Xu Nannan quite an eyesore.

“Why are you up so late? What about your art studio?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m on vacation…” Xu Nannan looked like she wanted to cry.

Mom, yesterday you didn’t even let me go out. Today you’re already annoyed that I’m staying at home?

You’re changing too fast!

Give me some time to adapt!

But Ruan Yaoyao didn’t care.

“You’ve been on vacation for how long already? You used to take your nephews out to play for more than a year. Now they’ve all gone back to school, you should be getting busy too.”

“Girls should have their own work. You can’t always rely on men. Your eldest and second brothers can support me for a lifetime, but can they support you for a lifetime?”

Xu Nannan muttered, “Why not? Sister-in-law didn’t say anything…”

“Your sister-in-law is your sister-in-law. What about your second sister-in-law? Your future third and fourth sisters-in-law? Do you want people to call you useless, eating for free at home? It’s better to have your own skills.”

“I spent my whole life being just a pretty vase, and that’s enough—but you can’t be like me.”

“I didn’t learn anything useful back then, and that’s why I ended up being arranged into a marriage. And when I met a scumbag like your father, I had to endure everything and didn’t dare resist.”

“Do you understand or not?”

Xu Nannan froze.

Her mother had never said these things to her before.

She had always thought her mother was quite happy being a “pretty vase,” aside from her father’s infidelity.

So… her mother had once been unwilling too.

“I understand, Mom. I was just sleeping in. I’ll go to the studio this afternoon. Don’t worry, I won’t give up on my career.”

Ruan Yaoyao nodded seriously.

“That’s more like it. Being an artist is good—as long as you have real skills, people will respect you.”

“As long as you can support yourself, even if you don’t want to marry in the future, no one can do anything about it. Understand?”

“I understand! I’m not planning to get married anyway. My brothers won’t let me enter a business marriage. The luckiest thing in my life is being your daughter.”

Xu Nannan walked behind her and hugged her neck, affectionately rubbing her cheek.

The woman sitting in the chair smiled.

She had already suffered the pain of being a “vase,” and truly didn’t want her daughter to go through the same thing again.

【Sigh…】

【It’s just a pity I realized this too late. If I had awakened earlier, I might have been able to teach her something useful, instead of letting her end up with such a watered-down talent.】

【Right now the Xu family is still standing, so people praise her works. But if the Xu family ever falls… that won’t necessarily be the case.】

Xu Nannan wanted to argue that the Xu family would never fall—but then remembered her mother’s “future-seeing” ability and fell silent.

Maybe… she was really just a vase.

She had once thought she was better than her eldest and second brothers, and better than her younger brother too. But after the Ma Aotian incident, she realized she was probably only comparable to her youngest brother at best. Even her friend Li Jingan was probably better than her.

Li Jingan “joined” Ma Aotian to save her family, while she became his woman just because she was foolish.

“…I really am that stupid.”

While Ruan Yaoyao was regretting not educating her daughter properly, Xu Nannan silently vowed to work hard and prove she was not a “watered-down fake.”

On the other side, her brother Ru Anzhi was at home observing his mother, trying to secretly learn cultivation methods.

But he quickly realized that while he was observing her—she was also observing him.

Ru Anzhi: “……”

Mom, if you don’t cultivate, how am I supposed to learn anything?

【What is this guy doing all day?】

【If he’s not cultivating, how am I supposed to copy him?】

【This brat is so clueless—such an important opportunity from the state and he’s wasting it.】

After a few days of observation with nothing gained, Ruan Yaoyao lost her patience and sent him to work.

Ru Anzhi left in tears.

Mom, please cultivate already!

Just show me a template, and I’ll go back to “work”—meaning secretly cultivating.

After he left, Ruan Yaoyao suddenly remembered the golden snake in her dantian and looked down.

【Oh! It’s gotten fatter!】

【This thing sleeps pretty well…】

【Does it grow just by sleeping?】

Based on the many fantasy novels she had read, she figured that might really be the case.

Some beasts cultivate through hard work, while others just grow by sleeping.

【But those antlers… why do they look so mystical?】

【Could it really turn into a dragon someday?】