When her child was three years old, Xiaohua took her child on a train back to her hometown. Her purpose in going back was twofold: first, to see her parents and family; and second, to register for the college entrance examination in July of that year as a social candidate in her place of household registration.

Xiao Hua's parents could hardly believe their daughter had returned carrying her little granddaughter. "Oh my, how did this girl get so thin?"

This made Xiaohua's mother, Mao Dani, hug her daughter with heartache, looking her over from left to right and asking with concern, "Doesn't the He family feed you?"

Xiao Hua knew her mother was worried about her losing so much weight. Xiao Hua used to be a big fat girl, but now she was only 98 pounds at 1.65 meters tall.

In the past two years, I've been taking care of my child and earning money at the same time. I've been eating irregularly, sometimes starving and sometimes overeating, which has made me lose weight from hunger and exhaustion.

"Mother, what are you saying? The He family is a wealthy and powerful family, they don't lack food, why would they not give me food? I deliberately lost weight. Everyone in the city is into being slim. Look how slim I am now, don't I look good?"

Xiaohua didn't want her parents to know that the He family didn't want her and the child, and she didn't want them to be angry, worried, and sad. So she decided to keep it a secret until the day she couldn't hide it anymore.

Mao Dani wiped away her tears and said, "She's beautiful, beautiful. Whether my daughter is fat or thin, she's the most beautiful in my eyes as her mother."

Mao Dani quickly took the child from Xiao Hua's arms, hugging and kissing the child repeatedly, saying to Xiao Hua, "Children raised in the city are just different, so sophisticated!"

Xiao Hua is very good at dressing up her child. Three-year-old Kang An is wearing a white shirt with a lace collar paired with a red woolen plaid suspender skirt, and has two cute fishtail braids. He is so cute and adorable.

Kang An is not as chubby as she was when she was about one year old. She has grown taller and thinner, and looks more and more like He Yan. She doesn't look much like Xiao Hua anymore.

Xiaohua touched the child's face and said to the child, "Kang'an, call her Grandma."

Three-year-old Kang'an can already speak a lot and can communicate with adults without much difficulty. After hearing his mother's words, he obediently called out, "Grandma."

Mao Dani happily kissed Kang An's little face: "Good, good, good, my little darling is so good, Grandma will buy you candy."

Looking at his daughter and granddaughter, who were clearly city dwellers in terms of their clothes and demeanor, Ye Dazhuang couldn't help but feel that his decision was absolutely correct.

Didn't she just lie and trick the He family into marrying her daughter? How could her daughter be considered a city dweller?

She was a military officer's wife, living a life of luxury. If she married into their village, she would have to work in the fields during the day and cook, feed the pigs, and take care of her husband and children at night.

If he were to encounter a husband and in-laws who are not human, and had to endure beatings and mistreatment every few days, how heartbroken he, as the father, would be to see that.

The women in the village all looked drab and had few decent clothes to wear, unlike her daughter who is now very fashionable.

A little while later, Xiaohua's eldest brother and sister-in-law, second brother and sister-in-law also came over. Xiaohua's parents separated from their sons last year and now live separately from all of them.

When Xiaohua found out, she thought it was a good idea. She would bring her parents to live with her when she earned more money and bought a house. Firstly, it would allow them to enjoy life in the city, and secondly, Kang'an would need someone to pick him up and drop him off when he went to school.

"Little sister, you've gotten so thin! I almost didn't recognize you. What's wrong? Did the He family not feed you?"

Her sister-in-law Zhu Mei's voice was as loud and clear as ever.

"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? Who would starve me? I lost weight on purpose. Being fat doesn't look good; being thin is."

"Hmm. You know what, our girl has become a stunning beauty after losing weight, just like Xi Shi."

Li Hong, Xiao Hua's second sister-in-law, looked Xiao Hua up and down. Seeing that Xiao Hua had fair and bright skin, a well-proportioned figure, and was dressed very fashionably, she said with some envy.

"You've seen Xi Shi? You think you know anything about Xi Shi?"

Ye Shengxi, Xiaohua's second brother, sarcastically remarked on his illiterate wife who couldn't read a single character.

"How come I don't know? It's like you think you know but I can't know."

Xiao Hua's second brother and sister-in-law could argue anytime, anywhere.

"Alright, if you want to argue, go back to your own home and argue." Ye Dazhuang tapped his pipe and gave his second son and daughter-in-law a cold look.

Sister-in-law Zhu Mei glanced at the things Xiao Hua brought back—just two bags, one big and one small.

Xiao Hua immediately understood from her eyes.

She came back alone with her child and couldn't bring too much luggage, so she didn't buy anything for her family, but she prepared a lot of red envelopes.

The brother, being family, wouldn't be surprised, but his sister-in-law was probably a little annoyed that she came back empty-handed.

Xiao Hua took out the red envelopes she had prepared in advance and handed them to her sisters-in-law: "Sisters-in-law, it's not easy for me to buy too many things and carry them all back alone with my child. I've prepared small red envelopes for my nephews and nieces to buy them some pens, notebooks and such, so that they can study hard and make progress every day."

The two sisters-in-law accepted the red envelopes with beaming smiles: "When they get out of school, I'll tell them that their little aunt is back and has prepared big red envelopes for them."

"Why didn't your brother-in-law come back with you and the children?"

Xiao Hua's second brother had always been dissatisfied with the He family and He Yan. When his sister was pregnant and gave birth, not a single member of the He family came to visit. After the baby's postpartum period, his sister had to carry the baby back to the He family home by herself.

“He Yan is definitely busy. He’s such a high-ranking military officer, he has a lot of things to take care of. Unlike you, you can just hang around your wife’s family every day.”

Mao Dani spoke to her second son in an annoyed tone.

Xiao Hua's eldest and second eldest sons are farmers. They usually farm and do construction work in their spare time. They work when there is work and are idle when there is none. Mao Dani has always wanted her eldest and second eldest sons to go out to work. Many men in the village have gone to work in the southern coastal cities, but her two sons are homesick and unwilling to go out.

My third brother and sister-in-law also rushed back from town that evening. They are both primary school teachers in town, and my third brother only got married this year.

Xiao Hua gave her third sister-in-law the wool coat she had bought but never worn.

Third brother Ye Shengnan learned that Xiaohua had returned this time to her place of household registration to register for this summer's college entrance examination as a non-celebrity.

He looked at his younger sister as if she were a monster: "Xiaohua, do you know what the college entrance examination is?"

Xiao Hua smiled helplessly and said, "Third Brother, of course I know, otherwise why would I sign up for the college entrance examination?"

"You can't even read, you can't even write your own name properly, and you want to take the college entrance exam? Aren't you just kidding?"

Xiao Hua took out paper and pen and quickly wrote the three characters "Ye Xiao Hua" on the paper.

The three words were powerful and forceful, leaving her third brother completely dumbfounded.

"Third brother, it was you who told me to study hard. For the past three years, I have kept your words firmly in mind. I have studied day and night without slacking off. Apart from sleeping for five or six hours, I have spent all my time studying. I even went out to find people to tutor me, from elementary school textbooks to junior high school textbooks to high school textbooks. This year, I mainly want to try to see if I can pass the exam!"

"Third Uncle, my mother goes out to teach every day, and my aunt takes care of me during the day."

Kang An said while eating.

She was telling the truth. Her mother went out to teach classes every day, and after she turned one year old, her nanny did take care of her during the day.

Xiaohua's family understood that Xiaohua went out to tutor herself, and the He family hired a nanny to take care of the child.