the next day.

Niu Dali woke up to a loud slap.

Niu Dali, who was sleeping on a recliner, touched his burning cheek. When he opened his eyes, he saw Liu Damei standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Why are you so lazy? It's already so late and you haven't gotten up yet to make breakfast for Wu Guoqing. He still has to go to school!"

Niu Dali slowly sat up straight and rubbed the hazy sleepiness away. "I slept too late last night..."

"No need to explain," Liu Damei said angrily, "If you're lazy, why are you making up so many excuses?"

"Big sister..."

Niu Dali wanted to explain a few more words. After all, he was also a human being. He was also bothered by Liu Damei last night. It would be strange if he said he was not tired. But before he could open his mouth to explain, he was interrupted by Liu Damei.

"Stop talking nonsense and make breakfast!"

Niu Dali felt a headache when he saw Liu Damei's unreasonable appearance. He didn't want to explain anymore. Even if he explained, Liu Damei would not listen and would even scold him more fiercely.

What sin did he commit in his previous life to have to meet a woman like Liu Damei?

Why!

As soon as Niu Dali got up, he went straight to the kitchen to make breakfast for the mother and son without even having time to wash up.

After a while, Niu Dali cooked a pot of noodles and added four eggs. Thinking that there were four people in the family, one egg per person was just right.

After cooking breakfast, Niu Dali returned to the yard to fetch water for washing.

Wu Guoqing and Liu Damei didn't care about Niu Dali and Niu Tiezhu. They went into the kitchen and started to eat noodles.

Two eggs per person is just right.

"Son, eat more," said Liu Damei with a smile, "Eat well so you can go to school."

"Hey," Wu Guoqing picked up the egg and took a bite. "I know, Mom."

Wu Guoqing went to school after breakfast.

When Niu Dali came back from washing up and wanted to eat noodles, he searched in the pot for a long time but couldn't find any eggs.

Liu Damei, who was already full, looked at Niu Dali's chopsticks stirring in the pot and rolled her eyes at him.

"How uncultured! You're stirring the pot with a pair of chopsticks," said Liu Damei, sighing with relief. "Luckily, we're full. Otherwise, we wouldn't have any appetite for noodles after you tossed them around like that."

Niu Dali turned to look at Liu Damei and slowly asked, "Where are the eggs in the pot?"

"We ate it," Liu Damei stood up and prepared to leave the kitchen. "You're not so stingy as to argue with me over an egg, are you? That's not a manly thing to do!"

After saying that, Liu Damei walked out of the kitchen leisurely, leaving Niu Dali with an unhappy look on his face.

What Niu Dali cares about is not the egg, but the attitude of being ignored. When cooking eggs in the past, Chen Guihua would rather eat one less herself, hoping that Niu Dali and Niu Tiezhu would eat one more. But when it comes to Liu Damei, there is not even a trace of an egg.

Wu Guoqing, who went to school in the town, had no idea that Niu Dali was unhappy because he ate one extra egg. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care. After all, his biological mother Liu Damei was the eldest in the family, and Niu Dali and Niu Tiezhu were free labor.

A day passed, and Wu Guoqing's mind was not on studying. Anyway, he had no intention of going to college. It would be enough for him to get a high school diploma. Then he could use Niu Dali's money to find him a wife, and his life would be complete.

When Wu Guoqing mentioned his "daughter-in-law", Niu Xiahe's face unconsciously appeared in his mind.

Niu Xiahe has a clean face and a pair of charming big eyes.

Although she is related to Niu Dali by blood, they have severed their relationship and from a legal point of view, they are not considered a family.

If he could marry Niu Xiahe home, it would be a closer marriage and he could also save on the bride price.

Another very important point is that Chen Guihua is now a well-known rich person in the village, and she likes Niu Xiahe so much. When Niu Xiahe gets married, won’t she give her a generous dowry?

Maybe, Chen Guihua will give the production base at the entrance of the village to him and Niu Xiahe. As for the adopted son Niu Chunsheng, he probably won't get any benefits.

Thinking this in his heart, Wu Guoqing became even more determined to pursue Niu Xiahe.

The school bell rang.

The students packed their textbooks into their backpacks and prepared to go home.

When Wu Guoqing went to school today, he saw Niu Xiahe riding a new bicycle to school, and he knew that she would definitely go to the school parking shed to pick up the bicycle.

In this day and age, there are not many students who can ride bicycles to school by themselves, so the school only has one bicycle shed, under a big tree near the school gate.

When Wu Guoqing heard the school bell, he ran to the parking shed and happened to meet Niu Xiahe who was about to pick up her bicycle.

Wu Guoqing stopped Niu Xiahe with one hand.

Niu Xiahe had no conflicts with Wu Guoqing, so she treated Wu Guoqing as an ordinary classmate.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" Niu Xiahe asked lightly.

Wu Guoqing coughed twice and looked around. He found that many of his classmates walked out of the school gate directly after school. Few people looked towards the parking shed, so he became more and more timid.

He grinned, "Xia He! You said we grew up in the same village and were neighbors. Now your ex-father is also my stepfather. Don't you think we are destined to be together?"

Niu Xiahe didn't understand what Wu Guoqing was up to, so she just nodded politely. "What kind of problem have you run into? Do you want me to help you with your homework?"

When Wu Guoqing heard what Niu Xiahe said, he couldn't help but smile. This Niu Xiahe must have become stupid from reading too much. She always thought about doing homework.

But it’s okay this way, nerds are the easiest to fool!

Seeing Wu Guoqing remained silent, Niu Xiahe gently pushed Wu Guoqing away and said, "If you have nothing else, please make way. I have to go home."

When Wu Guoqing saw Niu Xiahe was about to leave, he immediately stepped forward again to block Niu Xiahe's way.

"Xia He, there is a question I can't solve, and I would like you to teach me."

Niu Xiahe has always been an enthusiastic person. When her classmates asked her how to solve a problem, as long as she knew the answer, she would patiently explain it to them. As a result, she became a good student recognized by teachers and classmates.

So when Wu Guoqing wanted to ask her to solve a problem, Niu Xiahe did not show any rejection.

"Which question do you not understand? Show me the question."

Wu Guoqing pursed his lips and turned to look at the classmates passing by.

He found that fewer and fewer classmates were passing by, and no one paid attention to them, which made his already thick skin even thicker.

"My question is how can I marry you!"

As soon as the words fell, Niu Xiahe's pupils widened, and her face was full of displeasure. "Wu Guoqing, are you sick? We are still students. We should focus on our studies. How can we casually talk about such topics?"

"Xia He, don't say that. You said we are both teenagers and we won't be able to get into college in the future, so we can get married sooner. Given our relationship, if we really get married, it will be a closer relationship."