"No, no, I just thought she was Gousheng's good friend, and I didn't have anything to give her, all I had were clothes."

Bai Xiaoqian grabbed him and asked again, "Then tell me, when I asked you to break up with Chen Wei before, you absolutely refused. How come you're willing to do it now?"

Song Beifeng looked at Bai Xiaoqian with deep affection and said, "That's because I realized I still can't let you go. You've come all this way to find me, how could I let you down? No matter what, you'll always be my first choice."

Bai Xiaoqian wasn't seeing him for the first time, so she didn't believe him. "Tell me the truth, what's the reason?"

She was holding it in a uncomfortable position.

Bai Xiaoqian grabbed his ear and said, "Fine! I knew you didn't truly like me."

After saying that, she stomped her foot and ran away.

Song Beifeng sighed; he was the only one left working at the stall.

Gousheng hasn't come home from school yet, and Bai Xiaoqian has run away too.

"Women's hearts are truly unfathomable. He might say sweet things, but she'll insist on hearing the truth. And if he tells the truth, not only will he get his ear pulled, but he'll also have to endure being all alone."

Liu Xiaocao cooked dinner that evening. After shopping, Su Li went straight to Chen Shujing's place and brought the child back.

When Su Li got home, Gou Sheng hadn't returned yet, so she put the child in the stroller.

He said to Liu Xiaocao, "Let's eat first, just leave some in the pot for him."

Liu Xiaocao nodded and said with a smile, "By the way, Sister Su Li, I received a letter for you today. I'll go get it for you."

Liu Xiaocao handed the letter to Su Li.

Su Li took the letter, opened it, and found it was from Chen Shengnan.

"Su Li, Jiang Jin and I are getting married, but I've been hesitant about whether or not to go through with it."

My parents know I'm with him and have always been against it.

They said that Jiang Jin's parents were not good at keeping things; they would always be swindled out of any good possessions they had. They weren't lying about that. Aunt Jiang had always been that kind of person; she was kind, and even beggars could get food from her.

Jiang Jin is the fourth of four siblings. His eldest brother is a barber who earns extra grain every year by shaving heads.

But almost all of this grain was borrowed by their relatives as soon as it was distributed.

When they got back home, they were already struggling financially. If they hadn't lent their grain to their relatives, they would have been living a much better life.

Especially her eldest daughter, who is Jiang Jin's second sister, because she married nearby, she basically brought her whole family to eat and drink at his house.

Because Jiang Jin's mother is too soft-hearted, she loses everything in the family, including now. The allowances Jiang Jin used to send to his mother were all used by her to subsidize her eldest daughter's family.

Su Li, what should I do? I genuinely like Jiang Jin, I've liked him since I was little. My parents want me to find someone new in college, but I can't bear to give him up.

After reading the letter, Su Li put it away and began to eat.

After finishing her meal, Su Li began replying to Chen Shengnan's letter: "Shengnan, I am aware of the situation you described. If it were me, my only requirement for him would be that he separates from the family after marriage. Otherwise, he cannot marry into this family; it will drag you down..."

Chen Shengnan's anxiety was relieved after receiving Su Li's reply.

She had originally planned to visit Su Li during the Chinese New Year, but she couldn't go because of her parents' objections.

She and Jiang Jin confirmed their relationship, and the two quickly told their families.

Jiang Jin was quite satisfied with Chen Shengnan and wanted them to come back as soon as possible to hold a wedding banquet.

Chen Shengnan's parents were strongly opposed to the relationship.

When the two went back together before the Lunar New Year, Chen Shengnan's parents locked her in her room and talked to her for a whole day.

“Shengnan, I’ve been through this before. Jiangjin’s family really isn’t suitable for you. With your temper, you’d be angry all the time.”

Father Chen chimed in, “Yes! Look at Jiang Jin’s mother. People say she’s kind-hearted, but who doesn’t say she’s stupid behind her back? Any good food or useful things she gets, all of them are snatched up by her relatives and eldest daughter. I don’t even want to think about it if you marry into that family. I’m afraid you and Jiang Jin will be completely controlled by them.”

Chen Shengnan still emphasized, "But Mom, I really like Brother Jiang Jin. You've watched him grow up. He's a person of impeccable character, responsible, and hardworking."

Chen's mother remained unmoved. "He is a good man, and it's true that I watched him grow up, but he has a family that can drag him down. If you really marry into that family, you'll suffer endlessly. You're a college student now, and there are plenty of good men in college. Why do you have to hang yourself on that one man?"

Chen Shengnan and Jiang Jin came back with the intention of getting engaged, but the two families ended up parting on bad terms.

Chen Shengnan went home for two months during the summer vacation.

Jiang Jin had a mission and did not come out with them.

Jiang Jin lived not far from her house. This time, she personally experienced that what her parents said about how a family could drag a person down was true.

Jiang Jin's older brother is a skilled barber, well-known in several villages.

He doesn't charge money; he'll just collect some grain when the harvest is in season.

This was also a source of income for the family. Logically speaking, with such a large source of income, the family should have earned quite a few work points.

Our family should be living a better life than others, but that's not the case.

That day, when she passed by Jiang Jin's house, she heard his brother and sister-in-law arguing. "Jiang Wei, I've been married to you for two years, and I work hard every day, both inside and outside the house. But I can't even get a full meal."

As she spoke, she broke down in tears, squatting on the ground and sobbing uncontrollably; "I only wanted you because you were good to me, and I thought that since you had a skill, our lives wouldn't be too bad. My parents felt sorry for me and didn't even ask you for any dowry, but what did I get in the end?"

“Our annual work points are clearly enough for our family to eat, plus the food you get for shaving people’s heads, we can at least eat our fill, if not eat ourselves to excess. What’s more, your younger brother is sending subsidies home now. But because of your mother, with her fake kindness and fake good intentions, anyone can come and take things from our house.”

"And your sister, go out and ask around, which family's daughter is married and still living at her parents' house with her whole family? I really can't live like this anymore."

Jiang Wei helped his wife up from the ground with heartache: "Honey, you're pregnant, don't be too sad. I'll talk to Mom when I get back today and ask her to let my younger sister go back to her husband's house and not lend food to others so easily."

“You always say that. Has your mother ever heard you? Do you even know I’m pregnant? Go ask your mother if she gave me any of the eggs laid by those two chickens? She always says your older sister isn’t feeling well, and that she’ll cook the eggs for her right after the chickens laid them.”