Although Zhan Chunhua broke up with him, Zhan Chunlan still bumped into Jiao Lei several times in the neighborhood recently. She had only seen people "training dogs" in short dramas before, and this was the first time she had witnessed it up close.

What's wrong with this family? How come they only have one honest person, "Zhan Chunlan"? Now I feel like my brain isn't working properly.

She really needs to study hard; there's no harm in learning more, and you never know when you might need it.

When Jiao Lei came to see Zhan Chunhua again, she didn't give any response. However, as Jiao Lei was leaving, he inadvertently noticed that she was looking at him with lingering affection.

Her tearful expression before she could speak convinced Jiao Lei that "Chunhua loves me deeply, but she just doesn't want to be a burden to me."

Jiao Lei went back and told his parents about it. The family held another meeting to discuss it, and the final conclusion was: "Zhan Chunhua is a good person. She is thinking about Xiao Lei even before she is married. She will definitely be on our side in the future!"

Jiao Yun: "Hmm... Is this really for our family's sake? Something feels off to me."

Wei Cuilian: "Jiao Yun, you don't need to learn these things. What you need to learn is how to find a man who will cherish you, so that you can take care of me and your father together!"

"Really?" Jiao Yun's mind was a bit confused. She squatted down to one side and muttered to herself, "A wife should think about her husband's family, and a daughter should think about her own family. But I will be both a wife and a daughter in the future. What should I do then?"

"Should I still go to see him?" Actually, he was a bit tired of Zhan Chunhua ignoring him these past few times. He had to go to work too, you know? He was already exhausted from work every day, and after work he would rush to Zhan's house, only to sit for a few minutes before coming back. Zhan's house and Jiao's house were in opposite directions, you know!

He pinched his legs; they had all become thinner.

"Go, of course we'll go. We've already taken ninety steps, how can we go to the very last few?" Wei Cuilian was very calm, and Jiao Lei couldn't see things clearly. "That's what she said, but you're one of the better-off people she can currently meet. She liked you before because she seriously considered it, but she had some concerns." As for the bride price, just give it. Anyway, all the wages she earns in the future will belong to the Jiao family, so she'll earn it all back.

The next day, Jiao Lei obediently went again.

The first thing Zhan Chunhua said to him was, "You don't need to come looking for me anymore."

"Chunhua, stop saying such hurtful things. I'll listen to you from now on." Jiao Lei was practically suffering from PTSD from those words.

"I'm telling the truth." Zhan Chunhua's eyes were red and her face was haggard, clearly indicating that she hadn't been doing well lately. "My family asked me to give up my job to my younger sister, and I'll go to the countryside in her place."

"What? How could you do this? We're getting married, aren't we?" Jiao Lei was really worried when he heard that she was going to the countryside. He didn't know when she would come back, and looking at Zhan Chunhua's weak and helpless appearance, he wondered if she could support herself in the countryside.

"There was no other way. I found this temporary job myself, but I didn't have any money, so I borrowed from my family. Before I get married, I have to hand over all my wages." As Zhan Chunhua spoke, tears fell like beads from a broken string.

“Before, when we were discussing marriage, I told my family that they had a heavy financial burden and couldn’t afford much dowry. After the wedding, my salary would also be needed to support the family, so I wouldn’t be able to give them living expenses anymore.” The tears that fell were round and glistening in the sunlight, looking incredibly beautiful.

“They got anxious as soon as they heard that. My sister had to go to the countryside, so she suggested that I give her the job and she would continue to give her salary to the family.”

"They agreed so easily?" Jiao Lei was the eldest son in his family. He had his older sister to take care of him when he was young, and even his younger siblings couldn't surpass him when he grew up. He had never encountered anything like this before, and he felt extremely angry.

“They don’t want me to marry you either. Your father is a head chef at a state-owned restaurant. They don’t dare to take his job, for fear that the head chef will make things difficult for them. If I marry someone else, they can take the job back and give it to their younger siblings, or sell it directly for money.”

"That's why I kept telling you not to come looking for me, because I'll be a burden to you. I've always been a kitchen helper, and I can't get rid of them."

Jiao Lei felt extremely distressed just listening to her words, not to mention that she was crying her eyes out, looking so pitiful. It was like his heart was on fire: What should I do? How can I help her? Should I just watch her go to the countryside?

"If I could become a waiter and a full-time employee, that would be great. They wouldn't be able to control me anymore. Then it wouldn't be them doing the work, and I could stand up to them and fight back."

Jiao Lei used his smooth brain to think for a moment. What difference did it make? Would a permanent employee versus a temporary employee have such a big impact on the family? Forget it, he couldn't figure it out himself. He simply grasped Zhan Chunhua's hands tightly and looked at her: "Chunhua, believe me, I will definitely not let you go to the countryside. Don't worry, wait for my good news at home!"

"Comrade Jiao, what are you going to do? Please don't do anything for me, I don't want to put you in a difficult position!" This little fool, you didn't understand anything I said before, you only understood after I made it clear, right? I hope you'll be reliable and really keep your word! You'd better hurry, otherwise Zhan Chunyun will be leaving soon.

Zhan Chunlan watched from upstairs as Comrade Jiao Lei scrambled away. Tsk, she thought, "I really have so much to learn. If Zhan Chunhua were to enter the harem, she might not be the main character, but she'd definitely survive to the end, right? As for me? I probably wouldn't even last three episodes!"

"Deng Xiaomei, it's just a cold, why do you insist on taking your child to the hospital? Everyone gets better with a cold at home by just covering them up in a blanket. Your child is so delicate, he can't even handle a simple cold!"

Old Mrs. Wang next door has gone crazy again. She has a cold but won't let her child go to the hospital. Is this something a human being would do?

"What do you mean it's just a cold?" Deng Xiaomei's voice suddenly rose, her rare anger mixed with barely suppressed exhaustion and trembling: "The child has already developed a high fever and is in a coma, and you still think it's just a minor cold?!"

"Get out of my way. I don't want to argue with you right now. I need to borrow money to pay for Yin Yin's medical bills."

After that, Deng Xiaomei's voice was never heard again; she was probably at the hospital. The neighbors overheard these few words and roughly knew what had happened, but Old Mrs. Wang still refused to admit her mistake and went outside to play with other old ladies.

"It's just a cold and fever, what's the big deal? Just cover yourself with a blanket and sweat it out."

"Exactly, these young people are so inexperienced. They panic over such a minor illness."

“I disagreed with going to the hospital at the time, but she was furious. She looked down on me because I came from the countryside. She picked up Liang Yin and rushed outside, and I couldn’t stop her.”

"She's just a girl, but she's incredibly resilient. What's so special about her?"

Zhan Chunlan didn't like what she heard. She couldn't argue with her or fight back, so she slammed the door shut and went inside.