Lu Sidi's hospitalization cost a full 100 yuan.

Lu Mingyuan was afraid that Lu Mingfeng would ask him for money, so he immediately said that the family expenses were high and Liu Yan was about to have a baby.

"Dad, it's fine if you don't contribute money, just stay and take care of Sidi." Lu Siqiao said irritably, realizing she couldn't count on him anymore.

Lu Mingyuan, however, changed the subject, saying, "Where would I find the time? I have to take care of Xiaoyan and her child all day long. I'll ask your grandmother to lend a hand later."

"The baby hasn't even been born yet, does that mean it's definitely a son? It's like having a stepmother means having a stepfather!" Lu Siqiao glared at him and scolded.

"How can you talk like that?" Lu Mingyuan spat, then, as if remembering something, he smiled apologetically, "Your third aunt doesn't work at the factory anymore, how about I go instead, okay?"

Just now, Liu Yan kept whispering in his ear that Shao Lihua could work independently after only one month of training, earning money and learning skills at the same time, so why let others benefit from it?

“Boss Cai said that our family members are unreliable and he doesn’t want them anymore,” Lu Siqiao refused without even thinking.

Lu Mingyuan's expression changed drastically, and he complained, "You child, I really don't know who you take after, you heartless ingrate!"

"Second brother, this is a hospital, don't disturb Si-di's rest." Seeing that Lu Si-qiao's face had turned pale, Lu Ming-feng quickly pushed Lu Ming-yuan out.

The ward was quiet.

Lu Siqiao turned around and saw Lu Sidi silently shedding tears. She said indifferently, "Why did you have to go up the mountain? What if you hurt your head? Who will take care of you?"

"It would be better if he died. Anyway, Dad has a son now, and he won't love us anymore." Lu Sidi said, her eyes red and her voice choked with sobs.

This kind of utter despair is a reflection of Lu Siqiao's past.

"Instead of pinning your hopes on others, you might as well forge your own path to stardom," Lu Siqiao said coldly, turning and walking out the door.

Lu Sidi called out to her, looking awkward, and said dryly, "Thank you."

During her coma, her biological father was indifferent, her stepmother was heartless, and only her younger sister saved her.

Lu Siqiao didn't turn around, and said calmly, "Take good care of yourself. If you really want to beat me, study hard and compete with your grades."

She left, and behind her came the sound of soft sobbing.

Lu Siqiao went to the doctor's office and asked the senior doctor about the situation seven years ago.

According to Huang Ling, they thought she was pregnant with a son, so they came to the People's Hospital to prepare for childbirth.

Lu Siqiao had a premonition that there was a secret about her background.

In her past life, she had seen many phone calls. The hospital system in her past life was not rigorous, and nurses might have given the wrong babies to the wrong families.

The senior doctor guessed what she was thinking and took her to the obstetrics and gynecology department, where a middle-aged female doctor happened to be on duty.

Lu Siqiao asked about the number of people who delivered her baby and the circumstances of each birth, based on her birth date.

It had been a long time since then, and the female doctor had to recall for a long time before she found the file. She remembered that three women who had given birth came to the hospital at that time. In addition to two women from the countryside, there was a woman who seemed to be an intellectual. Her husband was very considerate, and they seemed to be a good match.

"The woman who was sent to the countryside gave birth to a son, while the two women from the countryside both gave birth to daughters."

"The woman I helped deliver was mute. She had a difficult labor and it took her a long time. Dr. Shen was assisting two women in labor at the same time, and they gave birth one after the other."

"When the educated youth woman gave birth to a son, her husband was very happy. In contrast, the other woman was treated much worse. Because she gave birth to a daughter, her mother-in-law and husband kept arguing that the baby had been switched at birth, and they made a scene for quite a while. So, we all remember that," the middle-aged female doctor said with a smile.

Lu Siqiao was certain that the ones who said the babies were switched at birth were Grandma Ruan and her son.

She seemed to have found a breakthrough and asked Dr. Shen where he lived, etc.

The female doctor said enviously, "Her whole family has immigrated abroad, and they probably won't be coming back."

Lu Siqiao felt a pang of disappointment.

Seeing her furrowed brows, the old doctor chuckled and said, "Little girl, aren't you happy now?"

One sentence brought Lu Siqiao back to reality.

Yes, she now lives a simple and warm life. Although she is not rich or powerful, her parents love each other and take good care of her.

At least it's considered a complete success.

"Grandpa Doctor, you're right. Qiaowa now has loving family, and it doesn't matter whose child it is anymore." Lu Siqiao suddenly understood, bowed deeply to the old doctor, and left.

When Lu Mingfeng brought her back to Lujia Village, it was already noon.

As I passed by Sanfang's house, I smelled a strong, pungent aroma of chili peppers.

At the entrance, Shao Zhifeng was unloading goods—baskets of lively mud carp, leaping and jumping around.

It turns out that Shao Lihua planned to dry the fish herself and then make spicy dried fish in order to save costs.

Lu Siqiao sneered and remained silent.

On the contrary, Shao Lihua, seemingly unperturbed by the chaos, struck up a conversation with her, saying, "Qiaowa, your third aunt is preparing to make spicy dried fish. Where did you buy the dried fish last time? If it's cheap, your third aunt can go and buy it too, saving the trouble of going back and forth."

That's shameless! Not only did they steal her job, but they also dared to openly ask for her contact information.

"Third Aunt, those dried fish are very precious." Lu Siqiao said with a smile. "Besides Boss Cai, I don't know where they bought them. If you want to buy them, you have to ask for their permission first."

It was obvious that he didn't want to tell her.

Shao Lihua had no face to ask Cai Ming, and instantly changed her expression, saying, "You brat, do you really think that without your kind of dried fish, your third aunt can't make delicious spicy dried fish? You just wait and see."

"Sister, the dried fish you buy outside is made from dead fish, how can it compare to freshly dried fish?" Shao Zhifeng pulled her inside.

Shao Lihua continued, "It's just chili sauce, anyone can make it, do you really think you have a monopoly!"

"Qiaowa, don't worry about your third aunt." Lu Mingfeng said to Lu Siqiao with a smile, "Given her personality, whether she can pull it off or not remains to be seen."

Yes, Shao Lihua always thought she could steal the manufacturing process of Siming Sauce Factory by copying others' techniques, but she didn't know that Lu Siqiao relied on genuine ingredients, and those dried fish were a trap she deliberately set.

How could dried fish in such a space not smell delicious?

Before setting up the scheme, Lu Siqiao even bought fresh fish in town to make dried fish. The fish was either too fishy or too dry. The dried fish in the space was the kind that could be stretched into strands. It was not only chewy but also had no fishy smell at all.

More importantly, she picked a type of aquatic plant from the stream in the space and made it into a spice, which she then mixed into the sauce for marinating the dried fish.

Fish that don't have enough space will have a less desirable taste.

Without any spices, it becomes just an ordinary spicy fish sauce.

It seems that her third aunt's dream of opening a factory and getting rich is about to be shattered.

A few more days passed.

A few restless whispers came from the courtyard of the third house.

"Sis, this tastes wrong."

"It's too fishy!"

Shao Zhifeng took a bite of the spicy fish sauce, frowned, and expressed his dissatisfaction.

"How could that be? I mixed it according to the exact same proportions." Shao Lihua took a bite, and the smile on her face froze.

This taste.

Not nearly as good.