Chapter 164 Draining Essence

Shen Xuewei shook her head.

Regardless of what happens in the future, as things stand now, the two are not a good match.

Given her aunt's obsession with looks, it would be difficult for Chu Yongqiang, who was not outstanding in any aspect, to win her favor.

Seeing that Shen Xuewei understood her, Chen Fanglan's expression softened.

"Besides your second uncle, I guess you're the only one in the whole family who understands me."

"Chu Yongqiang may be annoying, but he's still manageable; the real problem is that your grandmother insists I marry him, and that's what's causing her the most trouble and distress..."

While listening to Chen Fanglan's constant complaints, Shen Xuewei calmly ate her meal.

After finishing all the rice in her bowl, she put down her chopsticks and said slowly and deliberately:

"Auntie, there is actually a way."

Chen Fanglan stopped complaining and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What method?"

Shen Xuewei uttered a single word, "Cry."

"Cry?" Chen Fanglan pronounced the word in confusion. "You want me to cry in front of your grandmother?"

"Auntie, you can't change Grandma's mind. Every time you go home, you argue with her. You might as well try a different approach."

"No matter how much she favors Uncle Yongqiang, you are still her daughter, so she will definitely side with you."

"In the future, if you go back home and Grandma brings up the matter of you marrying Uncle Yongqiang, just cry, just complain... cry about your ex-husband's bad deeds, cry about the troubles at work, cry... well, just cry about whatever comes to mind..."

"In short, whenever Grandma mentions it, you put on a heartbroken act..."

Chen Fanglan asked doubtfully, "Will your method work?"

Shen Xuewei gestured towards her with her lip, "Why don't you call Grandma right now and see? Anyway, make yourself sound as miserable as possible, and then mention that Uncle Yongqiang looks a lot like the previous one in some ways..."

Chen Fanglan shoveled down several mouthfuls of rice, and after she was full, she wiped her mouth and began to eat.

She pressed the phone at home while gathering her emotions.

About ten seconds later, the phone was answered, and Grandma Xi's voice came from the other end.

"Hello?"

Chen Fanglan softened her voice, "Mom, it's me, Alan."

Grandma Xi responded and asked in confusion, "Alan, didn't I just call you? Why are you calling again? Calling twice a day, isn't that a waste of phone credit?"

Chen Fanglan opened her mouth to say: "We pay so much in phone bills every month, how is making one more call a waste of a phone?"

Shen Xuewei knew her aunt's stubborn temper; she knew what her aunt was going to say the moment she opened her mouth.

She quickly made a pressing motion with both hands, then whispered a reminder: "First, try to build rapport and ease the tension..."

Chen Fanglan took a deep breath and softened her tone, "Mom, I just suddenly missed you. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we had a proper conversation."

Chen Fanglan didn't argue with her, which made Grandma Xi feel a little uncomfortable.

Seeing this strong-willed daughter suddenly reveal her vulnerable side, and fearing she might be bullied outside, I quickly said:

"Hey, Mom's here. What do you want to tell me? I'm listening. What's wrong? Did something happen outside?"

Chen Fanglan then told Grandma Xi all the grievances she had encountered at work during this period.

When Grandma Xi heard this, she was heartbroken.

“This job is so hard, you might as well quit. Yongqiang said he can support you if you don’t work…”

This time, when Chu Yongqiang's name was mentioned, Chen Fanglan didn't get angry; she just burst into tears.

"Mom, I know you mean well, but I don't want to think about these things right now..."

She reopened her wounds by bringing up her infertility.

"I'm working so hard to earn money so that I can get my illness treated first, and then I can think about getting married..."

After she turned ten, her maternal grandmother rarely saw her cry.

Chen Fanglan's crying immediately threw her into a panic.

"Don't cry, Alan. Mom won't mention it to you again. Don't cry..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fanglan cried and then almost laughed with joy.

She forced a smile and feigned sadness, "...Mom, I'm not talking to you anymore, I have to go to work later, I'm hanging up..."

"Hey, just focus on your work. If you're unhappy about anything, be sure to tell your family..."

After hanging up the phone, she looked at Shen Xuewei and burst out laughing.

Shen Xuewei was on guard and was about to back away, but she was grabbed by the neck and pulled back, and given a hard kiss on the top of her head.

"You're such a good girl, Weiwei! You really have a knack for this!"

"If I'd known it would be this easy to get through, what were all those arguments I had with your grandma for?"

Shen Xuewei remained expressionless, thinking that her aunt hadn't even wiped off the lipstick and oil from her lips before kissing her head like that, and she would have to wash her hair again soon.

Thus, Chen Fanglan finally found a way to deal with her grandmother's pressure to get married.

After all, she is her mother's daughter. Her mother can't possibly side with outsiders and not help her, can she?

She used to be stubborn, and she would easily argue with her mother if she heard something she didn't like.

If we change our perspective, everything becomes much simpler.

She was overjoyed to have found a solution and generously rewarded Shen Xuewei with twenty yuan. Humming a song, she went to work with a big smile.

After she left, Shen Xuewei collected and washed the leftover food, pots and pans, washed her hair, and dried it before going to the internet cafe.

She visited for several days in a row, and the young man who ran the illegal internet cafe remembered her perfectly.

After working for several days in a row, Chen Fanglan finally got a day off.

Thinking about what kind of hamburgers kids like to eat these days, she took Shen Xuewei to a hamburger shop in the county to eat hamburgers and fries.

Shen Xuewei stared at the name of the hamburger shop: Ken McGill.

In such a small county, there are few McDonald's and KFC, but there are many similar knock-off burger shops.

Shen Xuewei didn't know if this was a knock-off, but when she went to high school in her hometown county, she saw similar hamburger shops.

Chen Fanglan ordered a children's meal for Shen Xuewei, and then ordered fries and a hamburger for herself.

After the food was served, we ate at our seats.

"Weiwei, is it delicious?"

Shen Xuewei quietly ate her hamburger, and nodded when she heard this, saying, "Delicious."

It really is quite delicious.

"Okay, since it's delicious, Auntie will bring you here again next time."

After leaving the hamburger shop, Chen Fanglan took Shen Xuewei shopping.

Women can shop for hours on end, even in sky-high heels.

Five hours later, Chen Fanglan was carrying several bags of clothes and looked radiant, while Shen Xuewei, who was far behind her, looked as if all her energy had been drained and she was weak and listless.

At this moment, Shen Xuewei was far behind Chen Fanglan, already lagging far behind.

Chen Fanglan kept urging her to hurry up, and she reluctantly followed. Chen Fanglan then went into a shoe store.

Shen Xuewei went inside and sat down on a low stool in the shoe store, too exhausted to even watch Chen Fanglan try on shoes.