Chapter 110 Holding on tight, I'll give you money so you can go to school.

"No, Aunt Fenglan prepared these for me, and also for you," Zhang Xiaohu said.

"She gave it to you, and you still have the nerve to take it?" The fat woman looked at Zhang Xiaohu.

"Doesn't Auntie still mail us things?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

The mother and son stared at each other blankly. The veteran next to them said, "Shouldn't we go back?"

"Go back, go back," the plump woman said hurriedly. "Thank you for your trouble."

"You're welcome. Now that you've come to pick him up, I'll head back first," the veteran said.

"Okay, okay, okay," said the plump woman.

Fat Sister-in-law took Zhang Xiaohu home. When they arrived, Zhang Xiaohu handed over the money to Fat Sister-in-law and also took out his old watch.

“This old watch was a gift from my aunt to my brother. She said he would need it after he went to teachers’ college,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “My aunt didn’t want the money, but told me to bring it back with me. There’s also some cloth to make clothes for you and my brother.”

"Why are there so many clothes?" The plump woman noticed the other items in the suitcase.

“My cousin Zihang’s clothes were still in good condition, so he gave them to me,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Anyway, I often wear other people’s old clothes, and these old clothes are even better.”

Zhang Xiaohu quite liked the clothes; he didn't think Qin Zihang's cousin was treating him like a beggar. Qin Zihang's cousin was very kind to him; he took him shopping for treats and played with him. Looking at his own brother, Zhang Xiaohu thought Qin Zihang's cousin was even better.

"They're all very good." The plump woman looked at them, touched them a few times, and found that the clothes were all very clean and new, and you couldn't tell that they had been worn by anyone.

“We went to several universities, the Forbidden City, climbed the Great Wall, and visited museums,” Zhang Xiaohu counted on his fingers. “We went to many, many places, ate many, many snacks, and Peking duck.”

"How much money will this cost?" the plump woman exclaimed.

“It was all arranged by my uncle and aunt. If they hadn’t come with us, they would have arranged for someone else to come with us,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “The capital is really, really big, extremely big.”

"Did you have fun?" the plump woman asked.

“It’s fun. Besides playing, we also have teachers to teach us,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “We also study together, and there are teachers who teach us foreign languages ​​and other subjects. My foreign language isn’t very good, so the teacher teaches me separately. My little brother Zihang is amazing.”

Zhang Xiaohu clearly felt that he couldn't keep up with Qin Zihang's pace; Qin Zihang knew too much.

"Of course," said the plump woman. "They spent so much money, how could they let it go to waste?"

“Yes,” Zhang Xiaohu said, “I need to call my aunt.”

"We'll have to call tonight," said the plump woman. "They're not home at this time; maybe Zihang is."

“My little brother Zihang isn’t always home. His maternal grandparents live nearby, and he often takes me there. His grandma always cooks delicious food for us,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I’ve eaten a lot.”

"You're only doing this because of Zihang," said the plump woman.

That evening, Fatty called Song Fenglan's house, and Song Fenglan answered the phone.

"Little Tiger is home," said the plump woman. "Why are you all being so polite, giving us so many things?"

“They’re all old things,” Song Fenglan said.

"Xiao Hu already said you bought him new clothes," said the plump woman. "You've spent so much money, how much did it cost..."

“Let’s not talk about money,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s rare for him to come all this way. When he comes again, it will probably be when he goes to university. You can give him living expenses then.”

"Alright then." The plump woman then thought of the watch. "That watch must be very expensive, right?"

“It’s old, not new,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s still usable, so let Xiaowen make do with it. Please don’t mind that it’s old.”

"No problem, no problem, how could I possibly mind? Such wonderful things, who would complain?" The plump woman laughed happily. "Just now, while I was unpacking Xiao Hu's luggage, I discovered that you had given him so many things."

“They’re all worthless things,” Song Fenglan said. “Use them if you can.”

“Yes, they’re usable. The styles of those clothes are also very nice, and they look very new. They’re not clothes that have never been worn, are they?” the plump woman asked.

“I’ve worn them a few times, but there are a few I haven’t worn at all,” Song Fenglan said. “My nephew has a lot of clothes. Some of them I bought were too small before I even wore them, so I just left them there. This time when Xiaohu came over, they were perfect for him to wear.”

"I knew it," said the plump woman. Even the newest clothes will have some marks from being worn, but several of the clothes that Song Fenglan gave her were practically brand new.

The two exchanged a few words before hanging up the phone.

When Fatty Sister went back, she was still humming a song, and everyone knew she was very happy.

Zhang Xiaohu brought a lot of delicious food, like cookies, for his brother to eat. Zhang Wen didn't go to the capital, but Zhang Xiaohu did. Zhang Xiaohu didn't forget his brother; he couldn't very well eat all that food himself.

"Brother, you eat, you eat, this cookie is delicious," Zhang Xiaohu said. "It seems to be quite expensive."

"Okay." Zhang Wen nodded.

Zhang Wen was already wearing the watch; he really liked it. Watches are quite expensive, so Zhang Wen didn't dare ask his parents to buy one. It would be a lie to say Zhang Wen didn't want a watch. Even though it was an old watch, it was barely noticeable on the surface, and it was still a very nice one.

“We went to many places, look, photos,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “We took photos.”

Zhang Xiaohu showed Zhang Wen the photos, and Zhang Wen glanced at them. They were very similar to some photos taken at the photo studio. Behind the photo studio were some large pictures, like the Forbidden City.

"Is it beautiful?" Zhang Xiaohu asked. "We're going to climb the Great Wall. The Great Wall is really long and very different. Those universities are also very big and very impressive."

"Yes." Zhang Wen nodded again. "They are indeed very impressive."

After Qin Zihang returned from Song's mother's place, Song Fenglan told her son that Zhang Xiaohu had returned to Nancheng.

"Oh, was it his mother who called, or did he make a call?" Qin Zihang said. "I didn't hear either."

“It was his mother who called,” Song Fenglan said. “If you want to hear his voice, you can call him.”

"Never mind, let's do it another day," Qin Zihang said. "He just got home, he must be very tired, the train journey must have been exhausting."

Qin Zihang dislikes taking trains because they take too long. The cramped space also makes it difficult for them to go anywhere else.

"Mom, I'm about to start the second year of junior high," Qin Zihang said. "After the second year, it's the third year, and then the high school entrance exam. After that, the college entrance exam will be coming up soon."

“Yes,” Song Fenglan said. “If you calculate it that way, of course it’s fast. But we still have to take it one day at a time. I don’t want to get old all at once.”

"I don't want my mother to get old either," Qin Zihang said.

"Mm." Song Fenglan nodded slightly.

The start of the school year was fast approaching, and Zhang Xiaohu had only arrived in Nancheng two days before the start of the semester.

Fan Yani sent Guo Furong to school; it was impossible to keep the child at home all the time and prevent her from going to school.

Qin Li'an didn't go to school; he didn't want to study. Qin Li'an's grades weren't good to begin with. When he was in the first year of junior high school, he didn't want to study anymore. In elementary school, he felt that everyone was talking about him, and that he couldn't study properly and only wanted to play.

Previously, Qin Li'an didn't want to go to junior high school, but his father and older brother forced him to, hoping he would get a junior high school diploma. With a diploma, he could then attend a vocational school and find a job more easily. However, Qin Li'an disliked studying and would throw tantrums to avoid school.

Actually, Qin Li'an mainly wanted to go back to his original room and didn't want to live in some remote corner. Qin Li'an believed that since his father and older brother valued education so much, they would definitely agree.

This time, Qin Li'an was wrong; his father and elder brother did not compromise.

"If you don't want to go, then don't go." Brother Qin said this directly; they couldn't possibly coax Qin Li'an into going to school.

Qin Li'an was stunned. Why hadn't his father and grandfather tried to persuade him? When he was in the first year of junior high school, these people had tried to talk him down and even bought him the toys he liked. But now, his father and grandfather just let him do as he pleased.

This made Qin Li'an a little flustered. This is not right, this is not right, it shouldn't be like this.

Qin Li'an did not compromise and said he would not go to school. Maybe in a few days these people would coax him to go to school.

When Tian Keshu learned that Qin Li'an had not gone to school, she went to find him.

"Why didn't you go to school?" Tian Keshu wasn't highly educated, but she knew that many people valued diplomas these days. Qin Li'an could go to junior high school, so why didn't he?

“I don’t like reading, I don’t want to read,” Qin Li’an said. “If you want me to go to school, that’s fine, but you have to ask Dad and the others to let me move back to my old room, and they have to increase my allowance every week, not decrease it.”

Qin Li'an's allowance was cut, and although his grandmother gave him some extra, he was still dissatisfied. Qin Li'an felt that he was older now and needed to spend money more, so those people should give him more money. If they didn't give him money, were they going to give it to his younger brother instead?

“This…” Tian Keshu remained silent.

"Go and tell them!" Qin Li'an said.

"Didn't you say you're my biological mother? Didn't you say you were doing this for my own good? Go ahead and talk to her, go ahead and talk to her!"

However, how could the rest of the Qin family listen to Tian Keshu? Tian Keshu and You Yun didn't get along, so it was even less likely that Tian Keshu would ask You Yun to persuade the Qin family.

Tian Keshu could only wait outside the office where Brother Qin worked, hoping he would come out. As soon as Brother Qin appeared, Tian Keshu rushed over.

“You’ve all neglected Li’an for so long, that’s enough,” Tian Keshu said. “Could you let him move back to his original room? He doesn’t ask for much. As long as you restore the treatment he received before, he’ll be willing to go to school.”

"No way!" Brother Qin said. "If he doesn't want to go to school, then he won't go. He can just stay here."

"How can you do that?" Tian Keshu said. "He's so young, he doesn't even have a diploma yet, he won't be able to find a job. Can't you be a little more accommodating and let him finish junior high school first?"

“Let him stay at your place, go and let him go.” Brother Qin didn’t want to give in to Qin Li’an at all. His youngest son was the one who could have a bright future, while his eldest son was useless. “He’s just like you Tian family members, you don’t understand anything.”

“How does he resemble a member of the Tian family?” Tian Keshu said. “No, why are you bringing this up now? The most important thing right now is to get him into school.”

“He doesn’t want to go to school; it’s not that we’re forcing him to stop,” Brother Qin said. “Go ask him yourself if he wants to go to school. If he does, then register. If he doesn’t want to go, then he can stay at home. When he’s a little older, he can find a job on his own.”

Brother Qin was very disappointed in Qin Li'an. If Qin Li'an weren't his biological son, he wouldn't want to get involved in Qin Li'an's affairs.

It was no use for Tian Keshu to say these things to Brother Qin; Brother Qin had already decided to give up on Qin Li'an.

In the past, Brother Qin would at least try to keep an eye on Qin Li'an and say something.

Now, Brother Qin doesn't bother with Qin Li'an anymore; it's useless. He's said so much, but Qin Li'an just ignores him. Qin Li'an doesn't study hard; whose fault is that? It's Qin Li'an's own fault. As for whether Qin Li'an can find a suitable job in the future, Brother Qin doesn't care.

At worst, we'll just give Qin Li'an a house so he can live on his own. The house we rented out before can be given to Qin Li'an; that's what Brother Qin is thinking now.

“You can’t do this. He’s still young. He doesn’t understand the importance of going to school yet,” Tian Keshu said.

Brother Qin ignored Tian Keshu, shook off her hand, and left.

Tian Keshu watched helplessly as Brother Qin left. She and Brother Qin were no longer husband and wife; if they hadn't divorced, Qin Li'an wouldn't be in this state. Tian Keshu believed Brother Qin shouldn't have remarried; now that he had a younger son, he neglected his older son.

Qin Li'an stopped studying, and none of his family members tried to persuade him to stop.

When Qin Yizhou talked about this with Song Fenglan at home, he shook his head.

"Isn't he supposed to be in his final year of junior high? He'll be getting his junior high graduation certificate soon," Song Fenglan said. "Is he really not going to continue?"

“He’s not going to study anymore. He doesn’t want to study on his own. His older brother and the others didn’t force him to study,” Qin Yizhou said. “His older brother is completely disappointed in him, so he simply lets Qin Li’an do as he pleases.”

“He'll get his junior high diploma in just one year, and having one makes a difference,” Song Fenglan said. “If he doesn’t want to go, then so be it. Anyway… are you going to interfere?”

"I don't care!" Qin Yizhou thought to himself, how could he possibly get involved in this mess? That was his older brother's business, not his. "Let them handle it themselves. Qin Li'an is already a waste. It doesn't matter whether he studies or not, he's no good anyway."

“…” Song Fenglan snorted softly.

"Mom, is he really not going to school anymore?" Qin Zihang asked.

Qin Zihang was sitting in the living room when he heard what his parents were saying.

“He really isn’t going to study anymore,” Qin Yizhou said. “I just don’t know if he’ll want to go back to school after a while.”

"Have you registered? Have you paid the tuition?" Qin Zihang asked. "If you haven't paid the tuition, can you still go to school?"

“Regardless of whether he paid tuition or not, the people who need to find a solution are the same ones,” Song Fenglan said. “You can’t be like him, people like him…”

“He’s the kind of person who’s a huge menace,” Qin Zihang said. “I could never be like him. I’m determined to study hard and go to university.”

“That’s right,” Song Fenglan said. “If he dares to come in front of you, you don’t need to be polite to him.”

“I won’t be polite to him. If he hits me, I’ll hit him back,” Qin Zihang said. “He’s my cousin. If this gets out, people will just try to smooth things over.”

Qin Zihang understood that he couldn't afford to suffer a loss, so he had to fight back as soon as possible.

“That’s right,” Song Fenglan said. “Don’t just stand there and let people bully you. You still have to fight back.”

The eldest son of the fat woman's family, Zhang Wen, went to a technical school. The school was quite a distance from their home, so Zhang Wen left early and returned late, riding the family's bicycle to school. As a result, Zhang Wen didn't live at the school. It wasn't like their house was too small, and living at the school with all sorts of people wouldn't be a good fit for him.

Teacher training is free, and many children from rural areas go to teacher training programs.

"Does your school really have a lot of people from the countryside?" the fat woman asked Zhang Wen.

“There are people from the countryside and people from the city,” Zhang Wen said.

"Hmm." Fat Sister thought about what those people had said. They said that country folk only wanted free teacher training and that the competition for teacher training wasn't that fierce. Some people even told Fat Sister to keep an eye on Zhang Wen and not let those country girls at the school seduce him away.

People say that country girls aren't that great, but Fatty Sister herself comes from the countryside, and she doesn't think country girls are any bad. That's what Fatty Sister told people, and then people said that Fatty Sister has successfully stayed in the city, and that Fatty Sister is different from those country women now.

Zhang Wen is from the city. If he has a stable job and stays in the city, why doesn't he just find a city girl?

“You’re still young, don’t rush into dating,” said the plump woman. “It’s not that Mom thinks the girls at your school are from the countryside, but you’re all still young. You don’t understand things like job assignments. If you’re not assigned to the same place in the future, how will you be together? There are a lot of things involved. If you’re going to date, you should be aiming for marriage. You can’t just break up halfway through a relationship, that would be too hurtful.”

If the girl from the countryside and Zhang Wen can work in the same place, then it won't matter. But if they can't work in the same place, then it will be very distressing.

Fatty's sister-in-law still prefers Zhang Wen to stay in Nancheng, where there's a primary school nearby. The school is short of teachers, and Zhang Wen is very likely to be assigned there.

"I'm not dating anyone." Zhang Wen didn't expect his mother to say that. "It's still early."

“Everyone says that city boys like you are popular,” said the plump woman. “Those people want to find a city person to marry in order to stay in the city. You should open your eyes and look carefully, so you don’t get fooled.”

It's fine if those girls want to stay in the city, but they should stay openly and honestly, not by scheming against others.

“I know,” Zhang Wen said.

The woman thought time was flying by; Zhang Wen had already gone to a vocational teacher's college. A few years after graduation, Zhang Wen would be old enough to be dating and getting married.

“You’re not from the same place, so you’ll need a birth permit to have a baby. That’s not easy,” said the plump woman. “Remember what Mom said. Don’t be ignorant. If you make a mistake, it’ll be difficult to fix.”

"I've got it," Zhang Wen said.

Two days later, Fatty called Song Fenglan and told her about Zhang Wen's relationship.

"Is he in love?" Song Fenglan asked, puzzled.

"Not yet," said the plump woman. "Didn't someone in the family compound mention this? I'm also worried that he'll run off to fall in love. I'm from the countryside myself, and I don't look down on girls from the countryside. Those girls have already gone to teachers' colleges and will be able to get jobs in the future. They can't just quit their jobs and follow Zhang Wen. As for job assignments, Nancheng is considered a good place, and many people want to stay here. But Nancheng can't absorb so many teachers, so they'll still have to be assigned to other places."

“Times have changed. If you really hit it off, it doesn’t matter,” Song Fenglan said. “Even if there are no public schools, there are private schools. You can still become a teacher.”

“There’s a difference between public and private schools,” the plump woman said. “Even if we’re willing, will the woman’s family be?”

“Indeed.” Song Fenglan nodded.

Song Fenglan knew that at this time, many people wanted urban residency permits. They were very willing to stay in the city, even if it was just to find someone to marry, whether male or female. They all had people looking for partners in the city. As long as they had a partner in the city and obtained residency permits, everything else would be easier.

In her past life, Song Fenglan saw a news report about how, in the past, some perfectly healthy people would marry disabled people just to get a city residency permit, even though the person was disabled and had provided them with benefits. Then, some of these marriages turned out to be unkind to the disabled person, and after a while, they would simply abandon them.

Zhang Wen is not disabled and comes from a well-off family, so he is indeed very popular.

Let alone students in vocational schools, even junior high school students sometimes have early romantic relationships.

"What are you thinking? Are you afraid of having a daughter-in-law from the countryside?" Song Fenglan asked.

"Not really," said the plump woman. "You know, there's a whole bunch of stuff involved: household registration, birth permits, and so on. If they could all live in the same place, I wouldn't have any objections."

"It still depends on Xiaowen himself," Song Fenglan said. "The adults can't control so much."

"Indeed," the plump woman sighed. "Time really flies."

“It’s quite fast,” Song Fenglan said. “When I went to Nancheng, Zihang was just about to start kindergarten, and now he’s in the second year of junior high school.”

So many years have passed in the blink of an eye; time slips through our fingers like sand.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s nothing for a man to marry someone of lower status.”

"That's what they say, but I'm afraid there might be other things going on later," said the plump woman. "It's not that I don't want him to marry a woman from the countryside, it's just that there are too many things involved. Zhang Wen is still young, he doesn't understand the ins and outs of this, but we adults know more, so we have to talk to him about it. I talked to him, and he said he hasn't dated anyone. Once he graduates from teachers' college and has a stable job, I won't worry about it anymore, and I won't care who he dates."

"Don't rush," Song Fenglan said. "Xiaowen is so sensible; he knows what to do."

"I'm afraid he'll lose his mind when he falls in love," said the plump woman. "Look at Guo Peng, he used to be so good, so promising, but after marrying Li Hui, he's become a mess. Guo Peng listens to Li Hui and didn't even let his own mother visit. Guo Peng's new wife is not bad, she doesn't forbid her mother-in-law from visiting."

The fat woman was afraid her son had found someone like Li Hui.

Some people worry that their eldest son will only listen to his partner and not care whether what his partner does is right or wrong.

“That’s an exception,” Song Fenglan said. “There are very few people like that.”

“If you don’t meet her, the probability is low; if you do, it’s 100%,” said the plump woman. “I’m too embarrassed to tell others, afraid they’ll think I look down on girls from the countryside. I’m also not good with words, so I can’t explain myself very clearly.”

The plump woman was afraid of bothering people and being misunderstood.

"Don't worry," Song Fenglan said. "You can't stop love. The more you try to stop it, the more it will leave a deep impression on them, and the more they'll want to be together."

“Hmm,” said the plump woman. “If it really comes to that, I certainly wouldn’t break them up.”

After hanging up the phone, Song Fenglan stared at it for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"Time flies," Song Fenglan said. "Even Sister-in-law Pang is starting to worry about Xiaowen's early romance."

"Didn't Xiaowen go to a teachers' college?" Qin Yizhou asked, puzzled.

“Yes, that’s why I’m worried about early romance now that I’m going to teachers’ college,” Song Fenglan said. “Teachers’ college will assign jobs later, and the two of us might not be assigned to the same place. People in the family compound even teased Fatty Sister-in-law, saying that there are many girls from the countryside at teachers’ college, and asked Fatty Sister-in-law if she would look down on girls from the countryside, and if Fatty Sister-in-law would prefer a daughter-in-law from the city.”

Song Fenglan thought she would be angry if she heard those words. She hadn't meant to say them, yet those people said them. It made her seem like she was discriminating against a girl from the countryside. Song Fenglan thought those people should say less. They weren't just teasing Fatty Sister-in-law; they were clearly looking down on her.

On the phone, Song Fenglan couldn't directly say that those people looked down on Fatty Sister-in-law, as that would be considered sowing discord. Fatty Sister-in-law still needed to live in the family compound, and she couldn't let Fatty Sister-in-law harbor any resentment.

“Some people don’t even know how to be tactful when joking,” Song Fenglan said. “If you’re going to give a reminder, then give a proper one. Saying things like that just makes people overthink things.”

“They’ve always been like this,” Qin Yizhou said. “It’s not like they’re breaking the law.”

“Yes, that’s why they care about the impact of their words,” Song Fenglan said. “As long as it’s not a crime, there’s no problem. That’s what everyone thinks, which is why there are so many rumors. If others want to explain the rumors, they could run their legs off and still not get it right.”

“Speaking of which, Xiaowen is growing up very fast,” Qin Yizhou said. “By the time he graduates from teachers’ college… he’ll be eighteen or nineteen. He’s not young enough to get married yet, so there’s no need to rush.”

“Once he becomes a teacher, he’ll be very popular,” Song Fenglan said. “People will introduce him to girlfriends. Being a teacher now is pretty good.”

The wave of layoffs in factories hasn't exploded yet, and some factories still have vocational school students and haven't completely expelled them. This leads some people to believe that attending a vocational school is better than attending a teacher's college.

"Is Zihang going to have a relationship at school?" Qin Yizhou couldn't help but wonder.

"he……"

"Dad, I wasn't home, and you're talking badly about me again." Qin Zihang had just returned from his cousin's place when he heard his father say, "Dad, I'm going to university, I can't possibly fail so soon."

Early romance in junior high is out of the question. Qin Zihang wants to skip a grade, but how old is he anyway?

Qin Zihang thought that his father always said he was a burden to his father, but he felt that his father was the one who was always a burden to his son.

"Mom, please don't listen to Dad, I won't do that," Qin Zihang said.

"You won't, you won't, Mom believes in you." Song Fenglan chuckled. "You have to take control of your own future."

More than half a month into the new school term, Qin Li'an is still at home. His mother has to call him to eat. The rest of the Qin family doesn't call him; they think if he doesn't want to eat, then he shouldn't. They want to see how long he can go hungry.

Qin Li'an knew his family's attitude, so of course he had to go eat by himself. If he was late, his mother would call him, and he would go eat. Since Qin Li'an arrived late, there wasn't much food left.

You Yun has completely given up on Qin Li'an; it's impossible for her to be kind to him. The rest of the Qin family can't say You Yun is wrong, since Qin Li'an wanted to abandon his own brother. They can't very well...

They keep saying Qin Li'an is still young, Qin Li'an is still young, Qin Li'an is still young...

Using the same excuse every time, who would believe Qin Li'an?

Tian Keshu went to the junior high school Qin Li'an attended and asked the teacher if Qin Li'an had paid the registration fee. She learned that Qin Li'an had not paid the registration fee. Tian Keshu helped Qin Li'an pay the registration fee so that the school could retain Qin Li'an's student status.

Tian Keshu still hoped that Qin Li'an would go to the third year of junior high school, so she went to see Qin Li'an again.

“I’ve already paid your tuition, so go to class,” Tian Keshu said. “Just take the exams, and you’ll get your diploma. With a junior high diploma…”

"What can you do with a junior high school diploma?" Qin Li'an asked. "Go work in a factory making screws?"

"Whether it's tightening screws or doing something else, having a job is always good," Tian Keshu said. "Without a job, how will we support our family?"

“I don’t need to support those people; they’re all bad people,” Qin Li’an said.

"I'm not talking about your dad or your grandparents, I'm talking about you getting married and having children," Tian Keshu said. "You'll need to have a job to support your children. If you don't have a job and can't support your children, who would want to marry you?"

"..." Qin Li'an was still very unhappy.

“Go to school,” Tian Keshu said. “If you were a girl, I wouldn’t say anything. Girls can find a good family to marry into and won’t have to worry about not having enough to eat. You’re a boy, you…”

"Don't girls need to go to school?" Tian Keshu's daughter, Qin Ya, is here. She is currently attending a vocational school.

Qin Ya's grades weren't good either, so her older brother decided she had to go to a vocational school. Qin Ya couldn't directly inherit her brother's job, and even if she could, it wouldn't be her. Her brother's plan was for her to go to vocational school so she could work in a factory later.

Qin Ya didn't not want to study; it was just that her efforts were futile because she wasn't that smart.

“Reading, of course you have to read.” Tian Keshu looked embarrassed; she hadn’t expected to run into her daughter.

"You should have a good talk with your precious son." Qin Ya went inside the house; she didn't want to talk to Tian Keshu.

Qin Ya is about two years older than Qin Li'an. She's not stupid; she's been implicated because of Qin Li'an's situation. Her stepmother's attitude towards her was initially okay, but now it's not so good. Since Qin's mother values ​​boys more, Qin Ya feels even less present at home.

Sometimes, Qin Ya wanted to hide under the covers and cry. She felt like a joke, and no one cared about her.

Seeing her daughter leave like that, Tian Keshu ignored her and looked at her son in front of her.

"Don't waste the tuition money now that you've paid it," Tian Keshu said.

“Go and get your tuition back,” Qin Li’an said. “Giving the tuition back to me is better than giving it to the school.”

"If I give you money, will you be willing to go to school?" Tian Keshu asked.

“Okay, you pay me,” Qin Li’an said. “You have to pay me every month. If you don’t, I won’t go to school. Three yuan a week is the lowest price I can get.

"You..." Tian Keshu didn't have that much money, but she thought that as long as she could get through this year, everything would be fine. Once Qin Lian got his graduation certificate, everything would be easier. "Okay, I can give you that money, as long as you go to school, that's fine."

Tian Keshu offered to pay Qin Li'an so he could attend school. This wasn't something a passerby overheard and spread; Qin Li'an himself mentioned it at school.

Qin Li'an openly mentioned his biological mother in front of his classmates, showing that he didn't respect her at all.

"Three yuan a week is still too little," Qin Li'an said. "I should ask for more."

When Tian Keshu's husband and stepson found out about this, they were naturally very unhappy.

Weng Guoqiang felt particularly uncomfortable. Tian Keshu didn't have a job, so where did she get the money? How much could she earn from her odd jobs? Weng Guoqiang tacitly assumed that the money in Tian Keshu's possession was the family's money.

“Three yuan a week, at least twelve yuan a month,” Weng Guoqiang said. “Tian Keshu, are you crazy?”

The couple closed the door and talked in their room, which made Weng Guoqiang particularly unhappy.

“If you give it to them, what about my two sons? They call you Auntie. Just pretend you're not their mother, and you don't have to give it to them?” Weng Guoqiang said. “So you still expect them to treat you like their mother?”

“Li’an is in his third year of junior high school,” Tian Keshu said. “He refuses to go to school, and his father and grandfather don’t care about him. I really had no other choice, so I came up with this solution. After he finishes his third year of junior high school, I won’t give him any more money.”

"The third year of junior high? There are still several months to go." Weng Guoqiang was still dissatisfied.

“I’ll find something to do,” Tian Keshu said. “If all else fails, I’ll go to my ex-husband and ask him if he can contribute some money.”

"Can he come out?" Weng Guoqiang asked.

“That’s his biological son,” Tian Keshu said.

“Just because he’s his own son, does that mean he has to give it to him? If he really wanted to, he would have done it already.” Weng Guoqiang didn’t think Brother Qin would give it to him.

Just as Weng Guoqiang believed, when Tian Keshu went to Brother Qin for money, Brother Qin refused to pay. If Tian Keshu wanted to pay, then she would pay it herself.

“He’s your own son.” Tian Keshu said, her eyes red.

“I have more than one son,” Brother Qin said.

Since Brother Qin wouldn't give her the money, Tian Keshu had to find her own way. She even went to Qin's mother, hoping she would provide the funds. Qin's mother's attitude was that if Tian Keshu was willing to pay, then she should.

Then, Qin's mother disagreed with paying, saying that Tian Keshu hadn't paid for raising the child before, so it was only right for Tian Keshu to pay for this year's worth of expenses.

“It’s been less than a year. If you want him to be filial to you in the future, you have to make some sacrifices.” These were Qin’s mother’s words.

Tian Keshu felt that the Qin family was too cruel. She did all this for Qin Li'an, so why couldn't those people understand?

When Tian Keshu went to the Tian family home, she told her mother about the Qin family's attitude, and her mother thought Tian Keshu was foolish.

“They haven’t done anything, so why are you doing all this?” Tian’s mother said. “You’ve delivered yourself to their doorstep. Everyone knows you’re worried about Li’an, so they’re just trying to force you to pay up.”

“I’ve already spoken to Li’an, I can’t just not give him the money,” Tian Keshu said.

"So what are you going to do now?" Tian's mother asked.

“I’ll see if there’s any work, whether it’s cleaning or something else. I’ll do anything that can earn money,” Tian Keshu said. “We have to get through this year. I can’t just not pay him. If I don’t pay, he won’t go to school and won’t get his junior high diploma. What if he resents me later? If I have another child, I won’t care anymore, but…”

However, since Weng Guoqiang had a tubal ligation and Tian Keshu didn't have any more children, she would most likely still have to rely on Qin Li'an to support her in her old age. Tian Keshu can't do nothing; she still has to make some contributions so that Qin Li'an might be able to be filial to her in the future.

Even though Tian Keshu felt Qin Li'an's attitude was bad, she knew in her heart that Qin Li'an was unlikely to be filial to her in the future. But what if Qin Li'an was willing to be good to her? Tian Keshu thought that it was always better for her to do more than to do nothing.

The third year of junior high school is considered the most crucial year.

Tian Keshu had to get through the most crucial year so that, in the future, she could say to Qin Li'an: "Your father didn't care about you, but I did. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have gotten your junior high school diploma."

"Just grit your teeth, it's only a year," said Tian's mother. "What did your husband say?"

“He’s unhappy,” Tian Keshu said. “My two stepsons already had issues with me, and now they’re treating me even worse. I can’t expect them to support me in my old age; they’re not going to. Their father is still alive, and this is how they treat me. If their father were gone, they might just kick me out the door.”

Tian Keshu could only hold onto Qin Li'an tightly. Qin Li'an knew Tian Keshu's mentality, which was why he wanted the money.

“I originally thought that if I married him, I could have a child…” Tian Keshu felt very angry when she thought about this. Weng Guoqiang did not consult her before getting a tubal ligation. “Now, I can only rely on Li’an.”

One day, Qin Zihang saw Qin Li'an hanging out with some thugs outside. Qin Li'an was even smoking, puffing out clouds of smoke. Qin Zihang was sitting in his car, while Qin Li'an was on the street corner. Qin Zihang didn't know if Qin Li'an had seen him, but he definitely saw Qin Li'an.

Qin Zihang rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Did the Qin family just let Qin Li'an hang out with those thugs? How many of those thugs could be good people?

Back home, Qin Zihang told his father that Qin Li'an had been hanging out with thugs.

"Stay away, or you'll get beaten up."

Qin Yizhou's first thought was whether those people would gang up on Qin Zihang. If Qin Zihang got beaten up, his wife would definitely be very unhappy. "Qin Li'an is not a man of martial virtue. He doesn't care whether you are his cousin or not, understand?"