"Wow, not only did they return the betrothal gifts, they also gave compensation. The Jiang family really went all out!" Fang Qiao was genuinely surprised.

Based on her memories from her previous life, Jiang Moli's parents were notoriously stingy; once money was in their mouths, it was gone forever.

Of course, Jiang Moli herself is also one of them.

In her past life, Jiang Moli lived in the house she shared with Cheng Baidong and spent their money. She kept apologizing, saying that the men made all the decisions at home and that she, as a woman, couldn't make any decisions. In reality, she felt no remorse at all and acted with complete self-righteousness.

If Fang Qiao hadn't been extra cautious that day, secretly climbing over the wall after leaving to overhear her true feelings, who knows how much longer she would have been deceived by her two-faced behavior.

So, last time when things got so big and Cheng Yajun almost hit someone, this family still didn't want to return the betrothal gifts. What happened this time?

Has the miser changed his ways?

Fang Qiao thought this way, and that's what she asked.

Cheng Baidong shook his head: "I don't know, but my aunt is here, so I'll probably find out soon. If you want to know, I'll ask her later."

"Auntie is here. It seems she's keeping Cheng Yajun's matter in mind."

Seeing Cheng Baidong's strange expression, Fang Qiao raised an eyebrow: "She wouldn't be asking you to plead for Cheng Yajun's release again, would she?"

Cheng Baidong didn't say anything, but Fang Qiao knew she had guessed right. She couldn't help but say sourly, "Auntie is really good to Cheng Yajun. She knows he did something inhuman and almost harmed An'an, but she still always sides with him."

“Cheng Yajun and I are both her nephews. To her, we are the same. She wants me to be well, and she also wants Cheng Yajun to be well. She is very fair.” Cheng Baidong’s tone was tinged with sarcasm.

"You don't know how to distinguish right from wrong, and you just try to treat everyone equally. What kind of fairness is that!" Fang Qiao was very angry when she heard this.

"You don't need to worry about her."

Cheng Baidong spoke indifferently because his aunt had already married when he was born, and the two were not very close, so he didn't care about her attitude.

"I feel so sorry for you. How did you end up with such a aunt who can't tell right from wrong?" Fang Qiao sighed. "Why can't you understand that you can never live in peace? In order to maintain a superficial harmony between you and me, you keep asking the victim to forgive you. This is cruel to the victim."

Cheng Baidong was silent for a moment before saying, "Forget it, adults shouldn't expect favoritism. In this family, it's enough that you and Grandma stand by my side unconditionally."

"That's true, anyway, there's still me and Grandma."

Speaking of this, Fang Qiao couldn't help but think of her family.

Her parents, siblings, and relatives were no better off than the Cheng family.

After all, poverty breeds cunning. The family's resources are limited; if one person gets it, the others can only watch. So, in order to get more, they inevitably fight and struggle.

I sent a telegram to my family to share the good news of giving birth, but several days have passed without a reply. They probably can't afford the telegram fee and prefer to write a letter. Registered mail takes anywhere from ten days to a month, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, the baby will probably be a month old by the time I receive a reply. And that's not even mentioning the request I made in the telegram to ask them to help buy formula.

The capital city is large and has a wide variety of goods, making it easier to buy milk powder than in the countryside.

A bag of milk powder costs several yuan, and her family probably wouldn't be willing to pay that amount for her in advance.

Fang Qiao sighed: "Let's not talk about such depressing things. The village is slaughtering pigs tomorrow. Go early so that no one else can pick out all the good meat."

"Know."

After chatting, An'an finished her milk. Fang Qiao took her daughter into her arms and hugged her: "Come on, baby, Daddy's going to wash your bottle. Let Mommy hold you and pat your back to help you burp."

*

The situation at the Fang family in Beijing was similar to what Fang Qiao had imagined; they had been arguing for several days over the milk powder issue.

Because in the telegram she said she wanted her family to help buy a few bags of milk powder and send them to the countryside, and after receiving them, she would send the money back through the post office to pay for the milk powder.

However, after discussing it, the two elders of the Fang family unanimously decided not to accept the money from Fang Qiao.

Fang Qiao had been working in the countryside for several years, and her family had never helped her in any way. Now that Fang Qiao was asking her family for help to buy some milk powder for her child for the first time, it would be unreasonable to accept their money again.

Things went as planned, but when Fang Qiao's older brother, Fang Hai, took his wife to the department store, they found that the cheapest bag of milk powder on the counter cost five yuan, and some imported milk powder cost tens of yuan a bag. It was more expensive than his monthly salary, so the couple suddenly felt a little reluctant to spend the money.

But if we don't buy it, it would seem too stingy, since it's the first time the girl has asked her family for help.

But Fang Hai felt it wouldn't be presentable to buy the cheapest item to send to his girlfriend, so the matter reached a stalemate.

There's an old saying in Beijing: "The east is rich, the west is noble, the south is poor, and the north is lowly." The Fang family lived in the southern part of the city, surrounded by ordinary people who were struggling financially.

The Fang family wasn't wealthy. Before Fang Qiao went to the countryside, her parents and her four siblings—a total of six people—lived in two single-story houses. Later, after Fang Qiao went to the countryside, her eldest sister, Fang Xue, got married, but her eldest brother, Fang Hai, quickly married his sister-in-law, Dong Ping, and they had a child within two years. So, the family of six still lives in the two single-story houses.

Before Fang Qiao went to the countryside, her father, Fang Yaozu, was the head chef of a state-run restaurant, earning 38 yuan a month. Her mother, Yang Fengxia, worked in a textile workshop, earning 30 yuan a month.

However, after the policy of sending people to the countryside was implemented, all young people over the age of 16 who were unemployed were assigned to the countryside. Therefore, in order to prevent their two sons from going to the countryside, Fang Yaozu and Yang Fengxia gave up their jobs to their two sons.

However, this resulted in a sharp drop in wages for all employees.

Fang Hai, the eldest brother, didn't take cooking seriously when he was a child. Even after three years of taking over the business, he's still working as a kitchen helper in a state-run restaurant, earning only 26 yuan a month.

My younger brother, Fang Lu, got a job as a loader in a textile factory, and his basic salary was only 22 yuan.

Two people's wages are not enough to support six people's food and drink expenses. Fortunately, Fang Yaozu got a job sweeping the streets, which added ten yuan to his monthly income. Yang Fengxia and her sister-in-law Dong Ping also occasionally earn an extra yuan or two by pasting cardboard boxes at home when they have nothing to do.

Even so, life was still a struggle.

On the way home from the department store, Dong Ping, the eldest sister-in-law, couldn't help but complain: "Your sister is really something, always causing us trouble. Where can't we buy milk powder? Can't they think of a way themselves? Why do they have to write to us asking us to buy it? It's just a small bag, and even the cheapest one costs several yuan. Buying four or five bags would wipe out a month's salary. It's so expensive, which family can afford it?"