Accountant Ding was filled with regret. He should have known better than to go through all that trouble to grab that spot. Now he was in a situation where all his efforts were in vain.
The spot was given to the second son, and the eldest son and youngest daughter will definitely resent him.
But he couldn't bear to give up this hard-won spot to his eldest daughter-in-law or youngest daughter.
In Accountant Ding's mind, whether it's his daughter-in-law or his daughter, they are ultimately outsiders. His daughter-in-law can divorce and leave at any time, and his daughter will get married sooner or later.
Accountant Ding's old face scrunched up, and he sighed helplessly, "Boss, let me think about this matter some more."
Seeing his father like this, Ding Caijun felt bad. He thought that maybe he should just leave it at that. After all, his brothers were not outsiders. In the end, his second brother would not really abandon his older brother if he became successful in the future.
But before he could speak, Qi Xue'er grabbed his arm. He instinctively held back his cry and gave his wife a somewhat resentful look.
Qi Xue'er ignored him and instead smiled at Accountant Ding, saying, "Dad, you should think more about Pengpeng's situation."
Accountant Ding's sharp gaze suddenly shot towards Qi Xue'er. This daughter-in-law was threatening him with her grandson, but his eldest grandson was indeed the apple of his eye.
On the other side, Ding Miao ran into Xia Qingqing after running out.
Seeing Ding Miao's heartbroken appearance, Xia Qingqing raised an eyebrow and immediately thought of the worker-peasant-soldier college student quota that Ding's family had received. This was probably going to cause trouble.
This had nothing to do with her, so she simply said goodbye to Ding Miao and prepared to leave.
Unexpectedly, Ding Miao suddenly called out to her, "Qingqing, can you talk to me for a bit?"
Xia Qingqing paused, thought for a moment, and then agreed.
The two slowly walked to the riverbank. Xia Qingqing found a clean stone to sit on, and Ding Miao also found a place to sit not far from her.
Xia Qingqing raised her chin and looked at the silent Ding Miao, asking, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Ding Miao kept her head down and didn't speak. She suddenly called out to Xia Qingqing because both Xia Qingqing and she were considered rare girls in the brigade who were relatively pampered at home.
She used to be proud that her parents weren't like other girls' parents who favored boys over girls, and she felt sorry for those girls who were often beaten and scolded. But it turns out she was the one who was a joke.
Suddenly, Ding Miao spoke in a hoarse voice: "You know about the worker-peasant-soldier college student quota, right? My dad said he'd give it to my second brother."
"So, you want that spot too? But I probably can't help you, right?" Xia Qingqing asked, her tone slightly puzzled, not understanding what Ding Miao meant by that.
Ding Miao slowly shook her head, her tone filled with confusion: "I don't know if I care about the spot or my parents' attitude. They were clearly better to me before, so why did they give the spot to my second brother without hesitation this time...?"
Xia Qingqing listened quietly to Ding Miao's story, as if she was trying her best to prove her place in her parents' hearts.
Not to mention the 1970s, this phenomenon still exists decades later. Most parents say they prefer their daughters and spoil them from a young age, but when their sons grow up, they buy them houses and cars.
In the eyes of parents, girls will get married sooner or later. They can get married even if they don't have a car, a house, or a dowry. But if their sons don't have a car, a house, or a bride price, they can't get a wife. So, girls who can only rely on themselves naturally lose their confidence in their husband's family.
Ding Miao suddenly looked at Xia Qingqing with a serious expression and asked, "If it were you, and your parents gave your younger brother the only spot, how would you feel?"
She felt that only Xia Qingqing could truly understand her situation. Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping were known for spoiling their daughter in the brigade, so if Xia Qingqing and her younger brother were put together, which one would her parents favor?
Xia Qingqing smiled nonchalantly: "Well, if it were really me, I would probably just accept it gladly, since the spot belongs to my parents and they can give it to whomever they want."
“Even ten fingers can be different lengths. It’s hard for parents to guarantee that they won’t be biased. You just said that when you were little, your parents treated you better than your two older brothers. Did your two older brothers feel bad about that?”
Ding Miao listened to Xia Qingqing's words in a daze, seemingly understanding something, just then Wang Chunxiang came over.
She was terrified to see Ding Miao sitting by the river and grabbed Ding Miao's arm tightly: "Miao Miao, you can't do anything stupid. Mom will find a way and make sure you go to university."
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm chatting with Qingqing." Ding Miao's arm, which was being held by her, was slightly sore, but she smiled happily and pointed to Xia Qingqing sitting not far away.
Wang Chunxiang then noticed that there were other people there. She had been too anxious and thought her daughter was about to do something foolish when she saw her appear by the river. She hadn't paid attention to whether there was anyone around.
“Miaomiao, come home with Mom first. I’ll talk to your dad and tell him that this spot has to be given to you,” Wang Chunxiang said with a determined look on her face.
The second son is a man who can live well anywhere, but if the youngest daughter can go to university, she won't have to depend on a man for the rest of her life and live at his beck and call.
Ding Miao smiled and refused. She knew from Wang Chunxiang's anxious look that she genuinely cared about her, and she didn't want her mother to fall out with her father over the quota.
"Qingqing, thank you for comforting me. I'm going back with my mom now. I'll come visit you again next time," Ding Miao said, helping Wang Chunxiang up and waving to Xia Qingqing.
Even after they had walked a short distance, they could still hear Wang Chunxiang asking Ding Miao if she really didn't want the spot, and that she would definitely help her if she wanted it.
Xia Qingqing smiled. Ding Miao was still very lucky. Regardless of whether Accountant Ding was sexist or not, Accountant Ding's wife definitely loved Ding Miao.
After that day, Ding Miao tacitly acknowledged that she and Xia Qingqing had become good friends. She would visit Xia Qingqing from time to time, and she also discovered that Xia Qingqing and Liang Shuang were studying together. She quickly joined their study group.
——
Accountant Ding is a man of some courage, as evidenced by his willingness to spend a lot of money to secure places for worker-peasant-soldier college students.
After Ding Miao returned home that day, she expressed her attitude and sincerely congratulated Ding Caixue.
This made Ding Caixue feel even better about his younger sister. Wang Chunxiang repeatedly told him to treat his sister well in the future and promised that he would never mistreat his only sister if he became successful.
Without Ding Miao's involvement, Qi Xue'er began to fight on the front lines, directly threatening to divorce and take her son away to force Accountant Ding to give her the spot.
Accountant Ding looked at his eldest son, who was watching coldly, and was extremely disappointed in him. Not only did he not compromise, he also directly said that if he made a fuss again, he would just give the eldest son away.
This immediately made Ding Caijun behave himself, and he no longer dared to join his wife in causing trouble.
However, this incident also made Accountant Ding realize that his eldest son was unreliable, and he began to reconsider his and his wife's retirement plans.
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