Chapter 30 Is this a negotiation?
When she got off work, Luo Huihui was already waiting for her at the door. "Ruyi!"
He took a copy of the Beijing Daily from his bag and gave it to Yan Ruyi, saying, "Ruyi, you're in the Daily News."
Yan Ruyi only knew that she had been featured in the evening paper. Director Chai had specially delivered a copy to her before she left work, and it was currently in her handbag.
I never expected it to be featured in the daily newspaper.
Yan Ruyi: "How come I didn't see it?"
"This is tomorrow's daily newspaper. This is a sample copy. My second sister-in-law specially brought you a copy."
He then took out a stack of photos from his bag, saying, "These are also from my second sister-in-law who asked me to give them to you."
Liu Yunmin also attended yesterday's gala. As a photojournalist, she was walking around the audience looking for the best angles to take photos during the performance.
Yan Ruyi saw her pressing the shutter button several times while on stage.
Yan Ruyi took a look and saw that most of the photos were of her alone, but there were also a few photos of her standing with Qian, the cadre.
So this is what she looks like on stage! She's a real beauty!
Yan Ruyi put the newspaper and photos into her handbag and said happily, "I'll show them to my mom when I get home."
After exchanging a glance with Luo Huihui, she immediately understood, and the two headed straight for the department store.
Otherwise, the two of them could get along well; they both love spending money, and one of them is determined not to shortchange himself.
After spending an hour browsing in the department store, the two returned home laden with purchases.
They originally intended to buy sandals, but they couldn't resist the high heels displayed in the counter.
Luo Huihui has never worn high heels before.
Yan Ruyi had worn them before. She wore high heels when she was announcing the program, but because she was afraid of accidentally falling on stage, the heels weren't that high, just a slight heel.
Luo Huihui: "Let's buy them together, and wear our new shoes to work together tomorrow."
Encouraged by Luo Huihui, she was also somewhat eager to try.
Luo Huihui liked brighter colors, so she leaned on the counter and called out to the sales clerk, "Comrade, I wear size 37, could you get me those liver-colored ones to try on?"
Yan Ruyi preferred light colors, so she asked the sales clerk to bring her a double-moon white one.
She had experience wearing high heels, so she was fairly normal when trying them on.
It was the first time Luo Huihui had ever worn high heels, and she couldn't walk properly after putting them on, limping as she went.
I almost fell over during those first few steps.
She was quite satisfied.
She wasn't that tall, but wearing high heels made her appear 5 centimeters taller.
She was quite satisfied and said to the sales clerk, "Comrade, I'll take these."
Yan Ruyi also liked the moon-white pair and wanted them too.
The two bought shoes for themselves and gifts for their families.
Yan Ruyi bought her mother a bottle of Yumei brand face cream, her father a set of chess pieces, her eldest and second sisters-in-law each a headband, her eldest and second brothers each a pair of sunglasses, Sihe a plastic submachine gun, and Miaomiao a doll that could blink.
The two returned home with a full load.
As she approached the entrance to the family compound, she saw her second brother from afar and called out to him loudly, "Second Brother!"
Yan Mingtao stopped and waited for her.
Yan Ruyi: "Second Brother, why are you back so early today?"
After work, Yan Mingtao would do side jobs and usually didn't get home until very late.
Yan Mingtao looked a little dejected. "We were supposed to start work today, and I even went, but then they suddenly changed their minds and said they weren't going to do it."
This time, he took on a large wardrobe set.
This family has two sons. The elder son got married a few years ago, and this time it is the younger son who is getting married.
The wardrobe was originally intended for the second son's wedding, but the eldest son objected, saying that he had nothing when he got married, but now his younger brother is getting a wardrobe.
When Yan Mingtao arrived, the two brothers were arguing about this.
Later, they said they wouldn't fight anymore, and gave him a box of Daqianmen cigarettes to send him away.
He doesn't smoke, so giving him a pack of cigarettes is less effective than giving him 40 cents.
Seeing the net bag hanging on her handlebars, filled with odds and ends, Yan Mingtao said enviously, "Girl, you've struck it rich again?"
Yan Ruyi said smugly, "I got paid."
She took out the holographic mirror and gave it to her second brother, saying, "This is for you."
Yan Mingtao was flattered. "A gift for me?"
Yan Ruyi nodded, "Big brother has one too."
Yan Mingtao was so moved that he almost cried.
One of his coworkers bought a pair of sunglasses and would wear them around showing off in front of him all the time. He was very envious and wanted to buy one too, but these things weren't cheap. He went to the department store to ask, and the cheapest one was 5 or 6 yuan.
He asked Li Yan for money and was scolded by her.
When Li Yan was scolding him, his sister happened to walk by and overheard it. He felt quite embarrassed at the time.
Unexpectedly, his sister remembered this incident and bought him a pair of stun guns as soon as she received her first paycheck.
Aside from occasionally buying him some food, he never bought his sister anything expensive.
He felt a little guilty and rubbed his hands together. "This thing must be really expensive. Your salary isn't that high. You should save more money..."
Yan Ruyi took the mirror from his hand. "You don't want it? If you don't want it, I'll take it to Songshui Road and sell it."
Yan Mingtao quickly snatched the mirror back, saying, "I want it, I want it! It's a gift from my sister, it's so precious, how can I sell it again?"
After saying that, he put on his sunglasses and felt incredibly proud of himself.
Yan Ruyi also thought her second brother was impressive.
The label on the sunglasses was a bit of an eyesore and affected his vision. We wanted to tear it off, but Yan Mingtao dodged away. "Don't tear it off. Who tears off a label while wearing sunglasses? People are looking at the label. It'll look less stylish if you tear it off."
Yan Ruyi didn't quite understand, but she respected her second brother's opinion.
The two went home together.
Ye Hongzhen finished cooking and came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried dishes. When she looked up, she saw Yan Mingtao wearing blindfolds and was startled. "Oh my goodness, why are you wearing blindfolds now!"
Yan Mingtao: "You don't understand, this is called a 'sharp lens.' Have you seen 'The Man from Atlantis'? The one McHarris wore in it is just like this."
Ye Hongzhen whispered, "You're buying things randomly again. Xiao Yan will scold you again if she finds out."
"I didn't buy it; Ruyi gave it to me as a gift."
After saying that, she went inside to admire herself in the mirror.
Ye Hongzhen said, "Watch your step. It's pitch black here. How can you see where you're going?"
I was just about to ask Yan Ruyi why she bought a pair of daggers for her second brother.
When he turned around, he saw Yan Ruyi taking things out of the net bag one by one, and in no time, the table was piled high with them.
Yan Ruyi handed the face cream to Ye Hongzhen, saying, "Mom, this is for you."
When Li Yan came over, he gave her the headband.
Li Yan was flattered and surprised, "I have one too?"
Yan Ruyi said confidently, "We have them all."
Although her second sister-in-law was gossipy, petty, and argumentative, when she was in college, one time when she came home, a hooligan blocked her way and wouldn't let her leave, insisting on becoming her friend. It just so happened that her second sister-in-law came home from get off work and bumped into him.
Back then, her second sister-in-law had just married her second brother and wasn't as gossipy as she is now. She picked up a fire poker from somewhere and chased that hooligan for about two miles with it.
She always remembered this.
Besides, she bought it for her eldest sister-in-law, so she couldn't not buy it for her second sister-in-law.
After distributing the gifts, Yan Ruyi took out two newspapers for her mother to see.
Ye Hongzhen's hands were still wet. She lifted her apron to wipe them before taking the newspaper. "My daughter was in the newspaper, twice!"
"This is the evening paper, and this is the daily paper. The daily paper won't be published until tomorrow. This is a sample copy of the paper that my second sister-in-law, Huihui, gave me."
Ye Hongzhen said, "That explains why these two newspapers are different."
He went back into the room, rummaged through a box, found a picture frame, put two newspapers inside, and had Yan Mingtao hang the frame in the living room.
In his excitement, he completely forgot about nagging Yan Ruyi about spending money recklessly.
Seeing that Yan Ruyi had bought so many things, Li Yan came over and asked her, "Ruyi, did you show people your old stuff again? Did you make a lot of money this time?"
Li Yan was both envious and jealous. She moved closer to Yan Ruyi and said, "Ruyi, could you teach me when you have time? I don't expect to make a lot of money like you, even just a few extra dollars a month would be fine."
Yan Mingtao came out of the house and said, "You've got to be kidding me. Ruyi has been learning this skill for four years. You think you can learn it in a short time? You're dreaming."
Li Yan was so angry that she wanted to hit Yan Mingtao, but Yan Ruyi quickly stopped her. "Second sister-in-law, it's not money I earned from showing old things to people. It's money I got as a reward from the city and bureau when I was an announcer last time. It was a windfall, and I spent it all. But right now I have a way to make money that's suitable for you. Do you want to do it?"
Li Yan suddenly became interested and stopped beating up Yan Mingtao. Her eyes shone brightly. "What connections do you have?"
"I saw a writing contest in the newspaper today. Why don't you submit your work and give it a try?"
Li Yan was startled and waved her hands repeatedly, "I can't write this."
She was supposed to be an announcer, but the script was pre-written, and she just read it aloud. She still dared to try it.
She didn't have the guts to submit articles to the newspaper.
That's something only great writers do.
Yan Ruyi said, "Why can't you write anymore? I heard my second brother say that when you were in school, your essays were used as model essays by the teachers and read aloud in each class."
Actually, it wasn't her second brother who said it. She overheard him arguing with his wife, and they were revealing each other's shortcomings. Her brother said his wife was a poor student, and she said her brother was even worse than her. At least she was good at Chinese, and her essays were often read aloud by the teachers in other classes.
Li Yan proudly tossed her hair and said, "That's true. The day before yesterday, I ran into my Chinese teacher on the street. Because I write well, she still remembers me and said it's a pity I didn't become a writer."
“You could write well before, and you can definitely write well now, Second Sister-in-law. This essay contest has prize money. The first place winner gets 100 yuan, the second place winner gets 80 yuan, the third place winner gets 40 yuan, and the honorable mention also gets 10 yuan. Even if you don’t win a prize, as long as you make it to the finals, you’ll get a bar of soap and a towel.”
Li Yan, "!"
Yan Ruyi pressed on, "Second sister-in-law, think about it. Even if you don't get a prize, it's just a waste of a piece of paper and a stamp. I have paper and a pen here, I'll give them to you in a bit. You'll only have to pay for the envelope and the stamp, which together is only 3 cents. But if you do get a prize, you'll get money, at least 10 yuan. At the very least, you'll get a bar of soap and a towel for free. The cheapest bar of soap costs 20 cents, and a towel costs 50 cents, which together is 70 cents. After deducting the 3 cents for the envelope and stamp, you'll just be making a net profit of 65 cents just by writing."
After Yan Ruyi gave her her analysis, Li Yan was intrigued. "Then I'll give it a try?"
"Second sister-in-law, just keep writing. If you're worried, I'll give it to Huihui after you're done so she can give you some feedback. She's participated in essay competitions before and won awards, so she has experience."
Li Yan then remembered and asked, "What kind of content are we asked to write?"
"Our family."
Li Yan, "..."
Even if she wasn't highly educated, she knew that for this kind of essay contest, one could only write about the good things about family members.
In this family, her husband is dim-witted, her mother-in-law is biased, her father-in-law is a hands-off father, her sister-in-law is lazy, and her brother-in-law only knows how to play all day and has the worst grades in school...
What's there to write about!
But the thought of the prize money instantly reignited his fighting spirit.
Look carefully, maybe you can find something interesting?
She kept thinking about it, and she became quieter during the meal.
After dinner, instead of complaining about her mother-in-law and husband to the other wives in the residential compound, she went straight to her room.
When Yan Mingtao returned to the room, he saw a sheet of paper on the table, and Li Yan was sitting there deep in thought.
Yan Mingtao leaned closer; the title was already written on the manuscript paper: Our Family.
Yan Mingtao: "So you only wrote 6 characters in half a day?"
The essay topic was suggested by my younger sister.
Li Yan glared at him. "You can't even write six characters. I'm warning you, Yan Mingtao, don't bother me. If I don't get a prize, you'll have to pay me at least 10 yuan."
Yan Mingtao, “…”
They haven't even written anything yet, and they're already convinced they'll get 10 yuan. I've never seen such a scam.
He didn't dare to utter a sound and quietly got into bed.
Li Yan turned her head with satisfaction.
Although the man was a bit dim-witted, he was good-looking, good at making money, and listened to her, handing over all his earnings.
If you think about it this way, your mother-in-law isn't entirely without merit. Although she's biased and spoils her sister-in-law rotten, she's a good cook, doesn't cause trouble, and is very clean, keeping the house spotless.
Last time she went to visit a coworker's house, the house was big, but her mother-in-law was lazy and didn't like to clean. The stove hadn't been cleaned in a long time, and it was covered with a thick layer of black grime, which made her feel disgusted.
She's my sister-in-law. Although she's a bit lazy and loves to spend money, she's a government official with a respectable job, so I even bought her a headband.
...
She picked up her pen and wrote another line on the paper: There are nine people in our family: my parents-in-law, my husband's older brother and his family of three, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law, and me.
...
Ye Hongzhen has to make breakfast for the family, so she gets up at 6 a.m.
When I went out to get water to wash my face, I saw that the courtyard gate was open.
She's usually the first one to get up at home, wash her face, and then go open the gate to the yard.
She had just gotten up and hadn't had time to open the courtyard gate yet, so who opened it?
She definitely turned it off last night, and she even checked it again before going to bed.
She didn't even bother to wash her face before rushing back into the house and calling to Yan Guoqiang, "Come out quickly and see why the gate is open. Did someone break into our house last night?"
Yan Mingtao yawned as he came out of his room. "Nothing was stolen. Xiao Yan opened the door. She went out early this morning."
Ye Hongzhen: "Ah, why did she go out so early?"
Yan Mingtao said, "I stayed up half the night last night saying I wanted to write an article, and then got up early this morning saying I was going to my parents' house to look through my old school essays to find some inspiration."
Yan Ruyi was also woken up by her mother. She came out of the house and, influenced by her second brother, yawned as well, exclaiming, "Second sister-in-law is really going all out!"
Yan Mingtao looked at her with a resentful expression, "I didn't sleep well all night because of all this. If your second sister-in-law doesn't get a prize, you have to pay me 10 yuan."
Ye Hongzhen slapped him across the face. "You're even trying to extort money from your sister now. If your wife gets a bonus, are you going to give her half?"
Ye Hongzhen thought this was good; her second daughter-in-law was so focused on writing that she didn't have time to gossip, and Ye Hongzhen finally had some peace and quiet.
If possible, my second daughter-in-law should write more articles in her spare time in the future.
Ye Hongzhen felt it was necessary to burn incense for her ancestors and ask them to bless her second son's family so that they could win an award this time.
Winning an award means winning money. The second son's family has tasted the sweetness of success, so won't they become obsessed with writing articles from now on?
Yesterday, Yan Ruyi and Luo Huihui made a promise to wear their new shoes to work together today.
She put on her new shoes and twirled around in front of the mirror, admiring herself.
It's not as comfortable as wearing flat shoes, but they look better and make you look taller.
Now that I'm taller, clothes look better on me than before.
Ye Hongzhen watched in fear, saying, "Walk slowly, don't twist your ankle."
Yan Ruyi: "It won't sprain."
It's a bit tall, but after walking around in it a few times, you'll get used to it quickly.
I wore high heels to work, my little leather shoes clicking away.
Zhao Dongsheng's eyebrows could trap a fly.
He glanced at Jiang Dongming, but seemed deaf, showing no reaction whatsoever, letting Yan Ruyi show off while completely ignoring his apprentice.
He could no longer bear it, so he stood up and went to Director Liu's office.
Director Liu was on the phone. When he saw him come in, he said a few more words to the other person and then hung up. "I just happened to have something to tell you. Please have a seat."
Zhao Dongsheng sat down in the chair opposite Director Liu.
Director Liu, "The bureau has decided to send you and Lao Jiang to collect antiques in the Liujiagou area. Lao Jiang wants to bring Xiao Yan along, and the bureau has approved it..."
The cultural relics bureau doesn't just sit and wait for people to come to them to sell antiques; sometimes they also send people to the countryside to collect antiques.
In the last two years, in particular, private antique collecting has begun to emerge. They offer higher prices than antique shops, and some bolder ones are less willing to sell their antiques to antique shops and instead secretly trade them in private.
This has led to many antiques ending up in private collections.
The cultural relics bureau is doing this in order to take the lead in collecting antiques scattered among the people and bringing them back to the state.
Zhao Dongsheng had been sent out before.
Because of the subsidies and the fact that he didn't have to sit in the office doing routine work, he was quite happy to be sent out.
He had no objection to being with Jiang Dongming. Although Jiang Dongming was a bit old-fashioned, he was easygoing and hardworking. Even if he was lazy and did less work, Jiang Dongming wouldn't say anything.
However, he wouldn't be happy if Yan Ruyi came along too.
"Director Liu, I just wanted to report something to you. Our new colleague, Comrade Yan, always dresses up in a flamboyant way, with permed hair, high heels, and always smelling nice. I think it's not a good influence. There are many men in our office, and she's the only woman. Her constant makeup is affecting other people's work."
Besides, a person only has so much energy. If she spends all of it on dressing up, how can she concentrate on her work? Furthermore, we are a state-owned institution, and members of the public often come to have antiques appraised. If the public sees this, they will gossip. I hope the bureau can issue a document regulating employee attire, requiring it to be dignified and appropriate, at least not affecting the bureau's image.”
Director Liu only frowned.
He had worked with Zhao Dongsheng for five or six years. Zhao was capable, but he was a bit petty.
Director Liu's wife is the director of the Women's Federation of Xinli Subdistrict Office. She was also present when Wang Sicheng caused a scene in Xinli Subdistrict last time. He had heard his wife mention the Parker pen incident.
Based on his understanding of Zhao Dongsheng, he was probably after that pen, but Yan Ruyi had unintentionally snatched it away. He was unhappy about it, so he came today to report on Yan Ruyi. One reason was his conservative thinking, and the other was to find fault with Yan Ruyi.
This morning on his way to work, he ran into Yan Ruyi at the gate.
The little girl was dressed neatly and beautifully, and greeted him with a smile.
He thought it was great. Young people should be like this. Should the whole country be like before, with black, blue, or gray colors, lifeless and gloomy?
Director Liu, “I don’t think her attire is out of line. Things are different now than before. The country is advocating for the liberation of thought and encouraging everyone to pursue beauty. Haven’t you seen the model teams? The clothes the models are wearing are much more flamboyant than what Comrade Xiao Yan is wearing, but the country hasn’t banned it. If it’s not banned, it means it’s allowed. Besides, Comrade Xiao Yan hasn’t let this interfere with her work. She recognized Song Qingci at a glance, which shows that she has a solid foundation of knowledge and is conscientious and responsible in her work. This also fully demonstrates that a love of dressing up and work are not mutually exclusive.”
"Old Zhao, we older colleagues in the bureau should be more tolerant of the younger ones."
Zhao Dongsheng said seriously, "Director Liu, no matter what you say, I can't accept it. If you insist on making her go, then I won't go."
Director Liu thought for a moment, "Although it's a task assigned by the bureau, we respect your personal opinion. Since you don't want to go, then let's arrange for Xia Pengfei to go this time."
Zhao Dongsheng, “!”
Shouldn't we leave Yan Ruyi behind and let him go?
Why is it reversed?
Zhao Dongsheng angrily turned and left.
Xia Pengfei's mouth never stopped agape when he learned that he was going to the countryside with Jiang Zhiming and Yan Ruyi to collect antiques.
Zhao Dongsheng found it an eyesore and said, "The place you're going to this time is a remote mountain valley, poor and isolated. What good things can you possibly collect? It'll be a wasted trip."
Xia Pengfei whispered to Yan Ruyi, "Don't listen to his nonsense. You can only find good things in remote mountain villages. Last time, when Teacher Jiang and I went to Hanjiaji, we even found a Han Dynasty pottery jar, which is now in the city museum."
Jiang Zhiming came in from outside and said to Xia Pengfei and Yan Ruyi, "We'll meet in the office at 8 a.m. tomorrow and leave promptly at 8:30 a.m. We might be staying for three or four days, so you two should get ready."
Xia Pengfei, being experienced, told Yan Ruyi, "There are many mosquitoes in the mountains, and the temperature difference between day and night is large. You'd better bring a box of Tiger Balm and a thicker coat. Last time I went to Hanjiaji, I didn't bring any warm clothes, and I almost froze to death at night."
Yan Ruyi didn't know if her family had any Tiger Balm, so she thought she would ask her mother when she got home.
When she got home from get off work, her mother wasn't there.
At this time of day, her mother would usually have already started preparing dinner.
She felt a little panicked and went next door to ask Zhao Cuifang, "Aunt Cui, do you know where my mother went?"
Zhao Cuifang: "I saw her go out in the late afternoon, saying she was going to buy groceries. She even asked me if I wanted to go, but I said no, I can just pick something from my own garden to eat. She went by herself, so why hasn't she come back yet?"
Aunt Li from next door heard this and came out to tell Yan Ruyi, "I saw your mother at the entrance of the vegetable shop. She said a few words to a woman at the entrance and then headed east. She seemed to be in a hurry. I called her but she didn't respond. She probably didn't hear me."
"Aunt Li, do you know where my mother went?"
"I have no idea about that."
The residential compound of the municipal fertilizer plant.
There is a poplar tree in the southeast corner of the residential compound. It is lush and leafy, and a cement block has been built around it. It is windy here, and the tree provides shade. On hot days, the people in the residential compound like to come here to cool off.
Shen Zhimin's family all lived in the fertilizer factory's staff quarters.
Shen Zhimin's grandfather used to work at a fertilizer factory. The house they live in now was allocated to him when he was the workshop director.
Apart from Shen Zhimin's grandfather, no one else in the family works at the fertilizer factory.
Logically, after Shen Zhimin's grandfather passed away, the factory should have taken back the house. However, Shen Zhimin's family refused to move and insisted on staying there.
Because it involved deceased veterans of the factory, the factory couldn't forcibly evict them, so the family continued to live there.
When Wang Lanying wasn't at work, she loved to go to the big poplar tree and chat with people.
A woman asked Wang Lanying, "Lanying, didn't your son Zhimin get assigned to an office? Why is he back in the archaeological team?"
Mentioning this, Wang Lanying was furious. "It's all because of Yan Ruyi. That girl is really something now. Luckily, my Zhimin didn't marry her. My Zhimin isn't as cunning as her. If we had really gotten married, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to control her... Hey, I have something to tell you guys, but don't tell anyone else."
"You said we promised not to tell anyone."
Wang Lanying lowered her voice, "Yan Ruyi found a fake foreigner who's almost as old as her father. She used that fake foreigner to squeeze my Zhimin out of the office."
She originally wanted to say that Yan Ruyi had climbed up to Commander Song and used his influence to squeeze Shen Zhimin out.
However, Commander Song is a highly sought-after figure, and many people want to climb up to him but can't.
If she were to say that Yan Ruyi had climbed up to Commander Song, countless people would envy Yan Ruyi.
That was exactly what Yan Ruyi wanted.
Furthermore, since Commander Song was a member of the People's Liberation Army, she didn't dare to make wild accusations, so she simply said that Yan Ruyi had found a fake foreigner.
This was indeed something she witnessed firsthand. Yan Ruyi went to a teahouse with two people, both of whom looked older than her father. Regardless of which one she had hooked up with, it wasn't exactly something to be proud of.
Several women exclaimed in surprise, "Really? She really found a fake foreigner? Does that mean she's going to marry a foreigner?"
Another woman chimed in, "You never know, even if you do manage to get married. These days, many young women want to go abroad. My older brother's neighbor's daughter married a man in his seventies so she could go abroad, and she recently got her visa."
Wang Lanying said, "Anyway, I saw her with my own eyes, and they looked quite affectionate."
A woman frowned and said, "Wang Lanying, you keep spreading rumors that other girls have found a fake foreigner. You should watch your mouth."
Wang Lanying rolled her eyes at the woman. "I'm not making things up about her. I saw it with my own eyes."
The woman shook her head, stood up, and walked away.
Just as the other women were about to ask Wang Lanying some more questions, another woman came over and said to Wang Lanying, "Lanying, when I came over just now, a woman kept looking for you. She didn't look too good, so I guessed she would be coming over soon."
Wang Lanying: "Who's looking for me? It can't be Tang Yanna's mother, can it?"
The Tang family is insisting that Tang Yanna and Shen Zhimin break up, but Tang Yanna disagrees. I heard that she's been having a lot of trouble with her family lately.
Wang Lanying wondered if Tang Yanna's mother was so overwhelmed by the commotion that she came over to negotiate with her.
Then she'd better put on airs. If she wants the two of them to break up, she'd better set some conditions.
Anyway, now Tang Yanna is determined to marry no one but her son.
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