Shulan felt sorry for her parents; she was already so old, yet she still caused them worry.
Zhao Gan was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to reflect on his actions; he only knew that Deng Fangping hadn't given him any face.
"Shulan, I've already talked to my family. It's really disrespectful of me to make a scene like this now. Okay, I'll be waiting for you at home on Thursday. Bring your family over, but don't be late."
Shulan's complexion worsened.
Deng Fangping was so angry at Zhao Gan that she almost laughed. It was exactly what she wanted. With Zhao Gan's meddling, Shulan would break up with him on her own without Deng Fangping having to lift a finger.
That's fine. Deng Fangping didn't want to have any rifts with her daughter over a man.
The Shu family is not what it used to be. The Shu family's roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop is now a well-established brand in Deyang, and Xibao is a key business recognized by Secretary Zuo of Deyang. In the two months before the Lunar New Year, they earned tens of thousands of yuan.
Giving a dowry to a daughter is to help her find a good family.
After she bought Shulan a house in Deyang, Shulan's assets were more than the Zhao family's combined. If she really wanted to get married, she should marry someone from a harmonious family with good character. Why should someone like Zhao Gan get the better deal?
Shulan eagerly volunteered to help, saying, "Chuyu, let me add water for the quails. These quails are really well-raised. Does Dad make his money by raising quails? I saw that the family had a very sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner."
Shu Lan was unaware of the changes in the Shu family and Chu Yu. Chu Yu didn't intentionally withhold the information from her; she simply didn't know where to begin. She couldn't very well tell Shu Lan right away that her second uncle and aunt had made a fortune, could she? Their parents hadn't even spoken up yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her to bring it up.
Shu Lan is a bit love-struck, and Chu Yu, fearing that Shu Aiguo might have other plans, smiled and said, "Second Uncle will take the quail eggs to Deyang to sell."
As their business grew, they looked down on the profits from quail eggs. However, Chu Xiang and his friends didn't mind. Every weekend, the four of them would transport quail eggs to Deyang to sell, earning several tens of yuan each weekend.
Shulan realized she had guessed correctly; her family's comfortable life was related to quails.
How much money can you make from a quail egg?
"1-2 cents."
"So you can earn sixty or seventy yuan by saving up for a week?"
"Pretty much. My second uncle has been busy with business lately, so Chu Xiang and the others have been taking the goods to sell."
Chu Yu didn't quite understand what Shu Lan was thinking, why she was so fond of Zhao Gan. He clearly didn't like her, but she still compromised. If a girl isn't valued by her husband's family, her married life will be difficult. Shu Lan was a bit too love-struck.
"Sister, what are your plans with Zhao Gan? Has his family given their approval?"
Shulan and Zhao Gan had genuine feelings for each other. When Shulan was surrounded by thugs, Zhao Gan, who happened to be passing by, saved her. Shulan invited him to a movie, and that's how they became acquainted.
Shulan has a rural household registration, and according to the current household registration policy, her child will also have a rural household registration in the future.
City dwellers look down on rural people, believing that marrying a rural wife will bring misfortune to generations of their family.
Influenced by this idea, Shulan developed feelings of inferiority.
She was one of the best in the factory, but even her male colleagues who weren't as well-off picked and chose her. There was nothing else to it, except that she was from a rural area!
No matter how good she is, no one wants her. People always speak of her with a picky tone. Shulan can't swallow this insult and wants to change her fate through marriage. She wants to make her colleagues in the factory who look down on her open their eyes and see that even with a rural household registration, she, Shulan, can be a superior person.
Deng Fangping and Shu Aiguo thought that Shulan was being manipulated by men, but the truth was quite the opposite; every step Shulan took was part of her own calculations.
So what if Guan Huichun doesn't like her?
She was living with Zhao Gan, whose father was a section chief and had some connections in the factory. If Shulan became his daughter-in-law, she would have a chance to get a permanent position.
Zhao Gan was after her looks, and she was after Zhao Gan's family background. Shu Lan didn't think she was wrong. What, does a woman have to be completely innocent to be considered pure and virtuous? If she wasn't after anything, what did she see in Zhao Gan? Was it his slicked-back hair, or his glorious history of being breastfed until he was seven or eight? Or was it his snobbish and mean-spirited mother?
Shulan changed her fate through marriage. Endurance was essential. No one told her that being self-employed could lead to a new life. In her mind, marriage was the most important thing for a woman.
"Chu Yu, to be honest, I also want to find a man who loves me and a reasonable mother-in-law, but city people are too picky and look down on us rural folks. Zhao Gan is the best option I can find. I think I can just bear with it and slowly train him after we get married. He will definitely change."
Bah! Trying to change a man's inherent flaws is less effective than changing a dog's habit of eating shit.
Chu Yu disagreed. She had figured it out. Shu Lan wasn't love-struck, just indecisive. They hadn't had sex before marriage, yet Zhao Gan dared to be so disrespectful. Wasn't it normal for him to be irresponsible and abusive after marriage? Her mother-in-law was just stirring up trouble now. Would she be allowed to let her and Zhao Gan have their own private life in the future?
Zhao Gan has no house, so Shu Lan has to live with her parents-in-law. Just thinking about such a marriage is suffocating. Where is there any possibility of things getting better?
"Sister, you need to think this through. Zhao Gan's mother definitely doesn't want him to move out and live with his mother. Even if there's nothing going on, there will be trouble. What's more, there's already trouble. The problem is right in front of you. Don't choose to ignore it. You have to face it."
Shulan knew that Chu Yu was right.
"But everyone in the factory knows we're getting engaged. If we break up with Zhao now, our colleagues will say some really bad things."
Shulan rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning the kitchen. Afraid of getting her clothes dirty, she took off her woolen cotton-padded coat and handed it to Chuyu. Chuyu looked at it from left to right.
"Sis, did you sew the lining of this garment?"
"Absolutely!" Shulan was quite proud. Not to brag, but she was quite talented at sewing. Her master often praised her for her ability. "I figured it out myself. How is it? Not bad, right? I added a layer of cotton and a lining, which makes it more windproof and warmer than before."
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