“You stupid girl, weren’t you dead set on going to the army? Why are you backing out now that it’s time to go?”
Qiao Xin said, “He wants to break off the engagement, which means he doesn’t like me. Even if I shamelessly go chase him to the army and force him to marry me, he won’t treat me well. I’d never be happy for the rest of my life.”
She wasn’t the original host. She had no desire to marry a man who didn’t like her.
“Oh, my silly girl, when will you ever learn to be as shrewd as your mother?”
Yang Xiuying looked like she wanted to smack some sense into her.
“Let me tell you, forget all that love and romance nonsense. The match I found for you is about their conditions. You’re marrying into that family to live a good life and enjoy yourself, not to have some starry-eyed romance with that Fu boy.”
“So what if he doesn’t like you? You take his salary, live in his big house, eat and drink well, and when money runs short you can ask his elders to chip in. A life with no pressure at all. Nothing could be better.”
Qiao Xin was speechless.
She couldn’t help thinking her cheap mother actually made a disturbing amount of sense.
But still, she didn’t want to go.
“What if I go and he doesn’t even acknowledge me as his fiancée? Then I’ll just have to slink back home in disgrace. Better not to go at all.”
Hearing this, Yang Xiuying was so annoyed she wanted to jab her daughter’s head, but seeing the wound on her forehead, she held back and only pretended to poke at her.
“You, you. What are you afraid of? If that Fu boy dares not acknowledge you, then you go make a scene in front of his superiors. Accuse him of seducing you and abandoning you. Let’s see if he still cares about his reputation and his future in the army.”
With that, she got up, went to the cabinet, and took out a small packet, which she mysteriously pressed into Qiao Xin’s hand.
“Girl, take this and keep it safe. If that Fu boy really won’t behave, you use this on him.”
Qiao Xin’s eyes widened in shock. Her mother wasn’t suggesting she drug Fu Mingze, was she?
“Mom, what is this? Aphrodisiac?”
Yang Xiuying rolled her eyes dramatically. “Did you really scramble your brains when you hit your head? Why would I give you an aphrodisiac?”
“Oh, so I drug him, and he takes advantage of you, and in the end you’re the one who suffers. Do I look like that much of an idiot to you?”
Qiao Xin blinked her big, confused eyes. So she’d gotten it wrong?
“Then what’s in this paper packet?” she asked curiously.
Yang Xiuying leaned close to her ear and lowered her voice. “Croton seeds.”
“Croton seeds?”
What was she supposed to do with croton seeds?
“Girl, let me tell you. If a man behaves, you keep him. If he doesn’t, you slip some croton seeds into his food every now and then.”
“And give him diarrhea? To get back at him?” Qiao Xin chimed in, thinking her mother’s scheme was vicious enough.
But the real vicious scheme wasn’t that.
“Right. Give him diarrhea now and then. He goes out on missions often, doesn’t he? Too much diarrhea will wear down his body. Maybe one of these days he’ll drop dead on a mission because he’s too weak.”
“And once he kicks it, you’re the family of a martyr and hero. You get a huge compensation payout and a monthly subsidy.”
“Girl, by then, even if you never work a day in your life, you won’t have to worry about food or clothes. Just picture that life. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Qiao Xin looked at her mother’s expression as she daydreamed about this wonderful life and nearly dropped her jaw.
Good heavens, her mother was ruthless!
“Girl, you make sure to keep this safe. Don’t lose it, and don’t mix it up and eat it yourself by mistake. If that Fu boy treats you decently, then don’t use it.”
Qiao Xin pressed a hand to her forehead. Whether the man treated her well or not, she couldn’t use this!
“Mom, I’m just going to the army to take a look first. If we get along, we’ll make it work. If we don’t, then forget it. With my abilities, I can live well without relying on a man.”
Hearing this, Yang Xiuying stared at her with a complicated look. “Girl, have you forgotten what you’re usually like?”
“What am I like?” Qiao Xin was lost again.
“You’re the type who won’t touch water with ten fingers…”
“Mom, the saying is ‘ten fingers never touch the spring water,’” Qiao Xin corrected.
Yang Xiuying waved a hand. “Whatever, those details don’t matter. What matters is you never work, never earn money, don’t do chores, can’t cook, and can’t even wash your own clothes. If you don’t marry into a good family, you think someone like you can live well on your own?”
Qiao Xin blinked her clear, innocent eyes. So the original host was that lazy?
No wonder the Fu family wanted to break off the engagement.
“But you take after me. You’ve got a good face and a lovely voice. The moment you speak, people like you.”
Yang Xiuying looked proud.
“With that alone, you’ll have no trouble finding a good husband. It doesn’t matter if you don’t work or do chores.”
Qiao Xin didn’t hear a word after that. Her mind was stuck on one sentence: You take after me!
If she’d inherited her mother’s big round face, she didn’t dare imagine…
Fine. She also had a good voice. That seemed acceptable.
She unconsciously glanced around and spotted a plate-sized mirror hanging on the wall. She walked over and looked into it, and was instantly dazzled by the person in the reflection.
An oval face, a high nose bridge, phoenix eyes. Her eyes were clear and moist, with a cool, distant glint at the bottom. The outer corners tilted up slightly, carrying a natural, seductive charm.
Her skin was so fair and tender it seemed water might seep out if you pinched it. Her cherry-red lips were bouncy like jelly. She stuck out her pink tongue and licked her lips…
Oh my god. This alluring little look, like a fox spirit. Yet those eyes were so clear and bright that she didn’t seem flirtatious at all. Instead, she gave off an air of purity and cleanliness.
Only the gauze on her forehead was a bit of an eyesore, though it also made her look more pitiful and delicate.
In her past life, she’d planned to look like this. But plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Her features had minds of their own, and some of them were downright rebellious.
Seeing such a beautiful face, she was filled with envy and jealousy!
Huh? Wait.
Wasn’t this person her now? What was she envy and jealousy-ing for?
Tsk. Her mother was absolutely right. With such a good face and that ethereal, clear voice, how could she not attract people?
Case in point. She herself had fallen in love at first sight with this pretty face. Just for looks this good, she would never shortchange herself in the future.
Yang Xiuying saw her looking left and right in the mirror and assumed she was worried about the wound on her forehead.
She pulled her back to sit on the bed. “Don’t worry. I asked the doctor. You’re not prone to scarring. As long as you watch what you eat for a while and apply the medicine on time, it won’t leave a scar.”
Qiao Xin breathed a sigh of relief. No scar was good. With such a beautiful face, it would be a shame to have any flaw.
Yang Xiuying packed her luggage while chattering on.
“Girl, I’m telling you, when you get to the army, act exactly the same as you do at home. Don’t make yourself suffer.”
No need to tell her that. She’d just set her own standard.
Yang Xiuying finished packing, then dug out an iron box. She took out a stack of cash and counted it. A total of three thousand eight hundred yuan.
Qiao Xin’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Her mother was actually a rich little woman.
You had to remember, this was only 1983. An ordinary worker’s salary was only forty or fifty yuan. Three thousand eight hundred was an absolute fortune.
She watched as her mother counted out one thousand two hundred and pressed it into her hand, then pulled out the eight hundred the Fu family had given them today from her trouser pocket and gave that to her as well.
“Keep this money safe yourself. Don’t let anyone know.”
Qiao Xin was deeply moved. Her mother could hand her this much money at once. This was definitely a real mother!
She spread her arms and gave her a big hug. “Mom, you’re the best!”
Yang Xiuying stroked her head lovingly, her eyes reddening, and continued to urge her.
“When you get to the army, treat yourself well. Buy whatever you want. Don’t skimp.”
“I know, Mom!”
With this much money in hand, she definitely wouldn’t skimp.
“Remember, if you want to buy something, ask that Fu boy for money first. If he really won’t give it, then spend your own.”
“And when you’ve spent it all, ask the Fu family for more.”