“Don’t talk nonsense!” Xing Jiafu snapped at Li Sanniu, then turned to Baolan. “Your mother is ignorant—she’s just spouting nonsense. Don’t mind her. You passed the worker exam—we’re all happy.”
A worker—that was no small thing! Xing Jiafu said, “With something this big, how could Baolan make it up to fool us? Our daughter has really become capable!”
Li Sanniu curled her lips in disdain.
Baomei suddenly remembered that Dingqing had gone with Baolan and hurriedly asked, “Did Dingqing go too? Did she pass as well?”
Baolan nodded. “Yes, she passed too. Tomorrow we’ll head back to Mingfeng together.”
“Head back”—she hadn’t even settled in the city yet, and already she was putting on airs like a city person. The more Li Sanniu looked at Baolan, the more displeased she felt. Baolan resembled her mother-in-law, Chen Xiaozhu, far too much—and Li Sanniu had suffered greatly under that woman.
This dislike had existed since Baolan was little. On top of that, Baolan was stubborn and strong-willed, just like her grandmother, which made Li Sanniu resent her even more.
Still, she knew Baolan was smart and capable, always willing to earn money to help support the family.
Facing such a daughter, Li Sanniu always wanted to suppress her—make her obedient, mold her into a “useful” child.
Before, Baolan had indeed been obedient. Whenever Li Sanniu argued with Xing Jiafu, she would run off to hide in the mountains, and it was always Baolan who went to find her.
Of course, Li Sanniu only tormented Baolan this way. When Baosong and Baomei were home, she never made such dramatic gestures.
Being able to control Baolan gave Li Sanniu a sense of satisfaction.
But ever since the discussion about the arranged marriage exchange, she had noticed Baolan becoming less obedient—starting to resist her.
Now Baolan had even gone to the city and passed the worker exam. Li Sanniu vaguely sensed that Baolan might soon slip out of her control.
So she began picking a fight. “I knew you were an ungrateful wretch! You’d rather take an outsider with you to find work than your own family. Isn’t your sister closer than Dingqing?”
Baomei felt uncomfortable too, but she still tugged at Li Sanniu and said, “Mom! I’m not like Baolan and Dingqing. Even if I went, I wouldn’t pass. What’s the point of saying this now?”
Baolan ignored Li Sanniu and explained to Baomei, “This time was pure luck. I never expected we’d run into a recruitment exam.”
She explained her original plan, and Baomei couldn’t help but feel envious. “Your luck really came through this time.”
Li Sanniu, however, only heard that Baolan had planned to go to Mingfeng several more times. She turned to Xing Jiafu and said, “See? I told you she was hiding money. Otherwise, how could she afford to stay in the city for two days? You didn’t believe me.”
Xing Jiafu snapped, “Enough! That’s Baolan’s own ability—why are you nagging?”
From what their second daughter had said, it was clear she was bold and decisive—and lucky enough to succeed.
Instead of improving their relationship with her, Li Sanniu kept speaking with barbs and sarcasm. Wasn’t she just pushing the girl away?
His wife was only pretending to be clever!
Baolan stood up and said to Xing Jiafu, “Dad, that’s the situation. I’ll go find Uncle Yu to handle the paperwork.”
Xing Jiafu frowned. “You’re really transferring your household registration?”
“I am. I’ve already told Uncle Yu that this season’s grain still belongs to our family. After the harvest, the land can be taken back. You’ve probably heard—after the autumn harvest, our village will form a cooperative. It won’t matter whose land is whose anymore; everything will be farmed collectively. Taking my land back won’t affect the family’s harvest.”
“That’s true…” Xing Jiafu sighed, troubled at the thought. He waved his hand. “Go handle it. We’ll talk when you get back.”
“You’re not allowed! You’re not allowed to transfer it!” Li Sanniu jumped up and pointed at him, scolding, “Have you lost your mind? Her heart is already wild. If you let her move her registration out, she’ll grow wings and fly away! Wouldn’t I have raised her for nothing?!”
Baolan walked around her and headed toward the Yu household.
Transferring household registration only required a procedure with the village head. She could have done it quietly without telling Xing Jiafu first—but she had informed them out of respect.
“Don’t go!” Li Sanniu grabbed her arm. “Did I say you could leave?”
Baolan impatiently shook her off.
Caught off guard, Li Sanniu stumbled.
You wretched girl—how dare you!
Enraged and humiliated, Li Sanniu shouted, “If you transfer your registration, don’t ever come back! Don’t call me your mother!”
Baolan turned back and looked at her coldly, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes. “Suit yourself.”
“…” Li Sanniu froze. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but she grabbed onto the most important one and blurted out, “If you transfer your registration, what about the Chen family? If you don’t marry into them, what about your brother’s wife? If you want to transfer it, then hand over all your wages to the family—I’ll let you go!”
“So in the end, it’s all about money. Why go in circles? You should’ve said so earlier.”
Baosong, Baosong—only Xing Baosong is the precious one!
Baolan stopped, her chest burning with anger. Still young, she didn’t know how to endure silently. Her fury erupted toward Li Sanniu:
“My brother? Of course I hope he never gets married!”
“Don’t you know? Ever since you tried to trade me in a marriage exchange, I’ve hated him!”
“You want my wages to marry him a wife? I’d rather give it to a dog or a beggar than let him spend it! Useless thing! He deserves to be a bachelor his whole life!”
“Baolan!” Baomei shouted, stopping her. “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Xing Jiafu shot to his feet and strode over. Under Baolan’s shocked and furious gaze, he raised his hand—
“Old Xing!”
“Xing Jiafu, you shameless man, stop right there!”
His raised arm froze midair. Village head Old Yu and his daughter Dingqing had arrived, and his mother, Old Madam Chen, also came out from the third son’s house.
“Baolan, are you alright? Uncle Xing, what are you doing? Baolan is such a good girl, and you want to hit her? Your family is really something—treating only Baolan like she’s not even human. She might as well come to my house and be my mom’s daughter instead!” Dingqing rushed over and fired off a string of words at Xing Jiafu.
Yu Heping glared at her. “Quiet. What’s it to you?”
Then he turned to Xing Jiafu. “Old Xing, the weather’s hot—drink more tea. Why get so angry at a child?”
Old Madam Chen huffed her way over, plopped down on a chair, and pointed at Xing Jiafu as she scolded, “Useless thing! I knew you and your wife were no good. Baolan is such a fine child—she passed the worker exam on her own! Look around the villages—who else has such promise?”
“A child this good being born into your family—you should be burning incense in gratitude! And you still want to hit her? I think you’re the one who needs a lesson!”
Her eyes gleamed. She hadn’t expected that among the grandchildren, Baolan would be the first to make something of herself.
So this was the method she’d talked about—getting a job in the city!
That ignorant fool Li Sanniu was pushing her own daughter away—well then, the old lady wouldn’t hold back.
Putting on a kindly expression, Old Madam Chen said to Baolan, “My dear, if your parents don’t want you, come live with your third uncle and grandma. Grandma wants you.”
Baomei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Grandma, why are you adding to the chaos?”
“How am I adding to it? Look at how your parents treat Baolan—marriage exchanges, taking her wages… Grandma’s different. Grandma only feels sorry for her.”
Baomei: “…”
Xing Jiafu, being scolded by his own mother in front of Yu Heping, felt awkward. Lowering his arm, he said sheepishly, “I just lost my temper. I was only trying to scare her—I wasn’t really going to hit her.”
Yu Heping pretended not to hear the earlier harsh words and smoothed things over. “Even teeth bite the tongue sometimes. You’re family—arguing just makes you closer.”
Baomei brought out some chairs. Yu Heping sat down, while Dingqing pulled Baolan aside and quietly comforted her.
Yu Heping said, “My Dingqing followed Baolan and got lucky—she passed the worker exam. Old Xing, I should thank Baolan. Without her, how could my silly girl have such fortune?”
Dingqing nodded eagerly. “Exactly! It’s all thanks to Baolan.”
Facing Yu Heping’s gentle expression, Baolan suppressed the cold anger from earlier and said, “Uncle Yu, you’re too kind. Without Dingqing, I wouldn’t have been able to go to the city either. She passed because she had the ability.”
Xing Jiafu also said politely, “Don’t say that, Old Yu. The two girls helped each other—neither could have done it alone.”
“Hah! So you can speak like a decent human,” Old Madam Chen cut in loudly.
Xing Jiafu: “…Mom!” His dignity had been trampled completely by his own mother.
Yu Heping, well aware of the tension between mother and son, didn’t mind and simply said, “Baolan wants to transfer her household registration, right? Let me tell you, Old Xing, this is a great chance to become a city resident. Don’t hold the child back—our Dingqing will transfer hers too.”
Xing Jiafu felt embarrassed, not wanting Yu Heping to think poorly of him. “We won’t stop her. Baolan was just about to find you to handle the paperwork.”