Just as Jiang Xingyao turned around, Liu Zhilan gritted her teeth and shouted again, “Stop!”
“Hm?”
Liu Zhilan’s face looked as if she had been forced to cut off a piece of her own flesh.
“1,000.”
Spending some money was fine. There was no way she could let her precious Lili marry into the countryside and waste her life there.
But Jiang Xingyao refused to give an inch.
“I already said it. Not a cent less.”
Liu Zhilan took a deep breath, her expression turning somewhat ferocious.
“Jiang Xingyao, no matter what, I’m your biological mother. Don’t push things too far. Otherwise, even if you kneel and beg me in the future, I will never let you step through this family’s door again.”
“Don’t worry. I think your family is too filthy. I won’t be coming back.”
Liu Zhilan was so furious that she actually laughed.
“Fine, fine! Two thousand, then! Don’t regret it!”
Jiang Xingyao held out her hand with a sweet smile.
“Hand it over.”
“What?”
“The money.”
“Didn’t you say it was supposed to be your dowry?”
“That’s right, but I want it now. Someone as vicious as you, someone who can even push her own biological daughter into a fire pit, isn’t someone whose word I can trust.
“So, I’ll go get the marriage certificate whenever you give me the 2,000 yuan.”
As unwilling as Liu Zhilan was, the thought of Jiang Xingyao marrying some dark-skinned, ugly peasant while her precious Lili would soon be marrying the steel mill director’s son, who had returned from studying abroad, made her feel much better.
“Go outside first. I’ll get the money for you.”
Jiang Xingyao walked to the doorway while Liu Zhilan began rummaging through everything in the house.
Under the bedside table, inside socks, in the cracks between the floorboards…
After scraping together money from here and there, she finally handed Jiang Xingyao 2,000 yuan.
But her heart ached as though it were bleeding.
“You wretched girl, don’t get too pleased with yourself! Once you marry into the countryside, you’ll be nothing but a worthless nobody for the rest of your life. You’ll never be able to rise above your station! My Lili, on the other hand, will become the wealthy young mistress everyone envies, enjoying a lifetime of luxury and prosperity!”
Jiang Xingyao said nothing. She merely curled her lips into an amused, mocking smile.
Then she turned and headed for the market.
She deposited 1,000 yuan into a savings account first. Then she bought four bolts of fabric and two ready-made outfits for herself.
She also bought a pair of shoes for each of her parents and three older brothers in the Jiang family.
After that, she went to the market.
One chicken, two fish, and three pounds of pork belly.
She also bought some sunflower seeds, peanuts, hawthorn cakes, and rice cakes.
By the time she returned home, it was already evening, right around the time everyone got off work.
There were four families living in their residential compound. Zhang Cuiling, who was always outspoken and straightforward, saw her and immediately said with a hint of displeasure, “Well, well. Uncle Jiandong only got his paycheck yesterday, and you’ve already taken it to improve the Shen family’s meals?”
Jiang Xingyao knew that Zhang Cuiling meant well and was standing up for her.
She smiled, grabbed a handful of peanuts, and stuffed them into Zhang Cuiling’s pocket.
“Sis Cuiling, I’ve finally come to my senses. I’ve realized that the bond of being raised is greater than the bond of being born. The Jiang family is my real family.
“I’m using the Shen family’s money to buy things for my parents as a gesture of filial respect.”
Zhang Cuiling didn’t believe her. She curled her lips and lowered her voice.
“Since when has anyone in the Shen family given you money?”
Before Jiang Xingyao could answer, Shen Jiaoli returned as well.
“I spent the whole day checking accounts in the warehouse, and my whole body is sore. Jiang Xingyao, go heat up a tub of hot water for me. I’m going to take a bath first.
“Oh, you bought quite a lot of food today. Let’s make dumplings tonight and braise fish head with tofu.”
Jiang Xingyao ignored her and simply said to Zhang Cuiling, “Sis Cuiling, let’s talk another day. I’m going home to cook.”
Zhang Cuiling clicked her tongue.
That wretched girl had just said she was going to show filial respect to her parents, but the moment Shen Jiaoli opened her mouth, wasn’t she still going back to the Shen family to work herself to the bone?
But to her surprise, in the very next second, Jiang Xingyao actually carried all the things straight into the Jiang family’s home.
Zhang Cuiling was stunned.
Shen Jiaoli was furious.
“Jiang Xingyao, what are you doing?”
Hearing the commotion, Liu Zhilan hurried out and pulled Shen Jiaoli back inside.
“Lili, don’t make a fuss. Come inside. Mom has something to tell you.”
……
Xu Xiangmei was just about to start cooking when she saw Jiang Xingyao. Her heart immediately ached.
“Daughter, how did you get so thin?”
As she spoke, she pulled 50 yuan from her pocket and handed it to her.
“Your father got his paycheck yesterday. Take this. Every day, secretly buy yourself something good to eat. Don’t spend all your time worrying about those people in the Shen family.”
Although Jiang Xingyao had transmigrated into this world, she possessed all of the original owner’s memories.
The people in the Jiang family were therefore just like her own family.
In her previous life, her mother had died young, while her father had been an alcoholic. She had grown up on a mountain with her master and had never experienced a mother’s love.
Now, seeing Xu Xiangmei’s gentle and loving manner, Jiang Xingyao couldn’t help feeling a sting in her nose.
Almost instinctively, and with a hint of grievance in her voice, she called out,
“Mom…”
Xu Xiangmei’s eyes immediately reddened with concern. She rubbed Jiang Xingyao’s arm.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. What’s wrong? Is 50 yuan not enough? Wait a few days until your three brothers get their paychecks. Then Mom will give you another 100.”
Jiang Xingyao shook her head.
“No.”
“Then did Shen Jiaoli bully you again? Come on, Mom will go talk to her!”
With that, Xu Xiangmei started toward the door.
Although Shen Jiaoli was her biological daughter, if she were being completely honest, her feelings for Shen Jiaoli were not even one percent of what she felt for Jiang Xingyao.
Besides, when Jiang Xingyao went to the Shen family, she still knew enough to kneel and bow her head in gratitude to her.
Shen Jiaoli, however, refused to acknowledge her and only humiliated and cursed her. She was worse than an animal.
Jiang Xingyao hurriedly stopped her.
“Mom, no one bullied me. I’ve cut ties with the Shen family. In this world, only you, Dad, and my brothers are my family.”
Xu Xiangmei stared at her in disbelief.
“Daughter, you… you really mean that?”
“Yes. Look, all this fabric, meat, and these shoes are things I bought for you. From now on, we’ll be a family and live a good life together.”
Only then did Xu Xiangmei notice how many things Jiang Xingyao was carrying.
“All of this must have cost more than 200 yuan, right? Where did you get so much money?”
Both her daughter and Shen Jiaoli had attended a textile technical school. But after they graduated this year, the textile factory’s business had declined and available positions had become scarce.
The factory had only hired three people: one driver, one technician, and one accountant.
Her daughter certainly wasn’t qualified to be a driver or a technician.
As for accounting, her daughter had studied it for half a year, but Shen Yunfeng had arranged the accounting position for Shen Jiaoli.
For the past two months, her daughter had been running around doing chores for the Shen family, inside and outside the house. Not only had the Shen family never given her any money, they would occasionally even send her back to the Jiang family to ask for some.
Her daughter absolutely couldn’t have even twenty cents on her.