When Huang Guixiang heard this, her face broke into a bright smile.
“Finding a man, the most important thing is that he’s tall and handsome. That way the children you have in the future will also be good-looking!”
“Your dad was handsome too. Look how pretty you turned out!”
As for men—
they were just tools for having children.
Looks and physique mattered most.
Lin Wan was surprised.
“Then Uncle Zhang isn’t exactly good-looking, is he?”
At most, he wasn’t ugly—just average. The kind of honest, forgettable face you could throw into a crowd and never notice again.
Huang Guixiang sighed.
“Well, there was no better choice at the time.”
“Back then, your grandmother’s whole family was trying to take everything we had. I couldn’t beat them alone, so they kicked us out with you.”
“Your Uncle Zhang was the best option among the men who wanted to marry me. He was easy to handle.”
“I remarried so you could live a better life—not so I’d end up serving a whole family and making you suffer…”
Lin Wan felt a sourness rise in her chest.
Memories surged up, and everything in them felt as if she had personally lived through it.
Strange.
“System, explain this.”
“Why do I feel like the original owner’s past is so familiar… like it was my own life?”
The system replied:
[Because it is you in a parallel world. Otherwise, the soul and body would not be compatible, and transmigration would be impossible.]
[I am a product of a technological world, not a fantasy system. I do not deal with soul possession.]
Lin Wan: “……”
So… Mom really is my biological mother!!!
Her eyes immediately turned red. She threw her arms around Huang Guixiang.
“Mom… you’ve suffered…”
Waaah—
She wasn’t an orphan.
She had a mother who loved her.
Huang Guixiang patted her back quickly, sensing something was wrong.
“I didn’t suffer just for you. Even without you, I would’ve chosen your Uncle Zhang.”
“Widowed women—especially remarried ones—don’t have it easy.”
“Only your Uncle Zhang was the type who’s selfish enough, doesn’t care about his children or family, and lets me make the decisions…”
“Alright, enough about me. You’re not stupid, you can live well no matter what. Now tell me about Huo Xiao.”
Lin Wan took a deep breath.
She knew she couldn’t dodge this.
Before the real Huo Xiao appeared, she could talk nonsense however she wanted, even brag him up like a heavenly emperor.
But now… she had to be careful.
“Mom, Huo Xiao is a top fighter pilot. His status is very prestigious—he’s already a deputy regimental officer at a young age.”
“We can’t make this public. If jealous people interfere, it’ll ruin everything.”
“And what if my older brother and sister-in-law, or second brother and sister-in-law, use his name to show off? Even if Huo Xiao wouldn’t help them, they’d still use his name to act arrogantly outside.”
“In the end, I’d be the one who suffers.”
After saying that, she angrily hit her own head.
“It’s all my fault. I got carried away and bragged in front of my sisters-in-law!”
Huang Guixiang straightened up, full of confidence.
“Don’t worry! With me here, nobody will cause trouble!”
Lin Wan took out two lunch boxes containing steamed buns and roast chicken and placed them on the table.
“This is what my boyfriend sent me. It won’t keep in this weather—let’s all share it.”
After Huo Xiao left, she had secretly taken them out of her system space.
The Zhang family’s eyes turned green the moment they saw the buns and roast chicken.
In this era, every household was short of food. Even plain steamed buns were a luxury, let alone meat buns and roast chicken.
They hadn’t seen meat in half a year.
Not to mention they had been eating nothing but sweet potato soup for days.
At that instant, their resentment toward Huang Guixiang eased by half.
Huang Guixiang felt a stab of pain in her heart.
This little brat didn’t even ask her before taking out such precious food! Of course they should’ve eaten it secretly behind closed doors!
But since it was already out, she could only clutch her aching chest and say reluctantly:
“These buns and roast chicken were sent by Wanwan’s boyfriend. She originally wanted to keep them for herself, but she thought of the family and insisted on bringing them back so everyone could share.”
Hmph.
After eating meat today, they could at least survive three more days.
Then she’d reduce the sweet potatoes a bit and add more water to stretch the food further.
That way, their stock could last until Zhang Aimin got his wages.
Thinking this, she finally felt slightly relieved.
Zhang Aimin quickly flattered her.
“Wanwan is kind-hearted, just like you!”
With an even wider smile, she said to Lin Wan, “Oh my, Uncle Zhang is benefiting from Wanwan’s blessing here. This is the first time in his life he’s ever enjoyed anything from a younger generation!
“Your eldest brother, second brother, and even your eldest sister have never once thought to bring their father anything good to eat!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qin lowered her head in shame. Guo Xuyang had also taken her out to eat nice things before, but she always felt too embarrassed to bring anything home.
On this point, she really was not as good as her stepsister Lin Wan.
No wonder her father favored her.
Zhang Hongqi and Zhang Hongjun also showed expressions of guilt. They had secretly spent their own money taking their wives and children out to eat well before. Although it didn’t happen often, they had indeed never once thought of bringing anything back for their father.
But asking them to start doing so regularly in the future? That was impossible.
Their families were already large enough as it was, and their private savings couldn’t support everyone.
They had wives and children to think about first.
And if they only gave things to their father alone, wouldn’t the father just turn around and give everything to the stepmother? Then she would definitely scold them for three days straight!
Huang Guixiang only sneered and said nothing.
Zhang Aimin, on the other hand, was all smiles and flattery.
Lin Wan felt her eyes hurt just watching them.
Then Huang Guixiang slapped her chopsticks down and said, “Wanwan found a boyfriend, and he’s very capable—a driver.”
“What?”
“A driver?”
“Didn’t Wanwan say he was a brigade commander? An Air Force brigade commander!” the eldest daughter-in-law Bao Yan asked in shock.
Huang Guixiang remained calm. “You must have heard wrong. Wanwan said her boyfriend is a driver who drives for a brigade commander!”
The two daughters-in-law couldn’t help but roll their eyes internally. Heard wrong my ass—it was clearly what Lin Wan herself said.
They should have known by now: this step-sister never told a single truthful word.
Heh.
Saying a driver was a brigade commander? What an exaggeration. So full of vanity.
And besides, how could a driver compare to someone who flies planes?
Huang Guixiang continued, “Alright, nothing is settled yet, so none of you are allowed to go gossiping outside. If anyone ruins Wanwan’s marriage prospects by running their mouth, I won’t let them off!”
“And if Wanwan really has to go down to the countryside, from now on half of your father’s salary and ration coupons will be sent to her every month!”
That statement was a killer move.
Everyone in the Zhang family immediately changed expression.
Zhang Aimin quickly said ingratiatingly, “If Wanwan goes to the countryside, I’ll send most of my salary to her. Life is hard in the countryside—we can manage fine in the city!”
“The eldest and second sons have been working for years anyway. It’s about time they start supporting me in retirement!”
The sons and daughters-in-law of the Zhang family were terrified out of their wits and hurriedly promised they would not gossip outside and would firmly protect Lin Wan’s interests so she would not be sent to the countryside.
Only Zhang Qin felt extremely conflicted inside.
A driver?
Would Lin Wan really settle for that?
Or was this just a smokescreen to lower her guard, with the real goal still being to steal Guo Xuyang?
Maybe she was even planning a “swap marriage” trick on the same day?
Lin Wan, of course, had no idea what Zhang Qin was thinking. If she did, she would probably suspect the girl had been written in by a web-novel author.
This wasn’t ancient times—swap marriages, especially involving military marriages, weren’t that easy to pull off.
Unless she herself was the original author.
Pure nonsense writing.
Zhang Aimin spoke again. “Wanwan has found a partner, and he even has a highly sought-after job. Life will only get better from now on!
“That means both of our girls won’t have to go down to the countryside. This is a great happy occasion!”
“I also have another piece of good news—double happiness!”
Zhang Hongqi quickly asked, “What good news, Dad?”
Zhang Aimin laughed heartily. “Our factory director has assigned his wife’s nephew to be my apprentice. If I train him well, I’ll be promoted to an eighth-grade worker next year!”
Everyone instantly brightened at the news, all their earlier displeasure vanishing.
An eighth-grade worker!
That meant a salary increase to over one hundred yuan, along with more ration coupons.
More importantly, retirement benefits would also increase significantly!
This was even better news than Lin Wan finding a boyfriend.
Only Lin Wan was completely stunned.
Damn it.
This wasn’t good news at all—it was a massive trap!!!
It was a major turning point in the original story before the Zhang family’s downfall!