Chapter 34

A peasant is still a peasant. So what if he served in the military for a few years? He probably wasn’t anything more than a grunt—no real skills to speak of.

Unlike Zhang Shaoxing—he had the family background, the connections, the capability. If she could give birth to a son after marrying him, her position in the Zhang family would be set.

As for those three little brats—just like Song Qingdai said—they grew up without a mother. Wouldn’t they end up listening to whatever she said?

Zhang Shaoxing was no fool—he could hear the slyness behind Song Mingshan’s words.

And after the embarrassment he suffered in front of Gao Han last time, he wasn’t going to let it slide this time. He needed to reassert himself.

Just so that Gao Han would finally understand the difference between them.

And of course, that competitive instinct between men—it never really goes away.

“Mingshan’s right. Comrade Gao Han, if there’s anything you don’t understand about the city, feel free to ask me,” Zhang Shaoxing said with a smug tone.

“And you too, Comrade Xiao Song. Since you were coming to the provincial capital, why didn’t you let me know? We’re going to be family soon, after all. You’re preparing for a wedding, right? I know people at the department stores—just mention my name and you’ll get the best discounts. You’ll save quite a bit.”

“Exactly, brother-in-law,” Song Mingshan chimed in. “After all, you work at a brick factory—it’s not easy earning money. Unlike Shaoxing-ge, who bought me tons of gold jewelry in one go. You guys should really save where you can.”

She said it with such smugness, her pride practically bursting out of her. She deliberately emphasized the words brick factory, as if afraid people hadn’t heard it the first time.

Gao Han chuckled coldly. The Song family was truly disgusting—every last one of them.

Except his Qingdai. She was the only decent one among them.

“No need to trouble my dear sister-in-law,” he replied. “Everything that should be bought for Qingdai has already been taken care of.”

“Of course, she can’t compare to you—being an instant mother of three without the pain of childbirth. You’re already way ahead of everyone else. And a divorced man does tend to be more thoughtful and experienced when it comes to taking care of people.”

The smile on Gao Han’s face was anything but friendly—it was full of sharp sarcasm.

Both Song Mingshan and Zhang Shaoxing’s expressions darkened instantly.

Especially that line about “being an instant mother of three”—a direct hit to Mingshan’s sore spot.

After all, what woman likes being a stepmother?

Even marrying a divorced man isn’t too bad if he doesn’t have kids—but Zhang Shaoxing came with three.

Even if she knew the children had bright futures, it still stung to have it thrown in her face like this.

“Brother-in-law, don’t say that,” Mingshan bit her lip, trying to look pitiful and wronged.

“You know my sister lost her mother when she was very young. And people say a woman only gets married once in her life—you must treat her well. Don’t go wasting money on useless things.”

“It’s one thing to be laughed at by others, but if my sister suffers, it’ll break my heart too.”

As soon as she said that, Song Qingdai nearly choked on her own breath.

Wow, that tea was strong—truly overflowing with passive-aggressive flavor.

“Well, then I guess you’re going to be disappointed,” Gao Han said blandly.

“Mingshan didn’t mean anything by it,” Zhang Shaoxing quickly cut in to shift the topic. “By the way, have you booked your wedding banquet yet?”

He crossed his legs and casually showed off the watch on his wrist.

Trying to flaunt his status and elegance.

He was dressed in a suit, his leather shoes gleaming, hair slicked back with pomade—his whole appearance screaming “oily and flashy.”

He kept adjusting his tie and flashing a mysterious smile, acting like he was some elite successful man, while Gao Han was just some bottom-feeder who lowered the bar just by being present.

“I know a good hotel here in the city. The manager there is an old friend of mine. I’ve already hired their team for our wedding banquet.”

He then glanced at Gao Han with thinly veiled contempt.

“If you’re free, I can introduce you. Maybe they’ll give you a discount, too—at least make your banquet look a little more presentable. So you don’t embarrass yourselves.”

Embarrass ourselves?

Gao Han laughed.

“Oh? A hotel in the city?”

“Yes, exactly. The most high-end one—Huayun Grand Hotel. Their manager, Cai Weihua, is an old friend of mine. I…”

Cai Weihua…?

“No need. But thank you, Deputy Director Zhang, for your kind offer,” Gao Han cut in with a smile. “There’s no need for you to worry about our banquet.”

Zhang Shaoxing hadn’t expected Gao Han to reject him so bluntly.

He thought he was doing him a big favor—helping him save a huge amount of money. The Gao family couldn’t be that well-off. Even if they scraped together all their savings, they probably couldn’t afford Huayun’s banquet team.

But Gao Han didn’t even hesitate before refusing.

“Gao Han! Comrade Zhang is doing this for your benefit. How can you be so ungrateful?”

“These days, it’s rare to find someone as warm-hearted as Deputy Director Zhang!” Feng Cuifen started scolding loudly, thrilled that her future son-in-law was so capable and well-connected.

So what if he was divorced with three kids? He had money and power!

And soon he’d own his own company. His three sons would have bright futures. Her daughter was marrying into a life of luxury!

What did those other people know? They were just ignorant, small-minded bumpkins.

“If he’s so wonderful and warm-hearted,” Gao Han said, “why don’t you marry him? Or better yet, you and your daughter can both marry him. Two for one, not a bad deal.”

His mouth was poison—he never missed when he aimed to offend.

“And at your age, let’s be real, even if you begged, no one would want you.”

Song Qingdai let out a soft cough and tugged lightly at his sleeve, giving him a look that said enough is enough.

“You—you bastard! What kind of trash talk is that?!”

“Is this how the Gao family raises their children?!”

Feng Cuifen screamed furiously.

“Oh, you want to talk about proper upbringing?” Gao Han sneered. “Then how do you explain having a child with another man before Qingdai’s mother even passed away?”

He didn’t hold back.

He’d been putting up with the Song family for far too long.

And every time he heard about how they mistreated Qingdai, he wanted to storm in and take her away for good.

To show these people that Qingdai was never some unwanted, unloved girl.

She was someone he cherished—someone they had trampled in the mud and beaten without care.