When Auntie Wang’s words reached Auntie Yang’s ears, she was furious, almost losing her mind. She pointed at Auntie Wang and screamed, “Leeching off others? You vile woman! How dare you insult my son like that?!”

Everyone in town knew the Yang family’s story—how they were notorious for valuing boys over girls. Auntie Yang had given birth to five daughters, all in the hope of having a son. The daughters weren’t even allowed to finish high school, while the son repeated his final year three times just to get into college. Last year, her son finally graduated, and since then, she hadn’t stopped bragging about his annual salary of tens of thousands and how her daughters had pooled their money to buy him an apartment in the city, hoping to marry him off and start a family.

On the surface, people seemed envious and complimented her, but deep down, everyone knew the truth: no one in their right mind would let their daughter marry into such a family. Now, with Auntie Wang’s cutting remarks, Auntie Yang couldn’t take it.

Suddenly, Auntie Wang raised her voice, “Oh, what’s this? Getting angry now? Weren’t you the one always bragging about your precious Yaozu? Why can’t others comment on it?”

Auntie Yang, fuming, lunged at her, but the onlookers quickly intervened, trying to calm her down. “Don’t get so worked up. There’s no need to start a fight over some words!”

“Yeah, we’re all neighbors. We see each other every day.”

“Let it go.”

Auntie Yang gritted her teeth, “Wang Ruohua, what did I ever do to you? Why are you badmouthing my son?”

Someone nearby tried to appease Auntie Wang, “Ruohua, it’s not right to say such things. You should apologize.”

But Auntie Wang rolled her eyes, “So she can talk about other people’s business all day long, but no one can say anything about her precious son?”

The crowd immediately perked up, eager to know whose family Auntie Yang had been gossiping about this time. Was it Lin Ting? That didn’t seem right—Lin Ting was a straight-A student who won scholarships every year and was seen as the town’s future hope. Clearly, she would be more successful than Yang Yaozu.

Auntie Yang’s face darkened, “I never said anything about Lin Ting. Why are you getting so worked up?”

The crowd was even more curious now. If it wasn’t about Lin Ting, then why was Auntie Wang so upset?

Auntie Wang snorted, “Let me tell you! Xiao Gu is like a daughter to my family, smart and beautiful, and she graduated from a top university. Your family could never match up to that. After all, your son went to a mediocre college that’s not even in the same league as Xiao Gu’s!”

Hearing this, Gu Xingzhao was taken aback. Was Auntie Wang actually standing up for her?

Everyone in town knew Auntie Yang’s reputation for gossiping about everyone behind their backs. Gu Xingzhao had figured that Auntie Yang would start spreading rumors after leaving the supermarket, but she hadn’t expected Auntie Wang to get into a fight over it, almost coming to blows.

The onlookers finally understood—it was all because of Gu Xingzhao. Suddenly, all eyes turned toward her.

They had heard that Gu Chengzhang had come to town recently with his wife and stepson, but no one knew why. Everyone was curious, but no one dared to ask directly.

Gu Xingzhao stepped forward, approaching the crowd, and said loudly, “So, Auntie Yang, you’re worried your son might end up marrying someone like me?”

Auntie Yang’s face grew uneasy. It was one thing to gossip behind someone’s back, but it was entirely different when confronted directly.

“Xiao Gu, you’ve got it wrong. Auntie was just making small talk. Wang Ruohua misunderstood.”

Gu Xingzhao smiled, “Auntie Yang, you don’t have to worry. Girls like me who are vain and superficial only care about money and looks. There’s no way I’d let your son marry me. You can rest easy.”

“Ha!” Someone in the crowd couldn’t hold back their laughter.

Auntie Wang nearly burst out laughing too. Look at that—Xiao Gu knew how to speak her mind while still giving respect to her elders!

Auntie Yang, though feeling something was off, took the compliment at face value, maintaining her dignity. She even offered, “Xiao Gu, there’s no need to put yourself down like that. If I come across a good match, I’ll introduce you.”

The onlookers exchanged glances, realizing that Auntie Yang hadn’t picked up on the sarcasm. They chuckled to themselves, but no one pointed it out.

Gu Xingzhao smiled, “There’s no need to trouble you with my affairs, Auntie.”

Feeling she had regained her composure, Auntie Yang finally gathered her things, shot Auntie Wang a smug look, and walked away.

Once she was gone, the crowd finally let out their laughter.

Auntie Wang waved Gu Xingzhao off, signaling her to return to the supermarket.

Gu Xingzhao smiled warmly, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. It was nice to have someone stand up for her like that.

That evening, Auntie Yang recounted the day’s events to her son. Yang Yaozu’s face darkened with anger.

Her husband, frowning, said, “You need to stop going out and talking about our son all the time.”

Auntie Yang, smiling as she served her son food, was displeased by her husband’s comment. “Our son is so successful. People are envious! There are so many families in town who’d love to have him as a son-in-law.”

“Don’t worry, son. I’ll make sure to find you a respectful, well-behaved wife.”

Yang Yaozu, now too upset to eat, slammed his bowl down on the table and snapped, “What’s there to find? Mom, people are calling me poor and making fun of me, and you’re here thinking they’re praising me?!”

Auntie Yang was stunned, “???”

Yang Yaozu stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Her husband sighed, “You didn’t even understand what they were saying and thought they were complimenting your son.”

It finally dawned on Auntie Yang that Gu Xingzhao had been indirectly insulting her family’s poverty and her son’s unattractive looks, and she had been foolishly pleased about it.

She spent the entire night fuming, unable to sleep.

Later that night, with fewer customers in the supermarket, Gu Xingzhao sat at the checkout counter, scrolling through her social media feed. She noticed that several of her classmates had gotten married, and a couple of them were even posting family photos with their second child.

She felt a pang of envy. How nice it must be to have a family, to be together and happy.

Looking at the smiling faces in those family photos, Gu Xingzhao felt a sudden urge—maybe she should find someone and start a family of her own.

But just as the thought crossed her mind, she recalled how these same people often posted melancholic essays about their married life on social media.

She quickly remembered her own unreliable parents and shook her head, dismissing the idea of finding a partner.

“Gu Xingzhao, don’t be silly. Making money is better than getting married. Men and children can disappoint you, but money never will.”

At that moment, a car pulled up outside the supermarket. A man stepped out, adjusted his suit against the cold wind, and walked into the store. His eyes locked onto the woman sitting at the checkout counter, and he scoffed inwardly.

He wanted to see what kind of woman would dare look down on him just because she owned a small supermarket.

Yang Yaozu wandered around the store, frowning when he saw a packet of chicken feet priced at 13 yuan.

Muttering to himself, he thought, “The convenience store in the city only charges 10 yuan. This is highway robbery.”

She must be a vain woman.