As for the youngest daughter, she had long followed her brother and mother into the house. 

The Zhang family had a standard three-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, and one-bathroom apartment. 

It should have been the same layout as most of the neighbors, but Zhang Mengzhi was a transmigrator, and when he was young, he had Zhang’s father gradually change the layout of the Zhang family’s small courtyard. Now they didn’t have to run to the public toilet every day and fight for a spot, and they could have a separate bathroom. They lived even better than most people living in apartment buildings. 

Even the most simple red brick house was gradually transformed by the Zhang family into their warm little nest. 

“Where’s your brother?” 

After putting away Zhang Mengzhi’s luggage, Zhang’s mother came out of the room but didn’t see her son, so she asked her daughter who was doing her homework in the living room. 

It was summer vacation, and her daughter didn’t have to go to school, but the teacher had assigned a lot of summer homework, so she could only write a little bit every day, and she had already written most of it. 

“My brother went to the bathroom to clean himself up.” 

Zhang Mengyu was already in junior high school, and like many girls, she preferred liberal arts and was troubled by science. 

“Alright!” 

Zhang’s mother picked up the knitting yarn and started knitting. Besides cleaning the house, she usually made various small things at home. The sweaters and woolen pants on her son and daughter were all knitted by her. 

In addition, there were hats, socks, and gloves. As long as she could knit them, she would personally knit them for her family. 

“The noodles are ready, Mengzhi, come and eat. Wife, where’s our son?” 

Zhang’s father brought the noodles to the main room, but he didn’t see his son. 

“In the bathroom.” 

Zhang’s mother replied without raising her head. 

“Okay!” 

Zhang’s father put the noodles on the dining table and went back to the room to take a nap. 

He had an hour before he went to work, so he quickly went to sleep for a while to avoid dozing off in the afternoon. 

“Mom, where’s Dad?” 

Zhang Mengzhi took a shower and came out of the bathroom. When he walked into the main room, he only saw his mother and sister, but his father wasn’t there, so he couldn’t help but ask. 

“Dad went to sleep. Brother, eat the noodles quickly, or they’ll get soggy.” 

Zhang Mengyu, the little girl, replied quickly. 

“I’ve been away from home for a year, and I’ve forgotten that my dad has to go to work.” 

Zhang Mengzhi patted his forehead, then strode to the dining table, picked up the bowl, and started eating. 

The Zhang family wasn’t short of money. Zhang’s father was a senior technician, and his monthly salary was not low, so it was no problem to support the family. 

Zhang’s mother occasionally took on some odd jobs, and the vegetables at home didn’t need to be bought outside, so the Zhang family’s food was much better than the people around them. At least they were willing to put oil in the noodles. 

“Go to sleep after eating, and leave the bowl there. I’ll wash it later.” 

Zhang’s mother said to her son. 

“Okay.” 

Zhang Mengzhi didn’t force himself. He really wanted to sleep. The few hours of sleep on the bus didn’t make up for his sleep, and he was even more sleepy after returning home. Maybe it was because he relaxed after returning home that he felt tired. 

Zhang Mengzhi lay on the cool bamboo mat and sighed contentedly before falling asleep quickly. 

The Zhang family’s three-bedroom apartment had the parents sleeping in the main room, Zhang Mengyu sleeping in the second-largest bedroom, and Zhang Mengzhi, the son, sleeping in the smallest bedroom. Besides a single bed and a wardrobe, there was no other furniture in it. 

It was said to be a small bedroom, but that was only compared to the other two bedrooms. In fact, the space was still relatively spacious, and it was much more comfortable than a dozen people living in a fifty or sixty square meter building. 

According to other families, Zhang Mengzhi, the only son, should have slept in a larger and better-decorated second bedroom, but Zhang Mengzhi had loved his older sister and younger sister since he was a child, and took the initiative to choose the room with the worst light, the worst decoration, and the smallest space to live in. 

The Zhang family sisters lived in the second bedroom, sleeping in a large double bed. Not only did they have a large wardrobe, but they also had two desks and a chest of drawers. Whether it was the furniture or the size, it was better than Zhang Mengzhi’s room. 

This caused the busybodies who often came to visit the Zhang family to say that the Zhang family parents valued daughters over sons. 

No matter what outsiders said, the Zhang family knew what was going on. 

The Zhang family parents had always treated their three children equally. Even if they did value their son more in their hearts, they didn’t show any favoritism in their actions. The daughters would only have better than what the son had. 

Moreover, their greater emphasis on Zhang Mengzhi wasn’t the traditional preference for sons over daughters. It was mainly because the existence of this son allowed the Zhang family parents to raise their heads in front of outsiders and not be scolded for having no descendants. 

Moreover, having Zhang Mengzhi was also good for the older sister and younger sister. At least their in-laws wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on them for the sake of their family. 

It was no wonder that most families valued sons over daughters. In addition to their own favoritism, there were also some external reasons. 

After all, without a son, it was easy to be taken advantage of. Zhang Mengzhi had seen it with his own eyes, so he took great care of the older sister and younger sister in his family. 

With him around, the older sister and younger sister would have a backer after they got married, so they wouldn’t be bullied as helpless people. 

The most pitiful were those women who didn’t have brothers. After their parents were gone, not only would their in-laws bully them, but even their relatives would bully them. 

Zhang Mengzhi was awakened by a burst of noise. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. 

“You can break off the engagement, but return the bride price and I’ll agree to break off the engagement. Otherwise, don’t even think about it.” 

Zhang’s mother said loudly, not caring how ugly the other party’s face was when they heard the word “bride price.” 

The money that had been swallowed into their stomachs was something the woman’s family was unwilling to take out, so they were determined to go back on their word. 

“This mother-in-law…” 

A flattering voice sounded. 

“Bah, you’re here to break off the engagement, who are you calling mother-in-law? Do you have any shame?” 

Don’t look at Zhang’s mother as a gentle person, but when it came to her son, she immediately stood up for him. 

It was okay to scold her, but if anyone dared to bully her son, Zhang’s mother would dare to fight them. The three children in the family were all her lifeblood, so Zhang’s mother, who had never argued with anyone before, could face the Wang family with a tough attitude. 

“You have shame? If you have shame, why don’t you agree to break off the engagement and keep pestering us? Who is shameless?” 

When the Wang family saw that Zhang’s mother was unyielding, their faces immediately changed, and the words they spoke became unpleasant. 

“Who is shameless? You can break off the engagement, but you have to return the bride price when you got engaged, right? I’ve lived for most of my life, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a shameless person. Saying that your skin is as thick as the city wall is an understatement, it should be almost a circle around the city.” 

When it came to money, Zhang’s mother wasn’t confused. 

Two hundred yuan was no small amount, enough for their family’s daily expenses for several years, so she had to get the money back no matter what. 

“Our daughter is also engaged to your son, so the bride price should be Zhang’s family’s compensation to Aya. You’re not ashamed to ask for it back.” 

The Wang family was even more shameless than expected, making it clear that they didn’t want to return the money and wanted to break off the engagement without any losses. Their calculations were almost written on Zhang Mengzhi’s face. 

“Which family doesn’t return the bride price when breaking off an engagement? Even if it’s shameful, it’s your Wang family, not my Zhang family.” 

Zhang’s mother wouldn’t fall for that trick. Nothing was more important than money. 

“We won’t return it.” 

The Wang family was determined to be shameless to the end. Anyway, Zhang Mengzhi wasn’t at home. As long as they were shameless enough, they wouldn’t have to return the two hundred yuan. 

“Wang Hongcheng, get out of here…” 

Because of their rogue remarks, Zhang’s mother was directly angered to the point of dizziness. However, before Zhang’s mother could drive them out of the Zhang family. 

“Bang.” 

The door of the small room opened from the inside, alarming the people who were arguing outside. 

“Zhang, Zhang Mengzhi, you’re back?” 

Seeing Zhang Mengzhi standing at the door of the room with a dark face, the Wang family stammered. 

If there was anyone in the Zhang family they were afraid of, it was only Zhang Mengzhi. 

Zhang’s father and Zhang’s mother were both honest people, and they were also particular about things. They couldn’t do what the Wang family did. As long as they made trouble a few times, the money would be taken by them rightfully. 

However, when they saw Zhang Mengzhi, they knew that their calculations wouldn’t work. 

The engagement back then was also forcibly kidnapped by using their favor to Zhang Mengzhi’s maternal family. For the sake of their kindness to his maternal grandmother, even if this kindness was insignificant, Zhang Mengzhi reluctantly agreed to this marriage. 

At that time, the Zhang family didn’t have the conditions they had now, and the parents took out all their savings as the bride price and gave it to the Wang family. 

You should know that Zhang Mengzhi was just ten years old when he got engaged! 

The Wang family took a fancy to the fact that the Zhang family had an independent small courtyard in the city, and Zhang’s father worked in a state-owned factory, so they had to use that little insignificant kindness to arrange this marriage for their daughter. 

Now they ran to the Zhang family to break off the engagement. Although Zhang Mengzhi didn’t know the reason, he also knew that if there wasn’t a big enough benefit, they wouldn’t do this. The Wang family had always put interests first. 

After all, they were his fiancée’s family, so he had to find out the reason. 

After finding out the reason, Zhang Mengzhi didn’t allow his family to interact with them, and he usually didn’t send any holiday gifts to them during the New Year and holidays. 

He thought that it wouldn’t be too late to cancel the marriage when he came of age, and at that time, in order to compensate the woman, the bride price would be waived. 

As a result, before Zhang Mengzhi could go to the Wang family to break off the engagement in two years, the Wang family couldn’t wait to run over to break off the engagement. The Zhang family would definitely not agree to it. 

Don’t say anything about the Zhang family being double standards. The Zhang family taking the initiative to break off the engagement and the Wang family running over to make trouble and break off the engagement were not the same thing. 

The bride price naturally couldn’t be compensation, so the money had to be returned. 

“Yes, I’m back, you didn’t expect it, did you! Fortunately, I’m back, if I didn’t come back, how could I see this big show today?” 

Zhang Mengzhi’s gaze swept over the Wang family’s unnatural faces. 

Especially his so-called fiancée, a look of horror appeared on her face. 

It seemed that there was a lot going on in this divorce. Knowing what kind of people the Wang family were, Zhang Mengzhi immediately understood.