Chapter 272: Taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune

Gao Suhua couldn’t understand why the people she shared a cell with knew about her crime and looked down on her. They even collectively mocked her during their breaks. She really lived in constant fear every day.

She appeared to have aged seven or eight years since she arrived, going through the motions of the prison tasks with a numb feeling and felt no hope in her days.

In Qingshan Village, Zhao Jianing had been holed up in her room for several days. Except for her household and school registration documents, which she had casually put in her pocket, everything else was destroyed. Even the bag she brought with her didn’t escape the flames.

That day she had hidden the bag inside a package to prevent theft, but she didn’t anticipate such a disaster. Now she was left with nothing.

For the past few days, the Zhao sisters hadn’t bothered her. After all, if they hadn’t fought over the oil lamp, it wouldn’t have fallen onto the package. They felt a bit guilty and sorry for the lost items.

However, Zhao Jianing staying cooped up in her room and expecting them to cook and take care of her made them unhappy.

That day, when Zhao Pulin came back from work, Zhao Xiaoxing served him a full bowl of food, urging him to eat quickly. Zhao Pulin had been working hard and was very hungry.

As Zhao Pulin was about to go inside to rest, Zhao Jianing happened to come out of the room and shouted into the kitchen, “Is the food not ready yet?”

Zhao Pulin stopped in his tracks and glanced toward the kitchen, about to ask a question when Zhao Xiaoxing spoke up: “If you want to eat, make it yourself. We’re not your servants. Do you expect us to cater to your every need just because you think you’re a young lady?

We have to work hard to earn our share of the labor points, cut pigweed, and take care of our own land. Now, on top of that, we have to take care of you, who’s used to being pampered in the city.”

Zhao Jianing’s eyes turned red with anger as she turned to look at Zhao Pulin, who was about to enter the room, with a look of pitiful desperation.

Zhao Pulin looked at the other daughters standing in solidarity at the kitchen door and then at the sixth daughter who had returned from the city. He said quietly, “Since you’re back, you need to adapt to rural life. If you can’t handle it, you can go back to your adoptive parents.”

After saying this, he lifted the curtain and entered his own room. He couldn’t let his feelings for the city-returned daughter hurt the other daughters. They were right, it couldn’t go on like this.

Zhao Jianing, preparing to run back to her room crying, heard Zhao Xiaocao say, “Sixth sister, don’t start crying endlessly again. We’ve been working hard all morning, and after a rest, we still have to go to the fields to earn our labor points. We’re not like city people who can rely on their skills for food.”

Unable to do anything, Zhao Jianing cried as she ran out of the Zhao household and sat by the small river, sobbing sadly.

She realized that the Luo family wouldn’t help her, and the Zhao family saw her as a burden, resenting her for being incapable and ganging up on her.

After crying for a while, she understood that her only way out was to go to school. She needed to get into university and leave this place to avoid a lifetime of rural living.

After thinking it through, she stood up and headed back home but heard a commotion at the gate.

After listening for a while, she realized it was about Zhao Xiaoxing’s engagement being called off. The family didn’t criticize Zhao Xiaoxing personally but said they couldn’t endure the village’s mockery any longer and had to break off the engagement.

In reality, the Zhang family, who had an engagement with Zhao Xiaoxing, had never been pleased with her. They had only accepted the engagement because it had been arranged by their grandfather. Originally, after the incident with Zhao Guibao, the Zhang family had wanted to call off the engagement.

However, Zhang Changping’s father had suppressed it to avoid gossip. But now that Gao Suhua had been sentenced and committed such malicious acts, Zhang Changping’s mother couldn’t tolerate it any longer. After being mocked in the fields, she came home, had a meal, and then brought people to break off the engagement.

Zhao Pulin was stunned, Zhao Xiaoxing cried, and the Zhao sisters felt that the Zhang family was being unreasonable. Only Zhao Jianing, standing at the gate, was gleefully enjoying the situation.