Chapter 33

Qiao Xinyi quietly listened as Qian Chunhua belittled her, curious to see what else she would say.

“You’re a nineteen-year-old grown girl now,” Qian Chunhua began. “You don’t have a diploma, so you can’t find a job. Then it’s time to get married.”

She turned to Chen Yubing and said, “You’re her mother, and no matter how much you love her, you can only support her for a while—you can’t support her for a lifetime, right?” 

Without waiting for a response, she continued, “You’re already forty. Can you live longer than your daughter and take care of her in her old age?”

“I’ll take care of Xinyi for the rest of her life!” Qiao Yunbai replied loudly. “I’m younger than Big Sister, so I’ll take care of her when she’s old!”

“Me too! I’ll help take care of Xinyi!” Qiao Baihe added.

The siblings’ words momentarily left Qian Chunhua speechless.

“Children are just children. Listen to what you’re saying,” she scoffed. “Baihe, are you saying you won’t get married? You’ll have your own family to support—how will you take care of Xinyi? That’s just laughable.”

Qiao Yougen then turned to criticize Qiao Yunbai. “And you, Yunbai—your grades are bad. You might not even get a middle school diploma. How will *you* support your big sister? And are you saying you won’t get married or support a family in the future?”

“There are two of us—me and Baihe. Once we both start working, if each of us gives ten yuan a month, we can keep Big Sis fed and happy!” Qiao Yunbai said confidently. “Starting next semester, I’ll study hard. I’m going to get into college. After I graduate, I’ll become a government official and earn the highest salary. Then I can support my family *and* my sister!”

“You can say that nonsense at home, but out in the real world, it’s laughable. With your grades, get into college? Ha! You couldn’t even get hired to roast sweet potatoes,” Qiao Dongmei laughed out loud. Then she added, “If you go around telling people you’re going to support your sister, you’ll never find a wife. What decent girl would marry someone like that?”

“Exactly. Kids just don’t understand reality—they say the silliest things,” Qian Chunhua said with a sweet smile. “That’s why for girls, the most proper thing is still to marry into a good family.”

Qiao Yougen took over at the perfect moment. “There’s a new production director at our factory. His family has a son, ten years older than Xinyi, but don’t worry—he’s never been married and has never even dated anyone. The young man is very well-behaved.”

“The director and his wife both have stable jobs. His wife is a union leader, and they both earn good salaries. The son is their only child, and their house is big—peaceful, with their own yard and plenty of rooms. It’s nothing like how cramped your place is.”

“They told me that as long as the girl who marries into their family is well-behaved and lives peacefully, she’ll have a good life with them.”

“They’re even willing to arrange a job for their daughter-in-law. The parents’ salaries will support the household, and the daughter-in-law’s salary can be kept for herself. If they like her, they’ll even give her extra allowance money.”

“Second Brother, don’t say I, as the eldest, haven’t helped your family. I specifically asked about this for you. They said they don’t mind that Xinyi never went to school. If you’re willing to accept this marriage proposal, they’ll offer a bride price of two hundred yuan.”

“That two hundred yuan will go to you parents, as a token of gratitude for raising Xinyi. You won’t have to prepare a dowry for her—they’ll treat her like their own daughter and won’t look down on her.”

As soon as Qiao Yougen finished speaking, Chen Ju clapped her hands decisively. “This marriage is excellent! Big Brother has done a great job. I’ll accept this proposal on behalf of Second Brother! Good in-laws like this are hard to find! Xinyi is truly blessed to have landed such a match thanks to your help!”

“Such a good marriage match—why didn’t you save it for your own daughter, Qiao Laidi?” Qiao Xinyi asked with a bright smile.

“Ai, this child—look at the question you’re asking. My Laidi is already married,” Qian Chunhua replied with a look of regret. “She got married last year. Otherwise, of course I would’ve saved such a good match for her.”

“Well, she can get divorced, right? Then she can remarry. It’d be a real shame not to keep such a good marriage within your own family,” Qiao Xinyi helpfully suggested.

Qiao Yunbai sensed a hint of danger in Qiao Xinyi’s smile, but still opened his mouth to explain, “Cousin Laidi cut ties with Uncle’s family after getting married. She didn’t even return to her parents’ home the day after the wedding.”

“Ohhh, so that’s how it is.” Qiao Xinyi nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that’s easy then. Qian Chunhua, you divorce Qiao Yougen and go marry him yourself. That way, you can enjoy this blessing firsthand.”

Chen Yubing and a few others nearly spit out their food from laughing.

Qiao Yougen and Qian Chunhua’s expressions changed colors like a painter’s palette. Chen Ju immediately snapped, “You little brat! Who in the world goes around inciting their own uncle and aunt to get divorced?!”

“You’re right,” Qiao Xinyi agreed sincerely. “It is immoral to make people get divorced. In that case, Chen Ju, you marry him. You’re widowed—you don’t need to divorce. Go enjoy that blessing.”

Qiao Laiwang burst out laughing, spraying out a mouthful of food.

Qiao Yunbai was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes, hugging his bowl and howling.

“Qiao Xinyi, watch your filthy mouth!” Qiao Dongmei slammed her bowl on the table and shouted at her.

“What are you getting all worked up for?” Qiao Xinyi asked innocently. “Could it be that you, Qiao Dongmei, also want to enjoy this blessing? Then why don’t you and Chen Ju compete for it? Ask your future in-laws which one of you mother-daughter pair they prefer.”

She turned to Lin Jianye and said, “If Qiao Dongmei gets chosen, you should do the sensible thing and divorce her so your ex-wife can go off and enjoy her good fortune. Honestly, since Chen Ju is getting on in age, I think Qiao Dongmei has a better chance of winning if they compete.”

Then Qiao Xinyi dragged Zhao Xiaoyan into it too. “I saw you nodding just now. Why not join the competition? You’re younger than Qiao Dongmei and a bit prettier—you’d have a better shot.”

“You’re insane!” Qiao Chengda was so furious his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets.

Tsk tsk tsk. Qiao Xinyi clicked her tongue. “Now I understand why I have such a bad temper—it’s inherited. You all are so strange. I’m offering you such a great marriage prospect and yet none of you are happy.”

“All right, enough of this nonsense. What kind of behavior is this—joking about something so improper with your elders?” Qiao Yougen finally realized that Qiao Xinyi didn’t trust them.

He gave a few fake coughs and said, “Originally, I was going to tell you more about the young man, but your hot temper and nonstop mouth got in the way.”

“The boy has a bit of a disability—his gait is awkward,” Qian Chunhua took over. “That’s why, at his age, he’s never dated anyone. He’s not as sharp as you—his thinking is a bit slow. But he’s extremely honest and very family-oriented. You’d never have to worry about him being a womanizer.”

Qiao Xinyi, don’t go acting like you’re too good for him. If you want to choose a husband, you need to take a hard look at your own qualifications first.”

“That’s right,” Chen Ju chimed in. “You never went to school—you’re illiterate, worse than an old lady like me. Look at your family, all of you crammed into this tiny room. Your parents worked in the factory all their lives and are still just regular workers. If you could marry into a family like that, your whole household should be secretly celebrating behind closed doors.”