Chapter 35

“With that tigress temper of yours, and your disgusting behavior flipping tables and hitting elders, it’s already generous of your uncle to find you a match! Still picky, huh? Take a look in the mirror—do you really think you’re such a catch? If the other side’s even willing to consider marrying you, it’s only because of your uncle’s connections. You’ve got no sense of gratitude!”

“Chen Ju, one more word out of your mouth and I swear I’ll slap you too!” Qiao Xinyi’s voice shot up. “I’ve said it already—if you think that marriage proposal is so great, you go marry him.”

Before today, Chen Ju never believed anyone would actually hit their elders—but now she believed it. Qian Chunhua had left with blood still in her mouth, her face swollen like a pig’s head.

“Judging by how fired up you are about this marriage,” Qiao Xinyi guessed, “looks like Qiao Yougen and Qian Chunhua stand to gain a lot if it goes through. Let me guess—promotion, right?”

Chen Ju didn’t respond, but her expression confirmed Qiao Xinyi’s guess.

“Then do you know that while the other family seems generous in looking for a daughter-in-law, they have one requirement—that she must give them a son to carry on the family line?” Qiao Xinyi asked.

This time, Chen Ju did reply. “What family doesn’t expect a daughter-in-law to bear a son to carry on the line?”

“How’s someone with severe polio and intellectual disability supposed to have children? Don’t tell me someone your age, who’s already had multiple kids, never thought about that?” Qiao Xinyi said coldly.

“Well… I mean… people like that can still have kids, can’t they?” Chen Ju mumbled, her words incoherent and meaningless.

Qiao Xinyi’s eyes turned icy. “Let’s not even talk about whether the son can reproduce. Even if he could, they’d still be afraid of another child coming out with disabilities.”

“But that family has an older son too, right? The mother-in-law’s too old to have kids, so now they want to find a young, easy-to-control daughter-in-law to have a child with the father-in-law to pass on the family name—isn’t that right?”

Qiao Xinyi had barely finished when Chen Ju blurted out in shock, “How do you know all that?!”

She was terrified. “Are you some kind of ghost?”

“So you do know,” Qiao Xinyi said flatly, not even bothering to show an expression. “You all know. And still you say this is a good marriage. That’s the so-called dignity and upbringing of your Qiao family.”

Chen Yubing suddenly picked up her empty bowl and hurled it at Qiao Laiwang.

“What a great older brother you have! What a great mother!” she yelled.

The bowl smashed on Qiao Laiwang’s head, then shattered at his feet. He was stunned.

“I didn’t know anything about this—why are you hitting me?” Qiao Laiwang clutched his forehead, gasping in pain, then turned and shouted at Chen Ju, “Mom! Are you and big brother and his wife crazy? How could you even suggest a marriage like that to your own family?”

“What difference does it make who you marry? Whose child you have? That family has money. If Qiao Xinyi marries into it, they’ll support her for life, even help her find a job, and your big brother and his wife will get promotions out of it. Where else are you going to find a deal like that?”

“You think someone like Qiao Xinyi could ever find a better match? This is the city, not her countryside village. With her circumstances, you really think she can marry into a decent family here?”

These were the exact words Qiao Yougen and Qian Chunhua had used to brainwash Chen Ju. After hearing them enough times, she started to believe them. Most importantly, marrying off that troublemaker Qiao Xinyi would benefit the eldest brother’s whole family. That made it a “good match.” That made it a “great deal.”

“If it’s such a great deal, you go marry him! You go have his child! My daughter—I’ll raise her myself!” Chen Yubing screamed at the top of her lungs. “My daughter is wonderful—she’s good enough for anyone! None of you have the right to insult her!”

Qiao Yunbai had somehow ended up holding a kitchen knife. He swung it threateningly toward Qiao Laiwang and Chen Ju and shouted, “If anyone dares to bully my big sister again, I’ll kill them! I’m young—I’ve got nothing to lose!”

“This is outrageous! Outrageous! Every one of you has turned against me!” Chen Ju shrieked. “Yelling and threatening me—your grandmother, your mother-in-law!”

She turned and yelled at Qiao Laiwang, “If you don’t step in, Chen Yubing is going to bring those three kids over and kill us tomorrow!”

Qiao Laiwang stared at the knife, drenched in cold sweat. He didn’t dare grab it from Qiao Yunbai, nor did he dare argue with Qiao Xinyi. Who in this house could he even control anymore?

He lowered his head and silently swept the floor, choosing not to get involved. After all, no matter who Qiao Xinyi married, it wouldn’t bring him any benefit—why should he care?

Qiao Xinyi’s gaze toward Chen Ju and Qiao Laiwang grew colder and colder. It was a long while before she finally looked away.

“Qiao Yunbai, put the knife back. You’re too young to be going around yelling about killing people—it’s not a good look,” she said, giving him a glance.

“I listen to Big Sis,” Qiao Yunbai replied, immediately returning the knife to its place.

“Qiao Yunbai, Qiao Baihe,” Qiao Xinyi crooked a finger at the two of them. “Get up early tomorrow and help me with something. Once it’s done, I’ll take you out for a good meal in the afternoon, and then we’ll go to the zoo.”

“Big Sis, you’re going to spend money again.” Though still young, Qiao Yunbai was already worry-prone. He thought for a moment, then said, “We can just eat a little something at home. You taking us to the zoo is enough.”

He added, “I’ve never been to the zoo before. I really want to go.”

“We’ll do it my way,” Qiao Xinyi said, raising her voice slightly as she glanced at Chen Ju. “Don’t worry—your big sister has money.”

Zoo tickets weren’t cheap. Chen Yubing had been struggling alone to support the family, send the siblings to school, and save money to search for Qiao Yunsong. Because of that, Qiao Yunbai had always longed to go to the zoo, but had never once asked his mother.

A child born and raised in the provincial capital, yet never once set foot in a zoo—such kids were rare even in the city.

Chen Yubing felt a deep sense of guilt and hated herself for being powerless.

“Qiao Laiwang,” she said, her voice firm, “starting tomorrow, if I don’t see your money, I won’t cook for you or your mother. I mean it.”

She had made up her mind—she would never again feed this pack of beasts trying to throw her daughter into the fire pit.

“And starting tomorrow, I won’t entertain anyone from the Qiao family anymore.”

“If any of you dare eat the food I bought without my permission, next time I’ll put rat poison in it.”

“For anything in this house that I paid for—if you or your mom want to use it, you’ll have to pay. And you’ll be responsible for half the utility bills too. If not, then don’t use the water or electricity.”

She held back from saying the word divorce because she didn’t want to leave Qiao Yunbai alone in this suffocating household. She was afraid he’d be bullied to death by the Qiao family. She had to first find a way to ensure they wouldn’t fight her for custody of Qiao Yunbai. Only when she could take him with her would she feel safe divorcing.

If they could scheme against Qiao Xinyi, who was already grown, what would they do to a thirteen-year-old boy like Qiao Yunbai? Without her to protect him, those animals would tear him apart and swallow him whole.

“You—what kind of person are you?” Qiao Laiwang yelled. “We’re husband and wife!”

“Besides, salaries don’t come in until the 5th of next month. Where am I supposed to get money for you tomorrow?”