3: Chapter 3 Double Benefit 3: Chapter 3 Double Benefit Seeing An Hao walk out of the house, the gazes of mother and daughter Bai Xue converged sharply on her, ready to watch the drama unfold.
Such expressions were no stranger to An Hao—she had seen them more than once or twice in the past three years.
They would love nothing more than to marry her off to an idiot, just to reap some benefits themselves.
“An Hao, your mother has found you a marriage proposal, from the head of the village’s family…” An Shuchao hadn’t finished speaking when An Hao interrupted him.
“Dad, there’s no need to continue.
I do not agree to this marriage proposal.” An Hao refused decisively.
This was the very beginning of her fate veering off course, and in this life, no matter what, she definitely wouldn’t go on a blind date again.
“Listen to this, listen to this!
Old An, An Hao is your own daughter, yet this is how she treats you.
You can imagine her attitude towards me,” Bai Xue complained, seizing the opportunity to criticize An Hao.
An Shuchao was originally angry with An Hao’s thoughtlessness, and Bai Xue’s words only intensified his anger: “Do you have any idea how fortunate you are?
We’re so poor we can hardly keep a pot on the boil.
With so many mouths to feed meal to meal, marrying the head of the village’s son could greatly relieve our family’s burden.”
If he was so concerned about the burden, he shouldn’t have married Bai Xue the year after his mother’s death, let alone brought along the idle and freeloading Bai Yanjiao.
An Hao had said as much in her previous life, only to be met with a slap across the face from her father.
It was only later that she learned why her father treated Bai Xue so well: he had owed a life debt to Bai Xue’s husband and, coupled with Bai Xue’s manipulative ways, it led to their current situation.
Having been reborn, An Hao would not be foolish enough to say such things in front of so many people.
To Bai Xue’s surprise, An Hao did not explode with a retort as usual.
Still, Bai Xue had come today with the aim of making An Hao agree to marry Wang Genqiang, so she continued to stir the pot:
“An Hao, I am doing this for your own good.
Wang Genqiang may not be bright, but he is a good, honest man.
The village head has assured me repeatedly that once you marry into their family, you won’t suffer the slightest grievance.
You’ll have white flour steamed buns for every meal and even get to eat meat once a week.”
If that was truly the case, then the terms were indeed attractive.
In the villages of the 1980s, being fed well was a luxury, let alone enjoying white flour buns and meat.
An Hao laughed dryly at Bai Xue and said, “Since the conditions are so good, why don’t you let Yanjiao go?”
That remark caught Bai Xue off guard.
The girl’s sharp tongue was becoming more formidable.
If it hadn’t been for An Shuchao’s presence, Bai Xue would have really liked to slap her twice.
“Hear that, hear this!
Old An, my heartfelt efforts are treated as worthless by her!” Bai Xue always played this card well; after three years of living with An Shuchao, she knew exactly what worked on him.
Seeing his daughter infuriate Bai Xue to the point of tears, An Shuchao was brimming with rage and about to burst, only to hear An Hao continue, “What did I say?
With such good terms, why don’t you let Yanjiao go?
It’s clear because Wang Genqiang is an idiot.
There’s a difference between a real mother and a stepmother!
You only think about marrying me off for some return benefits for the family.
Mother, I’m even considering your reputation— if you marry me to the idiot, aren’t you afraid of being pointed at when you walk out of this door, mocked by the neighbors?”
I don’t favor Yanjiao!” Bai Xue was nearly livid, her own sharp tongue usually formidable.
Yet today, she found herself outmaneuvered by this sly girl.
“Since you’re so concerned for the family, why not marry Bai Yanjiao to the fool?
That way, not only would you solve the family’s financial troubles, you’d also earn a good reputation in the village, killing two birds with one stone!” An Hao’s lips curled up in a warm smile.