To persuade her real mother, He Tiantian even took out the bow and arrows she bought and performed in front of the whole family.
The He Family’s courtyard was not small, measuring up to half an acre.
Aside from a vegetable plot, there were also several jujube trees in the courtyard.
He Tiantian instructed her little nephew to hang a worn-out basket on the tree; she stood under the porch, a distance of at least seventy to eighty meters.
Drawing the bow and placing the arrows, whoosh, whoosh whoosh!
All the arrows hit right in the center of the slightly swaying basket.
And He Tiantian didn’t even exert much effort; she didn’t pant, she didn’t sweat, standing there instead with a bit of a noble young lady’s poise.
"Mom, look, archery really isn’t like those other sports!"
He Tiantian said to her real mother with a smile.
Liu Xiuzhi looked at her daughter, then at the old basket with a few arrows in it, but still harbored some doubts, "Can you really participate in the Olympics with this?"
Liu Xiuzhi was just an ordinary rural woman whose understanding of sports extended only to the national volleyball girls or table tennis players.
She was unfamiliar with other sports like swimming or figure skating.
"Of course! Otherwise, the provincial team wouldn’t want me!"
He Tiantian steered the conversation back to the main topic, her fair little face filled with pride, "Besides, being in the provincial team means free meals and lodging, and even a training stipend."
"And, after I win a prize, there will be prize money."
"When I retire, they could arrange a job for me, or recommend me to a university!"
And these were exactly what the original owner and Liu Xiuzhi cared about most.
"Really? That good? But, won’t it be very tough?"
Liu Xiuzhi truly was a mother who doted on her daughter, always concerned about "suffering and hardship."
She was afraid of nothing more than her pampered daughter having a hard life.
If it were about getting married, even to a bureaucratic family like the Yan Family, Liu Xiuzhi would dare to make a fuss to support her daughter.
But, if her daughter joined a sports academy and became a national athlete, and if she was wronged, she, she would be helpless.
"Mom, don’t worry. The coach really likes me, says I’m a genius."
He Tiantian keenly felt Liu Xiuzhi’s tender maternal heart.
Therefore, she refused to follow the original script’s storyline; she wanted to change her own and her family’s fate.
To outsiders, Liu Xiuzhi truly was top-grade, a sovereign presence.
To He Tiantian, she was the best mother.
She withstood her in-laws’ preference for males over females, ensuring her daughter didn’t become a victim of this backward custom.
She even favored her daughter more than her son.
Of course, her unconditional and principle-less favoritism had indeed spoiled the original owner.
Yet, her love for her daughter remains undeniable.
"...Absolutely, my daughter is naturally clever!"
After repeated persuasions from He Tiantian, Liu Xiuzhi finally realized that being an athlete, as depicted in the news, wasn’t about enduring unbearable hardships but also came with benefits.
Liu Xiuzhi was happy then, her thoughts reverting to normal, as she tirelessly praised her daughter!
This had been Liu Xiuzhi’s habit for years; no matter how others might joke about He Tiantian being lazy, gluttonous, and shirking chores, Liu Xiuzhi always thought her daughter beautiful and smart.
In Liu Xiuzhi’s view, her daughter should be dressed prettily and able to live a good life without doing anything.
Grandpa He and He Jianguo hid in a corner, watching this scene, somewhat dumbfounded.
Grandpa He was stronger than He Jianguo; after all, he was an elder. Although Liu Xiuzhi didn’t really respect him as an elder, she wouldn’t treat him the same way she treated her husband.
Grandpa He mustered his courage, lightly coughed, and softly reminded, "The Yan Family—"
The Yan Family was indeed a favorable marriage prospect, yet spoiled by the capricious He Tiantian.
Grandpa He felt that even if Liu Xiuzhi indulged her daughter, it was no excuse to be senseless.
However, Liu Xiuzhi showed Grandpa He what it meant to be a biased mother who doted on her daughter.
"Oh, if Tiantian doesn’t want to marry, she won’t."
Liu Xiuzhi dismissively waved her hand, clearly understanding why Grandpa He felt the need to remark, merely thinking He Tiantian was acting out.
For a "daughter-slave" like Liu Xiuzhi, even if she knew her child was wrong, she wouldn’t join others in criticizing her.
She even made excuses for her daughter’s actions, "Actually, even if Tiantian hadn’t spoken, I would still have some reservations!"
"The Yan Family is just better off, that boy from the Yan family is nothing but a poor soldier, what is he without his family?"