70s Delicate Girl: A Guide to Being a Rich Woman-Chapter 259: Going to the Provincial Capital

Xu Mumu didn’t bother with her mother but just told Xu Minghui that they needed to study and then headed to the village chief with Yin Yang to get a recommendation letter. The two of them went to the provincial city.

After Xu Mumu left, Li Caixia felt resentful; she had to study again...

But she felt there was a qualitative difference between herself and the group of old ladies in the village. She thought she’d soon be among the people in the provincial city, and a bit of study wouldn’t hurt.

"Mumu, are you thirsty?" Yin Yang asked, taking out a water bottle while sitting on the bus to the county town.

"A little bit," Xu Mumu nodded and took the bottle from Yin Yang’s hand.

"How much longer until we reach the provincial city?" Xu Mumu asked Yin Yang beside her. Having been in this world for so long, the farthest she’d traveled was within the county town, never toward the provincial city.

"A little over two hours," Yin Yang replied with a smile, took a sip from the bottle, and then put it in his bag.

"That’s not too bad," Xu Mumu nodded; it wasn’t that far, at this speed, two hours was only sixty or seventy kilometers.

There weren’t many people on the bus, and Xu Mumu leaned against Yin Yang. The smell wasn’t pleasant, so she opened the window and breathed in the fresh air from outside.

"The trip to the provincial city is far; do you want to take a nap? You can use my shoulder," Yin Yang offered gently, looking at Xu Mumu.

"Okay." Xu Mumu nodded and leaned against Yin Yang’s shoulder.

While the two were heading to the provincial city, Xu Jiang got news at the shoe factory about several college students from his hometown and saw the Xu Family’s news in the paper.

The Old Lin Family had known for a while but had remained silent, especially Lin Juan, whose face had taken on a twisted look. She never liked the main branch, especially Li Caixia. Since the wedding, she’d been at odds with her sister-in-law.

"Daughter, you and your husband should go back to the village and see your sister-in-law. Build a good relationship with them," Lin Juan’s mother advised. They’d always looked down on the Old Xu Family, yet now they had this situation.

Since Lin Juan married Xu Jiang, the elders from both families had only met at the wedding and hadn’t interacted much otherwise.

It’s uncertain whether reestablishing ties with the Old Xu Family would be timely now.

"Mom, I know. I’ll go with Xu Jiang to buy some things and head back later," Lin Juan nodded.

Seeing that Lin Juan listened, her mother felt relieved. To be honest, she wasn’t keen on currying favor with people from the Old Xu Family.

Xu Dongbao was dead set against going back to the village. He didn’t like his hometown or his older siblings. Xu Jiaojiao and the others were attending the experimental middle school, and their grades were very good. Reportedly, they won awards repeatedly. Xu Jiaojiao and her peers were younger yet already in middle school, while he was still in primary school, which made him feel embarrassed.

The son was unwilling, so the old Lin couple felt for him and didn’t force it. Only Xu Jiang and Lin Juan would return.

But when they went back, they ran into Director Du’s family. Du Zhen, with his family of three, had brought generous gifts to congratulate the Old Xu Family.

Du Zhen naturally knew Xu Jiang and Lin Juan, entirely due to Xu Mumu’s connection. Without it, who would remember such an utterly ordinary employee?

"Director Du, are you visiting relatives too?" Xu Jiang greeted Du Zhen enthusiastically the moment he saw him.

"No, we’re here for Mumu. She’s a provincial champion; that’s impressive!" Du Yu chimed in before Du Zhen could reply. Xu Yu had recently received his results and had been delighted for days. If they weren’t bound by New Year visits to his grandparents’ and uncle’s, they might have come to see Xu Mumu long ago.

"Really?" Xu Jiang’s expression became a bit stiff.

Xu Jiang felt a deep bitterness inside; the family was already split, and he’d heard about Xu Mumu’s success. The county and provincial governments had rewarded her; without the split, he might have managed to snatch some money from Madam Chen.

That was hundreds of yuan, quite a sum.

If Xu Mumu knew her third uncle’s thoughts, she’d likely want to slap him dead for daring to covet her money.

Xu Laosan and Du Zhen arrived at the village, and immediately the villagers knew. Many were waiting to see Xu Laosan make a fool of himself.

The villagers were well aware of how Xu Laosan had forced the Old Xu Family to split up. Now that he was back, it was undoubtedly to curry favor with the Eldest Xu’s family.

These days, Li Caixia’s campaigning had spread how much wealth Xu Mumu’s exam success had brought to the village, also enlightening many about the importance of education. Even Xu Xue, who barely exceeded the university entrance score, had received some rewards.

Many envied the Old Xu Family, deciding secretly to pressure their children into studying harder, believing their kids weren’t any less capable than those of the Xu Family.

Xu Mumu didn’t know her successful exam had inspired many in the village.

Madam Chen was sweeping the yard when she saw Xu Laosan and Du Zhen approaching.

"Madam Xu, where’s Mumu? We haven’t seen her around," Du Yu was looking for Xu Mumu immediately upon arrival.

"Come in and have a seat; Mumu and her partner have gone to the provincial city," Madam Chen replied with a smile. She liked Du Yu quite a bit; he was a city kid, and the contrast with Xu Dongbao was stark.

"Oh, why did she go to the provincial city?" Du Yu was a bit disappointed not to see Xu Mumu.

"Congratulations to your family; Mumu and Minghui did so well on their exams. You’ll soon be enjoying the fruits," Du Zhen said, handing the gifts to Madam Chen with a smile.

Li Caixia and Xu Minghui had come out by this time. Seeing Du Zhen and his family, they were naturally very welcoming.

"Director Du, it’s so generous of you to come and bring gifts," Li Caixia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up upon seeing all the presents from Director Du’s household, overshadowing what Xu Jiang brought.

Lin Juan’s face turned especially sour; Li Caixia’s eyes clearly indicated how cheap the Lin Family’s gifts were. Lin Juan honestly didn’t want to bring anything.

"Well, the kids are heading off to college, and Mumu and Minghui saved some money to buy a house in the county," Madam Chen mentioned proudly. "By the way, Du Yu probably did well on his exams too, right?"

"Pretty good, all thanks to Mumu’s help," Qin Jie said with a smile. Du Yu’s exam scores were impressive, over 300 marks — not enough for top-tier universities, but plenty for any regular college.

Qin Jie was very grateful to Xu Mumu for tutoring Du Yu. Without her, Du Yu wouldn’t have made it. Given his previous scores, passing was nothing short of miraculous.

Ever since her son passed the college entrance exams, Qin Jie felt incredibly proud, where no one spoke ill of Du Yu’s academic abilities anymore.

"That’s true, but Du Yu’s talent also played a role. Anyone else might not have taken it as seriously," Li Caixia said with a smiling face, finding her daughter’s accomplishments a great source of pride.