Quick Transmigration: The Mad Beauty Refuses to Be the Scapegoat!-Chapter 78: Cannon Fodder Sister of the Female Lead (30)

"I know; I just hope you can clearly see what is truly right for you. Do you want more money or to spend more time with your family? There’s plenty of money in the world, it’s endless, and who says only outside is full of gold? The weaving culture in our village has won city awards. You can visit the national traditional craft competition happening now and try bringing our village’s items there. If you win, you’ll have the chance to go to the Canton Fair, where many foreigners are willing to spend dollars to buy our things."

Jiang Lai’s explanation made sense in the first part to Jiang Qiuhe, but the latter part left her confused.

"What is the Canton Fair?"

"It’s a place where you can do business with foreigners. Foreigners love some of our country’s traditional items. If you want to participate, you should first enter the national traditional craft competition; if you win, we’ll take this path, and if not, we have nothing to lose."

"Sounds great! Little sister, how do you know all this? You’ve never been to these places, so how do you know so much?"

Jiang Lai raised her eyebrows, snorted with assurance, and lightly flicked the whip in her hand on Jiang Qiuhe.

"I always told you to read more books, but you didn’t listen. Do you know the saying ’read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles’? I learned all this from newspapers and books."

"Reading is good; I always knew little sister was the smartest. To be honest, I don’t want to go to Shenzhen; it’s such a far place, I don’t even know where to buy tickets. I heard people can get their limbs chopped off and sold to black coal mines there; it scares me. Forget it, I’d rather stay home and look after my small factory."

The people in the factory are all from the village too; they earn eighty cents a day’s wage, making more than twenty a month, which is enough to support the family.

Back home, Jiang Qiuhe saw Jiang Qu sitting and eating, and she couldn’t help but frown.

"Why didn’t you go check on Grandma He? Do you know she almost froze to death outside?"

Jiang Qu lost his appetite even for the fried rice, and his already uneasy heart turned angrier.

"Are you really my brother? I just returned for a bite and you want me to work like an ox and horse again. Do you know how hard I’ve worked these days?"

"I don’t know how hard you’ve worked, but since you’re engaged, you’re the grandson-in-law. Her bedsores almost grew deep, and she’s been bedridden for a few days. Did you never change her clothes or the bedding?"

Jiang Qu’s face stiffened; he never expected Jiang Qiuhe to say such things.

"She’s Grandma He’s grandmother. I’ve done it all out of pure intentions, and you still want me to do more?"

"He Xing gave you quite a bit of money, didn’t he? Did you ask someone to bring you a coat from outside?"

Jiang Qu’s hand shook, and his gaze turned evasive.

"That-that was for my classmate."

"Does your classmate need you to buy it for them? A coat costs over a hundred dollars, and you spent it willingly. He Xing gave you money to care for his grandmother, but you used it to buy a coat! Here, your coat!"

After speaking, Jiang Qiuhe grabbed a bag from the ox cart and threw it on the table; a corner of the camel-colored coat peeking out.

"If I hadn’t gone to deliver the coal, would you have kept it hidden from us and He Xing forever?"

"He sent it to me! You don’t understand, so don’t talk nonsense!"

Jiang Qiuhe sighed in frustration, torn between anger and shame.

"If Father knew about this..."

"Don’t tell Father! This coat really was a gift from He Xing; I spent all the money he gave me for Grandma He’s care! Brother, what do you think of me? How can you treat me like this? My hands are so frozen I can’t write, do you know?"

Saying so, Jiang Qu stretched out her hand with chilblains, and Jiang Qiuhe turned and entered the house after one glance, closing the door heavily, though it couldn’t block the stifled sobbing.

Jiang Qiuhe indeed felt his heart soften, standing there, bewildered and unsure.

Jiang Lai watched on, amused, seeing Jiang Qu copy her without missing a beat, her lips curling upward.

"Brother, she hasn’t shed a tear; why the guilt?"

"Ah, she truly bears hardship; I shouldn’t have spoken to her like that."

"If you think she’s suffering, let her and He Xing break off the engagement; see if she agrees. Regardless, you’ll bear the blame; when people ask, say you and Father insisted on breaking the engagement, and it’s not her fault.

If she’s willing, then you won’t have to do it, and she won’t have to suffer.

If she’s not willing, then stop worrying about it; she’s determined, so it’s none of your business, always meddling."

Jiang Qiuhe thought it made sense; with He Family’s conditions laid out, even at the cost of bad reputation, he couldn’t stand by and watch Jiang Qu suffer marrying him.

Once Jiang Sheng returned home, Jiang Qiuhe discussed the matter with him, and Liu Shuping quickly chimed in.

"Yes, yes, can you really bear to watch your daughter suffer married away? Is your reputation really more important than your daughter’s future?"

"Father, shall we offer compensation too? I have money, and you have grain; we’ll ensure they’re not disadvantaged and reduce the scolding."

"Her college entrance exams are coming, and this can’t go on; getting into college is a lifetime of fortune, can’t let Grandma He delay this."

After their persuasion, Jiang Sheng finally relented.

"What does the girl say? Does she still wish to care for Grandma He, or does she want to stay our daughter a few years longer?"

Liu Shuping hurriedly said.

"Isn’t it obvious? She looks terrible lately; anyone mentioning Grandma He makes her unhappy. Do you think she’d want to marry? I think she’s endured all this because you pressured her."

Jiang Sheng frowned and cursed.

"Useless, causing trouble for others. Don’t spoil her ever again, or I won’t forgive it!"

Upon saying this, Jiang Sheng went to count the grain.

Liu Shuping could hardly contain her joy and caught two chickens, also asking Jiang Qiuhe to take the engagement gifts from He Family along, and the mother-son duo pushed the wheelbarrow to He Family’s yard.

Grandma He was very calm but only accepted the engagement gifts, refusing anything else.

"Take all these back; it’s not the parents’ fault that the kids don’t match; even if our engagement can’t proceed, we can still be neighbors. It’s alright; He Xing’s unlucky."

Liu Shuping kept smiling apologetically.

Grandma He’s unexpected attitude surprised her; she thought she’d be scolded before returning, but surprisingly, Grandma He calmly accepted the gifts and sent them back.

Liu Shuping insisted on leaving several bags of grain.

"Then let’s write an agreement, an imprint of assurance so there’s no more talk of marriage between us; you can rest easy."