Refusing to marry a widower, I went on a crazy spree of sending my children to the army.

"Let's read this article together later, so that those who are sexist and biased can hear it!"

Qiao Manman hummed in agreement, but her attention was drawn to another page, an article about industrial development.

Instead of simply reposting their article verbatim, the provincial newspaper commissioned an engineer from the Kyoto Machinery Factory to analyze Qiao Manman's concept.

The article is divided into more than a dozen paragraphs. Each paragraph begins with an excerpt of the essence of Qiao Manman's article, followed by the engineer's evaluation.

Qiao Manman discovered that this engineer named "Hai Feiyang" was really full of ideas.

They not only highly praised her article, but also encouraged her to think outside the box and bring up many ideas that she hadn't dared to say.

Of course, those involving state secrets weren't included. They were all for civilian use. And it was all glossed over in a lighthearted way.

In the final paragraph, the engineer envisions the future: "Perhaps one day, we'll ride home from work in a hovercar, and a robot butler will have already prepared a delicious meal, waiting at the door..."

Qiao Manman: "They really dare to dream! This is skipping modernity and jumping straight into the interstellar age!"

However, she likes it!

Seeing her lost in thought, Wang Defa leaned over to look. He was immediately captivated by what he saw.

After a long while, he asked, "Man'er, do you think what's said here will come true?"

Qiao Manman nodded firmly: "Yes, definitely!"

Wang Defa ruffled his hair, his whole body trembling with excitement: "If that day ever comes, I will definitely ride in a hovercar to the provincial capital and the capital city!"

Qiao Manman smiled and said, "Then you need to exercise more. In the future, when our country takes back the port city and Taiwan, we can take a boat to see different scenery."

"Once the country becomes stronger and fully opens up, we can even go abroad and see those blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners!"

Wang Defa was captivated by the future she described, and his old face beamed with joy.

Every wrinkle at the corner of his eye expressed his pleasure.

Time flew by and it was noon. Everyone finished work and went home.

The village loudspeaker blared, and after Wang Defa offered a few words of encouragement to the villagers, he had Qiao Manman read the two articles aloud.

Qiao Manman's voice was clear and crisp, and her pronunciation was perfect. As soon as she opened her mouth, she attracted everyone's attention.

Qiao Zhenzhen stomped her feet in insane jealousy, while Li Chuncao clutched her clothes, feeling ashamed and inferior.

Grandma Qiao was surprised that Qiao Manman had such a talent, and a sense of unease rose in her heart.

Just as she was plotting how to suppress Qiao Laosan, she caught a glimpse of Qiao Zhenzhen's distorted face.

Grandma Qiao suddenly smiled, raised her hand, beckoned Qiao Zhenzhen over, and whispered in her ear.

It only took Qiao Zhenzhen two or three seconds to go from shock to excitement. An unknown light shone in her eyes.

While the two were whispering, Qiao Manman happened to be reading the second article.

Therefore, neither of them heard the consequences of their bias!

Otherwise, Old Lady Qiao might obediently give up her antics.

(Pah, impossible, Old Lady Qiao will only become more outrageous.)

Regarding the old woman's tragic later years in the article, one can only think that her methods were not clever enough, and she was exploited because of her weaknesses—she deserved it!

After reading the newspaper, Qiao Manman went home. As soon as she entered, she was met with He Nian's proud gaze.

"Manman's back! Come quick, Mom made you some sweet soup, have a sip to soothe your throat!"

Qiao Manman smiled as she took the enamel mug, took a sip, and said, "Thank you, Mother!"

He then took out a piece of cured meat from his pocket: "Shall we make a big dish to celebrate?"

He Nian nodded and flicked Qiao Manman's nose: "You and Lu Yuan should be careful, don't let anyone find fault with you."

Also, we can't always ask for things from others. Otherwise, the man will look down on us.

Qiao Manman didn't say anything, but pushed He Nian to the kitchen. After she got busy, she went inside to talk to Qiao Runming.

Qiao Runming shared the same sentiment, advising Qiao Manman to be frugal and not keep spending Lu Yuan's money, fearing she would be disliked by him.

Qiao Manman had no choice but to keep pecking at the rice like a chick. Only when the aroma of rice filled the room did she finally have a moment of relief.

After finishing my meal and resting, I heard the sound of gongs and drums outside the window.

A bald man in his forties stood outside the courtyard with a matchmaker, and said, "My dear wife Manman, I've come to propose marriage!"

Damn, that's a really vicious and ruthless move.

This made her already bad reputation even worse.

He Nian rushed over in a panic and banged on the door. Qiao Manman got up to comfort her: "Mom, don't be afraid. Lock the door and take care of Dad. Leave the rest to me!"

He Nian grabbed Qiao Manman's arm and shook her head: "No, that's the butcher from the third team. He's strong and fierce. You'll definitely suffer if you go out there."

"Let's just stay home and hide. With things getting this big, the brigade leader will definitely come to uphold justice!"

Qiao Manman didn't think so. The other party was making a big fuss, which meant they were well-prepared.

If the situation isn't stabilized immediately, she'll likely be plagued by unwanted romantic advances.

Today he's a butcher, tomorrow he might be a carpenter, a blacksmith, or a scoundrel or a lunatic.

"Alright, Mother, you should go back now. This matter isn't that simple!"

Seeing the fierce glint in her daughter's eyes, He Nian nodded: "Then be careful!"

After saying that, he went back inside and bolted the door. There he was, Qiao Runming patting his leg and crying, "It's all my fault! If my legs weren't so bad, I could have gone out to protect my daughter!"

He Nian felt sorry for her, but what could she do since it had already happened?

She sat down next to Qiao Runming, took his hand, and stopped him from harming himself: "Old Qiao, you have to believe in your daughter. Our Manman is different now. She can be just like a boy, and she can hold her own in the family!"

Qiao Runming felt heartbroken. If it weren't for the huge upheaval in their family, Qiao Manman wouldn't have changed her personality. It was all his fault for being useless.

Qiao Manman had no idea what the couple had said. She went to the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and hid it behind her back.

A hand unlatched the door, and looking at the long line outside, asked with displeasure, "Who are you?"

"I'm your man, Chen Dashan! Manman, I've brought the matchmaker to propose marriage. Where are your parents?"

As Chen Dashan spoke, he tried to rush inside, but Qiao Manman stopped him outside.

"First of all, I don't know you; secondly, I don't intend to marry you; and thirdly, spreading rumors and slander is a crime punishable by imprisonment!"

Chen Dashan was uneducated and had no idea what spreading rumors and slander meant.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his eyes wide with anger: "What do you mean? You took the money and are now denying it? Little wench, I've been treating you politely, giving you face. And you're taking advantage of me, wanting a beating?"

Any other woman, easily subdued, would surely have given in to such a fierce man.

But Qiao Manman is different; she's hard, even harder than Lu Yuan.

He glared fiercely at Chen Dashan: "Speak properly to me! Who took the money? Who sent you here to slander my reputation?"

"Hey, you have a reputation? You're a crazy little lunatic, you don't have any reputation to speak of!"

I, Chen Dashan, swear on this, you are my wife. But when you slept with me, you didn't look like this at all. You were so sexy, just thinking about it makes my legs go weak.