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

"Pah! I thought Boss Qiao was just unable to control his lower body, but I didn't expect him to be a social parasite!"

Such a person doesn't deserve to be in the same production team as us!

People of this era valued the country and the collective highly, and would rather eat coarse food themselves than let the country prosper.

I vividly remember more than a decade ago, when everyone responded to the call and contributed their own kitchen knives and iron pots.

Some highly conscious individuals even removed the door locks, solely to support the country's steel industry.

But what is Boss Qiao doing? Embezzling steel mill assets and dragging the country down! Doesn't someone like that deserve to be ridiculed?

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became. After work, they gathered around Old Qiao's house and shouted, "Mortgages, get out of Qingshan Brigade! Mortgages, get out of Qingshan Brigade!"

After hearing about it, the captain finished his meal and rested for a while before slowly coming over.

He immediately said, "Aren't you tired? It's the middle of the night, what are you doing?"

"What era are we in? Still using this 'collective punishment' approach? Aren't you afraid the Governing Council will take you away?"

Everyone panicked when they heard that.

The captain took a deep breath: "I know you're angry. I'm just as angry as you are, and I wish I could get rid of these rotten apples."

But there's a national policy that individuals are responsible for their own problems. Besides, Qiao Zhenbang's household registration was transferred to the county more than a decade ago!

Hearing this through the door, Qiao Laosi came out of the yard and said, "The brigade leader is right, Qiao Laoda has nothing to do with us!"

Although severing ties would be the wisest course of action given the current situation, people are hypocritical, whispering among themselves about how cold-hearted the Qiao family is.

The matter came on so dramatically, and ended so casually. But the conflict within the Qiao family had only just begun.

Both Qiao Lao Er and Qiao Lao Si resented Qiao Lao Tai for being biased.

The best job was given to Boss Joe, but he didn't appreciate it and even dragged others down with him.

He also complained about Qiao Zhenzhen, thinking that she was useless at everything, ate everything without leaving any food, and cried all day long.

"If you ask me, we should just marry her off. That bald-headed guy from the other day was pretty good!"

"No way, no way! That scoundrel won't give a bride price! Qiao Zhenbang has caused us so much trouble, we have to get something back from his daughter!"

"Why don't we sell that little brat Liu Kangkang too!"

Other children his age are already capable of supporting themselves. But this guy, he's eight and still spends all his time clinging to his mother, trying to please her!

Qiao Laosi glanced at Liu Kangkang with a cool look, only to find that Liu Kangkang was being held tightly in Qiao Laotai's arms.

The old woman also warned them fiercely, "Let's see who dares to do that!"

There are several reasons why Grandma Qiao's attitude made a complete 180-degree turn.

Firstly, he had stubbornly believed that Boss Qiao could be exonerated, so he didn't care much about the little brat that Qiao Manman brought back, fearing that he wasn't Boss Qiao's bloodline.

Secondly, when she had soiled the entire bed and was all alone and helpless, it was Kang Kang, whom she had previously vented her anger on, who cleaned up the mess for her and preserved her last shred of dignity.

Thirdly, it was because they were afraid that Boss Qiao wouldn't make it out of prison, so they wanted to leave him a bloodline.

As for Qiao Lao Si's suggestion to marry off Qiao Zhenzhen, Qiao Lao Tai did not object. She even had someone spread the word that whoever offered the most dowry would get the Qiao family's daughter.

Of course, since the wheat harvest was not yet over, the matter was only passed on by word of mouth. Apart from the few people Chen Dashan found, no unsuitable men or women came to propose marriage.

Qiao Manman didn't hear any news from the Qiao family for a long time, but she wasn't in a hurry. She focused on working in the fields, and after half a month, she even built up some muscles.

The summer sun is strong and scorching, and many people have suffered sunburn.

Qiao Manman's face also darkened a shade, but compared to the others, she was still quite pretty.

That day, everyone was drying wheat on the threshing ground when Qin Erhua came over with a man.

He claimed he wanted to go on a blind date with Zhao Zhaodi, but in reality, he came empty-handed, glanced at Zhao Zhaodi, and then wanted to leave.

Qin Erhua tugged at his arm: "What are you doing? Being shy doesn't mean you have to be shy like this. Say hello to the girl!"

Zhao Zhaodi forced a smile despite her pale face. She said in broken Mandarin, "Hello, Comrade Qin!"

Qin Youbin concealed the disgust in his eyes and put on a faint smile: "Hello, Comrade Zhao!"

This guy surnamed Qin is actually quite capable.

Standing at 1.76 meters tall, he stood out like a crane among chickens among a group of farmers.

He had good features and looked refined. He was dressed in a white shirt, black pants, and canvas shoes—a typical city dweller.

Many young women's eyes lit up at the sight, and they felt a pang of envy.

I don't understand why Erhua wouldn't introduce her cousin to me when they were so much prettier than Zhao Zhaodi.

Watching Zhao Zhaodi act coy and pretentious in front of Qin Youbin with resentment, he forgot all about his work.

The little girl only snapped out of her daze when her family coughed to remind her, though she looked aggrieved and unhappy.

Qiao Manman was different; she had long seen through Qin Youbin's rather handsome appearance to his filthy heart.

He was happily watching the show from a corner, which caught Ma Qiuhua's attention.

Aunt Qiuhua, being a kind-hearted person, came over and asked, "What's wrong? You've taken a fancy to something? Should I put in a good word for you?"

Qiao Manman quickly shook her head: "No, no, no, I'm not good enough for a temporary worker at the sugar factory. I just think it's interesting."

"Auntie, you say Comrade Qin is such a good catch, why does he need to come to the countryside for a blind date?"

Qiao Manman's words were actually meant to be a wake-up call for Zhao Zhaodi, delivered through Ma Qiuhua's words.

Don't overestimate your relationship with Qin Erhua. A pie falling from the sky isn't something an ordinary person can catch and eat; you might as well choke to death.

Qiao Manman glanced at the little flame flickering in Ma Qiuhua's eyes, smiled, and took out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket: "Come on, Auntie, let's eat and talk!"

Ma Qiuhua happily accepted it, then leaned close to Qiao Manman's ear and shared her experience with her.

"My dear, I'm not lying to you, but this kind of man is all looks and no substance!"

Qiao Manman glanced at Ma Qiuhua curiously, only to see her say smugly, "What are you looking at? Your auntie is only telling you this because she treats you like her own daughter!"

Look over there. At first glance, the man surnamed Qin seems quite handsome, but upon closer inspection, his nose is crooked and his eyes are slanted, indicating that he has a wicked heart.

Thin, fine lips indicate a cold heart and a tendency to gossip.

And his forehead, the two corners are bald. If he gets a little older, he'll probably go bald, tsk tsk.

Most importantly, he's got no flesh on his bones. Look at his pants, they're so tight the crotch can't even hold them up.

A man like that is so weak and suffocating; his wife would be suffocated!

Qiao Manman couldn't help but laugh and gave Ma Qiuhua a thumbs up.

Ma Qiuhua became more and more smug as she spoke: "Look at this person, either he has a problem himself, or there's a problem with his family, or he's just arranging a blind date for someone else."

I suspect he doesn't have a good reputation and will have a hard time finding a partner in the city.

"Find an honest and capable man from the countryside; that way, even if the girl discovers that the man's situation isn't quite what she expected, she won't be able to make a fuss!"