C21 My Silly Girl!

Seeing Qian Wang's honest face, Ruonan felt a bit guilty for having been so cautious around him before.

"Take it, Mr. Qian. I'll be going back to school soon, and my dad won't be able to handle everything on his own. Please help us out a bit more," Ruonan said, slipping the money into his pocket without further discussion.

Qian Wang's right hand trembled slightly as he pulled out the money with his cracked fingers.

"You've raised a good daughter, Zhou!" he exclaimed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, clearly moved.

Hearing Qian Wang praise Ruonan, Zhou Hongqu's face showed a hint of disdain, but inside, he was bursting with pride.

To lighten the mood, Ruonan joked, "Mr. Qian, I won't give you any food stamps; we don't have much left at home anyway."

Qian Wang waved his hand dismissively, saying, "What are you talking about, girl? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Thirty dollars was no small amount. It would take a long time to earn that just by working. This young girl handed it over without a second thought, and he couldn't possibly think of asking for anything more. That would be ungrateful.

Back in the village, Qian Wang waved to Ruonan, saying, "You go on home, girl. I have a few things to discuss with your dad."

Zhou Ruonan picked up the woven bag she was sitting on and joked, "It's almost noon; we can chat over lunch! My dad still has a bottle of whiskey he hasn't finished."

Hearing Ruonan mention the whiskey, Zhou Hongqu's face changed, and he waved her off, saying, "Go on, don't spill everything."

Ruonan giggled and ran back. Qian Wang took a slow drag from his tobacco pipe, smiling as he looked at Hongqu.

"If you've got something to say, spit it out. I've got to get home for lunch," Hongqu said, tapping his pipe on the tractor before putting it in his pocket.

Finally, Qian Wang spoke, "Hongqu, your daughter is something else!" He gave Hongqu a big thumbs-up.

Hongqu beamed with pride. "Well, she is my daughter, after all!"

"Oh, come on, remember when you were set on marrying her off to that no-good Liu Ergou? You'd regret it if she ended up with him," Qian Wang said, plopping down on the tractor and tapping Hongqu with his pipe.

Hongqu's face darkened at the memory. He had almost made a terrible mistake. If Ruonan had ended up with Liu Ergou, it would have ruined her life.

"Nina's got a sharp mind, not like us who only know how to work the fields. This time, she might actually get into college and outdo us all," Qian Wang said with conviction.

Zhou Hongqu didn't reply, but he felt confident inside. His daughter was indeed impressive.

Walking past their small vegetable garden, he picked a cucumber, wiped it on his shirt, and took a bite. Homegrown, so no worries.

"Mom, I'm back!" Ruonan called out, seeing smoke rising from the chimney and knowing Wang Chunhua was making lunch.

Wang Chunhua came out, wiping her hands on her apron, and walked over briskly. Not seeing Zhou Hongqu, her heart skipped a beat. She asked sternly, "Where's your dad? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Ruonan replied casually, "He's behind, chatting with Mr. Qian about guy stuff."

Wang Chunhua scoffed, "What can two grown men possibly talk about?"

Ruonan pulled out a stack of cash and food stamps from her pocket, holding them out to Wang Chunhua.

Wang Chunhua was momentarily stunned, then grabbed Ruonan's hands tightly, asking, "Earned today?"

Ruonan placed the money in Wang Chunhua's hands, nodding, "Of course. Old ginger is spicier, way better than Dawei."

Wang Chunhua beamed with joy, pulling Ruonan inside and whispering, "How much?"

Ruonan took a bite of cucumber and said, "Gave Mr. Qian 30, and there's 99 left. Round it up, and that's a hundred!"

"How much? A hundred! Oh my goodness!" Wang Chunhua was so excited she could hardly speak. Ruonan just watched as Chunhua counted the money over and over.

After a while, Chunhua found a small white cloth to wrap the money neatly inside, along with what Ruonan and Dawei had earned on their first day.

"With this money, we can build your brother a house and find him a wife. We won't have to rely on anyone else," Chunhua said, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

Just then, Zhou Hongqu's voice came from outside, "Do you even know where this money came from, you reckless woman?"

Hongqu walked in with a stern face, grabbed the white cloth bundle from Chunhua's hands.

Chunhua, puzzled by Hongqu's behavior, frowned and asked, "Where did it come from? Didn't you make it selling crayfish this morning?"

Hongqu sat down heavily on a wooden chair, slammed the money on the table, and said with a mix of anger and sadness, "This money, your daughter risked everything to get it, even jail time. Did you know that?"

Wang Chunhua blushed at Zhou Hongqu's words, her hands fidgeting awkwardly. "Well... Ruonan... look at your dad..."

She always thought about Zhou Dawei, since he was their son and could take care of them in their old age. But daughters, well, they eventually marry and become part of another family.

But Zhou Hongqu had been the same way before! Even more so than her.

Zhou Ruonan was genuinely worried the two might start arguing, so she quickly intervened, "Dad, Mom has a point. We should save this money for Dawei to build a house and find a wife, so people won't look down on him."

Zhou Hongqu looked up at Zhou Ruonan, realizing just how considerate his daughter was, so considerate it tugged at his heart. He waved his hand dismissively, "Nonsense! No way, this money is for your college. Dawei is still young, who knows when he'll get married."

In truth, Zhou Ruonan didn't mind. Everything she did was to make up for not having been a good daughter in her past life, for not pulling her brother back from the brink in time.

Her wish wasn't complicated; this family could be truly happy.

Wang Chunhua seemed to have a knack for getting under Zhou Hongqu's skin with everything she said. Seeing this, Zhou Ruonan turned to her mother and asked, "Mom, what's that amazing smell? What are you making today?"

Wang Chunhua immediately understood and hurried to the kitchen, while Zhou Ruonan walked over, teasingly saying to the still-angry Zhou Hongqu, "What does it mean to be the head of the household? This is what it means!"

Zhou Hongqu couldn't hold back any longer and let out a light huff, saying, "Hmph, smooth talker."

Zhou Ruonan hugged Zhou Hongqu's arm gently and said, "Dad, don't blame Mom. I understand everything."

Zhou Hongqu's body trembled slightly as he placed his somewhat shaky hand on Zhou Ruonan's head and softly said, "My silly girl!"