C3 Boy and Girl Are Different

Watching David stand protectively in front of Ruonan, Hongqu felt a surge of anger, the veins on his forehead becoming more pronounced.

"You little punk, talking back to me now? If you skip school, I'll break your legs!" With that, Hongqu stepped around Chunhua and picked up a branch from the ground.

Seeing this, Ruonan quickly pulled David behind her, while Hongqu, holding the branch, approached them swiftly.

"Step aside," he ordered, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes as he noticed the redness and swelling on Ruonan's forehead.

But Ruonan acted as if she hadn't heard, standing firmly in front of her brother.

Finally, David couldn't hold back and burst into tears, "Sis!"

Ruonan looked up, staring directly at Hongqu. "Do you even know what kind of person that guy is? You're basically throwing your daughter into the fire!"

Since the Zhou family lived in a secluded area, the commotion didn't disturb the neighbors.

The tension hung in the air until Hongqu sighed and said, "We can't afford to send your brother to school anymore. As a girl, you should make sacrifices for the family."

Hearing this, Ruonan was filled with frustration. In her past life, it was this very issue that had driven a wedge between her and her father. Why should a girl always be the one to sacrifice for the family?

"Do you really think there's such a big difference between having a son and a daughter? How can you be so heartless?" Ruonan looked at Hongqu with a face full of grievance, releasing a lifetime's worth of pent-up anger.

"Slap!" A loud smack landed on Ruonan's face, leaving half of it flushed red.

"Honey!" Chunhua was startled and quickly stepped in to hold Hongqu back.

In the end, Hongqu's heart softened. He had been holding a stick, but awkwardly used his left hand to strike.

"You ungrateful girl, everything I do is for this family! Once your brother gets an education and makes something of himself, we won't have to worry about food or clothes!" Hongqu was trembling with anger.

Ruonan covered her right cheek, not complaining about her father, but feeling the deep sadness of gender bias. Her father was just another victim of it.

Growing up, Hongqu never laid a hand on his two daughters, but he was always hard on his son. He was different from others, or else he wouldn't have sent Ruonan to study in town.

It all came down to two words: no money.

He pinned all his hopes on his son.

Just then, there was a commotion outside. Hongqu thought, "Oh no, it must be someone from Dawei's family coming."

Sure enough, the gate's fence was knocked down with a hoe, and a loud shout followed.

"Liu Mang, you better explain yourself today, or we're not done here!" The speaker was Liu Ergou's father, Liu Mang.

He was a straightforward farmer, always boasting that the 'Mang' in his name was actually 'Python,' suggesting he had the makings of an emperor. Their family had only Liu Ergou, a few acres of land, and lived a bit more comfortably than Zhou Ruonan's family.

Zhou Hongqu approached with a smile, saying, "In-law, here's the thing..."

Before he could finish, Liu Ergou interrupted, "No, don't call me that. Either she comes back with me today, or you return the dowry!"

Earlier, Zhou Dawei had ridden into the house on a bull, scaring Liu Ergou so much he fainted, and he still hadn't recovered.

"You're talking nonsense! My sister will never marry you!" Zhou Dawei shouted angrily at Liu Ergou.

"You little brat, watch your mouth!" Liu Ergou gestured threateningly at Zhou Dawei.