C5 Mom and Dad Are Sorry to You!

You know, Liu Ergou felt a bit uneasy when he saw Zhou Hongqu, instinctively taking a step back. Zhou Hongqu sneered, handing over a small bag, and said, "Count it yourself, see if anything's missing."

Wang Chunhua's face changed as she called out, "Honey!"

Zhou Hongqu raised a hand and glanced at Zhou Ruonan, sighing deeply. As the head of the family, he felt stifled.

Liu Mang stepped forward, grabbed the small cloth bag, and personally counted everything. The food stamps, fabric coupons, and money were all there, not a cent missing.

Seeing everything was intact, Liu Mang had nothing more to say. He wrapped up the little bag and tucked it into his pocket. "Good thing we didn't bring the rest of the wedding gifts. Zhou Hongqu, you'll regret this!" With that, he ignored the onlookers and left the Zhou family's yard with Liu Ergou and his wife.

With the show over, the neighbors fanned themselves and headed back inside.

Wu Gaang watched Zhou Hongqu, who was squatting and smoking, and sighed. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes with only three left, took one out, and tossed it over. "Times are changing. I went to the county the other day, and things felt a bit different. If your daughter wants to go to college, let her."

He took a deep drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "It's not that I don't want her to study, but she has to get in first. And you know our family's situation."

Ruonan walked over and said, "Dad, I know I can get in! As for the money, I'll figure something out myself."

"Get out of here! What can a girl like you possibly do? Go back to your room. Haven't you embarrassed us enough today?" Zhou Hongqu looked visibly annoyed.

But Ruonan knew that since her dad had already taken out the wedding money, it meant he had compromised with her.

Zhou Hongqu was known for being stubborn; everyone in the neighborhood knew it.

So, Ruonan was led back to the house by Dawei, with Wang Chunhua following them inside.

"Ugh, your dad really made a fool of himself today," Wang Chunhua sighed, looking at Ruonan sitting on the edge of the bed.

Dawei complained, "Is Dad's embarrassment worse than my sister marrying that jerk?"

"You little brat, what do you know? Go to your room! I need to talk to your sister," Wang Chunhua said, giving Dawei a stern look.

But Dawei clung to Ruonan's arm and said, "No, I want to stay with my sister!"

Ruonan smiled and patted Dawei's head. "Mom, just say what you need to. Dawei's not a little kid anymore."

Wang Chunhua took a deep breath and asked, "Ruonan, what are you planning to do now? After today's scene, it'll be hard to find someone to marry."

"Mom, come on, you know what you said—people lining up to marry Auntie could stretch from our village all the way to the county!" Ruonan had fully embraced her new life.

Wang Chunhua, however, didn't believe a word of it. She knew exactly what her sister was like.

"Your dad hit you today, but don't take it to heart. He's just trying to do what's best for the family," Wang Chunhua said softly, placing her hand gently on Ruonan's.

"Look at the time! Are we working tomorrow or not?" Suddenly, Zhou Hongqu's voice boomed from outside.

Ruonan nodded and replied, "It's okay, I understand."

Wang Chunhua patted Ruonan's arm and said, "It's us who should apologize to you." With that, she left the room.