C7 Her Daughter Was Not Welcomed!

Seeing Dawei's expression, Ruonan felt somewhat reassured. It seemed she would need to find some time to help her brother with his studies. After all, she was the top humanities student in their county. Although her acceptance letter hadn't arrived yet, she was confident it would soon.

Dawei hadn't dared to speak earlier, fearing his sister's reaction, especially since their family was still worried about the cost of his education. Avoiding Ruonan's eyes, he walked straight to the fields with his head down.

Ruonan understood what was going through Dawei's mind. After all, her mental age was nearly sixty, like a wise old lady. In the fields, villagers like Ruonan wore straw hats, working diligently to earn their keep.

"Hey, Dad! My sister's here," Dawei called out when he saw Hongqu working the land. Hongqu looked up at Ruonan, still appearing upset, and said nothing. Ruonan had expected this; she knew her father well. He was as stubborn as a mule.

"Dad, let me help you," Ruonan offered, stepping forward and picking up a hoe to lend a hand.

Zhou Hongqu said flatly, "Come on, how can a college student's hands handle farm work?"

He had endured enough sneers and ridicule from others all morning. Even if some didn't say it outright, they would point and whisper when they thought he wasn't looking. He was well aware of it all.

Seeing Zhou Hongqu unmoved, Zhou Dawei stepped forward, took the hoe, and said, "Second sister, let me do it!"

He thought that by taking on the farm work himself, Zhou Hongqu might calm down a bit, but it seemed like he was far from making amends.

As Zhou Dawei continued to dig the ground with the hoe, Zhou Hongqu suddenly snapped, "You little rascal, I told you to study hard, not to till the soil!"

Zhou Ruonan could easily tell that this was a veiled criticism.

Feeling unwelcome, Zhou Ruonan shrugged and wandered away from the field.

It had been ages since she last returned to her hometown, and over the years, it had changed dramatically. Some places had vanished entirely.

"I remember this little river getting polluted in a few years," Zhou Ruonan muttered, pouting as she walked along its banks.

The water was still clear now, and standing by the shore, she could see her reflection perfectly.

Just then, a commotion erupted from across the stream, catching Ruonan's attention. A woman in her thirties was arguing with her daughter while doing laundry.

"Mom, why can't I go to school?"

"You ungrateful child, do you want your brother to starve?" the woman scolded, sharply tugging the girl's ear.

"Why not? The girl next door gets to go to school, why can't I?" the girl burst into tears.

Ruonan watched with interest, having nothing else to do.

Nearby, another woman doing laundry waved the girl over, calling out, "Come here, sweetie, I've got some candy for you."

The girl wiped her tears and walked over. The woman said, "If she wants to go to school, let her. No need to hit the child."