C4 Call Me Mother and I'll Feed You!

"Got it, Dad. Don't worry, am I the kind of person who messes around?"

Her words left not only her parents but also Zhao Pengcheng, who was feeling awkward under her gaze, quite surprised.

Jiaojiao's claim was quite shameless.

Her mother couldn't handle her daughter, who seemed to lose her senses around men, and quickly tied the prepared dowry onto the bicycle.

"Alright, alright, it's getting late, and the kids must be hungry. You should head back soon."

It dawned on Jiaojiao that, oh right, Zhao has four kids.

And she hadn't even had breakfast yet.

With that thought, she dashed into the kitchen like the wind, ignoring her mother's calls, rummaging through the cupboards. She found five or six mixed-grain buns, two corn pancakes, a small jar of pickles, a palm-sized piece of cured meat, and three eggs.

Gathering everything up, she nudged Zhao Pengcheng, "Let's go, we'll eat when we get home."

Zhao was utterly bewildered.

Even as Jiaojiao directed him onto the road, he still hadn't fully processed what was happening.

The Yuh parents watched their beloved daughter clear out the house like a bandit. Her father's hand shook as he held his pipe, "She... she..."

Her mother, having seen her daughter's tendency to side with outsiders before, sighed, "She's taken a liking to Zhao again."

Back in the day, when she had a crush on Su, she would go out of her way to shower him with gifts. But Su was determined and turned her down every time. Now, she's set her sights on old man Zhao, and it's like she's ready to move her entire family over to his place.

"Hey, Yuh, why did we even have this daughter? Might as well have had a piece of barbecue pork."

Most people try to take from their in-laws to support their own family, but not our daughter. She's not even married yet and she's already trying to funnel everything from us to her future in-laws.

Honestly, even a thankless person wouldn't be this heartless. Yuh Jiaojiao really takes the cake.

Yuh sighed, "Well, maybe it's for the best. At least she's interested in Zhao and will settle down with him. It'll mean less trouble for us in the long run, even if we have to support them a bit."

Settle down? Yuh's wife wasn't convinced.

Her daughter had no patience for kids, and she feared that her daughter would drop the act and start mistreating them soon enough.

No way, she needed to keep an eye on things over at the Zhao family village.

So what if they're not her biological kids? Raise them right, and they'll be just as filial. Besides, it's not like her daughter can't have her own kids. Even if these four don't turn out to be grateful, she'll have her own eventually, right?

But enough about the old couple, let's talk about Zhao Pengcheng. He was still in a daze.

He had heard plenty of rumors about Jiaojiao before, and not a single one painted her in a good light. If it weren't for the fact that his kids were so young and there were too many of them for anyone else to want to marry him, he would have been very reluctant to marry this woman. But as a man, he simply couldn't manage four kids on his own. And after a year of living off his savings, if he didn't find a woman to help care for the children and get himself a job, he figured the five of them would starve.

But this Jiaojiao, why was she so different from the rumors? Was she just putting on an act? But what could she possibly gain from it?

Lost in thought, he suddenly found a piece of bread stuffed into his mouth. Jiaojiao broke off another piece and put it in her own mouth. "You haven't eaten, have you? Have some bread. It's a bit dry on its own, but it'll hold us over until we get back and have a proper meal."

As Pengcheng chewed the bread, he found it tasteless. What was Jiaojiao really thinking? He wanted to ask but felt too embarrassed to do so.

They continued sharing the bread, and by the time they reached the village, they had finished one whole piece. After dropping off the people and their belongings, Pengcheng pushed the cart away. "I'll go return the cart."

Jiaojiao nodded. She didn't bother with her dowry, instead starting to explore the place where she would be living.

On the large bed in the living room, she saw four children huddled under the blankets like nesting dolls. The kids eyed her warily. With a smile, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding a roll, and teased them, "Are you hungry? Want something to eat? Call me 'Mom,' and I'll give you some."