No wonder the Xia family’s attitude was so “mild” today, even keeping their tantrum within bounds.

The sight of the brand new Forever bicycle had stunned them all.

The Xia family bullied Liu Fen and disregarded Xiao Lan’s welfare precisely because no one stood up for them. Liu Yong had tried before, but being poor himself, he couldn’t speak with authority. Now that he was willing to support the mother and daughter and had the means to back it up, even these difficult Xia women had to take a step back.

Old Mrs. Xia remained silent – Xia Da Jun would return in a couple of days.

When he did, Liu Fen would naturally come crawling back, and Xiao Lan could go wherever she pleased – she was just a loose woman who had brought shame to the family name. If Liu Fen left too, that was fine – a woman who couldn’t bear sons could be replaced with a new wife for Xia Da Jun.

The Xia family wasn’t wealthy, but hadn’t they produced a golden phoenix? Finding someone to marry Xia Da Jun wouldn’t be a problem.

With this comforting thought, Old Mrs. Xia ignored Xiao Lan taking away those old clothes. Watching the three leave, she muttered:

“Once you leave the Xia family gate, it won’t be easy to return!”

Only after Liu Yong the “demon” had left did others dare to emerge.

“Mother, are you letting them leave like this?”

The third Brother’s wife thought they should still call Liu Fen back to work.

Old Mrs. Xia smugly shared her thoughts, and her third daughter-in-law Wang Jin Gui naturally had to flatter her.

“We must find a capable new Second Sister-in-law!”

First daughter-in-law Zhang Cui wasn’t pleased. Her daughter getting into university was her achievement – did she need to manage everything in the Xia family, even Xia Da Jun’s next marriage? Though Zhang Cui had little presence in the Xia family, she was undoubtedly the smartest among the three sisters-in-law. Liu Fen was a workhorse, doing the most but earning no favor; Wang Jin Gui was like a firecracker, quick to ignite but missing the mark in her flattery.

Zhang Cui skillfully changed the subject:

“I wonder if Zi Yu and the others have reached school yet. The child hasn’t even sent a telegram.”

“Telegrams are expensive. Zi Yu is being frugal – if we weren’t so poor, we could have sent more money for the child’s schooling!”

The wrinkles between Old Mrs. Xia’s brows were deep enough to trap flies.

Wang Jin Gui secretly sneered – they had the family’s savings but couldn’t afford a telegram?

Old Mrs. Xia, thinking about what hardships Xia Zi Yu might face studying in Beijing, felt uneasy and quickly made another decision: “When their three brothers go to repair the river embankment, send their wages to Zi Yu right away!”

Zhang Cui naturally had to decline a few times, but Old Mrs. Xia insisted, leaving Zhang Cui to reluctantly accept the grandmother’s kindness on her daughter’s behalf.

This truly showed how different fates could be even within the same family – when Xiao Lan hit her head, she couldn’t even go to the hospital, yet the Xia family’s money was freely spent on her cousin Xia Zi Yu… If Xiao Lan had been present to hear this, she likely would have fought Old Mrs. Xia.

Though the Xia family didn’t care for Xiao Lan, others did care about her.

At least Liu Yong was heartbroken: “How could anyone live in such a place? Xiao Lan, you should have brought your mother to find your uncle last night.”

The Xia family was too heartless – if they hadn’t forced Xiao Lan to such extremes, how could she, who had never known hardship, choose to live in this old broken house by the river? Liu Yong’s teeth ground together as his contempt for the Xia family reached its peak.

“Quickly pack your things and come home with me!”

Liu Fen hesitated, “What about when Da Jun returns?”

Liu Yong was truly frustrated with her.

“If you want to defend Xia Da Jun at every turn, I won’t object as your brother – he is your husband after all! But besides being your husband, he’s also Xiao Lan’s father. Has he fulfilled his duties as a father? Even I’ve heard about what happened to Xiao Lan – is Xia Da Jun deaf?”

Liu Yong was so angry he paced in circles.

Xiao Lan shook her head at her uncle, signaling him to stop.

Liu Fen’s mindset was set after years of conditioning – moving out with Xiao Lan was already a bold step for her.

“Uncle, I want to start a small business, what do you think?”

While packing, Xiao Lan explained her egg-trading plan to Liu Yong. She truly felt her uncle was a rare reasonable person, speaking and acting with refreshing directness, not bound by foolish conventions.

After listening, Liu Yong didn’t immediately respond. He took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes and lit one for himself.

After smoking half of it, he finally spoke: “Let me be honest, niece. Wanting to make money is good – it shows you’re becoming sensible. But this business… it’s not suitable.”

Xiao Lan didn’t interrupt Liu Yong. In her previous life, she had climbed to an executive position not just through determination, but also by never presuming herself too clever.

The 1980s might have been backward, but there were certainly smart people in this era.

If Xiao Lan treated everyone as fools, she would eventually take a big fall.

“Please continue, I’m listening.”

Seeing Xiao Lan’s truly improved temperament, Liu Yong smiled broadly: “If what I say isn’t right, don’t get angry – I’m just making a suggestion. This business has small profits but lots of work and might bring trouble. Why don’t we find something easier?”

Farmers going to town to sell eggs only needed a basket to carry them.

Transporting over 100 eggs to town at once would be troublesome, and collecting them would be equally difficult.

Eggs were fragile and didn’t keep well – what if they couldn’t sell all the eggs brought to town?

Moreover, with Xiao Lan’s striking looks, Liu Yong wasn’t comfortable letting her travel around collecting eggs… This business required working from dawn to dusk, earning hard money – suitable for men, not for young women like Xiao Lan, especially not beautiful ones.

Xiao Lan had considered all these points.

After her initial excitement, she too had realized this face would bring trouble.

A humble home might produce great beauty, but it couldn’t protect that beauty – in the old society, such beauties were often offered to the powerful. Only in wealthy households, with proper escorts and dignity, could safety be ensured.

Xiao Lan didn’t have those conditions now; she could only buy scissors for self-defense.

Liu Yong spoke nothing but truth, and Xiao Lan smiled bitterly:

“I have little capital, so I can only rely on this egg business to support my mother and myself for now. I brought her away from the Xia family so as not to make her worry about going hungry. Other people’s daughters are golden phoenixes, but did she give birth to a debt collector? I’ll make sure she lives well eventually… Uncle, I was too thoughtless before, I made you all worry!”

Even Liu Yong, a grown man, felt his nose tingle with emotion – Liu Fen certainly couldn’t hold back.

She wailed while still trying to argue:

“Who says you’re a debt collector? How I live doesn’t matter – what’s important is that you live well!”

The three close relatives were nearly sobbing together. Xiao Lan used this opportunity to bare her heart, letting her loved ones know she was “washing away the past” to become a new person.

Seeing his niece’s determination, Liu Yong stopped trying to dissuade her:

“If you want to do this business, you’ll need several dozen yuan for capital. How much more do you need? Uncle will make up the difference!”

How much more did Xiao Lan need?

She only had 6 yuan in her pocket… Manager Xia showed rare embarrassment.