CHAPTER 767: CHAPTER 742 FIVE CENTS

Fan Jianguo came back from closing his stall at noon when his wife said that Jiang Xiaoxiao had called, asking the two of them to come over in the evening.

She said the old lady was now at their place and wouldn’t be coming home for lunch; everyone should go over for dinner tonight.

Fan Jianguo didn’t think much of it.

Originally, he usually kept his stall open until eleven or twelve at night, sometimes even till one or two in the morning.

But since his niece and sister asked them over for dinner, he couldn’t refuse.

Otherwise, he’d have no good reason not to go.

Around 5 o’clock, Fan Jianguo carried his daughter, accompanied by Liu Huili, with two jars of canned goods and a packet of snacks.

Liu Huili was quite nervous and uneasy, her eyelids twitching.

Life at home was tight right now. Despite buying two jars of canned goods and a packet of snacks, the couple felt it was painful to spend the money.

Thinking back, it’s laughable. In the past, they ate and drank well, choosing whatever they wanted with ease.

Now, here they are, hesitating, unable to bear the expense of two jars of canned goods and a packet of snacks.

Liu Huili truly hated herself a bit.

She felt like a jinx.

People say a wise wife brings prosperity, but a bad wife is a sign of ruin.

Look at how Fan Jianguo married a troublemaker like her; his once-thriving family business was ruined.

"Jianguo, I always feel something ominous is brewing; maybe big sister and Xiaoxiao have discovered something."

Fan Jianguo hadn’t told his sister about the issue, mainly to prevent her from having opinions about his wife’s family.

Talking to anyone about it would lead them to think it was all his wife’s doing.

But it’s already come to this—her family has cut ties with her, and if he were to blame or abandon her now...

It would be forcing her to her demise.

Fan Jianguo wasn’t that kind of person; you could say he was soft-hearted. No matter what, this woman gave him a daughter.

He couldn’t force her to die.

Being a man, no matter how hard it gets, he must carry on.

"Don’t worry too much; I’m here."

The daughter, slender and delicate, appeared very obedient, leaning on her father’s chest, curiously observing her surroundings.

Due to her poor health and her mother’s poor health as well, she spent most of her time inside on the bed with Liu Huili.

She rarely went out, so everything she saw outside was new.

A pair of parents walked past with their child, the little boy waving his newly bought cotton candy, his mouth full of it.

"Dad, cotton candy is really sweet."

"You should eat less sugar; too much sugar isn’t good for your teeth. They can get cavities."

Xiao Nine looked at the cotton candy enviously, reaching out his small hand.

"Sugar... sugar..."

Fan Jianguo paused; his daughter had never asked them for anything, nor did she have the chance to.

Standing in front of the cotton candy stall.

"Boss, how much for one cotton candy?"

With determination, Fan Jianguo wanted to buy one.

"Fifty cents each! Want one?"

Fan Jianguo hesitated.

If this had been before, even a year ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to pay.

What’s fifty cents? For him, Fan Jianguo, he’d lived through both good times and bad.

Yet in his daughter’s situation, buying one cotton candy made him hesitate.

Why?

Because money was needed for the mother and daughter’s medical bills. Sometimes, those fifty cents could be vital.

The hospital wouldn’t overlook even one cent if they needed to treat them.

With trembling hands, he touched his pocket but ultimately couldn’t take out the money.

Liu Huili grabbed his hand—she knew better than anyone how he stretched every penny for them, making the whole family live on coarse food.

It seemed like a small cotton candy, but their family simply could not afford it.

Today, they already spent money on canned goods and snacks, and buying a cotton candy would worsen their financial situation.

Fan Jianguo, to earn money for the family, would leave home with just a bun or dry cake and often didn’t come back for lunch, unwilling to spend a penny outside.

His mother went out every day to collect scraps just to save some extra money for the household.

How could she not realize the gravity of the situation?

The child was naive, but shouldn’t she know better?

"The child’s father! Forget it!"

The reason for all these hardships was her.

The little one left in disappointment, being carried away by his father, leaving behind the family of three as the cotton candy vendor pouted.

"What kind of people are these? Can’t even buy a cotton candy for their kid; truly poor ghosts."

He didn’t even try to hide his voice, seemingly afraid Fan Jianguo wouldn’t hear.

Fan Jianguo’s heart was bitter.

He had encountered too much of this kind of humiliation lately. Compared to his mother collecting rotten leaves from the market, this insult was small.

The family of three arrived at Fan Xiuying’s house.

Fan Xiuying spotted her brother and sister-in-law carrying the child at the gate and hurriedly greeted them.

"Jianguo, Xiao Hui is here, quickly bring the child inside. We’re just short of two dishes and will eat soon. Go ahead and have some watermelon; there’s sliced watermelon and washed grapes inside."

Liu Huili quickly placed the child in Fan Jianguo’s arms, rolled up her sleeves, and followed Fan Xiuying into the kitchen.

"Big sister, let me help you cook."

In the past, Fan Xiuying was a source of grievance for her—this sister-in-law seemed to her as taking advantage of her brother’s generosity.

After all, she married Fan Jianguo, not Fan Xiuying, yet this sister would often go back home and act in charge.

She couldn’t stand this, but with things as they were now...

Seeing how Fan Xiuying treated them no differently, she didn’t know Fan Jianguo hadn’t said anything, thinking the big sister was genuinely good to them. Since marrying into the family, though the sister-in-law hadn’t liked her, she’d never embarrassed her.

Just this alone showed the sister-in-law was more rational than she’d imagined.

"Xiao Hui, you don’t need to cook; there are only two dishes left. Quickly go in and tend to the child; your body is already weak. It’s smoky here, be careful not to choke on it. Go, go, there’s no need to stand on ceremony with big sister; at our house, treat it like your own."

Fan Xiuying directly pushed her out.

Liu Huili looked at the busy sister-in-law in the kitchen, her eyes uncontrollably turning red again.

She had been too narrow-minded before, always thinking others took advantage of her.

Seeing how Fan Jianguo was absolutely obedient to Jiang Xiaoxiao, his niece, and extremely good to this sister and brother-in-law, she felt envy and resentment. It seemed to her that Fan Xiuying was taking advantage of their family, and her husband was a fool.

But now she understood.

This was true familial bond; there wasn’t an ounce of estrangement, and this sister-in-law had truly been kind to her.

Knowing her body wasn’t strong, never had she been asked to lift a finger when dining at her sister-in-law’s house.

Compared to her own family, her in-laws were genuinely wonderful.