Kang Li was concise and to the point.
The System was stunned for a while before it regained its senses, and then it spun around joyfully.
"Li Bao, my dear, how could you be so confused?"
After the family meeting ended, Cai Xiufen, annoyed, gave Captain Kang a glare and went to her beloved daughter's room.
Out of politeness and respect for her elder, Kang Li quickly sat up.
Sitting on the edge of the kang, Cai Xiufen lovingly looked at her daughter, who was as beautiful as a fairy, and, with a tone of reprimand yet not concealing her affection, said:
"Why won't you listen to your mother? I am doing this for your own good. Your health is poor, and you're going to that faraway place to become a stepmother to three children. Don't you know how hard it is to be a stepmother?
Think about the families in our village with stepmothers—what kind of lives do they lead? If you're kind to the children from previous relationships, outsiders call it false kindness. Using the old term from large households, they call it 'fatal helping.'
If you are not kind to them, everyone says the stepmother is wicked. It seems you are wrong no matter what you do. If a mother is truly not good, then she deserves the gossip, but if she genuinely cares for those children, won't she die of frustration?"
"Mother, I'm not afraid of people gossiping; I only know that time will prove everything, and I'm not a fool to let others slander me maliciously."
Kang Li said with a naive look, "Keeping everything bottled up will make me sick even if I'm not, and I want to stay healthy. That way, you can be at ease at home. So, Mom, just trust your smart and lovely Li Bao. I will never let myself be mistreated."
"You must remember, we don't start trouble lightly, but we are also not afraid of it. Whenever you encounter difficulties or are wronged, don't forget to call our team headquarters."
As Cai Xiufen gently stroked her daughter's braided hair, her eyes welled up with tears. After thinking for a moment, she added, "It would be nice if our family had a relative or two in North City. Then, if you ever face any urgent matter, there would be relatives who could come to help you promptly."
Kang Li said, "I promise I will be fine."
Shaking her head gently, Cai Xiufen said, "Silly girl, how can a mother not worry about her children being away from home... Arguing with your father, I really didn't want to do that, but I just... just can't stand it. Although your father says it's for your own good as well, he decided in front of Secretary Wu without discussing it with us at home. He agreed to marry you off to a man who has been married before,
and then he went behind our backs and took the marriage certificate on your behalf. His idea was too imposing; he didn't leave us any room for discussion!"
"My dad did seek my opinion, and I nodded in agreement, so it really isn't his fault. Moreover, my dad is part of the organization, he has his beliefs. He thinks marrying Comrade Luo is not bad for me, and it also allows me to indirectly support Comrade Luo, who wholeheartedly contributes to the country,
equivalent to me contributing to our nation as well. My dad has very high ideological awareness; as his family, it would be bad if we held him back when he is not at fault."
Kang Li reassured her mother.
"What holding back or not, I think your father is just careless, meddling in your major life decisions haphazardly."
The damn old man, tonight before bed, watch her twist his ear off!
Kang Li chuckled, "Mother, everyone in our family knows about my health. The Zhou family used my infertility as an excuse to break off the marriage at our doorstep. I'm not upset; in fact, I'm somewhat relieved, to avoid getting married into the Zhou family and not having children for years,
leading to them showing displeasure and the villagers gossiping. Now that I'm about to go live with Comrade Luo in North City, Mother, I genuinely feel pretty good about it.
Comrade Luo earns a good salary and also gets various types of coupons and certificates. I'm sure I'll live a comfortably wealthy life. Moreover, Comrade Luo already has three children,
he certainly won't mind whether I have children or not, and for myself, I do not want to have children. Partly because my health probably doesn't allow it, and also because I'm afraid of pain. I fear that if something goes wrong during childbirth, I could die..."