Mu Qingli thought that if Zhu Cuiping agreed to let her stay, then she wouldn't leave. With the knowledge she had acquired in her previous life, it wouldn't be a problem to lead her foster parents and their family to wealth.
This was, after all, the place where she grew up. No matter whether it was her foster father or foster mother, she harbored uncuttable affection for them in her heart, which only grew stronger after having lived a second life. She felt even more reluctant to leave.
After leading her foster parents and their family to economic success, she would personally go to Imperial City to take revenge on her enemies with her own hands!
"Not leaving?" As soon as Zhu Cuiping heard this, she became anxious and said bluntly, "How could that be! I've already taken the money! No, no! You must leave today! And remember, I'm not your mother! I only have Zhenzhu as my daughter."
Actually, Zhu Cuiping did have some feelings for Mu Qingli; after all, she had raised her for so many years. However, when it came to choosing between money and Mu Qingli, it was clear that money was more important.
Could Mu Qingli be exchanged for a bright and shiny 200,000?
Su Zhenzhu, on the other hand, was sneering on the side. This Mu Qingli was truly a fool! Not knowing how to enjoy the good fortune she had! If she could take Mu Qingli's place, would this good fortune ever come her way?
Why wasn't she the one who was picked up?
Why did Mu Qingli become the wealthy young miss?
Su Zhenzhu's resentment grew stronger, her hands tightly twisted together, the fury in her eyes seemed to burn Mu Qingli into ashes.
Mu Qingli didn't pay any attention to Su Zhenzhu; she never expected Zhu Cuiping to reject her so resolutely.
So, in her foster mother's heart, she was not even as valuable as those 200,000...
A trace of barely visible ridicule curled on Mu Qingli's lips.
Just then, her foster father Su Qiandeng came out from the main room. Seeing the three women standing there, he let out a deep sigh, his eyes faintly red.
Su Qiandeng was a bit different from Zhu Cuiping.
He really treated Mu Qingli as his own daughter. When she was a child, he would secretly hide snacks for Mu Qingli to eat. If Mu Qingli suffered any grievances, he would comfort her...
Mu Qingli's gaze shifted to Su Qiandeng, softly saying, "Dad."
This call of "Dad" made her foster father's tears flow down his face.
To him, that 200,000 couldn't even compare to one of Mu Qingli's fingers.
He too could not bear to part with this daughter.
But, in this family, he had no say.
Beyond sighing and shedding tears, he was helpless.
Su Qiandeng wiped his tears and choked out, "My child, it's because I'm incompetent, I have let you down..."
If he had money, he wouldn't need to trade his child for it.
He had failed his daughter.
Su Qiandeng was an authentic farmer, honest and straightforward, not even able to speak the common tongue properly.
Mu Qingli knew the difficulty he faced.
And she knew that Su Qiandeng had no control over the situation.
So she said no more. Indeed, she did not belong here.
Why force a difficult situation?
"What are you crying for! Bad luck!" Zhu Cuiping slapped Su Qiandeng on the head and shouted, "I'm sending her off to a life of luxury, not to prison! What's there to cry about? It's Qingli's good fortune, our Zhenzhu would wish for such luck but isn't fated to have it! That's the Mu Family we're talking about! A wealthy household! If Qingli goes with them, she'll have far better prospects than with us two farmers!"
This year, Mu Qingli was already in her senior year of high school, and she would be sitting for the university entrance exams next year. The Su Family was just an ordinary group of farmers, and if Mu Qingli got into university, they simply couldn't afford her education, so Mu Qingli would have to drop out and become a factory girl.
Their money had to be saved for Su Zhenzhu's university education!
After all, Su Zhenzhu was their biological child.
If Mu Qingli had gone to the Mu Family back then, she wouldn't have had to worry about these issues.
The Mu Family was wealthy; could they not afford a university student?
This move would not only allow Mu Qingli to attend college but also easily net 200,000 yuan. Naturally, Zhu Cuiping wouldn't pass up such a win-win opportunity.
Although Zhu Cuiping was uneducated, she was shrewd.
She knew how to act in order to maximize her own interests.
Moreover, using college as a shield would also earn her a good reputation, wouldn't it?
Otherwise, how ugly would it sound to be known for selling her daughter for money?
Mu Qingli lifted her hand to wipe away tears and looked up at her adoptive parents, her throat tightening as she said, "Okay, I understand."
"If you understand, then go and prepare quickly. What good is crying and weeping? If you truly have a conscience, after you get there, just don't forget about us old folks and your sister. If I hadn't picked you up back then, you'd have been long dead!"
Zhu Cuiping started bringing up the past again, making sure every sentence reminded Mu Qingli to be grateful.
Gratitude.
What a ridiculous notion.
Ever since Mu Qingli could remember, her adoptive mother repeated this phrase in her ear every day.
As if she was afraid Mu Qingli would forget that she was picked up off the streets.
Listening to these words, Mu Qingli's expression gradually turned cold. Su Qiandeng, listening by the side, felt uncomfortable and couldn't help but interrupt Zhu Cuiping, "Alright, alright! The child is about to leave, stop talking about that!"
Zhu Cuiping glared at Su Qiandeng, angrily retorting, "I insist on saying it! I haven't spoken wrongly! She was indeed picked up by me. Without me, would she be alive today? Is it wrong for me to ask her to be grateful?"
Zhu Cuiping, a person without cunning, spoke straightforwardly, never beating around the bush. Even though she was uneducated, she still knew the principle of repaying a drop of kindness with a fountain of gratitude.
The Mu Family was a major household in Beijing, and under normal circumstances, how could the Su Family ever rub shoulders with such notables? There's a saying that an individual's fortune can lift the entire family to the heavens.
A mere 200,000 yuan couldn't possibly sever the life-saving debt she owed to Mu Qingli.
Su Zhenzhu was the Su Family's only daughter, and when the time came for her to enter the city, she would surely rely on Mu Qingli.
Then, like Mu Qingli, Su Zhenzhu could also become a young lady of wealth, and thereafter, Zhu Cuiping could enjoy the good fortune behind her two daughters.
Zhu Cuiping's calculations clicked and clacked in her head noisily.
Why would she miss out on something that brought both fame and profit?
Leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded, Su Zhenzhu watched Mu Qingli, an undisguised envy surfacing in her eyes.
Mu Qingli, now nearly five feet seven, had long hair that cascaded over her shoulders, skin as white as milk, and a pair of delicate, alluring phoenix eyes. She was so perfect she seemed like the heroine straight out of a TV drama—how could she resemble someone who grew up in the countryside?
Then look at herself...
Her skin was slightly yellow, and even though she wore a dress that was prettier than Mu Qingli's, she didn't come close to half of Qingli's charm.
Life truly wasn't fair.
Despite growing up with Mu Qingli and sharing similar diets, why had Mu Qingli grown to be so beautiful?
Moreover, Mu Qingli had done farm work since she was young, while she never had to do any work at all. How could she be so much worse off compared to Mu Qingli?
"Dad, Mom, before I leave home, I want to go up the mountain to say goodbye to Grandma," Mu Qingli said, looking at her adoptive parents with a pleading look in her shimmering phoenix eyes.
Su Qiandeng sighed, his tone bitter as he said, "Go on, but make it quick. Don't keep the people from the Mu Family waiting."
"Okay." Mu Qingli nodded, walked past Su Zhenzhu who was leaning against the door, and headed outside.
Outside, a chubby little puppy that had been chasing chickens around the yard quickly followed behind Mu Qingli.
The little puppy was plump and adorable.
Su Zhenzhu quickly caught up to Mu Qingli's figure, her eyes smiling as she said, "Sister, let me accompany you."
Su Zhenzhu was someone who knew where advantage lay. She realized that very soon, she would be in a different world from Mu Qingli, so it was time to ingratiate herself with Qingli.
She intended to climb up using Mu Qingli to become a young lady of wealth herself!