Zhao Xianlai snorted and said to Zhou Lanfang, "Enough, stop wailing like a banshee. It's your family affair, and under normal circumstances, I shouldn't interfere. But the child was beaten so severely and even ran to my house, I can't ignore that. Make a promise, never lay a hand on Mianmian again."
Pah, still remembers it's her family affair, huh? How she wants to beat her own raised bastard is her business, Zhou Lanfang cursed inwardly, but her ranting voice didn't diminish by half.
Zhao Xianlai paid her no mind and turned to look at Shen Jianhua, "Jianhua, since Mianmian's poor academic performance is due to trouble at home, what about her schooling..."
Shen Jianhua interrupted Zhao Xianlai with a troubled look on his face, "Village chief, it's not that I don't want to let Mianmian go to school, you know the situation at my home. Now that I'm unemployed and getting work that pays as high as the kiln factory's wage is unlikely, I simply can't support two high school students, not to mention college later on. Siyu has better grades..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was crystal clear.
"Dad..."
She had thought that knowing the truth, even if out of guilt, Jianhua would agree to let her study. It turns out she was overthinking. Although it was Zhou Lanfang's instigation, it must also be Shen Jianhua's own decision, right? Zhou Lanfang was just made to be the villain.
Shen Jianhua's eyes darted around, avoiding Shen Mianmian's gaze.
Zhao Xianlai looked at Shen Mianmian apologetically, realizing he was unable to help in this situation.
In the eighties, schooling was not free; even if Jianhua had not lost his job, supporting two students was challenging. As the village chief, how could he mediate knowing the family's financial situation?
"Dad, am I really your biological daughter?" Tears the size of beans fell from her eyes, but she bit her lip, refusing to cry out loud. The scars on her arms and legs made her seem more pitiable than "Little Cabbage" in TV dramas.
The question hit Shen Jianhua's sore spot, "What kind of question is that? Back then your mother and I could barely fend for ourselves, how could we have extra to raise someone else's child?"
Zhou Lanfang, panicked, stopped crying and stood up abruptly, "You ungrateful girl, did you listen to some old gossip?" She'd raised her for over a decade, and now that she was of age to work and earn money, she couldn't let Mianmian discover the truth.
Shen Mianmian sneered inside but continued to question with feigned innocence, "Which father doesn't let his own daughter study but supports someone else's girl? No matter how good the other family's daughter does in school, can she provide for your old age?"
She deliberately emphasized the term "provide for your old age."
A bastard daughter is still closer than a niece, right?
Shen Jianhua: "..." He was at a loss for words. Yet Mianmian's point was valid. When Zhou Siyu came to live with them, she was already old enough to remember and would often go back to her own home. Although the future seemed promising, whether she would actually provide for him in his old age was indeed in question.
Zhou Lanfang jabbed Shen Mianmian's forehead forcefully, frightening Mianmian into flinching, "You wretched girl, learning to sow discord now, huh? Siyu's better in her studies than you, she's the one who deserves an education."
If not for her miscarriage that caused her infertility years ago, how could she tolerate Shen Mianmian in the Shen Family all these years?
"Speak your mind, why the need to be violent?" Shen Jianhua glared at Zhou Lanfang, then pulled Shen Mianmian behind him. The village chief was watching. Couldn't she restrain herself a little?
"This girl does poorly in school and yet competes with Siyu, how can I not intervene?" She could not give in on this matter. She had always been mean to that girl; if Mianmian ever becomes capable, who knows how she might retaliate?