Who’d come over this late? Su Xiaoxiao wondered. She walked over to open the yard gate and saw Auntie Wang standing outside. She was stunned for a moment: "Aunt Wang, is there anything you need coming over so late?" Aunt Wang hesitantly glanced at her and spoke: "Xiaoxiao, I heard that the department store will receive some stainless steel mugs and flashlights tomorrow, but the quantities are limited. I wanted to confirm, is there no problem with the things I reserved?" Before Su Xiaoxiao could reply, a disdainful snort came from behind Aunt Wang: "My daughter said that the flashlights and stainless steel mugs arriving at the department store tomorrow have already been reserved by the staff. Regular folks like us have no chance. I think some people are just pretending they’re more important than they are." Without even looking, Su Xiaoxiao knew who that annoying voice belonged to. Sure enough, she looked up and saw Li Huilan standing behind Aunt Wang. Li Huilan’s expression was mocking: "I’ve heard that your batch of new employees don’t even get the chance to work the counter, let alone help people buy things." Aunt Wang, hearing this, looked even more anxious: "Xiaoxiao, both the flashlight and the stainless steel mugs are for my son’s fiancé. You absolutely have to help me find a way, and if necessary, I can pay you extra." Su Xiaoxiao waved her hand: "Aunt Wang, no need to pay extra. I’ll definitely bring back the stainless steel mugs and flashlights for you tomorrow." Li Huilan rolled her eyes disdainfully upon hearing this: "Who wouldn’t boast? Don’t make others happy for nothing when you can’t get the goods tomorrow." Su Xiaoxiao was speechless; Li Huilan was just as annoying as her daughter Zhang Dongmei. "How do you know I can’t get them? Tomorrow hasn’t come yet, has it?" Li Huilan looked at her with scorn on her face: "I think you’re just stubborn. Even my daughter mentioned that veteran employees can’t necessarily get them. What makes a new employee like you so capable?" "I advise you to admit defeat soon. Maybe my daughter could be merciful and let you off the hook. After all, given your family’s condition, scraping together two hundred yuan might bankrupt you." Just then, Aunt Wang sniffed the air suddenly, "What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant, like meat buns." As she spoke, she looked at Su Xiaoxiao: "Xiaoxiao, what delicious food did you have tonight? It smells wonderful." Before Su Xiaoxiao could answer, Li Huilan chimed in first. "What good stuff could her family afford? They can’t even bear to eat their fill of sorghum bread and pickled vegetables." Su Xiaoxiao didn’t bother to respond to her, just smiled at Aunt Wang: "Auntie, I started working at the department store today. On my way back, I bought some meat buns to celebrate." Upon hearing there were meat buns, Aunt Wang’s mouth started watering. Her grandson had been asking for meat buns these days, but their meat tickets had long been used up. Thinking about this, she awkwardly looked at Su Xiaoxiao: "Xiaoxiao, might I trade you a meat bun for two eggs?" These days, eggs and meat were equally precious items. A meat bun cost ten cents, and an egg was seven cents, so she’d be coming out ahead in the deal. "Sure, Aunt Wang, wait here a moment, I’ll go get you a meat bun." Su Xiaoxiao turned into the house and quickly brought out a steaming hot meat bun. Li Huilan looked at the steaming hot meat bun and involuntarily swallowed. The Su Family was famously poor, yet now they could afford white flour meat buns? She couldn’t believe it. Su Xiaoxiao handed the meat bun to Aunt Wang, who immediately thanked her repeatedly: "Xiaoxiao, wait here for a bit. I’ll go get the eggs and be right back." Aunt Wang left, and Li Huilan eyed Su Xiaoxiao disdainfully: "Your family is so poor; how can you afford meat buns? Could it be a gift from someone you fancy?" As she spoke, her look at Su Xiaoxiao grew even more contemptuous: "At such a young age already trading favors for food, such a disgrace, unlike my daughter Dongmei who’s honest and straightforward." No sooner had Li Huilan finished her sentence than a bucket of dirty water was dumped over her head. Liu Cuilan threw the basin to the ground with a loud noise, startling the two women. She stood with her hands on her hips: "Shut your filthy mouth. Do you call your daughter straightforward? She’s just ugly and nobody wants her, unlike my daughter who’s known as the beauty of the village." Liu Cuilan’s words weren’t exaggerated. She was indeed known for her beauty when she was younger, the village’s famous flower. And Su Xiaoxiao inherited all her looks, with plenty of little boys chasing after her even as a child, asking her to be their wife. "You shameless old hag, how dare you splash me?" Li Huilan widened her eyes and rushed forward to slap Liu Cuilan. Old resentment mixed with new anger, her eyes were red. Ever since they were young, she could never match Liu Cuilan’s beauty, and then Liu Cuilan married the village chief she liked before her. Although she married into the city, having two daughters in a row made her in-laws look down on her, and she suffered domestic abuse. Dıscover more novels at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 If her husband hadn’t died from alcohol abuse and she hadn’t remarried into a good family, she would have been dominated by Liu Cuilan all her life. Before her hand could touch anyone, a slender young hand caught her wrist. In her startled moment, Su Xiaoxiao slapped her face. You can bully her, but not her mother. Li Huilan was stunned; even this brat dared to lay a hand on her. But she was outnumbered and couldn’t fight back. Seeing Liu Cuilan pick up a bamboo stick nearby, she took a step back and shouted: "Alright, you shameless thing dare to hit me? Do you know who my son-in-law is? He’s a battalion commander in the army. When my daughter becomes the commander’s wife, I’ll have my son-in-law properly deal with you." Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao paused for a moment. Didn’t Zhou Cheng break up with Zhang Dongmei? Moreover, he frequently wrote to her, sending money, tickets, and stuff, to the point where she felt embarrassed. Could this jerk really be eating from one bowl while eyeing another? She never expected that honest-looking man to be such a thing? Su Xiaoxiao’s expression soured. Li Huilan thought she was intimidated by her words and became even more smug. "Dongmei’s boyfriend looks great and is a commander. He adores Dongmei and often sends her things. Unlike some people, he appreciates my daughter’s good character and talent." Unexpectedly, no sooner had she finished her words than someone suddenly rushed out and grabbed Li Huilan’s wrist.