Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 29.1 – Their Sadness Is Real, but It Doesn’t Stop Them From Seeking Benefits (I)

After breakfast, the family convened again at the eldest uncle’s house to discuss the matter of retrieving Xia Chun’s remains. The Zhang family lived in a poor mountain valley in Daliang Mountain. To get there from Mingxi County, you had to take two bus transfers, almost a full day’s journey. By the time they arrived, it would be late at night, so how would they negotiate with the Zhang family? After negotiating, exhuming the grave would also require rituals which took time… The family was discussing the method of transportation, how many people to take, and how many days it would require.

Suddenly, Second Aunt-in-law Xia came in excitedly, “Hey, why take a bus? Let’s take my daughter Lili’s fiance’s car!”

As she spoke, a heavily made-up girl followed behind her. Her blue-green eye shadow sparkled in the sunlight, her mascara clumped together like flies’ legs, and she made it complete by thickly applying bright red lipstick. Her look reminded Xia Mian of the #MyFirstMakeup# trend on social media back in her old world. It was a type of ‘extravagant’ makeup that did not aim for naturalness but to show off the number of eye shadows used and how thickly powder was applied.

This girl was Xia Li, the second daughter of Second Uncle Xia’s family. She had dropped out right after graduating junior high to start working, so despite her appearance, she was only seventeen, just one year older than Xia Mian.

Hearing the second aunt-in-law’s words, Eldest Uncle Xia frowned slightly, “Lili’s still young. Has she already gotten herself a fiance?”

But Second Uncle Xia’s reaction was very different. His eyes lit up as he excitedly asked back, “Our Lili has made it?! Did she get a fiance with a car?!”

Xia Li blushed shyly, secretly glancing at Xia Mian with a hint of pride, “Nothing as such Dad, it’s still too early. I just heard something happened at home this time, so I came back to help.”

Xia Mian pretended not to notice her provocation.

Second Uncle Xia stood up, thrilled, “Since he is willing to drive you back from the city so early in the morning, he must really care. There is no way he wouldn’t marry you!”

“What kind of car does your man drive?” he asked eagerly.

Xia Li tried her best to sound nonchalant, “He drove a small van today, thinking it might be useful to help our family, since the Santana is too small.”

“He has two cars?” Her parents’ eyes lit up.

“He and his men are doing construction, so they have a few cars.” Xia Li responded casually. If not for her sneaky glance, secretly observing everyone’s expressions, her act would have been perfect.

Unlike his daughter, Second Uncle Xia made no effort to hide his pride, “Well, that’ll certainly make things convenient for us now that he’s willing to lend us his car.” But his words still ended on money, “But it’s going to cost a lot to pay for gas to drive to Daliang Mountain, right?”

Xia Li explained, “It’ll still be cheaper than the bus, though.”

“No problem. If he’s willing to help, we certainly can’t let him lose out. We can pay a bit more if needed.” Eldest Uncle Xia said.

“Then I’ll go see how many people can fit and how much gas money is needed,” Second Uncle Xia was eager to meet this golden son-in-law.

Eldest Uncle Xia also followed, clearly not fully trusting the second branch’s characters and needing to confirm for himself.

Xia Li waved at Xia Mian, “Xia Mian, aren’t you coming too? Let’s go.”

“No, I still have something to do.” Xia Mian said expressionlessly, not wanting to listen to Xia Li’s cringeworthy bragging. Worried Xia Li would insist, she simply turned to talk to Xia Wenyue.

Because they were only one year apart in age, the cousins had always compared themselves growing up. The original ‘Xia Mian’ had felt her life was better than Xia Li’s, but after her father passed away, her family became increasingly strapped for money. In contrast, Xia Li started working and earning money at a young age, so every time she came home she would dress flashily and tell Xia Mian how wonderful the outside world was:

“The big bosses who come to our store all have mobile phones.”

“When those bosses give tips, they casually hand out 100 yuan notes.”

“See, what’s the use of studying? Look at me, I make 300 yuan a month just in wages. By the time you graduate university, I’ll have earned 10,000-20,000 yuan in 4-5 years.”

“What can you do even if you go to university? Our boss didn’t even finish elementary school, yet people with diplomas still have to work for him.”

“There’s a girl at our shop who caught a big boss’s eye. He sent her lots of flowers, and she had 5 gold rings. Then she married him and instantly became a wealthy madam. University graduates who work for her husband would have to address her politely.”

In an era when being poor was more shameful than being promiscuous, these words shook the ‘Xia Mian’s’ resolve, which Xia Li noticed, so she loved flaunting herself in front of the ‘Xia Mian’ and urging her to drop out of school and go out to work.

Now that she had brought home a “boss” with a car, Xia Li must have been beside herself with smugness. She probably couldn’t wait to use herself as a success story, harping endlessly in Xia Mian’s ear. But this couldn’t be resolved with force, so Xia Mian decided to avoid her.

When Eldest Uncle Xia returned, however, he looked grim, and there was this conflicted expression on his face. Although Xia Wenyue rarely came to visit, she understood her brother’s family very well, and just sneered, “Brother, don’t bother with them. If his own daughter is willing to debase herself, why should we care?”

When Xia Mian saw Xia Li’s ‘prospective fiance’ Wang Tao, she understood why the eldest uncle had shaken his head and sighed. This man looked nearly 30 years old, with a round figure, about the same height as Xia Li. His appearance was not ugly, but he was not handsome either—at best, you could call him extremely ordinary-looking. He carried car keys and had a thick mobile phone tucked under his arm, walking with an exaggerated gait in an effort to show off the aura of a wealthy man.

But Xia Li’s family was clearly completely taken in by this façade.

Eldest Uncle Xia attempted to impart some sense onto the couple, softly questioning if Wang Tao’s age was too different from Xia Li’s and if he really had never married before.

But Second Aunt-in-law shot back with theories like “Older men take better care of women” and “Divorced men know how to cherish their wives better.”

After a sigh, Eldest Uncle Xia said no more.

Since Wang Tao had come with Xia Li, he was naturally willing to help, so the matter was quickly settled: Wang Tao would drive, taking Xia Wenyue, the three Xia brothers, Xia Mian, and Second Aunt-in-law Xia—who insisted on going by car—to Daliang Mountain.

Xiao Feng would stay behind at the eldest uncle’s house for now. This trip was bound to involve conflicts, which were different from regular disputes. With Zhang Qiming arrested, his mother would certainly stop at nothing to rescue her son, and Xiao Feng would be her only leverage. Who knew what she might do in her desperation—this was the woman who had raised four ‘brother slaves.’

1

Yes, Zhang Qiming had four older sisters who had almost all devoted half their lives to him, allowing him to leave Daliang Mountain. As such, he was so accustomed to exploiting women for profit.

扶弟魔. “扶” means “to support,” “弟” means “younger brother,” and “魔” means “monster.” Chinese netizens coined the term with the same pronunciation as the Chinese for Voldemort, for a comic effect. It refers to elder sisters from families where male offspring are much more valued than female. Brought up in such belief, the elder sister tends to do everything she could, even at the sacrifice of her own interest, to help and support her younger brothers. (source:szdaily(dot)com)