The Female Lead Decides to Act Wickedly

Chapter 36: Chapter 036: Another Scammer (Part 15)

For the first time, Xu Xiulan felt that a daughter was actually better than a son.

Daughters are so considerate!

No wonder they’re called the ”little cotton-padded jackets” of their moms.

Xu Xiulan’s maternal heart was completely awakened by He Tiantian’s clever and sensible behavior.

Initially, Xu Xiulan had wanted to ask He Tiantian for some things.

That’s right, when Zhou Chuanguo brought He Tiantian back, she had packed a large bag of belongings.

Inside were He Tiantian’s clothes, books, and some trinkets.

Xu Xiulan remembered that Zhou Chuanguo and Feng Mingjie, the couple, had always doted on their daughter He Tiantian, and hadn’t skimped on buying her nice things from childhood.

And that old hag from the Zhou family, who had personally raised He Tiantian, don’t even mention how dear Tiantian was to her.

That old coot must have saved up quite a bit doing deliveries when she was young.

Later, she went on to work as a doctor in the big hospitals in the provincial city, with a good salary and benefits, very rich indeed.

Given how much the old lady liked He Tiantian, she would certainly leave Tiantian some money or something when she died.

Xu Xiulan thought she wasn’t being too greedy, casually asking for a gold bracelet or gold bangle could be enough to rebuild their house once sold.

With her two sons growing up, Xu Xiulan had long wanted to build a couple of big tiled houses.

It was just unfortunate that her husband was incapable, and her eldest son only knew how to work cluelessly in the fields. There was also Zhou Zixuan, that troublesome one, who didn’t contribute much to the household chores and clamored to go to school every day!

...Ah, it was simply endless hassle and trouble, the whole family couldn’t save much money throughout the year.

The few hundred yuan in Xu Xiulan’s passbook had been scraped together through scrimping and saving, as well as shamelessly wheedling from Feng Mingjie.

Thinking about it made her feel bitter.

But, seeing how considerate He Tiantian was, Xu Xiulan suddenly felt that the He family might have to rely on this daughter in the future, so she better not push too hard.

Forget it, forget it, she’d think about the house later.

Wait until next year when Tiantian got into university and Jiabao found a proper job, then they could think of ways to raise money to build the house.

Besides, Tiantian was so sensible; just having returned, she already knew to plan for her brother’s future. If the family encountered difficulties, she certainly wouldn’t ignore them.

Thinking this way, Xu Xiulan temporarily put aside her plans to take advantage of He Tiantian.

He Tiantian didn’t know the thoughts in Xu Xiulan’s mind, but having seen all kinds of petty people in her previous life, she knew all too well what kind of scheming a top-grade person like Xu Xiulan could have.

Therefore, she took the initiative to help the family and would make Xu Xiulan look good in front of others.

In the future, ah, she would continue to flatter Xu Xiulan, until she ”praised” her into a real ”good mother”!

Returning to He Family Village on the first night, He Tiantian, although lying in a small, low, dilapidated thatched hut and surrounded by the stale smell of old quilts, still slept very sweetly.

The next morning He Tiantian got up early.

Instead of wearing the woolen clothes and knit trousers she brought back from the Zhou family, she changed into a red floral-patterned cotton jacket and trousers, typical of rural attire.

”Goodness, my daughter has such a strong foundation, she looks good in anything!”

Arriving in the kitchen to see the bustling Xu Xiulan, Xu Xiulan looked up and saw He Tiantian’s outfit, immediately breaking into a proud smile and bragging.

Xu Xiulan wasn’t just boasting—He Tiantian, dressed in simple clothes, but with fair skin, her eyes watery like apricots and her braids black and shiny, didn’t look like an ordinary rustic farm girl at all.

Instead, there was a mysterious air of sophistication about her.

Xu Xiulan was filled with a sense of achievement: Just look, such a pretty young girl is the one I gave birth to, the daughter of Old He’s family.

”Mom, let me help you!” After quickly washing up, He Tiantian approached Xu Xiulan to show her willingness.

”What can you do?” Xu Xiulan was pleased internally, yet still kept up a stingy facade.

He Tiantian maintained a sweet smile, ”I might not know anything, but I can learn, can’t I? You’re so capable, mom, and I’m your biological daughter, so I shouldn’t be too far off!”

After such flattery, Seo Xiulan grew even prouder.

However, she still showed her disdain with a purse of her lips and shooed He Tiantian out, ”Alright, alright, you don’t need to add to the chaos here. Hurry up and wake up your dad and your brothers. You’ve got to go to the clinic today!”

”It’s your first day at work, don’t be late!”

”Mom, let me help you with the meal!”

He Tiantian didn’t take the opportunity to leave. Instead, she busily carried a porcelain bowl brimming with sweet potato porridge with great care into the central room.

”...This child, she really knows what to do!” She is indeed my own flesh and blood.

Seo Xiulan was completely satisfied with He Tiantian.

After breakfast with the family, He Tiantian went to the clinic at the east end of the village.

It was now January, a time when the farmers were not busy.

Still, the family’s private plot needed tending to.

He Dazhuang took his brothers, He Jiabao and He Jiayu, to work in the private plot.

At home, Seo Xiulan fed the chickens, gathered firewood, and tidied up the housework.

”Oh my, you must be He Family’s mistakenly adopted daughter, right?”

Along the way, He Tiantian ”happened” to meet several groups of aunties and grandmothers, who were either whispering in corners or taking the initiative to greet He Tiantian.

Whether they knew her or not, He Tiantian greeted everyone with a smile and said very politely, ”Hello, Aunt! Hello, Granny! I’m He Tiantian, my dad is He Dazhuang!”

”Dear me, look at how different a child raised in the city is compared to our village girls.”

”Isn’t that the truth, just look at how pale her little face is, just like soft tofu.”

”Psh, what’s the use of being pretty, she’s still got to come back to farm the land, doesn’t she?”

”Who says the He Family’s daughter is coming back to farm? She knows how to treat illness and give injections, the brigade leader has specifically arranged for her to be a barefoot doctor at the clinic!”

The crowd was abuzz with both innocent curiosity and envious spite.

But He Tiantian acted as if she hadn’t heard, smiling with pursed lips no matter who called out to her.

Finally reaching the clinic, He Tiantian found that it was just two rooms with a very quaint style, as if they were built during the Republic era.

During dinner the previous evening, the family had chatted, and He Dazhuang had mentioned, ”The clinic was originally a Taoist Temple. In those years when feudal superstition was being abolished, the Taoist was secularized, and the temple was confiscated by the production brigade!”

Although it was a bit rundown, it was a rare brick and tile building in He Family Village.

He Tiantian took the keys that the brigade leader had given her, unlocked the door, and pushed it open, only to find that there was almost nothing inside.

There was a medicine cabinet against the wall by the door, but it was small and had only a few medicines inside.

An office desk stood by the window. Its corners had lost their paint, and one of the four legs was broken, propped up by a stone.

Next to the desk lay a washstand frame, but the spots that should hold a washbasin and a soapbox were empty.

It seems they were probably taken by the previous barefoot doctor, Dr. Liu.

He Tiantian put her army green canvas bag on the table, slowly circled the room to get a general sense of her work environment, and mentally noted what she would need to add in the future.

An enameled washbasin, soap, a coat stand... In addition, the medicine cabinet needed restocking.

Western medicines were hard to come by, so she would prepare some traditional Chinese herbal medicines.

Right, and also acupuncture needles.

He Tiantian quietly took note of these items, but when she opened the desk drawer, she surprisingly found a packet of acupuncture needles inside.

They were the most common type of steel needles but would suffice.

He Tiantian nodded in satisfaction. However, before she could finish cleaning the clinic, the sound of chaotic footsteps and shouting came from outside, ”Dr. Liu, help, my, my wife is giving birth...”