The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 797: Chapter 778: I Am Not a Slut

Anning was adept at using emotional bonds to manipulate people, and this wasn’t the first or second time she had done so.

She could use such bonds to tear a family apart, turning the closest of kin into bitter enemies.

Even more impressively, she could make children who weren’t her own feel eternally grateful and extremely devoted to her.

When it came to playing the game of emotions, truly no one was Anning’s match.

Sitting on the sofa, she began instructing Mrs. Jiang on how to ensnare Wei Jiaming.

Mrs. Jiang always saw Anning as insightful and took her advice to heart. Listening to her detail how to scheme against her son-in-law was quite an eye-opener.

She had never imagined that there were such methods in the world.

Mrs. Jiang herself was quite astute; despite her lack of education due to her family’s poverty when she was young, she was not at all foolish.

Considering how she and Grandma Jiang were at odds, yet she managed to persuade the dutiful Mr. Jiang to strive for a better life with her in the city, and after all these years, she continued to control and brainwash Mr. Jiang, subtly shifting his affections towards her, it was evident that she was a capable and clear-sighted woman.

For such an intelligent person, some things could be understood with a mere hint.

Anning did not need to say much, and Mrs. Jiang got the hint immediately.

”Mom understands, rest assured, from now on I will definitely take care of our, er, sons-in-law in an orderly fashion.”

Er?

Anning was somewhat speechless.

She thought to herself, I’m teaching you how to scheme against your brother-in-law, how did you start thinking of using this on all three sons-in-law in the future?

Anyway, Anning didn’t know about others, but Xiao Yuan was probably someone Mrs. Jiang couldn’t manipulate.

At night, when Anning and Xiao Yuan were on the phone, she brought up this matter.

Xiao Yuan chuckled, ”I got it.”

As for what exactly he understood, only he knew.

But soon, Anning no longer had time to worry about these trivial family matters.

The game she had developed entered public testing and was formally introduced to players.

Furthermore, Mr. and Mother Xiao were planning to return to the village, and Anning and Xiao Yuan had to see them off.

Additionally, the battery project Anning was working on was reaching its final stages.

Xiao Yuan, on his side, was also in the experimental phase with the Nutrient Liquid he was working on.

In short, the couple was extremely busy.

But, it just so happened that during this busy time, Aunt Sun called Mrs. Jiang to inform her that Liu Fang’s wedding was on the twenty-eighth of the first lunar month, reminding Mrs. Jiang to bring Anning and her two sisters to join in the festivities.

By the time Aunt Sun told Mrs. Jiang, it was already the twenty-sixth, and it was somewhat late.

But Aunt Sun always had an explanation ready.

”It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, and I know your family is very busy. If I had told you earlier, I was afraid you might not remember, but now that I’m telling you, you definitely won’t forget.”

This really irked Mrs. Jiang.

As if suggesting she was going senile.

But as irritated as she was, she still had to go; after all, they had been old neighbors for many years.

And speaking of Aunt Sun, you couldn’t really pinpoint her as a mean person; she wasn’t the type to suffer a loss, but neither was she thoroughly bad-hearted.

When the Jiang family first moved to the old residence area, Aunt Sun had already been living there for years and was well-acquainted with the neighborhood. She took Mrs. Jiang under her wing, helping her familiarize herself with the neighbors and lending a hand willingly when needed.

There was also that time when Anning came down with a high fever, nearly delirious with it, and Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were not at home. With no choice, Anning turned to Aunt Sun for help.

Without a second thought, Aunt Sun took money from her own purse to accompany Anning to the hospital.

Back then, the Jiang family was so poor it was a hand-to-mouth existence, and when Mr. and Mrs. Jiang returned, they could not even afford to pay back Aunt Sun for the medical expenses. Aunt Sun did not press for repayment, merely saying they could pay her back whenever they had the funds.

Was the relationship between the two families really all that bad?

Not necessarily.

During school days, whenever Mrs. Jiang had things to do, Anning and her sisters would often be sent to have meals at Aunt Sun’s place.

Similarly, when Aunt Sun had matters to attend to, she would send Liu Fang over to the Jiang’s for a few meals.

Aunt Sun was just someone who loved to show off a bit and liked to make it seem as if her family was superior, making others look less by comparison.

But if you were truly in a difficult situation, she wasn’t the type to just watch and gloat about your misfortune.

In the end, people are complex, with dualities, and it is often hard to distinctly classify good and evil.

Mrs. Jiang promised she would definitely go, and on the twenty-eighth, she got up early in the morning to start primping and prepping.

She simply couldn’t let herself lose face in front of Aunt Sun.

And she insisted that Anning and her two sisters must dress up beautifully.

Anning didn’t put much effort into dressing up.

After all, it was Liu Fang’s wedding, and it wouldn’t look good to outshine the bride.

Once the mother and daughters were ready, Anning drove to the hotel booked by the Wus.

When they arrived, they saw an archway and a red carpet with flowers on both sides from afar, which looked very well-decorated.

However, upon closer inspection, things were not as they seemed.

Who knows how many years the archway had been used for, with dark oil stains here and there, and the flowers, though pretty at first glance, were all fake without a single real one.

Even the carpet was something to be speechless about.

As soon as Mrs. Jiang saw this, she whispered to An Nan, ”Your Aunt Sun boasted about how great the Wus are and how respectable they are, but look at this, is this what a respectable family would do?”

An Nan just smiled with her head lowered.

Nowadays, weddings in the city were generally held in one hotel with the bride and groom’s sides each taking half of a banquet hall, with a table at the entrance for recording the wedding gifts, with each family on one side.

The tables would also have signs indicating whether it was the groom’s or bride’s relatives and friends, so it was generally not confusing.

As Mrs. Jiang walked into the hotel with Anning and her sisters, they saw Aunt Sun and her husband Liu He Ping.

Aunt Sun was specially dressed up today, in a red Qipao with her hair done up and her makeup exquisite but she seemed a bit out of spirits.

Seeing Mrs. Jiang, she forced a smile and came forward, ”You’re here, come in quickly.”

After greeting, Anning and her sisters entered the banquet hall.

Upon entering, it seemed even more inappropriate.

The hotel chosen by the Wus was indeed of a low standard – it appeared decent from the outside, but inside, the décor was clearly outdated.

The banquet hall was small and the tables were packed so tight it was crowded.

The round tables, too, left much to be desired, with tablecloths torn and worn out, and chairs that were lopsided.

Overall, the guests could immediately tell that this wedding was not of a high standard.

Moreover, it was interesting that only Aunt Sun and Liu He Ping were greeting guests outside, without the sight of the groom’s parents or relatives.

Mrs. Jiang found a place to sit with the sisters and then quietly discussed the situation with them.

”What’s going on here? Didn’t your Aunt Sun say the groom’s side was very wealthy? How come...” she pointed at the tattered items, ”they are not ashamed of this squalor.”

Anning smiled, ”Why bother talking about this? It’s not our family’s affair; it’s not our place to care.”

Mrs. Jiang chuckled, ”Indeed, why even mention it.”

With the wedding not yet started, Anning and the others sat bored and took out their phones to play games.

Anning didn’t play but was chatting with Xiao Yufeng.

A few days earlier, Xiao Yuan had taken Anning to visit Mr. Lu, they were planning to get married and it was appropriate to meet Xiao Yuan’s master.

Mr. Lu was elderly and seldom saw patients anymore, only attending to extremely unusual cases or under unavoidable obligations.

Xiao Yuan brought Anning, and Mr. Lu was quite delighted, talking to Anning all the while. The old man was broad-minded and talkative, and got along well with Anning, who he liked very much.

At noon, Mr. Lu invited Xiao Yuan and Anning to stay for lunch and told the housekeeper to prepare the food.

Anning said it was her first time meeting the master and she should be the one to cook for him, so she took the ingredients and cooked several dishes to express her sincerity.

During their conversation afterward, Anning noticed that Mr. Lu was nostalgic and now preferred to wear handmade cotton clothes, especially fond of wearing cloth shoes with thick soles.

She kept this in mind.

After returning, Anning discussed with Xiao Yufeng and Mother Xiao to help make a few pairs of shoes for Mr. Lu, and if possible, two canary jackets for him.

She was now discussing these matters with Xiao Yufeng.

Mother Xiao had made a couple of pairs of shoes and Xiao Yufeng was sewing clothes. Mother Xiao sent photographs of the shoes, showing her excellent craftsmanship, and Xiao Yufeng even better at making clothes. Anning suggested that Xiao Yufeng start a custom clothing business.

Nowadays, wealthy people care about all-natural products. She suggested Xiao Yufeng use plant dyes, improve the loom herself, weave and dye the cloth, then tailor the clothes by hand. Although the process would be complicated, if she could make a name for herself, it would be quite profitable.

Xiao Yufeng had never thought about this before, and Anning had provided her with a good idea.

Mother Xiao was also quite interested in it.

The Xiao family lived in the mountains where the news was scarce, and life was generally poor. However, because of poverty, many women in the mountains were skilled at needlework. Mother Xiao thought if this could be achieved, it would provide everyone in the area with a way to earn money.

Xiao Yufeng was particularly interested in it, but she did not know how to proceed and was waiting for Anning’s suggestions.