The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

The old man who had been sitting silently finally spoke.

He took a puff from his homemade, low-quality cigarette and coughed: ”Second son, what are you thinking?”

The middle-aged man beside Anning kept his head down: ”I’m not thinking much. My money is for Ningning’s education. Whoever asks, I won’t lend it.”

The old man’s face turned stern: ”That’s your nephew. Is it more important for your nephew to get married or for your daughter to be educated?”

The middle-aged man still didn’t raise his head: ”My daughter is my own, but my nephew is one generation removed.”

Anning also kept her head down, but she felt a sense of relief inside.

It seems, this set of easygoing parents still knew their priorities well. At least they’re not the kind of people who would sacrifice their daughter for the sake of a nephew. Having parents like these, she’ll have it much easier.

The old man angrily stubbed out his cigarette and slammed his hand on the table: ”What nonsense. Your daughter is a burden. Once married, she’ll be someone else’s. But if your nephew gets married and has a son, those are all part of The Yangs.”

The middle-aged man now raised his head.

His expression was calm, without anger; his voice steady, yet such calmness could infuriate anyone: ”Dad, can you guarantee that Fugui will have a son after getting married? What if he has a daughter, a ’burden’ as well?”

The old man was almost choked by a breath, nearly fainting from rage.

The middle-aged man continued speaking calmly: ”The country’s policy is family planning, a couple can only have one child. Having a boy or girl isn’t like shopping where you get whatever you ask for. If Fugui marries and has a daughter, do you expect him to divorce then?”

The woman beside the middle-aged man quickly added: ”Yes, dad, Er Chou is right. No one can guarantee the gender of their child. Why not discuss with the girl’s family and let her live with Fugui first? We’ll give the betrothal gift in full once they have a son. If they have a daughter, they can leave with her. We won’t stop them. What do you think...”

The plump woman was infuriated upon hearing this. She jumped up and started scolding the middle-aged couple beside Anning: ”What nonsense. You’re cursing me to not have a grandson. You...”

The middle-aged woman glanced at the plump woman: ”Elder sister-in-law, what are you saying? I’m just considering your situation, fearing your family might have a burdensome child. That would be a big loss for our family. Also, sister-in-law, your words were really inappropriate. Er Chou’s mother is sitting here, and she hasn’t spoken nonsense at all.”

Anning lowered her head to stifle her laughter.

She found this couple truly amusing.

They seemed unassuming, but actually, they were sharp-tongued and had their own ideas, especially protective of their children.

However, letting them continue arguing wasn’t a solution. Anning thought for a moment, held her breath, making her face change color, turning pale. She suddenly collapsed onto the middle-aged woman’s body: ”Mom, I feel unwell, I can’t breathe, please take me to the hospital.”

The couple was startled by Anning’s sudden change in color.

They quickly supported Anning: ”Mom, Dad, eldest brother, and sister-in-law, let’s stop talking about this for now, we need to take Ningning to see a doctor.”

The four of them, seeing Anning’s serious condition, didn’t dare to argue anymore.

The four stood up and left quietly. The middle-aged woman went into the room to take some money, while the middle-aged man carried Anning on his back to leave.

Once outside, when the middle-aged woman was locking the courtyard gate with her bike, and Anning saw those four people walking away, she whispered in the middle-aged man’s ear: ”Dad, put me down, I’m fine now.”

”No, we must go check it out.”

The stubbornness of the middle-aged man wouldn’t let him listen to anything Anning said.

Anning thought, fine, if we’re going, then let’s go. It’s not a loss to have a check-up.

The middle-aged woman brought out two bicycles, and the middle-aged man, also known as Yang Erchou, let Anning sit on the back rack of the bicycle, while he rode in front with Anning, closely followed by the middle-aged woman on her bike.

The three went to the town health center to see a doctor, who said Anning had low blood sugar, compounded by exhaustion from studying, causing dizziness, and advised her to rest well and eat more nutritious food.

The doctor also prescribed some supplements. Yang Erchou paid for the medicine, and when the three returned home, it was already past lunchtime.

After taking her medicine, Anning lay down to rest, and Yang Erchou and his wife quickly started a fire to cook.

While lying in bed, Anning began sorting through the original body’s memories.

Very soon, she had them all in order.

The original body was called Yang Anning, living in Yangjiazhuang of L County; her grandfather was Yang Lao Mao, and her grandmother was Ge San Ni.

Yang Lao Mao and Ge San Ni had three daughters and two sons. Anning’s father, Yang Erchou, was the second son.

Yang Erchou’s wife was called Li Cuixia, and the couple had two daughters, with Anning being the younger one; above her was an older sister who was already married.

Yang Erchou’s brother was named Yang Dachou. The couple had two sons; Yang Fugui, the eldest, was dating someone from the town and was about to get married. The girl’s family demanded a betrothal gift, but Yang Dachou and his wife were lazy and broke, so they turned to Yang Erchou.

But Yang Erchou and his wife were not pushovers or doormats. How could they give the hard-earned money to Yang Fugui for a wedding?

Yang Erchou was a carpenter skilled at his craft. After the Reform and Opening-Up, he first made furniture for people and later trained several apprentices to make doors and windows, earning quite a bit over the years.

Yang Erchou and Li Cuixia were diligent and frugal; the couple had saved a lot of money, giving their eldest daughter some nice things as a dowry when she got married, and saving the rest for Anning.

Anning was smart and excelled in her studies, consistently ranking first in her grade during middle school and getting the highest score in the county for her high school entrance exam. Later, she attended a county high school, and because of her academic excellence, she never had to pay tuition fees. This year, Anning was in her third year of high school, and the college entrance exam was only a few days away.

With Anning’s results, she was sure to get into a good university.

Yang Erchou and his wife had heard that schools in big cities were good, but the expenses were high, and university tuition was considerable. Four years of university education would cost a lot.

To ensure their daughter had no financial worries, they were spending money very wisely now, saving it for Anning’s education, without lending a single penny.

Anning sorted through these memories, calculating the time left until the college entrance exam to be just ten days.

The original body’s return was due to feeling unwell, having taken a day off to rest, and wanting Yang Erchou to take her to the hospital for a checkup and some medication to get through the exam.

Before Anning’s arrival, the original body had gone to rest in her room. After entering the room, she fainted from low blood sugar, and when lying down, she lost consciousness, and then Anning arrived.