Qiao Zijin knew that she would not be able to find good in-laws by herself.

  Given her social circle, she would never be able to meet the man that she wanted to have. In this family, apart from Qiao Nan, Qiao Dongliang was the only one who would be able to help her.

  The Zhu family, the Shi family, and the Zhai family had moved to the capital. Most of the established families that her father knew were no longer in Ping Cheng. But luckily, the Lee family who had old ties with the Qiao family was still in Ping Cheng.

  If Qiao Nan did not help her, Qiao Zijin could only rely on Qiao Dongliang, her father.

  Qiao Dongliang did not have much response to Qiao Zijin’s words. He kept silent and did not say a word.

  \r \r \r

  Seeing that Qiao Dongliang could not make up his mind, Qiao Zijin continued. “I know that you no longer regard me as your daughter. No matter what I say, you will take it as a pack of lies. Right now, you have two choices. You can choose not to help me, but before we return to Ping Cheng, I believe I have the ability to make it such that Qiao Nan becomes famous in the capital for having the Qiao family as her parental family. No matter how well she has been doing previously, once something happens, she will become a laughingstock. Perhaps, someone will use this to make trouble for the Zhai family, particularly Zhai Sheng, as well.”

  “The second option will be to trust me just this once. I might have wanted all those that you said, but it will only happen a few years later. If you don’t calm me down, I might embarrass Qiao Nan right now. Qiao Nan will graduate and work in a few years. If she does well, she will establish her foothold in the capital. By then, even if I make a din, I will not pose a disturbance to her and I will merely be gossiped about by people during their leisure time.”

  In other words, she was just one of the small fry among rascals. She would not be able to cause big harm to Qiao Nan.

  A few years would make a lot of difference to the Zhai family and Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Nan was married and was a mother of three. Zhai Hua, who was no longer young but still single and was deemed as someone who would not get married in Ping Cheng quad, finally got married. Seeing that they had been happily married, Qiao Zijin, who had never worried about marriage, could not wait to get a husband.

  Qiao Dongliang seemed to be lost in thought, but in actual fact, only a minute had passed. “Alright, I can help you, but not in the capital. As for Ping Cheng, I can give it a try. Don’t be in a hurry to haggle with me. Even if I agree to help you, you should understand that my abilities are only limited to Ping Cheng. If you still want to marry to the capital, you should not look for me but make use of me such that Nan Nan will help you. If so, all that you said just now is useless. There is no need for us to continue with this conversation.”

  It was indeed better for him if Zijin was married to the capital as she would not bring too much trouble for him. However, Nan Nan would be faced with endless troubles. He would never agree to it.

  This was not the answer that Qiao Zijin wanted to hear. However, she was left with no choice. “You might choose not to believe me, but I might not listen to you either. What if I behave myself during this period of time and you refuse to help me when we return to Ping Cheng?”

  By then, she would gain nothing eventually, and she had to watch helplessly as Qiao Nan’s life became better and she did not have the chance to make life difficult for her.

  Qiao Dongliang felt slightly annoyed. “Do you think if you make a din in the capital, you will be able to find a boyfriend? No matter what, you are my daughter. Although I am not willing to help you, I will not want to see you lead a miserable life. You can either choose to believe that I will help think of a solution when we return to Ping Cheng and I will get help from other people, or you can continue to make a din in the capital such that Nan Nan refuses to acknowledge you as her sister, and everyone in the capital know that you are on bad terms with each other. By then, they will not give respect to your feelings because of Nan Nan, and they might even teach you a lesson. You can choose to continue to be obstinate.”

  Qiao Dongliang would not give a definite answer to something that had not been done yet. He did not want the other party to be disappointed.

  “However, you must bear in mind that once you do that, and Nan Nan stops acknowledging you as her sister publicly, I will no longer regard you as my daughter.” If things came to that state, he would stand on Nan Nan’s side regardless of what happened and he would not put in a good word for the elder daughter.

  “Since a young age, Nan Nan suffered more than you, or rather, she was the one who was shortchanged. Even so, she did not force me to choose between the two of you. If you insist to go to the extreme, it is akin to pushing me toward her. I will make good on my words. You should know that if I really stand on Nan Nan’s side, whatever that you do in the future will lose its impact.”

  If siblings quarreled, the bystanders would judge them based on their words and the circumstances. However, once the elders were involved, the general public would be inclined to believe the party whom the elders supported.

  If the other party continued to make a din, she would be seen as opposing the elders.

  Qiao Zijin stomped her foot unhappily. Ding Jiayi, who stood by the side, felt sorry for her. “Zijin, y-you must not say these words to your dad. You must be filial. Your dad went through great pains to raise you……”

  “Shut up!” Zijin hollered at Ding Jiayi with resentment. “Are you saying that Dad went through great pains to bring me up and hence I can’t behave in this way? Who is the one who told me when I was at a young age that my dad is useless? He is on good terms with the Lee family but he could not get the old master at the Lee family to get him a promotion in the army. My dad has two children, but he is so useless that he had to discharge from the army. If he is capable, he should be promoted even when he had two children! Who is the one who told me that my dad is useless and couldn’t earn big money? If not for you who did a good job managing the small amount of money, Qiao Nan and I wouldn’t be able to go to school, and we would not be able to feed ourselves. Who told me that my dad is a useless man who can’t feed his wife and his children?”

  “In the end, who told me that when I grow up, I must make sure to find a good man, and I must not follow your footsteps to find someone who is poor, without any power and status like my dad? I must use all means and ways to find a man who is rich, powerful, and has high social status. By then, I must remember that you have been through great pains, have suffered a lot, and have given in to my dad to bring me up. If I do not treat you well, I will be a heartless person.”