Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Hearing that someone from the northern courtyard’s Qiao family had come to find her, Qiao Nan did not even need to ask who it was. “Tell them that I’m busy.” In other words, she was not going to meet them.

  The people in the southern courtyard knew that Qiao Nan was the Zhai family’s daughter-in-law and was no different from the matriarch of the Zhai family. Not only did Qiao Nan have the right to enter the southern courtyard freely, but the guards also had to listen to her. As such, the guards naturally denied Ding Jiayi entry into the southern courtyard. “I’m sorry, but you aren’t allowed inside. Miss Qiao isn’t free now. Perhaps, you can try to contact her and meet her somewhere else.”

  There was no way anyone living in Ping Cheng did not know about the Qiao family’s news. The majority of the public understood Qiao Nan’s reasons for being heartless and refusing to meet the Qiao family. They did not think that Qiao Nan was out of line for doing so. “Humph! She really married well. Now, she won’t even acknowledge her own family. She’s so heartless! No wonder her own biological mother treated her in that way. There must be something wrong with her. It’s just that the news didn’t report that side of her!”

  Upon receiving that rejection, Ding Jiayi’s expression darkened and she returned to the northern courtyard while gritting her teeth. Along the way back, Ding Jiayi received quite a few gazes filled with ridicule. All these people had come to ask her for favors, yet they were the most hypocritical and could not wait to see their family fall.

  “Mom, did you not meet her?” Qiao Zijin was anxious, yet helpless. Seeing that her mom had returned in less than ten minutes, she knew that it was impossible for her mom to have met Qiao Nan, explained the situation, and asked her for help. “Was Qiao Nan not around, or is she deliberately trying to hide from us?”

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  “What do you think?” Ding Jiayi stomped her foot. “This wretched girl has gotten so bold. She ran away previously and now, she’s taking advantage of the fact that the Zhai family will back her up. That’s why she doesn’t even care about her biological mother! She won’t even meet me. Has she forgotten that I gave birth to her?”

  Qiao Zijin was upset. “Mom, the civil servant examination is happening soon but there’s nothing going on on our side. Even if I sign up for it, it will only be a waste of my effort if Qiao Nan doesn’t help us out. I’ve already agreed to get a job and sit for the exam like you asked me to. But if you can’t exert your power and I don’t become a civil servant, don’t ever ask me to get a job again. I’ve already tried and failed. It’s not my fault.”

  She did not mind trying for a job in the civil service since it was easy and would bring her a salary of about ten thousand a month. At the very least, she would have some spending money.

  Aside from being a civil servant, she had no interest in getting another job.

  “There’s no hurry. It hasn’t been decided yet. The Zhai family has raised three generations. To put it bluntly, the Zhai family is equally capable of making you a civil servant whether or not you sign up for the examination. Why are you in a hurry and worried?” She had already heard all about it.

  Even if everyone else was incapable of doing so, the Zhai family was, as long as they wanted to make it happen. Since that wretched girl was going to marry Zhai Sheng, Zijin would be Zhai Sheng’s sister-in-law. It was only right for him to do a small favor for his family.

  If that wretched girl had a heart, neither she nor Zijin had to worry about this. The Zhai family should already have realized Zijin’s situation by now and would step forward to solve the issue of Zijin’s unemployment.

  She had not even waited for the Zhai family to take the initiative and had done so herself. Was that not enough for them?

  Unfortunately, Qiao Nan stood in her way. That was what truly upset Ding Jiayi. Today’s rejection at the gate made Ding Jiayi realize once again that Qiao Nan seemed to have damaged her brain because of the accident. It was as though she was an entirely different person who was no longer as obedient and easy to control as she had been in the past.

  Qiao Zijin’s expression brightened slightly. “Yes, that’s true. The Zhai family is indeed capable of doing that. But Mom, are you sure that they’ll be willing to do so?” Qiao Zijin bit on her lip. “Mom, Qiao Nan’s changed. She’s different now. She didn’t even care about me when I was sick, so she might not care about me now either. Mom, don’t you think that ever since the accident, Qiao Nan’s entirely changed. I wonder if that person whom we know is actually Qiao Nan!”

  It was not that she was being superstitious or spouting nonsense. At that time, Chen Jun had been Qiao Nan’s boyfriend whom she was about to get married to. Not only had Qiao Nan not resisted nor thrown a tantrum, but she had even helped raise her son.

  Looking at Qiao Nan now, who not only took her money but also refused to acknowledge the Qiao family, she seemed like an entirely new person. Even if she had really damaged her brain, her personality could not have undergone such a drastic change, right?

  Ding Jiayi thought carefully about it, agreeing with Qiao Zijin. “Zijin, what do you mean by that? What era are we living in? Even I don’t believe in such things but you do? Others might not know whether she’s Qiao Nan, but how could we possibly not know? If she isn’t Qiao Nan, why would she have taken all of her wages and money before leaving? Apart from me, Qiao Nan is the only one who’s the clearest about how much she earns.”

  It was impossible for such a ridiculous thing to happen!

  Qiao Zijin turned around in annoyance and sat down. “Then, tell me why Qiao Nan changed so drastically. You always think that Qiao Nan should listen to you just because you gave birth to her. In reality, you’re her mom but she won’t even agree to meet you. You keep saying that I don’t have to worry about becoming a civil servant, but do you think I can still trust you about that?”

  She might not be capable, but she was capable of thinking for herself. Ding Jiayi had to stop coaxing her like a three-year-old toddler.

  Since she had already bragged about it but had not succeeded, Ding Jiayi felt a little embarrassed herself. “There’s no need to be in a hurry. You didn’t even want to get a job in the first place. If we settle this a little later, you’ll get to rest for a few more days. Won’t that be better? As for the civil servant examination…… You’ve already registered for it. You can decide whether to go for it yourself.”

  “Initially, I was just trying to be nice to that wretched girl. Compared to getting you a position and asking the Zhai family to help you out of nowhere, it would be better for her if you were to take the examination. At the very least, it would attract less attention.”