Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  But now, Li Yayan was not so confident anymore. Perhaps, it was because Qiao Nan felt as though she was now part of the Zhai family. She was nothing more than a junior high school graduate, so how could she be so confident? In fact, she seemed much more like an ignorant country bumpkin in front of Qiao Nan. Not only had she been in a frenzy, but she had even said the wrong things, offending Qiao Nan out of the blue.

  Li Yayan constantly reminded herself to remain calm. It didn’t matter that they had not started on a good note, as long as she pulled everything back on track along the way. That way, she would get the money for her brother to get a wife all the same.

  “It’s fine. Don’t get anxious.” Wasn’t Li Yayan just a silly young girl in Qiao Nan’s eyes? Qiao Nan had taken everything that had happened in her dream as experience from another lifetime. Combining her ages from both lifetimes, she was almost older than her own parents! “Have a drink. It tastes pretty good. It’s not too sweet. You won’t have to worry about gaining weight.”

  She glanced at her watch. Since there was still an hour to her next class, Qiao Nan felt that she had more than enough time to listen to what Li Yayan had to say.

  “Thank-thank you.” Li Yayan awkwardly accepted the drink. Then, she took the glass over and gulped half a glass’ worth of the drink down in a shot. Only then was she able to calm down slightly. “Qiao Nan, have I ever told you that I’m not actually from the capital?”

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  Friendship between women often started from gossiping. Besides, they could probably get closer by sharing their experiences with each other.

  “Really? How coincidental. Neither am I!” She had only moved her household registry to the capital after getting married to Zhai Sheng.

  “Is that so?” Li Yayan knew her limits. It was obviously a moving scene when people from the same hometown met each other, but this was not the right time to tell Qiao Nan that she was from Ping Cheng too. “You’re just like me, then. I’m sure you’ve found it difficult to make friends after moving to the capital. I don’t really understand it. Aren’t we all Chinese? Why do they look and talk to me differently when they find out that I’m not from the capital? Even though some of them are willing to associate with me, I still find it awkward and think it’s better not to contact them. Honestly, I feel quite miserable about it.”

  Li Yayan was not entirely lying. If there was no regional discrimination, why did people always talk about locals and foreigners? It seemed as though foreigners from other countries were more valued and welcomed than their own fellow countrymen.

  Qiao Nan leaned back slightly. “It depends. This isn’t always the case from my experience. There are a lot of helpful and welcoming people in the capital too.” It would be hard for others to be friendly to her if she didn’t have pure intentions herself.

  Li Yayan smiled bitterly. “I guess your situation is different from mine. I’ve noticed that you always rush home to take care of your parents and children if you’re not in school studying. Apart from furthering my studies, my family doesn’t really need me to do anything. That’s why I have a lot of free time. Perhaps, that’s why I get upset by such a situation. If not for my husband moving here for his career, I would have returned to my hometown a long time ago. After all, my friends and family are all there.”

  “People say that there’s nowhere better than home and that no one is better than one’s own family. I guess one’s hometown will always be the best. But once a woman gets married, she has no choice but to follow her husband. That’s why I haven’t even been able to find a close friend whom I can ask out on dates.”

  Qiao Nan resisted the urge to yawn. It was normal for one to get sleepy after a meal. “You don’t look young anymore. How old is your child? Is he in school already?” As long as she had to raise a child, there was no way she would be able to rest easy. Even if Li Yayan didn’t need to go to work, she still had to go to school.

  Qiao Nan couldn’t understand how Li Yayan could have so much free time that she needed to find a friend to kill time with. In both her dream and in reality, she had never had such free time.

  “I have a four-year-old son who just started attending kindergarten. You know, my parents-in-law can’t take their eyes off him. Because my husband and I have come here to develop his career, we had no choice but to leave our son with my parents-in-law. That’s why I have so much free time.” Li Yayan had many thoughts running through her mind as she brought up the topic of her son. If possible, she wanted to fly back to Ping Cheng right away to see him.

  “I see.” Qiao Nan stroked her chin. “Have you considered bringing your child to the capital? Honestly, it’s still better for children to grow up with their children. Besides, the educational standards in the capital are quite good, and the best universities in the whole country are here too. If your family is able to do so, you should bring your child to the capital. It’ll definitely be helpful in his development in the future.”

  Li Yayan was so emotional that she almost knocked the plate off. “That’s what I think too!” The educational standards were much higher in the capital. If she didn’t start her son off from a young age, he would definitely lose out to other children in the future. “But the old folks in my family dote on him too much. Sometimes, they pamper him so much that they don’t even know what’s good for the child. Is that doting on him? They’re just spoiling him! It’s really sad, especially when they have their own ulterior motives!”

  There had been a particular situation that had upset Li Yayan when she had returned during the new year.

  She had finally gotten the chance to spend some time with her son and Li Yayan wanted to spend every second by her son’s side. But in the day, her parents-in-law did all they could to prevent her son from spending any time with her. At night, her son kicked up a huge fuss, insisting on being with his grandparents.

  Her son’s behavior upset her. Li Yayan had already lain down, but her son’s tantrum had unsettled her. As such, she had gotten up to make some milk to coax her son.

  But when she arrived at her parents-in-law’s door, she heard her mother-in-law ask her son, “Little precious, do you like your mom more or grandma and grandpa more?”

  Her son replied in his baby voice, “Grandpa and grandma.”

  “Do you like us the best?”

  “Yes.”

  “Since you like us so much, don’t leave with your mom. Will you stay with grandma and grandpa?”