Seeing Qin Qingman smile, Zhu Hongxia was momentarily stunned, but then continued, "Qingman, you're already 20 years old, which is the right age for marriage. Comrade Liu's conditions are so good-if you miss this chance, you won't get another like it. You should cherish this opportunity."

"Aunt, Chuchu is still young. I'm not planning to get married so soon," Qin Qingman directly refused.

Zhu Hongxia was once again taken aback. She hadn't expected Qin Qingman to reject the proposal so decisively. This was so different from the old Qin Qingman. Having already offended several of the other sisters-in-law, she had to quickly rally and continue her persuasion.

"Qingman, look at yourself-you're so thin. You can't lift heavy things or carry burdens. If you don't marry and find someone to rely on, how will you take care of Chuchu? With the few work points you earn, you can't even support yourself. Otherwise, you and your brother wouldn't have had such a hard time after your older brother and sister-in-law passed away..."

Zhu Hongxia found it extremely difficult to get out that last sentence.

It had only been a couple of months since she'd seen them, and the once pale, thin siblings looked as if they'd eaten some magical fruit-both were now fair and plump, with healthy, glowing complexions.

Just thinking about how Qin Qingman and her brother had recovered so quickly because of the grain her family had returned made Zhu Hongxia feel resentful.

Her entire tone was filled with bitterness.

Qin Qingman could immediately sense Zhu Hongxia's jealousy and smiled even more gently. "Aunt, I'm fully aware of my family's situation, so you don't need to sugarcoat things to persuade me. Chuchu is still so young, and I'm his only family. I can't just leave him behind. Under these circumstances, who would want to marry me along with a child?"

"Nonsense! We're all Chuchu's family too, aren't we? If you get married, of course, we'll take care of him. Chuchu is a child of the Qin family. As long as we have food, he won't go hungry."

Zhu Hongxia quickly rebutted, spouting big promises with ease.

Hearing the whole conversation, Chuchu had already clung to Qin Qingman's side, his little hands gripping the hem of her clothes.

The child was extremely anxious.

He was worried that if his sister got married, he wouldn't be able to live with her like he did now, and wouldn't be able to see her whenever he wanted. Just the thought of being separated from his sister brought tears to his eyes.

Sensing Chuchu's emotions, Qin Qingman didn't want to continue dealing with Zhu Hongxia. She simply said, "Aunt, let me think about it."

"Alright, you take your time. But let me tell you, Comrade Liu really has excellent conditions. If you marry him, even a small portion of what he has will be enough to support you and Chuchu. Plus, with the help of our family, you won't have to worry about Chuchu going hungry."

Seeing that Qin Qingman hadn't completely shut down the conversation, Zhu Hongxia quickly pressed on with her persuasion.

Qin Qingman inwardly sneered.

How could Zhu Hongxia shamelessly claim they would help care for Chuchu? When the original host had been struggling, these so-called relatives had all turned a blind eye. If she really left, there was no way they'd care whether Chuchu lived or died.

Qin Qingman had very clear, beautiful eyes, and they made Zhu Hongxia, who was hiding her true intentions, feel uneasy.

Realizing she couldn't persuade Qin Qingman in just one visit, Zhu Hongxia gave a final round of praise for Liu Hechang before reluctantly leaving.

As Zhu Hongxia's figure disappeared into the distance, Chuchu, on his short little legs, ran over and slammed the door shut. He could sense his aunt's ill intentions, even if he didn't have solid proof.

"Chuchu, don't worry. I'm not planning to marry anytime soon."

Qin Qingman reached out and ruffled Chuchu's soft hair. Thanks to better nutrition, his hair had improved a lot over the past few months, but it still wasn't enough. They needed to eat more meat. Meat would help them build better physical health.

"Jie, Aunt is bad," Chuchu finally mustered up the courage to say. Normally, he didn't like to speak ill of his relatives in front of Qin Qingman, but his fear of losing his only sister outweighed everything else.

"I know."

Qin Qingman picked up Chuchu. His little body was soft and smelled good-hugging him felt so nice.

And he was fun to cuddle, too.

Relieved that Qin Qingman hadn't been swayed by Zhu Hongxia, Chuchu rested his head on her shoulder and started venting about the wrongs their aunts had done. Despite being young, he remembered everything about how those aunts had treated him and his sister.

As she listened to Chuchu mumbling beside her, Qin Qingman was thinking about how to put an end to these marriage proposals once and for all.

The Liu Hechang that Zhu Hongxia had mentioned today was the same stingy man the original host had been tricked into marrying in the original plot.

In that storyline, Zhu Hongxia and the others had hidden the fact that Liu Hechang had been married before, had four children, and was nearly 24 years older than the original host. Due to the original host's timid nature and shyness, she had only briefly met Liu Hechang from afar before being coaxed by her aunts into agreeing to the marriage without really seeing the man clearly.

On the wedding day, the truth was revealed, but by then it was too late.

Crying didn't help-she had no choice but to accept her fate.

But the current Qin Qingman was not the original host. There was no way she would let Zhu Hongxia and the others get away with their scheming.

The next day, Qin Qingman took the initiative to visit her second uncle's house. Before she even reached the door, she could hear laughter coming from the main hall. Judging by the voices, her third aunt, fourth aunt, and even her younger aunt were probably there.

When her cousin, Qin Caiyun, came to open the courtyard gate, Qin Qingman smiled warmly and thanked her.

"Jie (sister) Qingman." Qin Caiyun greeted her politely, making sure to subtly remind everyone in the hall who their visitor was.

"Qingman's here?"

At Qin Caiyun's reminder, the thick curtain of the main door was lifted, revealing Zhu Hongxia.

"Aunt," Qin Qingman said, looking hesitantly at Zhu Hongxia.

Zhu Hongxia immediately guessed why she was here. She eagerly dropped the curtain and enthusiastically came over, linking her arm with Qin Qingman's as she led her into the main hall. "Qingman, your third aunt, fourth aunt, and younger aunt are all here. They're family, so there's no need to be shy. We all know about Comrade Liu's situation."

Qin Qingman's face turned red at Zhu Hongxia's words.

"You silly girl, what's there to be embarrassed about? We're all family here. A man should marry when he's old enough, and a woman should marry when she's of age. You came at just the right time. Your aunts and I were planning to come find you to talk more about Comrade Liu. He's such an outstanding man, a leader at the farm-marrying him would be like a pie falling from the sky..."

Blah, blah, blah-Zhu Hongxia's mouth was like a machine gun, spewing out words non-stop.

Internally, Qin Qingman remained calm, but her eyes subtly observed Qin Caiyun, who was walking beside her.

Now, Qin Caiyun was no simple character. She was a very scheming girl. In the original plot, although she also married a man who had been married before, it was a man she actively sought out and willingly married.

The man had children from his previous marriage, but he was an honest person and treated Qin Caiyun very well. After the marriage, he practically worshipped her, and even the stepchildren were quite respectful. After giving birth to her own child, Qin Caiyun subtly manipulated the situation, sending her husband's children from the first marriage far away.

Clever, calculating-Qin Caiyun was not the kind of person who would settle for mediocrity.

Qin Qingman didn't try to set any traps for Qin Caiyun. Today, she was simply here to let her cousin overhear that Zhu Hongxia was arranging a marriage proposal with good conditions. As Zhu Hongxia's daughter, Qin Caiyun's life at home was not as comfortable as that of her two younger brothers.

From a young age, not only had she had to help her parents with work, but she also had to take care of her two brothers. Proud and ambitious, Qin Caiyun had long wanted to leave this household.

Sure enough, when Qin Caiyun heard Zhu Hongxia's praise of Liu Hechang, her brows furrowed.

This was the first time she'd heard about such a match.

But if the man's conditions were so good, why hadn't her mother mentioned him for their family? Why would they offer him to the helpless Qin Qingman? There must be something wrong with this.

Qin Caiyun, being scheming and smart, immediately sensed the key issue.

Qin Qingman didn't need to manipulate Qin Caiyun-everything happened naturally. From the moment she stepped inside, her aunts had been showering her with praise for Liu Hechang, speaking as if they were singing his virtues. They promised that if Qin Qingman agreed to the match, they would immediately arrange a meeting with the man.

Looking at all the seemingly concerned and enthusiastic faces, Qin Qingman could understand how the original host had been deceived.

These were blood relatives-how could the original host have imagined that her own family would be so heartless?

Even if the aunts were somewhat distant, the uncles of this body must have known about Liu Hechang's situation. To know and still stand by as the original host was pushed into the pit-they were truly despicable.

Hearing the sound of people drinking in the next room, Qin Qingman shyly glanced at Zhu Hongxia.

"Aunt..."

Just hearing this soft "Aunt" made goosebumps rise all over Zhu Hongxia's body. She suddenly felt a chill, as if something wasn't right.

The entire hall fell silent after Qin Qingman spoke.

Her third aunt and fourth aunt exchanged glances, but Qin Qingman had called out to Zhu Hongxia, so it wasn't their concern.

Zhu Hongxia had already offended some of these relatives, so she couldn't push the issue onto anyone else. She could only look at Qin Qingman with an insincere smile and say, "Qingman, what is it?"

This was exactly the response Qin Qingman had been waiting for. She quickly said, "Aunt, I've been thinking about what you said. It's true that my family's situation is a bit unique, and I'm not sure if Comrade Liu would be willing to accept Chuchu."

"Well... Qingman, I'll be blunt. While it's generous for a man to help his wife's family, no one is generous enough to marry a woman and take on her little brother too," Zhu Hongxia said, her brow furrowed.

"Qingman, don't worry. Comrade Liu has a good heart. I'm sure he'll help take care of Chuchu. After all, he's a leader at the farm. Once Chuchu grows up, he'll be able to help arrange a good job for him," said Qin Xiang, Qin Qingman's younger aunt, chiming in to coax her.

Hearing this, Qin Qingman's eyes lit up as she turned to look at Qin Xiang. "Really, Aunt?"

Qin Caiyun, who had just finished delivering drinks to the men, slowed her steps as she listened.

"Of course it's true." Qin Xiang, seeing Qin Qingman's interest, continued to entice her. "Comrade Liu is a leader at the farm. He has job quotas under his control. If you marry him, he'll definitely help Chuchu."

And this was precisely why they were so eager to push Qin Qingman into marrying Liu Hechang.

Sacrificing one girl for the sake of securing jobs for the other children in the family seemed like a worthwhile trade to them.

Besides, Qin Qingman wasn't their own child, so they didn't feel any heartache about it.

"If Comrade Liu's conditions are so good, why would he be introduced to me?" Qin Qingman asked, pretending to be oblivious, but actually helping Qin Caiyun voice the question lingering in her mind.

Zhu Hongxia, Qin Xiang, and the others were momentarily stunned by Qin Qingman's question.

It was Third Aunt Li Meina who reacted quickly and explained, "Comrade Liu likes gentle and soft-spoken girls, and you're the only one in the family who fits that description."

"Yes, Comrade Liu likes gentle girls, which is why we thought of you," Zhu Hongxia hurriedly chimed in loudly, supporting Li Meina's statement.

Qin Xiang and Fourth Aunt Yao Chunying exchanged glances and quickly nodded in agreement.

On the side, Qin Caiyun, who had been eavesdropping, secretly curled her lip in disdain. While she wasn't as pretty as her cousin, she had always been gentle and soft-spoken. She could definitely win over this Comrade Liu, the farm leader. If she married him...

Qin Qingman, seeing that her visit had mostly achieved its purpose, finally spoke again, "Aunts, I agree to go meet Comrade Liu."

"Great! I'll arrange it right away," Zhu Hongxia said, smiling so broadly that the corners of her mouth nearly reached her ears.

"Aunt, before I meet Comrade Liu, I'd like to nourish my body a bit, as well as Chuchu's," Qin Qingman finally revealed her true intentions. Today's visit to Zhu Hongxia's house had two goals: to set a trap and to gain some benefits.

Zhu Hongxia's home instantly fell into a heavy silence because of Qin Qingman's words.

Not only did the main hall grow quiet, but even the faint sounds of drinking and talking from the adjacent room fell silent.

Zhu Hongxia and the other aunts exchanged looks, their eyes filled with hesitation.

Qin Qingman had truly hit them where it hurt.

If they didn't offer any benefits, Qin Qingman might refuse to go on the blind date, which would ruin their plans to arrange jobs for their own children. But if they gave in, with the heavy snowfall and several months of winter left, they didn't have much food to spare.

"Aunts, Chuchu and I were starved for quite a while, and our bodies are weak. We didn't dare to skimp on the eggs and grain you returned to us, and now we don't have much left. If we save carefully, we can make it until the snow melts in spring, but if I'm too thin and weak, I'm afraid Comrade Liu won't find me attractive..."

Qin Qingman tactfully dangled the prospect of future benefits in front of them.

"I still have some food left. I'll give you some," Qin Xiang gritted her teeth and agreed.

"I can spare you two chickens," Zhu Hongxia also bit the bullet and made her offer.

Seeing that their younger sister-in-law and second sister-in-law had both given in, Li Meina and Yao Chunying exchanged glances and reluctantly agreed to contribute some eggs and wild goods.

And so, after just one visit to Zhu Hongxia's house, Qin Qingman returned home with a bountiful haul.

Helping Qin Qingman carry the supplies back to the Qin house, Qin Caiyun's mind began to race. If she married that farm leader, would she be able to eat whatever she wanted in the future? Would even her parents, who had been focused on finding jobs for her two younger brothers, have to treat her with deference?

Thinking about the power that could come with such a marriage, Qin Caiyun's thoughts began to take shape...