Refusing to marry a widower, I went on a crazy spree of sending my children to the army.

Chapter 54 The Little Witch with Magic

Wang Defa was so angry at her that he almost fell over, thinking to himself that this girl was really fierce.

His eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected Qiao Manman to be so shrewd.

Is it a decline in morality, a distortion of human nature, or an awakening of family affection?

Qin Shuanzhu pursed his lips, suppressing a laugh, finding Qiao Manman lively and interesting.

I wish his daughter was as lively as him.

Qiao Zhenzhen blushed to the roots of her ears and raised her hand to slap Qiao Manman, but she was lightly blocked and fell onto the oxcart.

I had a close encounter with a cow's rear end!

Overwhelmed by so many grievances, Qiao Zhenzhen burst into tears.

The crying was louder than Qiao Manman's shouting.

Qiao Manman pouted and sat back on the oxcart. She took out a throat lozenge from her pocket, tore it open, and put it in her mouth.

Wow, the mint flavor is so strong, it's pungent!

The commotion at the village entrance quickly reached the fields.

When Grandma Qiao heard that Qiao Zhenbang had an accident, she was so agitated that she twisted her ankle.

The Qiao family members rushed over, shouting and asking with concern, "Grandma, are you alright?"

Old Mrs. Qiao cried out in pain, but wouldn't let Qiao Lao Si take her to the barefoot doctor. She stretched out her arm and asked, "Eldest brother, what's wrong with eldest brother?"

The messenger was a child from the team, about five or six years old, who could only speak half of what he was saying.

Realizing he had caused trouble, he ran away in a flash, leaving everyone to speculate wildly.

Qiao Lao Si also wanted to know what had happened to his elder brother, so with a burst of strength, he carried Qiao Lao Tai on his back and ran home.

The villagers, who loved watching the drama unfold, exchanged glances, put down their hoes and sickles, and followed.

Before long, the group arrived at the Qiao family's door and saw Wang Defa with a solemn expression, the honest and simple Qin Shuanzhu, Qiao Zhenzhen with tears streaming down her face, the weak and helpless Liu Kangkang, and Qiao Manman who seemed indifferent and detached from the situation.

When Qiao Manman saw Grandma Qiao, her eyes lit up, and she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Grandma Qiao, Uncle Qiao was caught having an affair in the city!"

This is his son, Kang Kang, I brought him back for you! Uncle Qiao didn't die out!

That's the truth, and it's really hard to hear.

Wang Defa raised his hand and tapped her on the head: "Do you need to embarrass yourself here? Get out of here!"

Even after being scolded, Qiao Manman wasn't angry. She knew that the team leader was protecting her.

The Qiao family is petty, and Qiao Manman is even more so because she is "of the same ilk" as them, making her an easy target for resentment.

Wang Defa took a deep breath and stepped forward: "Aunt Qiao, something happened to Brother Zhenbang, so I brought his son and daughter back!"

"What? How is that possible!" Old Mrs. Qiao didn't believe it. She struggled to get off Qiao Lao Si's back, endured the pain, and turned to Wang Defa.

She grabbed his arm: "My eldest son is the logistics director of the steel factory, and he and Zheng Yue are in love. How could he possibly go out and mess around?"

Thinking of something, he hurriedly said, "Could someone be framing me?"

Zheng Yue has only given birth to one girl all these years, and my Zhenbang has never divorced her. Is it because they have a falling out and she's saying something nonsense?

"Where's Zheng Yue? Why hasn't she come back?"

Before Wang Defa could explain, Qiao Zhenzhen rushed forward crying, almost knocking over Old Lady Qiao.

"Grandma, my dad's having an affair with Liu Wan. Grandma, my mom's been arrested. Grandma, our house's been sealed off..."

Qiao Zhenzhen's voice was shrill and sharp, causing an uproar among the crowd.

Good heavens, what did they hear? Boss Qiao is in trouble, and it's because of that kind of thing.

Sure enough, once a man has money, he can't control his desires.

Grandma Qiao was so angry that her vision blurred and she almost fainted.

I wondered if it was something glorious to be publicized like this. Qiao Zhenzhen's granddaughter is ruined.

Qiao Manman stepped forward at the right moment and pushed Liu Kangkang in front of Old Lady Qiao: "Although Uncle Qiao has gone to jail, he left you with a grandson, which shows his filial piety. You must raise him!"

The more you kill someone, the more you destroy their spirit; Old Mrs. Qiao fainted.

Qiao Manman shrugged, too lazy to deal with this mess, and skipped home.

As I passed by the cowshed, seeing that no one was around, I threw a package inside.

He put some more food into his canvas bag before pushing open his front door and calling out with a smile, "Dad, Mom, I'm home!"

He Nian came out to greet her: "Why are you back so late? Did the Chen family cause you trouble?"

"No, no, they're cowards. They didn't even ride in the oxcart. They avoided me whenever they saw me!"

Qiao Manman smiled and took out three roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers), three servings of liangpi (cold skin noodles), and three bottles of soda from her canvas bag.

He Nian was dumbfounded.

"Mom, close the door, let's have something good to eat today!"

He Nian nodded blankly, locked the door, and then saw Qiao Manman take out a roast chicken from her canvas bag. It was deep-fried and smelled delicious.

Qiao Runming straightened up, looked at the things on the table, and unconsciously swallowed.

Qiao Manman took a few porcelain bowls from the cupboard and poured the cold noodles out of the plastic bag: "Dad, eat up, don't be shy."

Qiao Runming responded, took a bite with his chopsticks, and found the cold noodles to be both numbing and spicy: "Mmm, delicious!"

He Nian asked anxiously, "Your leg isn't healed yet, can you eat spicy food?"

"Yes, he's almost fully recovered. I got two more Black Jade Bone-Mending Plasters for Dad these past two days, he'll apply one more tonight!"

The couple's eyes lit up, and they nodded, saying, "Okay!"

In a good mood, Qiao Manman tore off a chicken leg and put it in her mouth, saying as she ate, "Dad, Mom, do you know? Something happened to Qiao Laoda..."

Qiao Manman rattled off the whole story of how Qiao Laoda was caught cheating on his wife and embezzling factory property.

Qiao Runming was shocked: "How could he do this!"

"Such a good job, it's one thing if he doesn't contribute to the factory, but how could he..."

Qiao Manman knew that work was a source of anxiety for Qiao Runming. He had been devastated for several years after his job was taken away by Boss Qiao.

He sighed, "Human desires can grow. Perhaps he got into the factory too easily and didn't know how to cherish it."

Qiao Manman took out two books with their covers torn off from her canvas bag, which was never full: "Dad, since you're just sitting at home with nothing to do anyway, why don't you read these books? You never know when you might need them!"

Qiao Runming wiped his hands clean with a towel before accepting the book with both hands. This single action alone showed how much he cherished it.

Qiao Runming opened it and found it was a professional book on mechanics, which made him quite excited.

When he returned from the provincial capital that year, Old Mrs. Qiao threw away all his books and notes, personally destroying his dream.

Countless times, he woke up from his sleep in shock, feeling lost, sad, and desperate.

As thoughts flooded his mind, Qiao Runming's eyes reddened.

Qiao Manman teased him: "Haha, why are you so touched? You're turning into a little crybaby!"

"If I find you a job in a machine factory, wouldn't you cling to my leg and cry your eyes out?"

All emotion vanished. Qiao Runming glared at her and carefully placed the book next to his pillow.

He Nian was somewhat disappointed, fearing that what happened to Boss Qiao would be repeated in Qiao Runming's life.

Qiao Manman grabbed her hand, giving her strength: "Mother, don't worry. If Father dares to let you down, I'll personally break his third leg!"

He Nian looked horrified: "Where did you hear all this dirty talk?"

Qiao Manman chuckled and covered her face, thinking to herself, "Not at all! She's a little witch who can use magic!"