"An Ning, let's go this way."
The sight of the two people across from them was enough to ruin Lin Cuihua's appetite, so she pulled An Ning along, wanting to take a different path.
An Ning didn't understand why they had to change paths, but she was obedient. It was just that some people wouldn't give them the chance.
"An Ning, what a coincidence. I'm just moving my things to Ming Liang's house. We got our marriage certificate."
Miao Xiaohua struck a showy pose, her face full of blissful anticipation for the life of a wealthy wife. Clutching a small bundle, she blocked the middle of the road.
An Ning looked puzzled. 'What is Miao Xiaohua so happy about? I really don't get it.' Since she didn't understand, she figured she might as well ask.
She took a step forward and began to inquire.
"Getting a marriage certificate means you're married?"
Miao Xiaohua's chin lifted slightly, her eyes filled with smug satisfaction. "Of course it does. From today on, I'm Chen Mingliang's wife."
An Ning nodded with sudden realization and continued to ask, "How much was the bride price from Chen Mingliang? Who did he get to be the matchmaker? When is your wedding?"
An Ning's three consecutive questions made the smile on Miao Xiaohua's face shrink a little with each one. However, thinking of her future life, she snorted lightly.
"We're truly in love. We don't need all those superficial things."
An Ning's eyebrows furrowed in genuine, heartfelt confusion. Even in the interstellar era, which had lost many traditions, these procedures still existed.
"Without those superficial things, how can you prove you're truly in love? Is it just a couple of words?"
"But what if someone is lying?"
An Ning's words made Miao Xiaohua's smile vanish. Her voice became somewhat shrill.
"An Ning! You're just jealous of me and Ming Liang! I'm telling you, Ming Liang and I will definitely have a better life than you!"
An Ning looked at Miao Xiaohua with great disapproval.
"Your statement is invalid. You are shorter than me, darker-skinned than me, and uglier than me. You are not as smart as me, nor as hardworking. I would not be jealous of you."
"Furthermore, based on an inference of your character, the probability of you having a better life than me is zero."
Completely unaware that her words were devastating, An Ning tilted her head toward Lin Cuihua, who had been staring at her the whole time, and let out a curious sound.
"Mom, your heart seems to be beating a little fast."
A little? It was way more than a little! Lin Cuihua wished she had a firecracker she could use to launch herself into the sky for a victory lap!
But on the surface, she said calmly, "It's fine. Let's go home, daughter. Mom will boil you an egg!"
A boiled egg? An Ning had never had one. Her attention captured, she followed Lin Cuihua around Miao Xiaohua.
Miao Xiaohua, who had been in a good mood, had it mostly ruined by An Ning's interruption.
"Xiao Hua, hurry up!"
Chen Mingliang, who had walked ahead, turned and called back to Miao Xiaohua.
Miao Xiaohua ran a few steps to catch up and complained pitifully to Chen Mingliang.
"Ming Liang, I know what I did was wrong, but I like you so much. It's just that I hurt An Ning, and I…"
Chen Mingliang already liked Miao Xiaohua, and with her manipulative words, he was now entirely on her side.
"Don't worry about her. We don't owe her anything."
Seeing the genuine disgust in Chen Mingliang's eyes, Miao Xiaohua's heart relaxed a little. She had always been a bit afraid that Chen Mingliang would come to regret his decision.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Miao Xiaohua obediently followed Chen Mingliang. The two walked toward the Chen family home together, beginning their married life.
Meanwhile, An Ning followed an excited Lin Cuihua all the way home.
"Second Son, boil an egg."
As soon as she walked through the main gate, Lin Cuihua shouted this out with heroic grandeur.
An Sancheng, who was washing things in the courtyard, looked at the obviously cheerful Lin Cuihua and shook the water from his hands.
"What's up? Did you find some money?"
The broad grin on Lin Cuihua's face never faltered. She walked over to the well in the courtyard and began to vividly describe what had just happened to An Sancheng.
"Let me tell you, that Miao Xiaohua's face was all twisted with anger! It was so satisfying to see."
"A bunch of shameless people! After doing something like that, they still have the nerve to show off in front of us. I really wanted to give her a couple of slaps."
"Our daughter is the best, though. With just a few words, she made that Miao Xiaohua half-dead with anger."
After listening, An Sancheng nodded repeatedly. Just hearing about it was satisfying. He looked at An Ning, who was standing to the side, and said:
"It's good to be formidable. You can't let yourself be bullied in the future."
An Ning, who had been listening on the side for a while, finally understood that Lin Cuihua's excitement was because of her. 'But is what Mom's describing the same thing I just did?'
"Little Sister, next time you run into that Miao Xiaohua, if you can win, beat her up. If you can't, come back and tell Big Brother. We won't waste brain cells talking nonsense with her."
Her big brother, An Guoqing, suddenly spoke up from the side. He pointed a finger at An Guoming, who was at the door of the main house, and said, "Leave the thinking to Second Brother. He's full of dirty tricks."
An Guoming, standing by the door, wasn't offended at all. He was, in fact, quite clever.
"Big Brother is right. Little Sister, if you get bullied, just tell your Second Brother. Watch how I'll take care of them."
An Ning looked from left to right at her two brothers, so eager to back her up, and said, "They can't beat me. Besides, I was just telling the truth."
"HAHAHA! That's right, that's right! Everything An Ning says is right."
An Sancheng burst out laughing. Lin Cuihua, An Guoqing, and An Guoming all started laughing too. Even their sister-in-law, who was off to the side, covered her mouth as she chuckled.
'Their little sister was just too adorable.'
An Ning had no idea what everyone found so funny. However, her teacher had said that someone with her status was best suited to blending in with the group. So, An Ning also started laughing along with everyone.
The joyous laughter from the An family home made the surrounding neighbors poke their heads out curiously. What were they so happy about?
But it was too late to see anything. The An family had already gone inside to get ready for their meal.
On the square table was a basin of cold sorghum rice, six boiled potatoes, a bunch of small scallions, a bowl of soybean paste, a small dish of pickled vegetables, and a single, very conspicuous hard-boiled egg.
Lin Cuihua picked up the egg and handed it to An Ning. "Your head is injured. This will help you recover."
An Ning took the egg. Her first thought was that it was tiny. In the interstellar age, even the smallest of the various types of eggs were as big as a bowl.
She set the egg aside for now and watched as her sister-in-law used chopsticks to break apart a boiled potato, then spooned some soybean paste onto it and mixed it with the potato chunks.
After it was mixed, An Sancheng spoke up. "Let's eat. We still have to go to the fields after we're done."
An Ning looked at the table of new foods. First, she took a bite of the sorghum rice. It was completely different from yesterday's corn grits, but she liked them both.
She then extended her chopsticks and picked up a piece of the not-so-appetizing-looking potato. It was soft and starchy with a hint of saltiness. Not bad.
An Ning was unfamiliar with everything here. She watched the An Family members fold the scallion leaves a couple of times and eat them with the mixed potatoes.
She copied them, taking a bite of scallion and a bite of potato. It was a completely new flavor.
She secretly thought, 'This scallion has a very strong flavor. Maybe it could be made into an interstellar nutrient solution.'