Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Almost Suffocating Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Almost Suffocating “So she’s a cousin? Not born from the same mother, no wonder they don’t look alike at all.” The classmates nodded in sudden realization.

“I need to talk to my sister.”

Jiang Mianmian, afraid that they would say something else, pulled Zhaodi to a secluded spot and whispered, “Zhaodi, don’t mind their words, they meant no harm.”

Her classmates were young and spoke without thinking. If they inadvertently offended Zhaodi, having someone who remembered grudges against them wasn’t good for the kids.

Zhaodi internally despised these tactless brats, but to maintain a good impression in front of Jiang Mianmian, she had to suppress her irritation and obediently shook her head, “Third Sister, I won’t blame them. They are right, we weren’t born to the same parents.”

“That’s good, Zhaodi. Our two teachers are going to test my progress from the winter break studies, I need to read during break time. You should head back to the classroom,” Jiang Mianmian didn’t want to stay with Zhaodi any longer.

“Okay, then I’ll come find you for a game after you finish your exam.” Zhaodi nodded obediently and headed back to her class.

She couldn’t wait to leave this wretched place!

*
On the opening day of the commune primary school, the village chief also informed the villagers that from that day on, they would collectively work in the fields.

Thanks to Jiang Mianmian, the Jiang Family’s influence in the village was now comparable to that of the village chief’s family.

Their appearance immediately caught the attention of everyone in the village.

Some villagers who usually didn’t get along with the Jiang family members, unable to see Jiang Changhai and Su Wanyu, seized the opportunity to loudly inquire.

“Hey, Auntie, why aren’t Changhai and his wife here?”

“Yes, aren’t they just at home sleeping in again? Tsk, tsk, some people really know how to enjoy life, lying at home every day, doing nothing, yet having everything,”
“Exactly, with such great parents and siblings supporting them, who would be foolish enough to go work in the fields?”

Several gossipy women in the village, seeing someone start the conversation, all chimed in with various comments.

If this had been the old Zhang Guihua, she would have rolled up her sleeves and started a quarrel with them right then and there.

But today, she wasn’t angry. She felt different from before. As the grandmother of two Little Prodigies, how could she engage in such undignified behavior?

More importantly, she had the confidence now!

She straightened her back, glanced at the gossipers, and declared proudly, “Oh, you got it wrong this time. My eldest son really isn’t just lying around at home! He, he is now a worker at the transport factory, and he went to work early this morning, much earlier than us.”

The recruitment at the transport factory had ended, and she was finally able to boast properly.

She had wanted to go out and brag to the villagers for a long time, but she was afraid that once the villagers knew, those with thick skins, assuming no barriers with her, would ask Changhai to help them get jobs at the transport factory.

So she had been holding it in till now, almost bursting.

The couple from the second household were always tight-lipped, hardly interacting unless necessary.

As for Jiang Changtao failing the interview and feeling deeply embarrassed, he and Sun Lixia were even less likely to mention it, not wanting to give Jiang Changhai any satisfaction.

Indeed, regardless of their motives, all the Jiang family members maintained a united front of silence on this matter. In a village where secrets were hard to keep, they managed to keep this one tightly sealed.