The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

"Of course, if I can't cure it in ten days, I, Qiao Xinxin, won't take a single penny and will just walk away!"

Three thousand yuan?!

Upon hearing this astronomical figure, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou were stunned for a moment.

In an era when the average wage was only a few dozen yuan, three thousand yuan was enough to cause a huge upheaval in an ordinary family!

However, he only paused for half a second—

Zhou Zejun nodded emphatically without hesitation, waving his hand decisively: "Of course! Of course! As long as Li Guang's leg gets better, let alone three thousand, even if you need thirty thousand! I, Zhou Zejun, will sell everything I own, even my house and land, to raise the money for you!"

Zhou Liguang lowered his head, staring intently at his right leg, which was tightly wrapped in several specially made splints and white bandages, and remained silent for a long time.

As long as he can stand up, he wouldn't even blink an eye at 30,000, let alone 3,000!

"In addition, there are my conditions."

Qiao Xinxin's sweet and soft voice rang out again. This time, her gaze became somewhat meaningful, like a cunning little fox: "Even if Battalion Commander Zhou's leg is healed and he can get out of bed in ten days, please keep your mouths shut for the time being and don't tell anyone."

"I want you to keep pretending to be crippled."

Pretending to be lame?

Upon hearing this, all three people in the room were taken aback.

Liu Hongmei and Zhou Zejun looked at each other, completely baffled as to what this girl was up to.

How can someone cure an illness and then make the patient pretend to be sick?

But Zhou Liguang, sitting on the bed, did not hesitate at all.

He raised his deep, sharp eyes and stared intently at Qiao Xinxin's face, which, though still somewhat childish, held a shrewd and calculating glint in its eyes. A faint smile suddenly appeared on his hard lips.

"Alright." He spoke in a deep voice, his tone firm and resolute. "I agree. As long as my leg heals, this condition is nothing! Our Zhou family are not ungrateful people."

Qiao Xinxin nodded in satisfaction. It was worth all the effort she put into saving him; this man was smart and didn't need to waste words.

She deftly picked up her faded old canvas bag and pointed to the bedside table before leaving: "Okay, I'll be going now. The ten small porcelain bottles I left on the bedside table are special medicines I concocted. Drink one bottle a day, don't waste a single drop."

The potion wasn't actually any kind of traditional Chinese medicine; it was pure, sterile spring water with only a tiny bit of bitter herbs added to disguise it.

The spiritual spring water has the miraculous effect of bringing the dead back to life and reshaping bones and muscles. Zhou Liguang's leg injury was too severe. Ten days of spiritual spring water would be enough to make his bones heal at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people!

After completing this astonishing surgery, Qiao Xinxin finally felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

In the following days, her life returned to an extremely regular routine of going back and forth between two points.

I went to work at the state-run pharmacy on time in the morning and went back to the Qiao family home to sleep on time in the evening.

Because she leaves early and returns late every day, she doesn't have many opportunities to run into the awful Qiao family.

Qiao Shouguo always wore a stern and rigid face, and looked at her as if she were a class enemy.

Qin Fangfang treated her like air, showing her neither warmth nor coldness, and never even leaving her a single bite of food.

But Qiao Xinxin didn't care at all. They ignored her, and she was happy to have peace and quiet. She was well-fed and clothed every day and lived a very comfortable life.

But her "leisurely" demeanor was like a thorn in Qiao Mingzhu's eyes, making her feel uncomfortable all over!

Qiao Mingzhu stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor, watching Qiao Xinxin humming a little tune as she left, her eyes filled with resentful coldness.

She's just a country bumpkin who got lucky and found a job that pays thirty yuan a month, and she's already acting all high and mighty! She hangs around outside every day, acting like a city person, and I don't know what she's so proud of about being poor!

But it's okay...

Qiao Mingzhu took a deep breath, a sinister sneer curling at the corner of her lips.

That little bitch's smugness won't last long!

With the wedding date fast approaching, the grand spectacle she had meticulously planned was about to begin.

Then she'd like to see how Qiao Xinxin would dare to act arrogantly in front of her!

Hmph, you want the position of the eldest daughter of the Qiao family? Then you can go and take on this damned arranged marriage for me!

Thinking of this, Qiao Mingzhu's mood instantly improved, and even her steps became lighter.

……

With Qiao Mingzhu's wedding date approaching, Qin Fangfang has been incredibly busy these past few days, working like a spinning top.

In addition to a large dowry of cash and three brand-new pieces of furniture, Qin Fangfang also provided Qiao Mingzhu with everything from food and clothing to housing and transportation.

From gold and silver jewelry to clothes for all four seasons and silk quilts, they were afraid that Qiao Mingzhu would suffer the slightest grievance after marrying into the family.

On the other hand, Qiao Xinxin goes to get off work and leaves work on time every day, without even glancing at the wedding preparations that keep everyone at home busy, and has no intention of helping out at all.

This cold attitude completely enraged Qin Fangfang.

"Look at her! The whole family's busy as bees, and she just sits there like nothing happened, taking everything and leaving!" Qin Fangfang complained angrily to Qiao Mingzhu as she folded a new bed sheet in the living room. "I'm her own mother! Doesn't she have any sense of responsibility as a daughter? She's been raised like a wild child in the countryside, a heartless ingrate!"

Qiao Mingzhu immediately put down the Double Happiness cigarette in her hand, and understandingly leaned over to take Qin Fangfang's arm, her voice so soft it could melt water: "Mom, please don't be angry with my sister. She's only been back home for a short time and isn't familiar with the house yet. Besides... she might still resent me for taking her place. As time goes on, she'll realize how good you are, Mom."

On the surface, these words were meant to defend Qiao Xinxin, but in reality, every single one of them was a barrage of insults directed at Qin Fangfang.

Sure enough, Qin Fangfang's face darkened further upon hearing this, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "She still has the nerve to complain? If she hadn't been so indiscreet, would she have caused all that trouble? She's not even worth a finger of yours!"

evening.

With a creak, Qiao Xinxin pushed open the door and bumped into the heartwarming scene of the mother and daughter happily choosing wedding items in the living room.

Hearing the noise, the mother and daughter looked up at the same time.

Qiao Mingzhu's eyes flashed, and she immediately stood up, flashing a flawless sweet smile. Without saying a word, she walked forward, affectionately grabbed Qiao Xinxin's hand, and pulled her towards the sofa.

"Sister, you're finally off work! The wedding dress just arrived today, can you take a look and tell me what I think?"

As she spoke, Qiao Mingzhu pressed Qiao Xinxin down onto the sofa, then shyly picked up a pink puff-sleeved tulle wedding dress and held it up in front of her.

"How is it, sister? Doesn't this wedding dress look good?"

"I heard that people in the port city don't wear red dresses anymore for weddings; wedding gowns are all the rage. Mom specially asked someone to order one for me at a high price. Sister, don't you think it's beautiful?"

Qiao Xinxin sat there quietly, her gaze sweeping over Qiao Mingzhu's hypocritical face before finally fixing on her eyes with a half-smile.

That clear gaze seemed to possess a sharpness that could pierce through people's hearts, causing Qiao Mingzhu's back to stiffen inexplicably, and a flash of panic quickly crossed her eyes.

But Qiao Mingzhu quickly masked her emotions. She forced a smile, put down the pink wedding dress, and picked up a well-tailored bright red suit from the side.

"Sister, look, which of these two dresses looks better? I'm worried that the Zhou family is too conservative and might not like this Western-style white dress, so Mom also bought me a bright red suit skirt as a backup."

"Both are fine." Qiao Xinxin's voice was soft and sweet, but her tone was somewhat perfunctory. "My sister is pretty, she looks good in anything."

"Oh dear, sister, if it were up to you to choose, which dress would you pick if you were the bride?" Qiao Mingzhu stared at her intently, her tone carrying a strange urgency.

Qiao Xinxin sneered inwardly, but on the surface she pretended to be thinking seriously, and casually pointed with her fair finger.

It pointed directly to the pink puff-sleeved wedding dress.

"Then I'll take this one."

Qiao Mingzhu's smile widened instantly, even the muscles around her eyes twitched with excitement: "Then let's go with this one! I also think this one is the prettiest. And..."

She gave Qiao Xinxin a meaningful look, then deliberately drew out her words, "And your skin is even whiter than mine. If you wore this pink wedding dress... you would definitely look a hundred times better than me."