The Cannon Fodder in Quick Transmigration Refuses the Usual Path

Chapter 525: Five-Zero Cannon Fodder Stepchild 4

Old father's skin had been thoroughly peeled off. Just as Wang Ming De was about to lift his foot to leave, he saw the little brat on the back seat slip off and run away with lightning speed.

Knowing the brat liked to hang out with his so-called friends in the compound all day, causing a ruckus, Wang Ming De only frowned for a moment. Coupled with his good mood, he didn't bother to intervene further. He simply rode his bike, humming a tune as he headed home.

On the way, he didn't forget to stop by the state-run restaurant to buy a few dishes to take back.

Little did he know, for some reason, the little Wang brat who had just managed to get something from his dad was now running faster and faster, growing more and more angry and flustered...

On the other side, at the Jiang family:

An Ning's biological mother, the great beauty Wei Qiao, was also in a pretty good mood. After the visitor left, under the watchful gazes of her two daughters, she deftly unwrapped a bag of peach shortbread cookies wrapped in oiled paper on the table.

An Ning and her older sister beside her each got two large pieces, and Wei Qiao took three for herself.

Adults, after all, always have bigger appetites!

She then gave An Ning and her sister a few pieces of candy each before putting the rest of the things back in the cupboard.

As for the other bag of red date cake in An Ning's hand, she had heard this stuff was the best for nourishing blood. Although the girl seemed fine yesterday, Wei Qiao, as a mother, still wasn't completely at ease. She simply decided to leave it all for her younger daughter.With this distribution, the bag of peach shortbread on the table was quickly emptied.

Biting into the fragrant peach shortbread in big mouthfuls just like her mom and sister, the sensible Jiang An Yun carefully asked, "Mom, aren't we saving any of these for big brother?"

Her answer was Wei Qiao's unhesitant snort, "Save what? Do you think your grandma would ever let him go hungry?"

Ah, Big Sister Jiang was just about to say, 'How could she not?'

She had personally seen it before. The eggs her grandma secretly boiled, Xiang Jun and Xiang Yang could each get a whole one. Her grandma got two, even more. In the end, she only saved half an egg for big brother, and even then, she meticulously picked out the yolk, leaving not a single bit of yellow behind.

And with that, she still lied to her brother, saying she had managed to save this for him from his second uncle.

Her brother was so moved by it.

She, as his sister, couldn't bear to watch.

*Idiot*, Jiang An Yun thought silently while chewing the delicious pastry.

Of course, seeing her mom's expression, little An Yun silently went back to munching on her snack, not daring to make another sound.

An Ning hadn't even thought of it.

It was only after the family had eaten their fill that Wei Qiao, who was tidying up, suddenly spoke up, "Once mom gets this matter settled, you two sisters will come live with mom at your Uncle Wang's place from now on. Your brother will stay with your grandma. After mom becomes a permanent worker, I'll give them five yuan a month for living expenses."

Five yuan. Although they say a growing boy eats his father out of house and home, in these times, it was enough for a child's monthly expenses.

Besides, given her grandma, Old Li Shi's stingy nature, at least one or two yuan of that five would probably end up in her own pocket, and that would likely be her having a rare moment of conscience.

With such a good deal, and given her grandma's temperament, plus the fact she'd be raising her own grandson as a future backup, why would she disagree?

As for Second Uncle and Second Aunt, they were the shrewdest people. As long as the money was sufficient, even if just to avoid ruining their relationship with the Director's wife, they wouldn't possibly disagree.

But... An Ning looked up at her beautiful mother beside her.

To be so certain, that Director Wang from earlier must have promised something, right!

Something related to work? An Ning pondered silently.

But then again, he is a Director after all, and the factory manager's son-in-law. Arranging for someone shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Probably, big brother's situation was part of their deal.

Tsk, seems like to show goodwill to his former in-laws, this Director Wang is really putting in the effort...

As for her cheap big brother, An Ning actually understood her beautiful mother. As the golden grandson, the one Old Li Shi placed her hopes on after the original body's father since childhood, naturally, he had to be won over from a young age.

Sowing discord in front of the eldest grandson was damaging, no doubt, but it was also one of the essential tactics of many mothers-in-law nowadays.

Even though Wei Qiao was smart, she was ultimately from the countryside, lacking confidence. On top of that, she was usually busy with temporary jobs. Over time, her eldest son naturally became estranged.

By the time she realized it later, it was already too late.

Speak of the devil.

The compound had many neighbors, and it was never a place that could keep secrets. No sooner had the visitor left, than the original body's own brother, Jiang Wei Guo, came running back on his short little legs.

When he smelled the lingering scent of pastries in the air and saw the empty oiled paper bag on the table, his face immediately changed, and he burst out wailing, "Waaah! Grandma was right! You guys are really eating good stuff behind my back again!"

The moment his howls fell, outside the small courtyard, nosy neighbors hurriedly poked their heads out.

Ignoring the unreasonable and troublesome unlucky son, Wei Qiao slammed the main gate shut with force. The great beauty then unhurriedly swallowed the last small piece of osmanthus candy in her mouth. Only then did she speak, her tone as gentle as ever, unhurried, "Didn't you tell the whole compound that your grandma treats you the best? Since everyone thinks so anyway, wouldn't I, as your mother, be at a disadvantage if I didn't act accordingly?"

Jiang Wei Guo: "???"

***

"Whoa, this mom is something else!"

In the room, listening to the little brat's earth-shaking wails and the woman's still gentle but utterly unyielding tone, with no intention of handing over anything, and with the main gate shut tight, giving no chance for "well-meaning people" to point fingers, the system couldn't help but pause, feeling even more regretful.

"Host, are you really not planning to intervene? This Wang guy might have money, a bit of power, and looks okay, but he's full of little schemes!"

In its view, Ms. Wei might not be able to outmaneuver him?

Of course, the so-called honest man from the previous life wasn't an option either, but maybe there were other choices? The system instinctively looked at its host.

Acting as if she didn't hear the crying outside, happily munching on the red date cake, An Ning didn't even lift her head, "Overthinking it. In these times, it's not that easy."

"You said it yourself, Ms. Wei is quite smart. So don't underestimate her. If there were a better choice, do you think she wouldn't take it?"

Single? In these times, a beautiful woman with no one to rely on was just a prime piece of meat.

Actually, in An Ning's view, even though the original body's father had been somewhat blind, in these times, a proper truck driver was also quite a catch. For Ms. Wei, a rural woman who hadn't even finished elementary school, to have reached this point was already quite impressive.

As for why her reputation was bad before, aside from the original body's grandma fanning the flames, it wasn't without reason that others were jealous and resentful.

Moreover, there was one thing about the great beauty Wei that An Ning always thought was good: she always prioritized work.

She wasn't willing to miss even a temporary job.

And now, trading her son for a job? No hesitation at all.

Actually, what An Ning didn't know was that what truly made Ms. Wei resolve herself without the slightest hesitation was also because of herself.

Her own younger sister was pushed over, hit her head and bled, was wiped with some dust and thrown onto the bed, and as the older brother, he went out to play as usual, not even bothering to take a look.

There was no moment that made Ms. Wei understand more clearly than that one.

This child was already warped. What good would keeping him by her side do? She had to work every day, take care of the household. She was destined not to be able to devote too much attention. Him being won over by that old hag was only a matter of time.

Since that was the case, why bother with the extra trouble?

Of course, a proper, legitimate job was much more appealing!

That's true too, the system couldn't help but nod, "Right, host, since she's going to marry over, what about that mastermind behind the scenes? Do you want me to help find them?"

Its answer was its host's almost imperceptibly raised eyebrow, "No need. It'll jump out on its own soon enough. We just need to wait slowly for the news."

The System: "..."

Facts proved it had still underestimated its host's speed of action.

Before it could even voice its doubt, the very next day, just after getting off work, Ms. Wei hurriedly changed her clothes and left. Before heading out, she didn't forget to instruct her two daughters, "A Yun, Ning Ning, you two stay home. Something happened to your Uncle Wang's Yong Hua. Mom's going over to take a look first!"

The System: "!!!"