Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 12

Over two years, Feng Chunzao spent all the money saved at home and the personal savings her husband Zhao Mancang knew about.

All the money was converted into Zhao Xiaofang’s dowry. (She bought well-crafted wooden furniture, newly made quilts, various fabrics, a sewing machine, a watch, a women’s bicycle, etc.) If she didn’t spend this money, there was no guarantee that her daughter would get a good match in the future.

People are realistic. Feng Chunzao was willing to believe in her husband’s feelings for her at this time, but she didn’t believe that Zhao Mancang would remain unchanged for the rest of his life!

The house was about 30 square meters, divided into three rooms: one for her daughter, one for Feng Chunzao and Zhao Mancang, and the last one for the daughter’s dowry. She then locked the room and gave the key to Zhao Xiaofang.

At the time, Feng Chunzao didn’t have enough money to buy all the things for her daughter, so she specifically advanced two years’ worth of her husband’s salary from the factory and borrowed receipts from colleagues and neighbors.

This move, aside from anything else, certainly attracted the attention of the factory’s leaders, colleagues, and neighbors in the residential area.

As long as the debts were not paid off, Zhao Mancang would not escape being the talk of the steel plant. Zhao Xiaofang also lived under everyone’s scrutiny.

What did she eat for each meal? What did she wear throughout the year? Everyone would instinctively compare it to how things were when her biological mother, Feng Chunzao, was alive.

When the stepmother entered the house, she didn’t dare to stretch out a single finger or say anything unpleasant.

If she made even the slightest mistake, the next day she could become infamous throughout the entire residential area and steel plant, unless she didn’t care about her own and her children’s reputation.

If Zhao Xiaofang left the house with red eyes, the stepmother would appear sweet on the surface but be secretly scheming against her stepdaughter. If Zhao Xiaofang’s hands were wet, the stepmother would take the opportunity to torment her behind the scenes…

Before her death, Feng Chunzao had Zhao Xiaofang in her first year of high school and paid for three years’ worth of expenses in one go (tuition, book fees, cafeteria meals, etc.). She also prepared several sets of clothes, shoes, and socks, enough for Zhao Xiaofang to wear until she started working.

It can be said that although Zhao Xiaofang’s mother had been gone for two years, her father, Zhao Mancang, was still on the path of repaying debts and loans.

Before she passed away, Feng Chunzao repeatedly instructed Zhao Xiaofang on the other arrangements and what to do next before she closed her eyes.

So when Zhao Xiaofang’s stepmother, Deng Taohua, entered the house, she immediately encountered Feng Chunzao’s first move and was left bewildered.

Deng Taohua had thought that marrying Zhao Mancang would provide her with a house and allow him to support her two children. But in reality, it was completely different from what she had imagined!

The family was out of money, and she was expected to lend a hand; her daughter had to share a room with Zhao Xiaofang on a wooden board, while her son had no room of his own and had to make do with a stool in the outer room at night.

Deng Taohua had been a widow for 15 years, and now she was looking for someone to share the burden of daily life with her.

Her son, a temporary worker, was 20 years old and worked as a loader in the warehouse. Her daughter was 16 and about to marry, but where would the dowry and wedding gifts come from?

Her son was the root, and her daughter was her heart; she couldn’t bear to see either of them suffer.

The three of them lived in a rented 10-square-meter room. Over the years, she had exhausted herself raising the two children alone.

Deng Taohua had to accept this loss, but she wasn’t going to endure it for a lifetime.

After covering two months of household expenses, Deng Taohua thought about taking over Feng Chunzao’s formal job (whether it be for herself, her son, or her daughter).

Zhao Mancang shook his head and told her, “Before she died, Feng Chunzao asked Director Guo from the factory and Sister Li from the union to be witnesses. Her job can only be taken over by her daughter; the factory won’t approve anyone else.”

The second move failed again, and Deng Taohua fell into silence.

Zhao Mancang and Deng Taohua were merely cohabiting. There was no affection between them!

His adopted daughter and son were not as important as his biological daughter, Zhao Xiaofang.

So, whether Deng Taohua and her children lived well or not, Zhao Mancang didn’t care much.

Deng Taohua realized this issue, so she spent the past two years trying to build a relationship with Zhao Mancang. She would often bring up topics like wanting grandchildren and marrying off her daughter.

She wanted Zhao Mancang to understand that supporting old age still depended on his son, even if that son was not his biological child. After all, daughters would eventually get married!

Gradually, Zhao Mancang stopped involving himself in matters concerning his adopted son and now actively urged him to find a partner and get married.

Zhao Xiaofang knew her stepmother had begun her third move. She had her sights set on that room and her dowry.

Deng Taohua’s two children were growing older and could no longer be put off. But marriage required a house, dowry, and wedding gifts. It wouldn’t be feasible to have the couple live in the outer room and start a family there.

Zhao Xiaofang was a premature baby and had been carefully cared for over the years. Feng Chunzao’s job in the workshop required physical strength and often involved overtime.

After graduation, Zhao Xiaofang would definitely have to work. However, given the intense physical demands of the workshop job, her body would likely not withstand it. If she collapsed, wouldn’t she just end up as a wedding dress for someone else?

Her step-sister, who was only one year older, hadn’t worked at all and had been resting at home, yet the stepmother showed no sign of urgency.

Isn’t she just waiting for Zhao Xiaofang to get worn out? Then her biological daughter would get the benefits without spending a penny. The reputation and benefits would be hers, and no one could fault them!

Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaofang felt even more distressed.

Xu Jing’an watched Zhao Xiaofang for a while before walking over to her. Time was ticking, and class would be starting soon.

“Classmate, do you need something?”

“I came to ask if you are looking for a job?”

“What do you mean?”

Xu Jing’an: “We both have hard lives. I can imagine your current situation; it’s just that your stepmother is scheming against you. My parents are both alive, but if I had anything good, the first ones to scheme against me would be my own family.”

Zhao Xiaofang was not surprised that Xu Jing’an knew about her family matters. After all, the troubles her biological mother caused before her death had been widely talked about, from the residential area to the school.

She had long been accustomed to the attention from others!

Xu Jing’an sat down next to Zhao Xiaofang and looked at her. “I’m Xu Jing’an from the second year of high school.”

“Let’s skip the meaningless talk. I have a job in the factory’s finance department that I can’t take. I wanted to ask if you’d be interested. If you are, it would be a way for us to help each other.”

Zhao Xiaofang said helplessly, “To be honest, I do want it, but I don’t have any money!”

“I didn’t say it had to be paid for!” Xu Jing’an replied, looking at Zhao Xiaofang. “Honestly, Zhao Xiaofang, I envy you. You had a mother who loved you very much!”

Zhao Xiaofang looked at Xu Jing’an’s sincere eyes and felt her own eyes well up with tears.

Since her biological mother Feng Chunzao passed away, Zhao Xiaofang felt that the place no longer felt like home.

She watched her stepmother, along with her two children, circling around her biological father every day; and she saw her father’s shift from indifference to concern.

Zhao Xiaofang knew that her father was also about to disappear.