Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

On the way back to Jiming Mountain.

Hou Laizi told Chen Wenfeng about what had happened that day.

This morning, Han Laosi took Qin Xiaofen to Zheng Dali's pork stall to buy meat. Actually, buying pork was just a pretext; their real purpose was to build a closer relationship.

Zheng Dali already had a very bad impression of Han Laosi, and the two of them had even fought at the market, so when Han Laosi came to buy meat, Zheng Dali ignored him.

Qin Xiaofen could tell that Zheng Dali had a problem with Han Laosi. She thought to herself, how could she have chosen someone with such a bad reputation as Han Laosi? But then again, in terms of economic strength, Han Laosi was definitely one of the top in Chenjiazhuang.

Qin Xiaofen didn't want to anger Zheng Dali, so she asked Han Laosi to buy something else, and she would handle it herself.

It is said that one cannot hit a smiling face, let alone a delicate woman.

Qin Xiaofen put on a pitiful act in front of Zheng Dali, speaking in a coquettish tone. Two and a half out of every three sentences were used to coax Zheng Dali. It was only because Zheng Dali was a straight man with a good relationship with his wife that he was able to win him over on the spot. If it were any other lowlife or old bachelor, Qin Xiaofen would have won him over immediately.

Even so, Zheng Dali was still extremely happy after being coaxed by Qin Xiaofen.

Qin Xiaofen's method for dealing with Zheng Dali can be summed up in one word: praise.

If we absolutely had to add an adjective before this word, it would become three words: "excessively praise" or "praise to the point of exhaustion."

Qin Xiaofen first praised Zheng Dali for being tall, handsome, skilled at slaughtering pigs, and good at making money, saying he was the most handsome man in the surrounding villages.

Next, she praised Zheng Dali's family, saying that he had a harmonious marriage and both a son and a daughter, which the whole village envied.

Qin Xiaofen also compared him to Han Laosi, who, apart from owning a soy sauce factory, was utterly useless compared to Zheng Dali.

To Zheng Dali, Qin Xiaofen was being very sincere and telling the truth.

Qin Xiaofen spoke so sincerely because she was telling the truth; after all, she was only with Han Laosi for his money. If not for his money, why would she be attracted to him because he was old, ugly, stingy, or didn't like to bathe?

Zheng Dali is the type of person who's easily flattered. He's not afraid of being challenged, but he's terrified of being flattered. When Qin Xiaofen showered him with compliments, Zheng Dali was completely won over.

He was not captivated by Qin Xiaofen's beauty, but rather by his own excellence and charm.

After Qin Xiaofen generously bought another ten catties of meat and said she would come to buy meat often in the future, Zheng Dali was completely under this woman's thumb.

The two chatted much more smoothly, and Zheng Dali even felt sorry for Qin Xiaofen. Such a good woman, beautiful, smart, gentle and reasonable, how could she have ended up with that bastard Han Laosi?

He even said indignantly to Qin Xiaofen:

"Hey girl, if Han Laosi ever bullies you again, just come find me, I'll beat him up!"

Seeing Zheng Dali's attitude, Qin Xiaofen knew she had said enough, so she got to the point and said:

"Thank you so much, Brother Zheng." With that, she feigned sadness, casually wiping her eye with her hand, and said:

"My parents died early and didn't leave me with any brothers or sisters. If you don't mind, I'll be your sister from now on."

When Zheng Dali heard Qin Xiaofen say that, he felt a little embarrassed. It was awkward for her to immediately claim him as her brother and sister. This awkwardness and embarrassment also calmed him down. What was this woman's purpose?

Qin Xiaofen, unaware that her actions had gone too far, said to herself:

"I heard that Brother Zheng's daughter, my niece Xuejiao, is very beautiful. I wonder if she has a husband yet. If not, as her aunt, I can help introduce her to a well-off man."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Dali felt even more uncomfortable. Although he was very chauvinistic and had not received much formal education, he was not strict in disciplining his children.

Sometimes, as his daughter grows up, he thinks about her marriage, but he has one principle: he must respect her opinion. After all, his wife, Xuejiao's mother, and he had a love marriage.

Thinking of this, Zheng Dali replied:

"Thank you, sister, but it's a very important matter for our child's future, and I want her to make her own decisions. Xuejiao is all grown up now, so I'll listen to her."

Qin Xiaofen never expected that Zheng Dali, this rough man, could say such a thing. She thought that if her father had been so open-minded back then, she wouldn't be in this situation now, but this last bit of conscience flashed through her mind.

Qin Xiaofen suddenly felt jealous of Zheng Xuejiao, and this jealousy made her want to drag Zheng Xuejiao into a fire pit.

Why do you get such a loving father, while I've been unloved since I was little?

The psychological distortion led Qin Xiaofen to believe that even if she didn't marry Zheng Xuejiao off to the county town, she would still help her choose a "devil" man.

Qin Xiaofen composed herself and said:

"Brother Zheng, you are really open-minded. But there is a reason for the traditional marriage arrangement. Xuejiao is so young, what does she know? She might impulsively marry a poor man or a man with bad character. She can't see that she will suffer if she marries him. So we parents have to help keep an eye on things and can't just listen to our children."

Zheng Dali had initially made up his mind, but after Qin Xiaofen said that, he felt that what she said made sense, and his heart wavered again.

Qin Xiaofen keenly sensed the change in Zheng Dali's emotions and said:

"Brother Zheng, I'm helping Xuejiao find a family, but I'm not just going to let her marry into it right away. You'll have to do your due diligence, won't you? Is it more reliable for you to vet her, or for Xuejiao to just blindly stumble into it? After all, she's more experienced than you are!"

"Yes, you're right, girl. Then you can help take care of it more."

"No problem," Qin Xiaofen replied cheerfully. She already knew that Zheng Dali doted on his daughter, so she couldn't let him develop a dislike for her now. There was plenty of time; she had to take it slow.

Qin Xiaofen carried ten jin of meat back to the soy sauce factory with Han Laosi. The two of them kept silent the whole way, afraid that people on the road would hear them.

Once they arrived at Han Laosi's office at the soy sauce factory, Qin Xiaofen explained the situation to him in detail. Han Laosi smiled and said:

"Xiaofen, it has to be you! Zheng Dali is usually so stubborn, but you convinced him with just a few words."

"I never expected him to spoil his daughter so much; he almost became suspicious of me at one point."

"What do you plan to do next?"

"From then on, I would buy meat from him whenever I had free time. After a while, I would go to his house and persuade his wife. Once the couple agreed, Zheng Xuejiao would have no problems."

Hou Laizi, still listening intently from the water tank outside the window, told Chen Wenfeng what had happened. Chen Wenfeng couldn't help but curse, "Is Qin Xiaofen a scorpion demon? She's so poisonous! If she uses this trick, there's really no way to counter it!"

After all, who would disobey their parents these days?

After thinking it over, Chen Wenfeng decided it was better to strike first.