Qiu Yingying is reborn and bound to a learning system.

On New Year's Eve, just as dusk was falling, the air at the village entrance already smelled of firecrackers. Qiu Yingying parked the car steadily under the old locust tree, turned off the engine, and glanced at her parents: "We're here."

Her mother laughed first, unbuckling her seatbelt as she muttered, "Driving is still faster. In previous years, taking the bus would take until midnight." Her father didn't say anything, but pushed open the car door. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he subconsciously straightened his back, as if his whole body tensed up as soon as he returned to this place.

Just as I reached the open space at the village entrance, I heard a lively chatter. Several elderly women were sunbathing and eating sunflower seeds by the wall. Upon seeing Qiu Yingying's father, one of them immediately exclaimed, "Oh, is Old Qiu back?"

"Is this Yingying? She's getting prettier and prettier!"

"That car is really nice, it must have cost a lot of money! Yingying's really promising!"

A cacophony of praise, mingled with the warmth of everyday life, poured over Qiu Yingying. She smiled and nodded politely, while her mother, beaming, said politely, "Not at all, it's just a car."

"Using it for transportation? There aren't many cars this nice in our village." An older woman lowered her voice and leaned closer. "By the way, isn't your uncle's daughter coming home for the New Year?"

Another chimed in, "That's right. I heard that her mother was asking her for money everywhere so her son could go to school, and even urged her to get married quickly so she could collect a dowry for her son's wedding. The girl came back and had a huge fight with her family. I heard she left crying and hasn't been in contact with them since."

As they spoke, their gazes all fell on Qiu Yingying: "Yingying, you've seen so much of the world, do you even know where your cousin is?"

Qiu Yingying's smile faded slightly, and she said calmly, "I don't know. We haven't kept in touch much since we grew up." The relationship between the two families has always been just average.

She wasn't unaware of where her cousin was—she could occasionally see her posts about her sister on social media—but that last vestige of kinship had long been eroded by her uncle's family's actions over the years. She didn't want to get involved, nor could she be bothered to relay their messages.

On New Year's Eve, the air was filled with the salty aroma of cured meat, the oily fragrance of stewed chicken, and an indescribable tension.

Grandma's old house wasn't big. In the center of the main room stood a square table, its black lacquer worn smooth from wear. The table was laden with dishes: braised fish, braised pork belly, stewed chicken, a large bowl of dumplings, and several bottles of beverages and a small pot of baijiu (Chinese liquor) beside it.

Qiu Yingying helped bring the last plate of dumplings to the table. Just as she sat down, the curtain was lifted and her uncle came in.

"Oh, you've already started eating?" His voice was loud, carrying a chill from just coming back from outside. His eyes swept across the table before finally settling on Qiu Yingying. "Yingying's back too?"

Grandma hurriedly said, "Please sit down, please sit down, we've been waiting for you."

The uncle plopped down opposite Qiu Yingying, casually picked up the liquor on the table, poured himself a glass, glanced at Qiu Yingying, then at her father, and smirked, "Old Qiu, your daughter is getting more and more successful. I heard she's doing quite well in Shanghai?"

Qiu Yingying smiled but didn't reply. Her mother tried to smooth things over, saying, "That's just how it is, working for someone else."

"Working?" The uncle snorted, picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, chewing it until it glistened with oil. "What's the point of going to university? You're still just working for someone else. What's the use of a girl studying so much? She'll still get married in the future, and then she won't even be able to keep her surname."

As he spoke, he deliberately raised his voice: "Unlike my son, who graduated from vocational school and started working in the county town. He stays by my side, which is reassuring. He earns a good amount a month, and he's obedient; he wouldn't dare disobey me."

The grandmother, dressed in red and green, smiled and nodded: "Your son is quite capable."

"That's right." The uncle patted his chest proudly. "I've said it before, raising a son is the right way. Raising a daughter? It's a waste. Look at your Yingying, she's been in Shanghai for so many years, and she hasn't brought you any great things. You bought a car, but who knows if it was bought on loan? A girl like you, drifting around outside, will suffer sooner or later. You might even have to rely on your nephew."

Qiu Yingying tightened her grip on the chopsticks, but didn't say anything.

The uncle, seemingly oblivious to her expression, continued, "And then there's my wretched daughter, an even bigger ingrate. She got a little education and thinks she's something special, all grown up and doesn't come home, doesn't give the family a single penny, not even willing to pay for her own brother's tuition. I told her to get married early so I could get some dowry for her brother's wedding, but she had a huge fight with me, ran away, and never contacted me again. It's such a waste of money raising her; raising a daughter is just a money-losing proposition."

As he spoke, he looked at Qiu Yingying, his tone carrying a hint of contempt: "Don't be like your cousin. Girls shouldn't be so stubborn. Find a good family to marry into as soon as possible, leave some dowry for your parents, and that will be considered fulfilling your filial duty."

Qiu Yingying's mother's smile froze for a moment, then she bent down and put a piece of fish on her plate: "Eat vegetables, eat vegetables."

The uncle, however, persisted, taking a sip of his wine and looking at her father, he said slowly, "Old Qiu, I'm not trying to be mean, but you've wasted your life. You only had one daughter, and once she gets married, she'll belong to someone else's family. When you two get old, who will take care of you? What do you call this? You've become childless."

"Brother!" Qiu Yingying's father finally frowned. "We're eating. My Yingying is doing great! Who says girls have no future? How can your son compare to Yingying? Why are you saying all this?"

"I'm just telling the truth," the uncle said, pursing his lips. "Look at me, my son is getting married soon, and he'll have a big, healthy boy. Then the Qiu family will have an heir. I won't have to worry about anything anymore; my son will support me, and my grandson will support me too. What about you? You won't get to enjoy that kind of happiness."

As he spoke, he looked at Qiu Yingying with a scrutinizing gaze: "Yingying, don't be as insensible as your cousin. You're your parents' only child. If you marry far away, what will happen to them when they get old? No one will care for them, no one will ask about them, and if they get sick, there won't even be anyone to bring them water. What's the use of all that education you've received? You can't even take care of your parents."

Qiu Yingying raised her head, her eyes turning cold: "Uncle, my parents have me, I won't abandon them."

"You?" The uncle seemed to have heard a joke. "You're a girl. Once you're married, you belong to your husband's family. When your mother-in-law tells you to go east, would you dare to go west? How could you possibly take care of your parents? Don't be ridiculous."

Qiu Yingying felt a pang of pain in her heart. The curse she hated most was that it had actually happened, and what was hateful was that she hadn't seen it clearly before. It was also ridiculous that both her former mother-in-law and she were powerless members of the family. The house, car, and economic advantages were all in the man's name, yet she shifted all the blame for the many things her husband couldn't do onto the two women. However, her former mother-in-law was indeed not a kind person.

He paused, then continued belittling, "Besides, how much do you earn a month working in Shanghai? Enough to support yourself, you're lucky. You think you can support your parents? Don't try to put on a show. Look at my son. He only graduated from vocational school, but he has a stable job in the county town. I bought him a house, and he'll get married, have a grandson, and cook for me every day. And what about you? What can you give your parents?"

Qiu Yingying's mother couldn't hold back any longer. She knew that her daughter's salary was more than ten times that of her cousin, but she was afraid that her uncle would shamelessly come to borrow money: "Stop talking! If it weren't for your mouth, would your sister-in-law have divorced you? Can't you eat properly?"

"I'm doing this for her own good," the uncle said, displeased. "I'm teaching her a lesson. A girl shouldn't always think of herself; she should consider her family more. Look at your cousin, she's too selfish, only caring about herself and not her family. Now she doesn't even dare to go home. Let me tell you, Yingying, if you dare to follow her example, your parents will really be left without anyone to care for them."

The atmosphere at the table grew increasingly tense. Grandma sighed softly but remained silent.

Qiu Yingying put down her chopsticks, looked at her uncle, and said in a calm but cold tone: "Uncle, you know why my cousin doesn't come home. You treat her like an ATM, making her pay for your son's tuition and even demanding a dowry for his wedding. She's a person, not your cash cow."

"How dare you talk like that, girl?" The uncle's face changed, and he slammed his hand on the table. "I was doing it for her own good! What's wrong with a girl getting married early? She's ungrateful and argues with me. Let me tell you, if it weren't for me, would she be where she is today? Who paid for all her education?"

"It's money she earned herself from part-time jobs, plus occasional help from my parents," Qiu Yingying retorted without backing down. "All these years, besides asking her for money, what else have you done?"

"You..." The uncle was speechless, and after a long while, he finally snorted, "You've studied for a few years, so you think you're all grown up? How dare you talk to me like that? I think you're just like your cousin, both ingrates!"

He then looked at Qiu Yingying's father, his tone tinged with schadenfreude: "Look at this, this is the good daughter you raised. Once she gets married, she won't be close to you anymore. You can expect to be all alone for the rest of your life."

Qiu Yingying's father suddenly stood up: "Brother, you've gone too far!"

"Am I being unreasonable?" The eldest uncle stood up as well. "I'm just telling the truth! You only had one daughter, who will definitely belong to another family in the future. When you get old, who will take care of you? Who will see you off in your final days? You'll have no heir! You'll never enjoy the blessings of having a son in your life!"

"Enough!" Qiu Yingying's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the noisy room.

She looked at her uncle, her eyes devoid of their former timidity, only filled with a cold determination: "Uncle, my parents have me, I won't abandon them. I have a job and a house in Shanghai, and I can bring them to live with me in the future. I won't do what you said, that I'll abandon my parents after I get married."

She paused, then added, "Also, regarding my cousin's matter, I won't relay your message, nor will I try to persuade her to come back. She knows perfectly well how you've treated her. If you truly care about her, you should reflect on your own actions."

After saying that, she stood up: "I'm full, I need some fresh air."

She turned and went into the kitchen, leaving everyone at the table in silence.

Her father watched his daughter's retreating figure, his throat bobbing, but in the end he simply sat down heavily, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

The uncle was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "So what if you have a little money? What's there to be so smug about..."

In the kitchen, Qiu Yingying leaned against the door frame, listening to the faint sounds of arguing outside. She felt extremely annoyed; she hadn't performed well in the argument and couldn't hold back. She would have to think of something to say and start arguing again later.