Chapter 2037: Would Rather Not Accept It

Thinking about how her family’s hard-earned money was going to people like Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin, that old neighbor felt uncomfortable on all levels. Even if she were to hand the money over, she would definitely find a way to get it back from the Qiao family once her daughter became a civil servant.

“Mom, don’t…” The neighbor’s daughter was on the verge of tears. Why were things going from bad to worse? “If you want to do that, you might as well not hand the money over in the first place. I’ll just give up the civil service entrance examination and get a normal job. Why don’t you think about how the one doing the work is the Zhai family while the Qiao family is simply the one receiving the money? Since the Qiao family is doing nothing apart from receiving the money, it can’t possibly be bribery. If the money does indeed go into the Zhai family’s pockets, then what you said might have some truth to it. Besides, given the Zhai family’s capabilities… I know you’ll want to get your money back after I secure a civil service job. Don’t think that a job in the civil service is a cradle-to-grave job. There is nothing absolute in this world!”

It was true that the hundred thousand yuan would never reach the Zhai family. But if they were to provoke the Qiao family, she could be dismissed from her job the same way she had gotten that job. Then, they would have worked so hard for nothing in the end.

After going through all those underhanded methods, she would never need to think about having a government job. Even better state-owned enterprises would not dare to hire her. Who would dare to hire a worker like her? Did they have too good of a relationship with the government authorities that they would dare to hire such a sensitive person who would only ruin everything?

If she did not try for a civil service job, none of these problems would surface and she would not need to be ostracized and embarrassed in that manner.

“Listen to her!” Her husband took a sharp puff of his cigarette. “Our daughter has been intelligent since she was young and she’s knowledgeable. Nothing will go wrong if we listen to her.” Their daughter had said to try asking the Qiao family for a favor even if they needed to pay them. Now that the interview name list had been announced, if the Qiao family was still willing to accept their money, it meant that their daughter still had a chance.

It would take another few years to earn that hundred thousand yuan, but he had no other choice. He had only one daughter. This sum of money could not be compared to his daughter’s future. He could always earn that sum of money back. Besides, once his daughter became a civil servant, she would be earning good money. In that case, a hundred thousand yuan was less than a year’s worth of her daughter’s wage.

They would just treat it as though their daughter’s salary in her first year was the Qiao family’s. But after that first year, whatever their daughter earned would be their family’s.

The man stubbed his cigarette while mulling through the matter. “Let’s just do as she said. Firstly, we can choose to give up the civil service job. Secondly, we can choose to mend our relationship with the Qiao family and give Ding Jiayi a hundred thousand yuan. You’re so short-sighted and petty. Didn’t you hear what our daughter said? It’s better to have somewhere to spend our money than have no money to spend. After our daughter becomes a civil servant, her yearly salary will be much more than a hundred thousand yuan! Do you think we’ll have to pay the Qiao family more than once for this one matter?”

A hundred thousand yuan sounded like a huge sum of money and it was indeed heart-wrenching to hand it over to someone else. However, if they were to look at it from a long-term perspective, not only would their family not lose out, but they would even make a fortune from it!

His wife had made such a fuss simply because she wanted the Qiao family, their long-term neighbor, to help them because Qiao Nan had married a man with such a good family background. On the other hand, their daughter was only twenty-five, was pretty, and highly educated. It would not be easy for them to find a son-in-law half as good as Zhai Sheng, much less on par with him.

“Young lady, don’t bother about what your mom said. She’s just sour because the Qiao family has been in a mess for such a long time and has been the joke of the entire courtyard. No one would have guessed that the Qiao family’s younger daughter would rise from the ashes and get married to such a man.” On the contrary, their family had always been harmonious and peaceful all along.

Women were indeed petty.

The young lady nodded. “Mom, which one would you choose?” She had to let her mom make the decision. Otherwise, her mom might go back on her word and try to take the money back from the Qiao family later on. Then, there would be no way of salvaging the situation, and all their efforts would be in vain.

Because both her husband and daughter were in agreement, there was nothing the old neighbor could say. “Alright. The both of you are trying to lecture me together. I know what you guys mean. I won’t make any more trouble. Will that do? Humph! At times like these, you two are a family while I’m an outsider. I’m the only bad guy, right?”

This concerned her daughter’s future. She could never do something that would hurt her daughter’s future no matter how upset or angry she was. They simply had to explain it to her nicely. She was not an unreasonable person.

“Mom, that’s not true. I’m always on your side.” The young lady winked at her dad. She had only said such things to appease her mother. In reality, she was always in cahoots with her dad. The young lady’s father had no choice but to smile. He was already so advanced in age. How could he let his daughter coax him instead?

“Alright, hurry and get out of my way. Old Qiao is an old foggy, and Qiao Nan may look like she’s distant and cold, but I think it’s because she was too aggrieved by the Qiao family. That’s why she’s the way she is. The two of them are the most honest in the Qiao family, while Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin are the most cunning and evil. They are already waiting for us to send the money over. If we make them wait for too long, they might decide not to help our daughter anymore. I have to go to the bank to withdraw a hundred thousand yuan and bring it over to them!”

Now that they had come to a decision, the old neighbor did not hesitate any longer and rushed to the bank to withdraw that sum of money.

While the old neighbor was withdrawing the money, the Qiao family was busy too. After their neighbor left, Qiao Zijin hugged Ding Jiayi out of joy. “Mom, how did you do it? I thought you didn’t meet Qiao Nan or the Zhai family? I…”

She had clearly handed in a blank sheet of paper, but she had still passed the written examination! She had already said that nothing was impossible as long as one had the right connections. The only unexpected thing was that her mom had indeed succeeded! But what had her mom done?

“Even your son doesn’t jump around like that. You’re already a mother, but you’re even more mischievous than your son. Hurry and get down! What will other people think if they see you like this?” Ding Jiayi felt extremely proud and elated in the face of her daughter’s adoration and admiration. “See, I wasn’t just bragging. Didn’t I manage to solve this problem for you?”