Su Yun said, "It was Du Liya’s idea. She mainly doesn’t want the clothing factory to be ruined by Shen Zhengfeng. If that happens, there will be nothing left for her son, Shen Yi."

Qin Jiao asked pointedly, "Then why didn’t they ask someone else for help? Why come to our family specifically?"

Su Yun glanced at her younger daughter eating fried chicken beside her, and a thought struck her. ’My older daughter is all grown up now.’ If Qin Jiao weren’t in university, she’d be at an age where, back in Su Yun’s day, she would have already had children running around.

She said, "Du Liya told me she brought up this plan with Shen Yi. He said he was against it, and... he said he likes you and won’t marry anyone else."

It was only then that it dawned on Su Yun: her older daughter was grown, and it was time to think about her marriage. She should have thought about it long ago, but over the past year, her daughter had been so mature and had handled everything so thoroughly that Su Yun had almost forgotten she had reached a marriageable age.

It was true. Most of the kids from their hometown who didn’t get into university would find a job in a factory after graduating from high school. Around this time, they’d start going on blind dates and looking for a partner.

Not to mention, some who hadn’t even finished high school already had children of their own.

With mixed emotions, Su Yun looked at her older daughter. "Xiao Jiao, what about you? What do you think of Shen Yi?"

Su Yun had already given it some thought. Over the past year, she had observed Shen Yi and found him to be a good kid—steady, sensible, and down-to-earth in everything he did. However, the gap between their families’ circumstances was vast. It had crossed her mind that his family might not think hers was good enough.

Now that Du Liya had brought it up, she had later told Su Yun that as a mother herself, she would naturally prioritize her child’s feelings. Shen Yi already liked Xiao Jiao, and if the two of them got together, they could also save the clothing factory. It was a solution that killed two birds with one stone.

Du Liya assured Su Yun that she would never dream of forcing her son to marry someone he didn’t like. Even for the sake of the clothing factory, she wouldn’t do something that would impact her son’s entire life.

As a mother herself, Su Yun could empathize. If Xiao Jiao also liked Shen Yi, then the nature of the situation would be completely different. It would just mean two people who were fond of each other were getting married a bit early. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Seeing the hopeful look in her mother’s eyes, the corner of Qin Jiao’s mouth twitched. "Mom, I just started university," she said. "I don’t want to think about getting married right now. Let’s talk about it after I graduate. Shen Yi is a good guy, but I just don’t want to get married at the moment."

"So you’re saying you like him, then?"

Qin Jiao froze. ’Do I like Shen Yi?’

’Their relationship was probably just too complicated. In her past life, there might have been a flicker of affection for him in her heart. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been that phase where she wanted to build a proper life with Shen Yi, even thinking about having his children.’

’But that small spark of joy that had welled up in her heart was eventually worn away by their arguments, by Shen Yi’s irrationality, and by so many other things.’

’Sometimes, Qin Jiao just couldn’t figure it out. Shen Yi obviously wasn’t a stupid person, so why did he always fly off the handle for no reason? Later on, he didn’t just direct his anger at her; he started lashing out at Du Liya and the others, too.’

’The Shen Yi from back then was completely baffling, treating everyone around him as a target for his aggression.’

Her daughter’s silence stretched on a little too long, and Su Yun assumed she was just being shy. She said earnestly, "Xiao Jiao, the most important thing here is whether or not you like him. If you like Shen Yi, then it’s only right that we help them. After all, they’ve helped us so much for so long. I practically see Mr. Du as my own father now. But of course, if you don’t like Shen Yi, we can’t use your marriage as a bargaining chip, no matter how great a debt we owe them."