Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 115: Cold-hearted

Instead, she slowly set down the towel and nodded calmly.

"But you need to be clear on one thing: connections aren’t enough. Sun Zhenhai himself must meet the basic enlistment standards."

"What are these basic standards? Tell me."

Sensing a slight give in her tone, Yang Yunhua pressed urgently.

Noticing her nervousness, Song Qingya took her arm and said in a low voice, "Let’s go. We can sit down and talk it over."

As they walked to the living room, a wave of relief washed over Yang Yunhua. She felt she had finally made a breakthrough and couldn’t suppress her delight.

"I knew you’d help your brother. You wouldn’t want to see him get left behind, right? Oh, Qingya, as long as you can sort out this enlistment business for Sun Zhenhai, you can live here for as long as you like. Your Uncle Sun and I won’t mind at all!"

Hearing this, Song Qingya frowned slightly.

’What a joke.’

’She had completely lost any emotional connection to this place.’

’This trip home wasn’t about reconnecting with family, much less about trying to please anyone.’

’She had come with a clear purpose.’

"Before we talk about Zhenhai, there’s something else I want to discuss. It’s the main reason I came back today."

She didn’t beat around the bush or waste time with pleasantries.

Yang Yunhua replied excitedly, "Go on, go on! Tell me!"

’As long as there’s hope for my son, I’ll do anything. Anything at all,’ she thought to herself.

"Mom, on my wedding day, Fei Jin’s family gave you a bride price of one thousand, right? Back then you insisted on keeping the money, saying you would hold it for us and return it once he and I were truly settled."

Her tone was steady and emotionless, but it made Yang Yunhua’s heart suddenly tighten.

Then, Song Qingya paused for a moment.

"I’m pregnant now, and our life is pretty much stable. So that one thousand... you should give it back to me today."

The moment these words fell, Yang Yunhua’s expression froze for a second.

’The original owner of this body—the weak, spineless Song Qingya who always took everything lying down—had actually believed her mother and stepfather’s bullshit. She thought they were just holding onto the bride price for safekeeping.’

’But what kind of "help" was that?’

’That measly thousand was long gone, like meat tossed to a wolf.’

’Once it went into their pockets, was there any chance they’d ever spit it back out?’

’If she hadn’t come to their door to demand this money back herself, she’d probably never see that thousand again!’

’She had to fight for what was rightfully hers!’

After hearing this unequivocal demand, Yang Yunhua let out a cold snort and a sarcastic laugh. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Well, well. So it turns out you came home just to get your hands on this money."

Her smile was fake, her eyes ice-cold.

In an instant, Yang Yunhua’s face clouded over, her expression turning ugly.

"So you’ve been acting ever since you walked in the door. You didn’t come to see me at all, you were setting a trap for me!"

The more she thought, the angrier she got.

"Qingya, I’m your mother! You’re my own flesh and blood! How could you come after me for such a small amount of money? Have you no regard for our relationship as mother and daughter? No wonder you’re so heartless!"

As she spoke, Yang Yunhua’s tone softened from anger to a whine.

She deliberately raised a hand to wipe away a tear she’d squeezed out, her voice dropping to a theatrical sob. "Search your own conscience! I eat and live so poorly, just simple meals every day... I’m so frugal I even skimp on the cooking oil... The only reason I made that extra dish of fatty pork today was because you were coming home for a rare visit!"

"You married a village chief. You live so well, eating rich food every day in your spacious, bright house. Life is so comfortable for you. You have your husband’s entire monthly stipend in your hands. You earn a lot, so you can spend a lot. How can you still be hung up on this little bit of money? Daughter, you are truly ’cruel’."

"Mom, you really know how to spin a tale. You’re calling me an ungrateful daughter, right? It doesn’t really matter. If you don’t want to give me the money, fine. But in that case, don’t bring up Zhenhai joining the army."

After she finished speaking, she slowly stood up and unhurriedly turned to walk towards the bedroom.

"Qingya, come back! Can’t we just sit down and talk this over, mother to daughter?"

Seeing she was about to leave, Yang Yunhua quickly rushed forward and grabbed her sleeve.

"I’m pregnant. You can’t be pulling and tugging at me like this. It’s bad for the baby."

She looked up at her mother.

The look in her eyes sent a jolt through Yang Yunhua.

’What in the world is wrong with this girl?’

’The sensible, obedient child she used to be... how did she suddenly become so difficult to handle?’

In that instant, a bizarre thought popped into her head.

’Could it be...’

’...has this girl been possessed?’

The daughter before her was familiar yet strangely foreign. The face was the same...

...but the look in her eyes was completely different.

Yang Yunhua couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

Seeing her mother staring blankly, Song Qingya suddenly gave a soft laugh, her gaze softening slightly.

She then gently removed her mother’s hand.

"Well then, I’ll be leaving now."

"Wait!"

Yang Yunhua snapped back to her senses. Her mind raced, and she finally gritted her teeth and made a decision.

"This isn’t a small amount of money, it’s a whole thousand! Your Uncle Sun and I were planning on putting it in a savings account... But I can’t remember where we put the passbook right now. You have to give us a day or two to find it, right?"

"One day," Song Qingya said slowly.

"In a place that’s only a few hundred square feet, if you still can’t find it... then there’s no need to look any further."

Yang Yunhua stood with her head down, her gaze flickering about, not daring to meet Song Qingya’s eyes.

She grew more and more anxious.

She could only brace herself and force out an agreement.

"Fine, fine!"

Although her tone was quick to agree, she was clearly bluffing.

After hearing this, Song Qingya nodded lightly, having gotten the response she wanted.

Satisfied, she turned and walked towards her room.

Back then, the wide variety of facial masks with all their different functions weren’t commercially available.

Women mostly relied on natural remedies and simple life hacks for their skincare routines.

She habitually cut a freshly washed cucumber into round slices and carefully applied them to her face.

Fei Jin was leaning against the bed, reading. He watched his wife, a faint smile playing on her lips as she skillfully arranged the cucumber slices on her face.

He found himself staring for a moment before smiling and pulling her into his embrace.

"Oh? Why so happy all of a sudden? Did something interesting come out of the chat with your mom?"

"It went okay, more or less," she replied nonchalantly.

Then she snuggled closer into his embrace.

They had a sweet, unspoken routine before bed: a quiet chat about their day, wrapped in a warm, intimate embrace.