Chapter 16 Warranty

Dinner was the same as usual, sweet potato porridge and mixed grain pancakes, plus a dish of Chinese cabbage—it was extra, as there usually weren't any cooked vegetables for supper, and everyone would just have some pickles.

Lacking in nutrition, Shen Mianmian didn't want to stop growing at five feet as she had in her previous life. She was only fifteen now and still had room to grow.

After eating one pancake, she reached for another, and Zhou Lanfang could no longer hold back. Her eyes widened, "If you don't do any work, why are you eating so much at night?"

That damned girl, growing bolder, even daring to take a second pancake. In the past, taking one extra bite of vegetables required her to read her mood.

"I am malnourished and need to eat more."

"Strong as an ox, I haven't noticed you being malnourished at all."

Where did she see her looking as strong as an ox? Shen Mianmian laughed, "I am the same age as Siyu, even a few months older, but I am a whole head shorter than her. If it's not malnutrition, what is it?"

For some reason, although Shen Mianmian was still a teenager, her smile made Shen Jianhua feel guilty.

He hadn't paid much attention to the children's height before, thinking it didn't matter much for girls, but now that Shen Mianmian had brought it up, and compared to Siyu, Mianmian indeed needed nutrition.

He displeasedly reprimanded Zhou Lanfang, "The child is just eating some food, why are you making a fuss? What kind of mother are you?"

Zhou Lanfang, feeling she had no grounds to stand on, didn't dare say more, and changed the subject, "If you don't pass your end-of-term exams, you're not allowed to go to school next year."

Not good at studying but great at eating.

Shen Mianmian's eyes flashed, seizing the opportunity to speak, "Starting tomorrow, after school, I need to read and do homework, and I can't do the laundry or cook anymore."

Zhou Lanfang cursed with rage, "You lazy brat, you just don't want to work." Not doing laundry or cooking? She's turned the world upside down.

"Dad, look at my hands." Arguing with Zhou Lanfang was useless, and it might even lead to a beating, so she directly raised her hands in front of Shen Jianhua, "They are so swollen I can't even hold a pen."

After all, Shen Jianhua had raised her as his own daughter, and seeing the serious swelling on her hands, covered in cracks, he felt a pang of sympathy.

"There's no farm work to do now, and you have nothing else to take care of, so let Mianmian stay out of cooking."

Zhou Lanfang brought up her old post-abortion complications, "My back hurts, I can't be moving around too much." Fancy trying to be lazy? No chance.

Shen Jianhua: "..."

The complications from Zhou Lanfang's miscarriage were an issue he had always felt guilty about.

Seeing his hesitation, Shen Mianmian chimed in at the right moment, "Dad, as long as you give me time to study properly, if I don't do well in the end-of-term exams, I will give up studying willingly and won't blame either of you."

This struck a chord with Shen Jianhua, "Mianmian, after school you just focus on studying and doing your homework, don't worry about anything else."

He gave Shen Mianmian time to study—if she didn't do well, he couldn't be blamed, and he'd have an excuse in front of the village head.

Shen Jianhua hadn't even realized that, subconsciously, he had already concluded that Shen Mianmian couldn't possibly do well in her exams.

How could a student ranked at the bottom of her class suddenly make dramatic progress? Learning was something that also required talent.

Zhou Lanfang had no objections this time either, considering the holidays were only about ten days away, Shen Mianmian was bound to do poorly. The words were dropped here. Come time, she'd see how Shen Mianmian had any face to continue studying.

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