Wang Qiqi glanced at the focused driving, though the speed was anything but reassuring. Despite the road being nearly empty, her speed remained frustratingly slow, definitely under the limit. "Sis, can you at least take me to grab something to eat first?" Wang Qiqi decided against mentioning the slow driving, anticipating another lecture from Song Yao, and dropped the thought.

Song Yao knew Wang Qiqi absolutely skipped breakfast, so she had prepared things early, though whether Qiqi would like them was another matter. "There’s cifàn and milk in the bag behind you."

Hearing it was cifàn for breakfast, Wang Qiqi was less than thrilled, but it was better than nothing. She leaned into the back seat, grabbed the bag, and pulled out the contents, sighing inwardly. "It's all cold." Even with the car's heater on, everything felt chilly, and the thought of eating cold breakfast made Wang Qiqi genuinely worry her stomach would turn to ice. "Never mind, I’ll just buy something later if we pass a breakfast stall."

"I bought it all at the entrance to your complex. It's because you woke up late," Song Yao said, deliberately omitting that she hadn't reminded Wang Qiqi earlier as payback for ignoring her calls.

Wang Qiqi looked at her cousin, whose expression clearly broadcasted, I totally did that on purpose, and all she could do was sigh. "How is my little nephew?"

"That kid eats well and sleeps well, what could be wrong? Oh, right, Song Ziwen is getting married in May," Song Yao suddenly remembered something she hadn't told Wang Qiqi.

Getting married in May? Wang Qiqi froze, completely stunned by the news. Even in her previous life, Song Ziwen had already married, though Qiqi had only found out because she’d accidentally caused a ripple effect (dié hú). But why was this marriage proceeding so similarly to the last one? She vaguely recalled Li Cui mentioning once that Song Ziwen had suddenly brought a woman home, announcing she was the one he was marrying. Why was it happening this way again? Could the choice of bride be the same?

"He brought her home a few days ago. We were all shocked," Song Yao admitted, feeling helpless about her brother. "He said they’d been dating for a year and felt it was time, so he brought her home to meet everyone."

Dating for a year? Wang Qiqi looked at Song Yao in surprise. Impossible. That kid actually dated someone for a whole year before bringing her home? That was completely unexpected. "You didn't know either?" That couldn't be right. Didn't Song Ziwen tell Song Yao everything? How could she have heard absolutely nothing? This felt very wrong.

Song Yao looked wronged too. "My parents thought I was hiding it from them. Heaven knows, when I was pregnant last year, the kid mentioned once that he liked a girl and asked our parents to stop introducing other girls to him. But every time we asked him to bring the girl out, he’d use all sorts of excuses to delay. I just assumed..." Song Yao hadn't anticipated that this time her younger brother was serious, which left Song Yao feeling very awkward.

Wang Qiqi was now more concerned with the identity of her future sister-in-law. She urgently wanted to know who she was—please don't let it be the sister-in-law from her previous life. While that woman had a decent education and job, her comments were mortifying. When her cousin introduced family relatives, she’d blurt out, "How do I know so many people? Have each of them give me a photo with their name written down, then I can learn to recognize them." Could that be said by a new bride? It was bad enough with peers and younger relatives, but how would the elders view that? Later, at important family events, she would invariably fail to recognize the elders, repeatedly embarrassing the fiercely proud Wang Damei. How could a daughter-in-law who’d been married for years not know the family elders?

Song Yao didn't actually know much about her future sister-in-law either. "She's quite refined, works in finance, and is reportedly studying for the Certified Public Accountant exam."

Wang Qiqi froze upon hearing this. Heavens, no. Could it be that her sister-in-law from the past life was still her sister-in-law in this one? Wang Qiqi anticipated a real spectacle for Wang Damei's family later. Since Song Yao was currently living at home, how could a daughter-in-law tolerate that? Especially since the previous sister-in-law had caused no end of trouble after divorcing and moving back home because of Song Yao. Seeing the sister-in-law’s family of three living in the parental home now, Wang Qiqi wondered how much drama would erupt.

"She works in finance at a foreign-funded company, so her future looks good. Her parents are teachers, and she’s an only child. She definitely looks like she comes from a scholarly background," Song Yao admitted. Truthfully, what pleased Song Yao most about the future daughter-in-law was this aspect. Whether the girl was refined or not didn't matter much; the key was that both her parents were teachers. What worries would they have about their son's education later? Song Yao thought happily.

Both parents alive, an only child, and working in a foreign firm—based on these conditions, she was definitely not the sister-in-law from the previous life. "That’s great. I bet you're the most satisfied with this potential daughter-in-law, aren't you, Sis?" Her older sister must be thinking of something wonderful behind that massive grin, otherwise, she wouldn't be beaming like that.

Song Yao nodded. "Yes! Qiqi, do you know? Her parents both work at the First Affiliated Primary School." The First Affiliated Primary School! Ranked among the top elementary schools city-wide, the middle schools it fed into were also excellent. Basically, once you got into the First Affiliated Primary School, your future prospects were secured.

The First Affiliated Primary School was a prestigious institution. Even with the advent of many private schools later on, it couldn't overshadow its fame. Considering their hometown wasn't a massive metropolis, the First Affiliated Primary School was quite well-known in neighboring cities. It wasn't just about test scores, but more about cultivating interests, akin to Western education. They offered the most diverse extracurricular programs in the city—they had dance troupes, choirs, and orchestras. But really, did her sister need to be this smug? "Sis, can't you just buy a house near the Affiliated School and enroll your son there?" It wasn't like they couldn't afford it. Why be so ecstatic? Wang Qiqi genuinely didn't understand.

Song Yao certainly knew that. Since having her son, Song Yao, with little else to do at home besides earning money to expand their assets and take care of her son, had focused intensely on finding good kindergartens and primary schools for him. The Affiliated School was one that both she and Gong Peixing had set their sights on. After confirming they were arranging for their son to attend the First Affiliated Primary School, Song Yao had delved deep into understanding the school’s intricacies.

After all that research, "Qiqi, you know what? Even if you buy a house in the school district, which guarantees admission to the Affiliated School, getting into a good class depends on connections. But look at your brother-in-law and me—we have a little money now, but we just can't reach those circles." Song Yao realized her brother was truly reliable; he'd found them such a good sister-in-law, solving so many problems.

Wang Qiqi murmured an acknowledgement. That was true; it helped to have connections on the inside. "That’s good. But Taotao is definitely going to be busy later. I can already imagine how much he'll have to study." A child not yet one year old, and his parents were already planning his future primary and secondary schools. She could easily picture the path laid out for him.

How could Song Yao not feel heartache for her son, especially since he was premature and not very robust? But given the current circumstances, diligent study was the only way forward. "Your brother-in-law and I can hustle well enough, but we won't achieve anything spectacular. We're counting on you and your man to eventually study abroad, settle overseas, and take us along to broaden our horizons." Perhaps Song Yao used to think Wang Qiqi's boyfriend wasn't up to scratch—his father died young, leaving only a widowed mother to raise him, forcing him to earn his own way since childhood. In Song Yao's view, although Han Tao was capable, there were plenty of capable men with good family backgrounds. Why did her silly cousin insist on him? Song Yao had privately said many times that Han Tao wasn't good enough for Wang Qiqi. But late last year, when her cousin mentioned that Han Tao knew a foreigner and was going for an internship in the US over the winter break, getting paid for it too—that made Song Yao exclaim that her cousin truly knew how to pick people; she had chosen a high-yield investment.

"There will be such a day. But Sis, if you go abroad, will you speak English?" Wang Qiqi thought that her cousin had likely returned all her English lessons to the teacher long ago. If she went abroad like that, she’d truly become mute.

"If I don't know it, I'll learn it. I used to think driving was so hard, but look at me now," Song Yao said, brimming with confidence. "At worst, I’ll study a bit every day. I’m a free woman now. Alright, we're here. Get out of the car," Song Yao smoothly pulled over and instructed Wang Qiqi to exit.

As they passed a breakfast stall, Wang Qiqi bought two steaming hot baozi and a bag of hot milk. "Sis, this is the meat we need. You can help buy it all when we get the rest." Wang Qiqi wasn't very knowledgeable about meat quality, especially since some vendors, seeing a young girl buying meat, would intentionally give her cuts that looked lean on the surface but were packed with fat inside. Wang Qiqi had been fooled many times, so today, with Song Yao around, she entrusted this tedious task to her.

Song Yao knew her cousin called her over not just because she had a car, but because she wanted help. She took the list, glanced at it, then looked sideways at Wang Qiqi, who was quietly eating her baozi. "Buying meat for your future in-laws' place too?" Based on the amount of meat on the list, Song Yao bet this small haul could last Qiqi three meals a day, with plenty left over until Qiqi left for school.

Wang Qiqi hummed in response. "The cured meat (làròu) is delicious; it’s a great ingredient for hot pot. I asked Auntie to prepare extra so I can take it to Beijing after the winter break." It would also be a chance for Han Tao to taste food his mother hadn't made in a while.

Song Yao understood and led Wang Qiqi, familiar with the route, to the butcher she frequented. Wang Qiqi watched her cousin skillfully greet the vendor, inquire about the price of the required meats, haggle adeptly, state the quantities needed, and then haggle again. That demeanor taught Wang Qiqi one thing: the wealthier people were, the more frugal they tended to be. The principle of increasing income while cutting expenses was perfectly demonstrated by Song Yao. (To be continued)