Chapter 50: Sarcastic Relatives Appear, Xu Jiaojiao Faces Hardships

The next day, Xie Zhi woke up early again, got himself ready in the bathroom, and then quietly got back into bed.

Immediately, he picked up a book. The girl was still sleeping soundly in bed, her face looking cute and innocent.

He held a German book in his hand. Xie Zhi had learned German when he was young, and now he could only manage basic conversations. But since there was a lack of translators, he decided to study the language well. In the future, he could earn some extra money by doing translations. Then, he could buy Jiaojiao dresses and jewelry, and thinking about her happy face made everything worthwhile.

Xu Jiaojiao rested her head on Xie Zhi’s waist, nudging it as if trying to bury herself somewhere.

This startled him, and his body stiffened instantly. He didn’t dare to move, and the heat rose in him, especially in certain areas.

Xu Jiaojiao impatiently slapped his arm. “So hot.” Then she turned her head to the other side.

Xie Zhi sighed in relief, his eyes darkened as he stared at her. The blanket was unknowingly lifted by the girl, revealing her fair skin and the soft contours of her body.

His breath quickened, and he couldn’t resist gently squeezing her skin. “Jiaojiao, what should I do?”

Xu Jiaojiao groaned in pain, but exhausted from the night, she turned over and fell back asleep.

Xie Zhi saw the heartless expression on this little vixen’s face and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He didn’t focus on his own desires but instead immersed himself in his book.

The book was about German game theory. He had a pen in his hand, and there was a German dictionary on the nightstand. Although game theory wasn’t difficult to pronounce, it was a philosophical subject and hard to understand.

The door was gently knocked on, and Xie Zhi frowned. He didn’t want to answer, but the knocking continued—polite but persistent.

He had no choice but to get up quietly so as not to wake Jiaojiao. He opened the door and softly asked, “Dad, what’s up?”

Xie Zhi’s father, Xie Huaiyuan, smiled awkwardly. “Xiaozhi, come down for breakfast. Your aunt and uncle are here, they said they want to see Jiaojiao.”

Xie Zhi felt a bad premonition rise in his chest. “Why are they here?”

“Xiaojing told them.”

Xie Zhi didn’t want to deal with those people. The so-called relatives never helped when something happened at home, and now they were even making things worse. Only his mother, who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, was deceived by her family. He couldn’t forget the ridicule from his cousins.

His face turned serious, and he threw out a sentence: “Let them wait.” Then he shut the door without listening to his father.

He couldn’t understand why his parents were so determined to associate with people who had wronged them repeatedly. Meanwhile, Jiaojiao and her family had helped both financially and with effort but still didn’t gain anything good in return.

As he turned around and saw the girl sleeping with her back to him, Xie Zhi’s feelings became mixed. He pulled off the blanket and no longer felt like reading.

He wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly as if she was his lifeline, greedily inhaling her scent.

Xu Jiaojiao felt as though she was tied up by ropes. She mumbled, “So hot,” then squirmed a little before falling asleep again.

Xie Zhi was practically a beast. Even though they were together all the time, sleeping together daily, he acted like he had never had enough.

Xie Zhi’s father, Xie Huaiyuan, silently walked down the stairs. Each step felt heavy. He knew the true nature of those relatives, but the blood ties and the help he received when he was young couldn’t be easily dismissed.

His brothers and sisters weren’t good people, but his father-in-law and mother-in-law treated him well. When his father went to war and his life was uncertain, they had raised him, fed him, and sent him and his wife to school. How could he forget that kindness?

Back in the living room, the relatives were eagerly waiting. When they saw Xie Huaiyuan coming down alone, they craned their necks to look behind him, but saw nothing.

The eldest brother snorted and huffed loudly. “Where’s Xiaozhi and his wife? The elders are here, and they’re still not coming down? Where’s their respect?”

“Yeah, their heads are so high up now.”

“How can they still be sleeping at ten in the morning? Is this how a daughter-in-law of the Xie family behaves?”

“She doesn’t even take care of her in-laws. What a waste of money.”

“Marrying a woman like that ruins family traditions.”

The relatives spoke one after another, their eyes filled with disdain. Some even rolled up their sleeves as if Xu Jiaojiao had stolen their husbands and they wanted to drag her out to beat her up.

Ming Zhen calmly took a sip of tea, a faint smile on her lips, but when she looked up, she saw Xie Huaiyuan’s cold expression.

“Alright, they came back late last night and are busy working as translators. What’s the big deal with letting young people sleep a little longer?”

Xie Huaiyuan, irritated by the noise, shouted loudly.

“Are they as tired as we were? Back then, we had to work from dawn till dusk. Now they’re just sitting in an office, how tiring can it be?”

“Yeah, they’re just being pampered.”

“If they worked in the fields, they wouldn’t be so lazy.”

The teacup hit the table with a crisp sound, and the leading old woman’s sharp gaze swept over everyone. “Are you done talking? You’re giving me a headache. If you can’t stand it, go up and drag them down.”

At these words, no one dared to mock anymore.

They all knew that Ming Zhen and Xie Huaiyuan would let them push them around, but Xie Zhi was a different case. His temper was unpredictable, and his methods were even harsher than his father’s. If they were kicked out, they would be embarrassed.

“Ming Zhen, go buy some food for me.” The third uncle said carelessly, picking his teeth with a toothpick.

The trash bin was filled with mangoes brought back last night, and the two at the bottom had already been eaten clean by these people, with yellow juice smeared between their fingers, looking nothing like they were from a prestigious family.

“Did you hear me? Go quickly.”

Xie Huaiyuan stopped Ming Zhen from standing up, his eyes sharp and full of anger. “Why don’t you go, Third Brother?”

“Why do you think you can order my wife around?”

Xie Huaiyuan was truly angry now. He had let these people take advantage of him, but he couldn’t let them treat Ming Zhen this way anymore.

His eyes scanned the room, one by one, as if he were judging each person: “If you want to eat, buy it yourself.”

Ming Zhen felt a rush of warmth in her heart. She suddenly felt the tenderness from her husband, and she reached for his hand, gently leaning against him. At that moment, the distance between them seemed to vanish.

“Fine, I’ll go.”

The lead old woman sighed, seeing the situation clearly. The Ming family ss on a decline, and they relied heavily on Xie Huaiyuan’s kindness and the military honors of his father.

In the end, they couldn’t push things too far.