Chapter 13: Let the Elder Sister-in-law Stay

“Yes, yes, yes!” Years of oppression had made Wang Miaomiao accustomed to Chen Shuilian’s bossy attitude.

Chen Shuilian’s reaction, in fact, made her feel a huge sense of relief.

In her flustered thoughts, she wondered, since her mother didn’t hurry her out, could it be that she wanted to give her a full meal before she left?

It must be that.

She didn’t dare hesitate and hurried to the kitchen to cook as instructed by Chen Shuilian.

After all, eating a full meal before leaving was better than going hungry. Perhaps this would be the last full meal of her life.

Chen Shuilian watched Wang Miaomiao’s flustered figure with a dazed expression.

Sigh, this is fine. Change cannot be sudden; it must come gradually, step by step. If she suddenly changed her temperament, no one would likely get used to it.

They might even think she had been possessed by a ghost. Sorcery was a taboo, and anyone associated with such things would surely encounter bad luck.

She should take her time. At least for now, she should maintain her usual irritable temperament so the children could adjust more easily.

If she suddenly treated them better, they might suspect that she was concocting some great conspiracy.

Such changes can’t be rushed. Time will reveal the true heart, so she will take it slow…

As for Wang Miaomiao’s future, she needed to think about what to say at the dinner table so that everyone would find it in line with her character.

Wang Miaomiao was also a poor soul. Perhaps she had lived a few good years in her childhood, but who could have expected that one day her biological mother would die, and within a few days, her father would remarry?

Her stepmother, though initially not openly hostile, gradually made it clear that she did not like Wang Miaomiao.

As her stepmother bore child after child, Wang Miaomiao’s status within the family continued to diminish.

As the saying goes, with a stepmother comes a stepfather, and life worsened with each passing day.

At that time, Wang Miaomiao’s only thought was to escape from this deeply troubled home.

Zhao Jiagu, the man introduced by a matchmaker at that time, appeared before her.

Due to Zhao Jiagu’s somewhat bad reputation, the village girls didn’t want to marry him. So, when she reached marriageable age, Chen Shuilian asked a matchmaker to look for potential brides from nearby villages.

However, Chen Shuilian’s bad reputation preceded her, and families with better conditions were unwilling to let their daughters endure her harshness.

Only families with worse conditions were willing to consider Zhao Jiagu, but Chen Shuilian was not satisfied with those candidates.

Luckily, at that time, Wang Miaomiao appeared in her sight. The Wang family, in an optimistic light, was simply looking for a household to marry off their daughter, but in a less flattering light, they were selling her.

For just two taels of silver, the daughter would no longer be their concern.

From then on, whether she lived or died,

didn’t know what to say about it.

Chen Shuilian was surprised to hear such a good deal.

If Wang Miaomiao married into their family, wouldn’t that mean they could keep her in their service for life?

It was like buying a maid—one who could even bear children for her son.

When she thought about it that way, two taels of silver didn’t seem too expensive.

Moreover, Wang Miaomiao was well-built and had a pleasant appearance, so the children she bore for Zhao Jiagu wouldn’t be unattractive. Chen Shuilian became even more satisfied.

And so, the marriage was settled.

Wang Miaomiao thought she had finally escaped the wolf’s den, only to find herself in the tiger’s lair.

The only difference was that although Chen Shuilian was fierce, the life she led was far better than the one she had at home, where even a full meal was hard to come by.

In the Zhao family, as long as she worked hard, avoided upsetting Chen Shuilian and Zhao Jiagu, her life could still be peaceful.

So, she had never harbored any resentment, and from the bottom of her heart, she was grateful to the Zhao family.

Otherwise, after all these years, she wouldn’t have acted like an endlessly spinning top, always working diligently for the family.

Chen Shuilian increasingly felt that the marriage was a good decision, but unfortunately, Zhao Jiagu didn’t feel the same way.

He had no choice at first; he married Wang Miaomiao because she wasn’t unattractive.

However, he didn’t like dull people. She was stiff, and even when held, she was like a piece of wood. Her words were formal, and she had no warmth or softness that a woman should have.

He also wanted to experience a different kind of affection, and when Liu Hong appeared, Wang Miaomiao was naturally cast aside.

In the past life, it was the same. Liu Hong didn’t want to be a concubine, so Zhao Jiagu divorced Wang Miaomiao to marry her.

When Chen Shuilian heard about her eldest grandson, she no longer cared about anything else, which allowed Zhao Jiagu to easily divorce and remarry.

Later, Chen Shuilian heard from others about Wang Miaomiao’s fate, and it was tragic, of course.

As a woman, after being divorced, she had nowhere to go but back to her family.

But that place was no longer her home. She was said to have been turned away when she tried to return.

If they let her in, they’d have to feed another mouth, and no family, especially one with limited means, would want to take in an extra person without contributing.

Chen Shuilian had no other choice but to beg in the county. But a woman begging, especially one who was somewhat attractive, could only imagine the dreadful fate awaiting her.

By the time anyone found her body, she had already died, lying naked on the stone slabs in a dilapidated temple.

No one knew how long she had been there.

At that time, her eyes were wide open, as if she were staring in fear and unwillingness, her face etched with terror and resentment.

Chen Shuilian sighed deeply at the thought of it.

What a sin.

In her past life, Chen Shuilian couldn’t help but feel the weight of the karma she had accumulated.

Reflecting on her own untimely end, she realized it was the result of cause and effect—her actions had led to her downfall.

With a deep sigh, she rubbed her brow in frustration and slowly walked into the room.

Her back seemed to exude a sense of loneliness and melancholy.

Zhao Maizhou and Li Xiaoxing stood in the courtyard, exchanging puzzled glances.

“…”

The two stared at each other for a while, completely baffled by the situation.

After a long pause, Li Xiaoxing awkwardly poked Zhao Maizhou’s waist. “When you eat later, talk to Mother. Ask her to not rush the eldest sister-in-law out. You know how it is at her house, if she goes back, there’s no future for her…”

Zhao Maizhou nodded heavily. “I know. I’ll talk to her later. Our family isn’t short of food, and besides, the eldest sister-in-law is so capable. Mother should agree…”

“Should be…” Li Xiaoxing wasn’t sure, and sighed softly. “Sigh, these past six months without Big Brother… the house has been so much more peaceful. Even though we don’t have land, we’ve figured out a way to earn money to live. It’s tiring, but there’s no more annoying things or people holding us back…”

Zhao Maizhou sighed too. “Yeah, at least the mood isn’t as oppressive…”

Li Xiaoxing stole a glance at Chen Shuilian’s room, then lowered her voice. “I don’t know if this separation today is real or just for show. If Big Brother never comes back, that would be great. I just hope Mother doesn’t change her mind in a few days.”

Zhao Jiagu raised his hand and gently patted her head. “Stay by my side. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer.”

Li Xiaoxing grasped his hand on her head and smiled sweetly at Zhao Maizhou. “No, I’m happy as long as you’re good to me.”

Zhao Maizhou tightly held her hand.

Their eyes locked, and slowly, the atmosphere thickened with an almost palpable tenderness. Eventually, Li Xiaoxing couldn’t stand it anymore and shyly pulled her hand away.

Blushing, she said, “I’ll go help the eldest sister-in-law cook.”

“Mm, go comfort her a bit. It’s not worth it for Zhao Jiagu.”

Zhao Maizhou pursed his lips. Though he felt it was wrong to speak badly of his brother, he still firmly added, “Zhao Jiagu isn’t a good person. It might be better for her to be apart from him.”

His words were not quiet, and Li Xiaoxing immediately shot a horrified glance toward the room.

There was no sound from inside.

Li Xiaoxing let out a relieved breath.

Thank goodness, thank goodness… Mother didn’t come out.

She was terrified. How could he speak so loudly? Was he trying to get himself in trouble?

Quickly, she covered Zhao Maizhou’s mouth. “Lower your voice! Don’t let Mother hear. If she does, she’ll chase you around the street yelling at you!”

“Mm.” Zhao Maizhou nodded, still with a hint of unease.