“No matter what, it has to be done. Today, let them in the fourth household enjoy their moment of triumph. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure she suffers,” Old Madam Liu gritted her teeth and said.

In the dilapidated courtyard of the fourth household.

Jian Xiu had already cooked the rice porridge.

“Mother, it’s so thick, I can already smell the aroma of rice!” Qi Tou swallowed his saliva and said.

The others’ stomachs seemed to react to the smell of the rice as well, all of them growling at once, including Zhang Zixuan’s.

Everyone felt embarrassed, glancing at each other before laughing together.

“Alright, alright, this time I added more rice and less water, so everyone should be able to fill their stomachs today,” Jian Xiu said with a smile.

She looked at the pale and thin children and gently touched their dry, yellowish hair, thinking of how they had stood up for her today.

Jian Xiu secretly vowed to protect them no matter what.

She wasn’t a saint, but she had one principle: if others respect me, I will respect them tenfold.

Those who were good to her, she would repay ten times over.

Likewise, when it came to her enemies, she would not go easy on them.

She prepared the bowls and immediately served a bowl of porridge to Zhang Zixuan.

“I’m not hungry. You all eat first!” Zhang Zixuan instinctively said, lying in bed.

Usually, the fourth household only had enough for one steamed bun to eat.

But every time, Zhang Zixuan would use such excuses to push them away, actually wanting them to eat more.

Looking at his current state, he had already become so thin and frail.

“Eat, I put in a lot this time. There will be plenty for everyone, I won’t let you go hungry again,” Jian Xiu said firmly to Zhang Zixuan.

She wouldn’t abandon him until his body fully recovered.

She thought back to the past when, in the dead of winter, he would return from the town, his whole body covered in snow, but the steamed buns he brought back for her and the children were still warm.

Yet, he wouldn’t eat any, leaving them all for her and the children.

He had protected their family back then, and now it was her turn.

“Am I a burden to you?” Zhang Zixuan finally asked.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu froze.

She hadn’t expected him to suddenly say something like this.

He had been paralyzed for more than a year, but had never spoken such despairing words.

She knew, even if he died, he would still worry about her and the children.

“What burden? If you really think you’re a burden, then be stronger, try harder to stand up. Didn’t the doctor say there’s still a chance?” she said.

“I know, I’ve been trying, but my body just doesn’t respond,” Zhang Zixuan said despondently.

Every time he heard that they had been beaten, his heart ached.

He wanted to protect his wife and children, but he found it so hard, he just couldn’t do it.

He even wondered if dying would be better.

“Take your time. With me here, everything will get better,” Jian Xiu said with determination.

Keke had said that if she found more strange things and bought that special medicine, he would recover soon.

Thinking of this, she knew she would need to go into the deep mountains to get it.

But looking at the others, she reluctantly gave up the idea for now.

She couldn’t leave them even a step before the family was divided.

With Old Liu’s temper, this time, she was probably going to do more than just hit or scold them.

She might really sell them off.

As if thinking of something, Jian Xiu turned to Zhang Zixuan and asked, “Did you grow up in Zhangjia Village?”

Zhang Zixuan was stunned, not understanding why Jian Xiu suddenly asked, but he truthfully replied, “I don’t remember. I have no memories of my childhood.”

Jian Xiu thought about it and found it normal. After all, Zhang Zixuan was already 24 years old. It was normal for him not to remember his childhood.

But still unwilling to give up, she asked, “Not a single memory?”

Zhang Zixuan shook his head. “Maybe it’s because I wasn’t very likable. I just remember, I was very well-behaved when I was a child, but my mother would always beat me.”

“That’s the point,” Jian Xiu mused.

“Huh? Why do you say that?”

“Honestly, I suspect you might not be her biological son.”

Zhang Zixuan froze, staring blankly at Jian Xiu.

They had been married for many years, but he had never thought of her as such a wise person.

In fact, he had thought the same many years ago.

But even if they weren’t his real parents, they had raised him, and that was a fact.

A biological mother may not be as good as an adoptive mother, and he had always remembered that.

Jian Xiu looked at Zhang Zixuan’s expression and roughly understood what he was thinking.

“You’ve suspected it for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but that stuff doesn’t matter to me anymore,” Zhang Zixuan said nonchalantly.

Jian Xiu nodded understandingly. With his current condition, it wasn’t important to worry about his identity. It was just good that he was still alive.

So why bother worrying about it?

“But I’ve noticed, you really don’t seem like a rural person when it comes to looks and demeanor.” Jian Xiu pondered as she touched her chin.

He was very thin, yet had a graceful air about him.

He was dark-skinned, but his eyes were bright, giving him a noble, refined quality.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zixuan’s cheeks involuntarily turned red.

They had been married for many years, but his wife had never spoken so frankly to him.

It was so sudden that he wasn’t quite used to it.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Zhang Zixuan looked up sharply at Jian Xiu.

Maybe it was because something had triggered him, but Jian Xiu was different today.

Not only did she dare to act against her Mother, her skills seemed different too.

He had worked as a bodyguard for many years, so he knew a thing or two about martial arts.

Everyone thought that Old Liu kneeling earlier was an accident.

But he knew the truth—it was because Jian Xiu had thrown a stone at her from nearby.

He hadn’t told Jian Xiu about his suspicions before because he thought she was a kind, simple woman.

He had kept those thoughts to himself, not wanting to burden her.

But today, he realized she wasn’t quite the way he thought.

And her martial skills…

Thinking of this, Zhang Zixuan raised his head and stared directly at Jian Xiu.

Although Jian Xiu was busy serving the children, she could still feel his gaze on her.

She knew what he was thinking, but Jian Xiu remained calm.

She was indeed Jian Xiu—just with a different core.

Even her memories had been passed on.

What was there to worry about?