Chapter 5 – Going to the Market

After a long time, Wei Dong was almost asleep when she gave him a push.
“What is it now?” he asked.

“Turn off the light. I can’t sleep with it on.”

Wei Dong got up and turned off the light with a snap. The room was plunged into darkness, lit only by a sliver of moonlight streaming in through the window.

In truth, it wasn’t the light that kept her awake—it was Wei Dong’s back, blatantly turned toward her, as if saying: See? It’s all your fault I got beaten. It stirred a bit of guilt in her.

But once the light was off and she could no longer see it, her guilt vanished, and Lian Yuqing fell asleep.

Once her breathing evened out, Wei Dong slowly turned over, lying flat despite the wounds on his back.

Actually, what he said earlier wasn’t entirely true. Although Wei Ximin was against their divorce, if Lian Yuqing insisted on leaving, they would eventually divorce in six months.

Under the faint moonlight, that delicate face looked even more radiant. Wei Dong sighed. What a pity this beautiful flower refuses to grow in the Wei family’s pot.

In the morning, Lian Yuqing was jolted awake by the crowing of roosters and the noisy chatter of the Wei family. Sitting on the bed, grumpy from being woken up, she felt an urge to grab a kitchen knife and butcher everyone—including the chickens.

Wei Dong opened the door and stood at the threshold. Seeing the annoyance in her eyes, his expression cooled. “Come eat,” he said.

Ten years in the army had ingrained strict routines in Wei Dong—up at five to jog, fill the water vat, chop firewood. By the time he finished, Lian Yuqing was still asleep.

He knew she had a temper. When she first arrived, Chen Caiqi had tried to wake her at seven, and the two nearly came to blows.

“Wei Dong, come here.”

Worried their argument would draw attention, Wei Dong closed the door and walked to the bed. “What is it?”

Hugging the quilt with a blank face, Lian Yuqing said, “I want to follow you to the army.”

She admitted it—she was lazy and pampered, not cut out for hardship. Life with Wei Dong in the army would surely be better than this.

After a moment, Wei Dong nodded. “Alright.” He had been planning to bring her along anyway.

As her morning irritation faded, Lian Yuqing added, “Don’t read too much into it. We’re going to divorce sooner or later. I just want to avoid the village gossip. The army sounds quieter.”

Wei Dong gave her a long look. “Get up, I’ll bring in some hot water.”

The couple arrived one after the other at breakfast. Wei Ximin and Chen Caiqi were almost finished—they had to head to work soon.

Wei Dong directly brought up the matter of Lian Yuqing accompanying him to the army. Wei Ximin had no objections, and Chen Caiqi agreed as well. Honestly, having the daughter-in-law at home made life chaotic. Plus, if the couple didn’t live together, when would they ever have children?

Despite her many complaints about Lian Yuqing, Chen Caiqi still hoped their future child would be as golden as a little prince.

For once, the Wei family enjoyed a peaceful morning. Lian Yuqing quietly finished her breakfast and then sat in a chair watching Wei Miaomiao feed the chickens.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of the clothes drying on the bamboo pole, including the ones she’d changed out of last night.

“Miaomiao, who washed my clothes?”

“Big Brother did…” Wei Miaomiao blushed.

Even her undergarments were in there. Lian Yuqing chuckled. “He’s not bad at all.”

Wei Miaomiao was fifteen, with a delicate oval face, gentle and refined—young, but clearly a budding beauty.

The Wei family was good-looking overall—even Wei Chunsheng, who always seemed annoyed with her, was a handsome young man.

“Miaomiao, why aren’t you in school?” Lian Yuqing, bored, started a conversation.

While scattering chicken feed, Wei Miaomiao turned shyly. “I’m bad at studying, I couldn’t keep up.”

“Ask your brother to tutor you.” She’d heard Wei Chunsheng had great grades—always top of his class. He might even become the village’s first college student.

Wei Miaomiao shook her head. “I can’t focus. Books give me a headache.”

A textbook example of a struggling student.

All morning, Wei Miaomiao was busy feeding chickens, doing laundry, and sweeping, while Lian Yuqing just sat in her chair watching without lifting a finger.

Even so, Miaomiao was flattered. Her sister-in-law had actually talked to her for so long—without sarcasm or insults.

Wei Dong came in carrying two fish. Seeing the sisters-in-law chatting and laughing, he raised an eyebrow.

Lian Yuqing saw him too. “Miaomiao said there’s a market today. Don’t forget what you promised me last night.”

Wei Dong nodded. “I’ll go buy it later.”

“I’m going with you,” Lian Yuqing quickly said. She didn’t trust his taste.

Wei Dong didn’t object, but as he passed her, Lian Yuqing pinched her nose and scowled. “Why do you smell so fishy? Stay away from me.”

Glancing at the fish in his hand, Wei Dong thought of how he’d gone into the river just to catch them for her health. For a second, he wanted to toss them back.

In the end, he brought the fish into the kitchen. His younger siblings could benefit too. He filled a basin with water and let them soak.

After showering and changing clothes, he took Lian Yuqing out.

The town market was bustling. Most people brought handmade goods to sell. Worried about getting separated, Lian Yuqing held onto Wei Dong’s sleeve.

Noticing her staring at a stall selling hair ties and accessories, Wei Dong asked, “Want to pick out a couple?”

Though they were getting divorced, he didn’t plan to mistreat her. She had once been a pampered young lady—within his means, he could try to meet her needs.

She shook her head. “Don’t like them.”

Of course not. How could she be impressed by rural goods?

Instead, she had Wei Dong buy her two deep-fried rice cakes. She’d never tasted anything like them—freshly fried and incredibly fragrant.

Watching her puff her cheeks and stick out her tongue from the heat, Wei Dong briefly wondered if she might actually want to settle down with him. The thought quickly disappeared.

All Lian Yuqing had him buy was a wooden bathing tub—nothing else.

Thinking of his younger siblings, Wei Dong also bought ten pears.

When Chen Caiqi heard from her youngest daughter that her son had taken his wife to the market, she felt irritated. He probably spent a bunch of money again. Her eldest son was in the military, earning hard-won wages, and that daughter-in-law was like a gluttonous monster—no amount of money would ever be enough.

“Mom, Big Brother and Sister-in-law are back,” Wei Miaomiao called from outside. Gritting her teeth, Chen Caiqi went out, ready to scold her daughter-in-law if she’d been too indulgent.

But to her surprise, her son was carrying only a wooden tub and a bag of pears.

“That’s it?” Chen Caiqi asked in disbelief.

Lian Yuqing, catching the subtext, replied impatiently, “Nothing I liked.”

Wei Dong thoroughly cleaned the wooden tub, dried it in the sun, and then brought it back inside.

At lunch, Chen Caiqi cooked both fish Wei Dong had caught and made fish soup.

She didn’t add anything else, just ginger and scallions. The milky-white broth was delicious. Lian Yuqing skipped the rice and drank two full bowls of soup.

Wei Dong took it all in. So it’s not that she has a small appetite—she just thinks our food isn’t good enough.

“I caught those fish,” Wei Dong suddenly said.

Lian Yuqing knew he was talking to her. She put down her bowl. “So? I can’t drink it? Stingy.”

Wei Dong replied seriously, “You said I smelled fishy.”

“So? You smelling bad and the soup tasting good are two different things. The soup’s good because Mom cooked it well.”

It was the first time Chen Caiqi had ever been praised by her daughter-in-law. Her heart skipped a beat—it felt… weird.