Chapter 16 – Daddy Loves Me

Thinking of the filthy things Fu Jun had done, Ruan Jiaojiao couldn’t help showing a trace of pity in her eyes when she looked at Shen Junmei.

Shen Junmei: “……”

Wait a minute—what was that look? What did this shameless hussy mean by looking at her like that?

It felt like she had thrown a punch into cotton—only hurting herself.

Fu Ting led Ruan Jiaojiao into the main room to chat with the men inside. While the group of men talked, Fu Ting pointed toward one of the side rooms.

That room originally belonged to Shen Junmei and Jindan. Zhaodi normally had to sleep in the kitchen, but since today was the day to arrange her marriage, Shen Junmei reluctantly gave up the room so Zhaodi and her lopsided-headed fiancé could “bond.”

Ruan Jiaojiao quietly walked over. Just as she reached the doorway, she heard Zhaodi’s struggling voice inside:

“You—you, don’t touch me!”

“Don’t touch you? Hah! I spent two hundred yuan to marry you. You little sl*t, and you won’t let me touch you? Let me tell you the truth—your mother told me to hurry up and get you pregnant so you can’t run away!”

Yes—at this time, once a woman was pregnant, she belonged to the man. A woman’s entire life was spent serving her husband and bearing sons, never living for herself.

Zhaodi stopped talking, and soon her muffled sobs could be heard.

Ruan Jiaojiao walked in and, while the lopsided man wasn’t looking, chopped the side of his neck, knocking him out cold.

“Se… second aunt?”

Zhaodi, who had resigned herself to being defiled, thought she was dreaming. Second aunt and her mother Shen Junmei never got along—how could she possibly be here to help?

Time was short. Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t waste breath lecturing Zhaodi about “women living for themselves.” Instead, she asked directly:

“Zhaodi, I have a way for you to escape. Will you go?”

“Zhaodi~ my daughter~”

Shen Junmei’s voice came from outside—she was checking on them.

But Zhaodi still hesitated. Having been oppressed by her own mother all her life, she had never once thought about what life outside Shen Junmei’s grasp would be like.

“Think carefully. Tell me once you’ve decided, but be quick.”

Just as Ruan Jiaojiao finished speaking, Shen Junmei barged in. Seeing the lopsided man on the floor and Ruan Jiaojiao standing there, Shen Junmei exploded:

“Ruan Jiaojiao! What are you up to now? What did you do to my golden son-in-law?!”

Anyone else would never believe such a delicate woman could be connected to the unconscious man on the ground. But having experienced Ruan Jiaojiao’s fists before, Shen Junmei knew she was capable of anything.

“I opened the door, he ran into it. Serves him right.” Ruan Jiaojiao rolled her eyes. “Move. A good dog doesn’t block the road.”

She wasn’t putting Shen Junmei in her eyes at all!

“Ruan Jiaojiao, I’m warning you—don’t go too far! It’s one thing to hit me, but now even my son-in-law—believe it or not, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? You’re not as pretty as me, you can’t beat me, and your cooking isn’t as good as mine. Tell me, in what way are you better than me?”

Ruan Jiaojiao actually felt sympathy for Zhaodi, and anger welled up in her chest, looking for a target.

“You… you…” Shen Junmei’s face turned red, her neck bulged with veins. For the first time, she discovered that someone could cut her down without even using a single curse word. She pointed at Ruan Jiaojiao, stammering, unable to form a complete sentence.

“Out of the way.”

Ruan Jiaojiao shoved her aside and walked out.

Seeing her so brazen, Shen Junmei couldn’t do anything. She could only turn to Zhaodi and say:

“Don’t hang around that tramp. Don’t you know what people in the village say about her? Zhaodi, your fiancé fainted—take care of him. He’s old; one bump can be serious.”

“And don’t blame your mother for marrying you off to him. He has money, and older men know how to cherish people. So what if he’s ugly? At night, when the lights are off, isn’t it all the same?”

“Zhaodi, you must live up to expectations. Look how your second aunt bullies me—I can’t even lift my head. Your mother and brother are counting on you…”

“……”

The lopsided man never saw who had hit him.

And Shen Junmei dared not mention Ruan Jiaojiao’s involvement. After all, they were all part of the Fu family—if one prospered, all prospered; if one lost face, everyone did. If the lopsided man knew Shen Junmei had such a difficult sister-in-law, he might not want Zhaodi anymore.

After a noisy day, everyone was exhausted.

But the New Year was approaching. Soon the team would tally up work points, distribute holiday money, slaughter pigs, and share the meat. Things would look up then.

Winter was cold, and there wasn’t much farm work. Fu Ting stayed home more often, busy repairing the heated brick bed.

With the bed warm underneath, it was cozy to sleep at night.

Ruan Jiaojiao planned a trip into town to buy supplies, but it wasn’t convenient to take Dabo and Xiaobao along. Fu Ting wanted to go with her, but she turned him down.

On the way, she unexpectedly ran into Zhaodi.

Zhaodi was standing under the big poplar tree at the village entrance, chatting with a few girls. They all wore thick braids, their faces simple and innocent, their clear eyes untainted by guile.

“Second aunt!!”

Zhaodi spotted her first and ran over from a distance.

“…Your mother let you out?”

“Mm-hm! My dad helped speak up for me!” Zhaodi leaned close and whispered, “Second aunt, my dad said he couldn’t bear to marry me off to that old man. He’s going to secretly take me away—the night before the wedding! Hehe, Dad also said when I was little, he didn’t take care of me enough, and now he regrets it. He wants to treat me well!”

“Second aunt, thank you, but my dad even gave me money. He’ll take me away, I believe him!”

Ruan Jiaojiao: “…But—”

“Okay, second aunt, my friends are calling me. I’m going!”

Zhaodi skipped away.

Ruan Jiaojiao felt something was off, though she couldn’t say what. She wanted to call Zhaodi back, but the girl had already run far away.

Watching her carefree back, Ruan Jiaojiao could only hope this time Zhaodi really could escape her bitter life.

Fu Ting gave Ruan Jiaojiao ten yuan, telling her to buy whatever she wanted.

It was all he had earned recently.

In the countryside, the man usually controlled the money. Some women lived their whole lives without ever seeing what a ten-yuan note looked like.

But Fu Ting was generous with Ruan Jiaojiao, willing to hand over all his savings.

Still, Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t spend it. She had her space, stocked with plenty of supplies from the seventies.

She pulled out two piglets and five chicks, planning to raise them herself.

Though private trade of grain wasn’t allowed, one household was permitted to sell a pig per year. If she raised them well, she could still make quite a bit of money.