Chapter 34: I Bought Some Big Bones for Jiaojiao  

Although her parents deeply disliked Fang Qinghe and even wanted to force Shen Jiaojiao to divorce him, they were not the only ones. Her grandparents, her older brother, and all the relatives and friends in the family also stepped forward to persuade her.  

They told her that Fang Qinghe was a scheming man and not a good match.  

However, at that time, Shen Jiaojiao was completely blinded by love. She was entirely immersed in her fantasy of a beautiful love story between a prince and a princess, completely unwilling to listen to anyone’s advice.  

In the end, her family had no choice but to compromise.  

After that, they did everything they could to provide Fang Qinghe with resources, ensuring that his career would flourish effortlessly.  

Shen Jiaojiao let out a sigh.  

Thinking of her past life—her former self and her family—she couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.  

“Dad, Mom, your daughter was unfilial. In my past life, I did so many foolish things. I often made you angry and threw tantrums at you.”  

“In this life, I will definitely be a good daughter. I will be obedient and sensible, and I will cherish you both properly.”  

In the letter, Shen Jiaojiao wrote about her recent situation, assuring her family that she was doing well and telling them not to worry.  

“Dad, Mom, I have already adapted to life in the countryside. It’s not as hard as I once imagined. The villagers are very kind.”  

“The aunties in the village are also very considerate towards us young girls who were sent here. Since we are not used to physical labor, they often take the initiative to help us.”  

“The kindest of them all is Auntie Liu Xiaolan. She takes the most care of me. Not only does she often help me with work, but because I don’t know how to cook, she even prepares all three meals for me every day without asking for anything in return. She treats me like her own daughter.”  

“Now that I have so many people looking after me, Dad, Mom, you can rest assured!”  

“There’s no need to send me money or ration tickets anymore. I am fully capable of supporting myself now.”  

“Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Brother—I love you all. If I get the chance, I will come back to visit you.”  

“Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Brother—please take care of your health. Don’t worry about me!”  

Shen Jiaojiao finished writing the letter, but in the end, she still couldn’t bring herself to mention her upcoming marriage to Xu Mo.  

She still didn’t dare.  

After all, she knew her family too well.  

If they found out about this in advance, she and Xu Mo would never be able to get married smoothly.  

Shen Jiaojiao sighed.

“Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Brother, I’m sorry. I can only keep this matter from you for now.”  

“Once I marry Xu Mo, I will come back and ask for your forgiveness.”  

Shen Jiaojiao placed the letter into an envelope, planning to find time to go to the county Post Office.  

After turning off the light, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.  

Fang Qinghe and Mother Fang arrived home in the middle of the night. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they collapsed from exhaustion, not even having the strength to go inside to sleep.  

Luckily, it was summer. If it had been winter, the two of them would have frozen to death outside.  

Liu Xiaolan barely slept that night.  

Her heart was heavy with worry about Xu Mo, afraid that something might have happened to him.  

It wasn’t until the faint light of dawn broke that she finally dozed off for a little while.  

However, she hadn’t slept long when a knock on the door startled her awake.  

Feeling groggy, Liu Xiaolan got out of bed and opened the door. Against the dim morning light, she saw Xu Mo’s tall figure standing at the entrance.  

“Old Third.”  

Liu Xiaolan instantly sobered up.  

“You little rascal, you still know how to come back!”  

Out of habit, she reached for a willow branch, ready to give him a scolding.  

But Xu Mo quickly stopped her.  

“Mother, I bought some big bones for Jiaojiao. Can you help me stew them?”  

Xu Mo lifted the bag of large bones in front of Liu Xiaolan, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.  

He hadn’t slept all night, having ridden his bicycle the entire journey. Fatigue was etched all over his face.  

Liu Xiaolan’s heart softened. She took the bones and went straight to the kitchen.  

“Go and rest properly. Don’t go to work today.”  

However, Xu Mo followed her into the courtyard, picked up an axe, and began chopping firewood.

“I’m not sleepy right now.”  

At this hour, most of the villagers were already getting up.  

By 7 a.m., they had to start work in the fields, so they needed to wake up early to wash up and prepare breakfast.  

Xu Mo gripped the axe, raising it high before bringing it down forcefully.  

With a sharp crack, the log split cleanly into two halves.  

In no time, he had finished chopping an entire pile of firewood.  

In the house, Sister-in-law Zhou Ying lifted the cloth curtain and glanced outside at Xu Mo.  

Then, she let the curtain fall back down and turned to speak to Xu Zhengyang, who was getting dressed beside her.  

“Tell me, is your younger brother really planning to move back in? The house behind ours is spacious and nice. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for the newlyweds to live there?”  

“If they insist on moving back in with us, this house isn’t soundproof at all. Even the slightest noise can be heard by everyone inside.”  

“Besides, they’re newlyweds, full of energy. What if the children hear… you know… while they’re doing that? Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”  

“There are so many kids at home, and they’re all still in school. Children have simple minds and can’t keep secrets. The moment they hear something, they’ll go and tell their classmates at school. Have you forgotten how Sanjin embarrassed himself last time by talking about what happened in the second room’s bed?”  

“If something like that gets out, who knows what kind of joke we’ll become!”  

Zhou Ying leaned against the edge of the heated brick bed, her mind filled with concerns.  

“Zhengyang, I think you should persuade your younger brother and his wife not to move back in. It’s really inconvenient for everyone.”  

Xu Zhengyang pulled up his pants and glared at Zhou Ying.  

“Enough already! It’s too early for this kind of talk. If Mother hears you, she’ll beat you again.”  

Zhou Ying felt wronged.  

She looked at the small heated brick bed where three little girls were sleeping side by side.  

A thin cloth curtain was the only thing separating them from her and Xu Zhengyang, who were squeezed into the corner.

At night, she didn’t even dare to turn over while sleeping. It was unbearably frustrating.  

“Who am I doing all this for? Now that I’m pregnant, there’s a good chance it’s a son. But when the baby is born, with this tiny bit of space in the house, tell me, where are we supposed to live?”  

“I told you before—we already have three kids, we don’t need any more. But you wouldn’t listen. Now that there’s no space, who do you have to blame?”  

“You were the one who insisted on having another child, so now you have to deal with it yourself.”  

Xu Zhengyang’s face showed his impatience. He didn’t want to continue the conversation and was ready to head out.  

Zhou Ying, however, wasn’t done.  

“I only did this for you, so you could have a son! I didn’t want people to laugh at you. Look at the second household—they gave birth to three sons in a row. But us? We only have three daughters.”  

“People outside are mocking us! Don’t you feel ashamed? Don’t you want to have a son so you can finally stand tall?”  

“Why do you think Li Ermei always targets me? It’s because she looks down on our family for not having a son and only having daughters!”  

As she spoke, tears began to roll down her face.  

At that moment, the three sisters were woken up by their parents’ argument.  

Even though they were awake, they didn’t dare ask anything. Instead, they quietly got up, dressed themselves, and climbed out of bed.  

Their movements were practiced and careful—so mature that it was heartbreaking to watch.  

Xu Zhengyang frowned and shot a glance at Zhou Ying.  

“Whether people respect me or not isn’t about having a son—it’s about my own abilities.”  

With that, he turned and walked out.  

Zhou Ying felt that her husband was useless.  

All he ever cared about was his mother and his younger brother, never once thinking about his own wife.  

She felt extremely frustrated.