The wife in his memory had already grown hazy.  

His adoptive parents said Jiang Qiuyue was capable and hardworking, and taking him to the matchmaking meeting was just a formality—they had already made up their minds. That was how people in the village got married. Back then, he thought everyone did it that way.

“Zhengrong, hurry up and tell us!” Chen Guowei also joined in the fun, nudging Lin Zhengrong’s arm curiously.  

He shared a dorm room with Lin Zhengrong but rarely heard him talk about his family.  

“She’s…” Lin Zhengrong thought carefully, “a very simple person.”  

“Simple is good. We’re all simple folks from poor peasant backgrounds,” Chen Guowei never let a conversation drop, laughing as he pressed further. “And then? No other traits?”  

“Go on, why are you so interested in someone else’s wife?” Lin Zhengrong changed the subject. “Old Zhang’s wife just arrived today. Let’s toast the couple.”  

He had a good tolerance for alcohol, and after several cups, he still hadn’t felt much.  

On the way back, Lin Zhengrong took a detour to the mailroom to ask if there was any telegram for him.  

He couldn’t take Jiang Qiuyue’s words in her letter at face value, so he had sent a telegram to Brigade leader Hu Haizhi.  

But two days had passed—why hadn’t the bridge leader replied yet?  

In truth, the telegram had already been delivered to the Hu household, but Hu Haizhi had been attending meetings in town for the past few days and would return home after dark, eating a few bites before collapsing into bed.  

His wife remembered the telegram on the first day, but once she got caught up in household chores, she forgot about it.  

By the time the Hu family noticed Lin Zhengrong’s telegram, several days had already passed.  

Meanwhile, the Lin family was also eagerly waiting for the postman to deliver their letter. But day after day, even Jiang Qiuyue had received a package—why hadn’t their letter arrived yet?  

On the day the postman passed through Taohua Village, Wang Chunhua deliberately stopped him and, upon learning that Jiang Qiuyue had taken the letter, stormed over to bang on her door.  

Jiang Qiuyue had just finished lunch. Niu Dali and the others had already framed the kitchen structure—all that was left was to plaster it with a mix of yellow mud and straw.  

She was watching them work when she heard Wang Chunhua cursing outside. Slowly, she went to open the door.  

Niu Jianshe asked, “Aunt Lin looks furious. Do you want us to go with you?”  

“No need. We’re family—nothing serious will happen.” Jiang Qiuyue smirked coldly inwardly. Even ten Wang Chunhuas wouldn’t be a match for her.  

Niu Jianshe: “…” They’d already split the household—were they really still family?  

Jiang Qiuyue opened the door for Wang Chunhua but planted a foot on the doorframe, blocking her.  

“Jiang Qiuyue, was it you who took Sanzhu’s letter?” Wang Chunhua pointed at her accusingly.  

Jiang Qiuyue confirmed it. “Mom, I haven’t even confronted you about this yet—I’ve been more than generous. How could you accuse me of adultery?”  

“Were we wrong? If you weren’t sleeping around, why would you steal food and insist on splitting the household?” Wang Chunhua’s chest ached at the thought. It was a full two hundred yuan! If the money were still there, would Sanzhu have to fight with her like this?  

As she spoke, Wang Chunhua jabbed a finger at Jiang Qiuyue. Just as it was about to land on her forehead, Jiang Qiuyue suddenly grabbed the finger and yanked it downward.  

“Ah—!”  

A scream pierced the air, startling everyone nearby.  

Niu Dali and the others rushed out of the kitchen, thinking something had happened to Jiang Qiuyue. “Qiuyue, what’s wrong?” Niu Dali shouted.  

“It’s me! I’m the one who got hit!” Wang Chunhua felt like her finger was broken. Hunched over, she collapsed onto the ground. “Heavens above! A daughter-in-law dares to hit her mother-in-law! Everyone, come see! There’s no justice in this world!”  

Her wails were shrill, like a ghost’s howl. Jiang Youcau covered his ears. “Old lady, Sister Qiuyue is such a good person. As her mother-in-law, why can’t you just leave her alone?”  

“You little bastard, who asked for your opinion?” Wang Chunhua sprang up like a firecracker, only to bump her injured finger and shriek in pain again.

By the time Lin Fugui and the villagers arrived, they saw Wang Chunhua sitting on the ground, kicking her legs and wailing that she didn’t want to live anymore.  

“This life isn’t worth it anymore, I might as well die!” Wang Chunhua had lost a front tooth, making her speech slightly slurred. She didn’t care how ridiculous she looked—all she wanted was for Jiang Qiuyue to be publicly shamed.  

When Lin Fugui learned that Jiang Qiuyue had torn up the letter he wrote, he immediately scolded her, “Jiang Qiuyue, aren’t you going too far? Sanzhu, go get the brigade leader. I want to see if he’ll still take her side this time!”  

Lin Sanzhu said the brigade leader had gone to town. Frowning, Lin Fugui was still thinking of how to get the money back when Jiang Qiuyue outright revealed the contents of the letter.  

“Everyone here is from the same village. I, Jiang Qiuyue, have a clear conscience in everything I do. Before the split, I was the one doing all the household chores—do I look like someone with the energy to commit adultery?”  

Jiang Qiuyue’s voice grew louder. “Has anyone ever heard of in-laws slandering their daughter-in-law with such accusations just to stir up trouble?”  

No one had ever heard of such a thing. It was Lin Fugui’s cousin, Lin Jiawang, who spoke up first. “Fugui, how could you do something like this?”  

Jiang Qiuyue’s character was well-known in the village—she worked harder than most men. Anyone who saw her would praise the Lin family for their good fortune in marrying such a capable daughter-in-law.  

No one believed she’d ever commit adultery.  

Lin Fugui hadn’t expected Jiang Qiuyue to intercept the letter, much less shamelessly expose its contents. If this continued, he’d lose all face.  

He turned to glare at his wife and snapped, “Didn’t I tell you it was a misunderstanding? Why did you still let Sanzhu send the letter?”  

Wang Chunhua: “…” Wasn’t it the old man himself who wrote it?  

“Apologize to Qiuyue right now. This is baseless nonsense—Qiuyue isn’t that kind of person.” Lin Fugui pushed Wang Chunhua forward and whispered in her ear, “Stop making a scene. Do you want the whole village laughing at our family?”  

If someone had to lose face, let it be one person. As the man of the house, he needed to preserve his dignity.  

Wang Chunhua couldn’t bring herself to apologize, especially to Jiang Qiuyue. Instead, she dragged her youngest son over and made him apologize.  

Lin Sanzhu reluctantly muttered an apology. Seeing the Lin family admit fault, the villagers lost interest and slowly dispersed.  

Jiang Qiuyue called out to Lin Fugui before he could leave. “Dad, don’t pull this kind of stunt again, alright? Aren’t you ashamed at your age?”  

Watching Lin Fugui’s face flush red, she continued, “If you really ruin my reputation and make life unbearable for me, I’ll burn the whole house down with you inside while you sleep.”  

In the past, Lin Fugui wouldn’t have believed Jiang Qiuyue capable of such a thing. Now, he did. “Jiang Qiuyue, we’re still Dazhu’s parents. If you treat us like this, aren’t you afraid he’ll divorce you when he comes back?”  

“Dad, you should worry about yourself. The way you’ve treated me and the kids, Dazhu should be the one cutting ties with you.” Jiang Qiuyue sneered. “And if Dazhu turns out to be spineless, I’d be more than happy to divorce him.”  

“Also, since we’ve torn off all pretenses, let me make this clear—if any of you slander me again, I’ll beat the hell out of you!”  

Hearing this, Wang Chunhua’s finger throbbed even more painfully. Jiang Qiuyue had nearly broken it with her unnatural strength.  

The Lin family returned home seething. Since the previous letter had been intercepted, Lin Fugui rewrote it and sent Lin Sanzhu to mail it at the town post office.  

After her outburst, Jiang Qiuyue knew she’d bought herself some peace for a while. Happily, she went to inspect her new kitchen.  

Many hands make light work—in just nine days, Niu Dali and the others had finished the job for her.  

Jiang Qiuyue paid them their wages. Jiang Youcai reluctantly lingered. “Sister Qiuyue, do you have any other work? I don’t need pay—just feed me.”  

Over those nine days, Jiang Qiuyue had cooked a different dish every meal. Not only had Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan gained a little weight, but even the Jiang brothers had filled out.  

Jiang Youde dragged his brother away. “Stop embarrassing yourself.”  

“But I can’t bear to leave Sister Qiuyue’s cooking! I’m so jealous of Beibei and Nannan—they get to eat her food every day!” At the door, Jiang Youcai couldn’t resist turning back. “Sister Qiuyue, if you ever need help again, call me! I’ll definitely come!”  

Jiang Qiuyue laughed and agreed. Shortly after seeing them off, Aunt Niu arrived with a basket of wild mushrooms.  

“Picked them from the mountains myself. It’s a good year for mushrooms—here, try some.”