Upon hearing that no bride price was required, Wang Chunhua immediately widened her eyes, but this time her mind worked quickly. As long as her daughter could escape this ordeal and marry into a wealthy family, what did they need a bride price for? They could just rely on their daughter to support the family later.  

Wu Dongmei also widened her eyes in disbelief—she had never seen such a shameless family. Lin Xiao had committed a crime and was being sent to labor reform. She wouldn’t accept such a daughter-in-law even if they paid her, yet the Lin family made it sound like some incredible favor.  

“Listen, big brother, your daughter is good for nothing. I wouldn’t take her even if you paid me a dowry, let alone when she’s so morally corrupt. Stop making a scene here. I said I can’t help, and that’s final.” Just as Wu Dongmei finished speaking, she saw her son approaching from a distance and hurriedly signaled him with her eyes. But her son didn’t notice anything amiss and still called out, “Mom.”  

Seeing the main person involved arrive, Wang Chunhua immediately grabbed Bai Biao’s arm. “You’re Bai Biao, right? I’m Lin Xiao’s mom. Are you two dating?”  

“Don’t deny it! Lin Xiao told me everything—you’ve even kissed!”  

Bai Biao forcefully shook her off. “So what if we have? She was the one who chased me, and she kissed me. I just didn’t refuse!”  

“Hear that? Your son admitted it!” Wang Chunhua, no match for Bai Biao’s strength, turned to grab Wu Dongmei instead. “Someone, come quick! Look at this shameless hooligan!”  

Wu Dongmei panicked and covered Wang Chunhua’s mouth. “Stop shouting! What do you want?”  

“I want you to save my daughter!” Wang Chunhua demanded.  

By this point, Wu Dongmei had no choice. “Fine, I’ll try. But you must keep this quiet, or I’ll make sure your whole family suffers!”  

“And even if your daughter avoids labor reform, my son will never marry her.” Did a country bumpkin really think she could marry into their family? In her dreams!  

Lin Fugui figured they should take things one step at a time. Once his daughter was safe, they could discuss marriage with the Bai family later.  

He tugged at Wang Chunhua, signaling her to stop talking, and the two followed Wu Dongmei toward her home.  

Jiang Qianyue was shocked that Lin Xiao had been so bold in pursuing love. Bai Biao looked fat and ugly, with pockmarked skin—how could Lin Xiao even bring herself to kiss him?  

“Wang Chunhua said Bai Biao’s father is a leader at the textile factory. If they really have connections, shouldn’t we prepare in advance?” Jiang Qianyue glanced at Lin Zhengrong.  

“I have a comrade-in-arms who transferred to the city’s police station. You take the kids to wait for Wang Youren—I’ll go call my comrade.”  

Jiang Qianyue took the children to the meeting spot, and Wang Youren arrived soon after.  

“It’s fine, we can wait a bit longer.” Wang Youren ate the sponge cake Jiang Qianyue had given him, marveling at her generosity. Every time he let her hitch a ride on his tractor, she would give him something to eat.  

When Lin Zhengrong returned after making the call, he saw Jiang Qianyue and Wang Youren leaning against the tractor while the two children squatted nearby, counting ants.

Although both of them were behaving openly and naturally, he still felt uneasy.  

When he wasn’t around, were all these unmarried young men in the village so eager to please Jiang Qianyue?  

Seeing Wang Youren smile so happily, Lin Zhengrong cracked his neck, coughed twice, and announced it was time to go home.  

“Dad!”  

Lin Beibei ran over to hold his father’s hand. “Where did you go?”  

The child had endless questions. Lin Zhengrong said he had gone to make a phone call, and he immediately asked who he had called.  

The whole way back, Lin Beibei kept asking one thing after another. Jiang Qianyue also wanted to gossip a bit, but she held back, afraid Lin Zhengrong would find her too talkative.  

By the time they got home, the weather was still hot. Aunt Niu’s corn had ripened, and Niu Zhuangzhuang brought some over.  

Lin Zhengrong left with Niu Zhuangzhuang without saying where they were going. He didn’t return until almost dinnertime.  

Jiang Qianyue had scrambled eggs and stir-fried corn with salted pork. When she saw Lin Zhengrong return, she urged him to wash his hands and eat.  

“It’s a shame we’ve already used up this month’s meat ration. I couldn’t buy any today, otherwise I’d have gotten some pork bones to boil with the corn—it’s really delicious. By the way, where did you go earlier?”  

“The bed at home… is a bit small.”  

Lin Zhengrong lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth. “I went to see the brigade leader to ask where I could get some lumber to make a new bed. And while I was at it, I managed to trade for these…”  

He pulled two meat ration tickets from his pocket—enough for two jin of meat. Earlier at the supply and marketing cooperative, he had noticed Jiang Qianyue eyeing the meat longingly.  

“Meat tickets!” Jiang Qianyue exclaimed happily. “Who did you trade with? That’s amazing—two whole jin!”  

“The brigade leader helped arrange it. He said there were a couple of logs at the village office, so I’ll go fetch them tomorrow.” Lin Zhengrong had already finished one bowl of rice. He had watched carpenters work before and was confident he could make a simple bed.  

He had also warned the brigade leader that someone might cause trouble in the coming days, telling him not to worry since he had already taken care of things.  

When Jiang Qianyue heard Lin Zhengrong was going to make a bed, she secretly sighed in relief. An extra bed would be good—Lin Zhengrong still had over half a month left at home, and sharing a bed was awkward.  

She naturally assumed the new bed would be for Lin Zhengrong to sleep in alone, while she continued sharing with the two kids.  

The next morning, as soon as Jiang Qianyue woke up, she heard voices in the yard. She saw Lin Zhengrong carrying lumber back, accompanied by Niu Jianshe. Before she could even greet them, she froze in place.  

Lin Zhengrong wasn’t wearing a shirt. His muscles were well-defined, his arms strong and smoothly sculpted. Beads of sweat glistened on his skin from the morning labor.  

Jiang Qianyue’s eyes followed a drop of sweat as it rolled down his chest, and she swallowed hard without realizing it. Only when Niu Jianshe said goodbye did she snap out of it and wave back.  

Good heavens…

In her past life, she had been so focused on work that she’d never even slept with a man, let alone touched someone this muscular.  

During breaks, she’d sometimes get lost staring at thirst-trap guys on her phone.  

And now, here was a real-life, perfectly built man standing right in front of her—his muscles just right, not overly bulky but far more toned than some scrawny guy.

Jiang Qianyue’s first thought was—I want to squeeze Lin Zhengrong’s muscles.

Her second thought was—I want to see Lin Zhengrong do a thirst-trap dance in front of me (blushing shyly jpg).  

“Mom, mom, mom! Why aren’t you answering me?” Lin Beibei had called out several times, but his mother hadn’t responded. Standing on tiptoe, he tugged hard at her hand before she finally looked down at him. “Mom, what are you looking at?”  

Hearing this, Lin Zhengrong in the yard also glanced over.  

Embarrassed, Jiang Qianyue turned her back to him. “Mom was looking at the sun. The weather’s so nice today! I’ll go make porridge for you!”  

Lin Zhengrong had borrowed a tape measure, saw, and other tools. The morning sun wasn’t too strong, so he remained shirtless. Hearing Jiang Qianyue say she was looking at the sun, the corner of his lips curved slightly.  

Indeed, it was a nice day.  

Breakfast was simple—porridge with pickled vegetables. Jiang Qianyue had originally planned to go into town, but after seeing Lin Zhengrong working in the yard, she changed her mind.  

Meat could wait another day, but a shirtless, muscular man wasn’t an everyday sight. Besides, she was legally allowed to admire him—it wasn’t like there was anyone else around.  

After breakfast, Lin Beibei wanted to help his dad, but Lin Zhengrong said he didn’t need assistance. Even when Zhuangzhuang came to invite him to play, the boy refused, preferring to watch his father saw wood.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Qianyue lounged in a recliner, resting. A palm-leaf fan covered her face, but the gaps between the woven leaves allowed her to sneak occasional glimpses of the delightful scene in the yard.  

Suddenly, she felt that Lin Zhengrong’s home leave wasn’t *that* long after all.  

By evening, Hu Haizhi dropped by to check on Lin Zhengrong’s progress with the bed. Lin Zhengrong said it would take another day or two.  

“You’re slower than I expected. Thought you’d finish in a day and a half. Need help?” Hu Haizhi eyed the lumber in the yard.  

Lin Zhengrong chuckled and declined. Freshly showered, he had just put on a short-sleeved shirt. “I’ve got time. No need to trouble you.”  

“Fair enough. With your salary, your family doesn’t need to earn work points in the fields. But be careful when you go into the mountains to cut bamboo—there’ve been wild boars around lately. The big ones weigh over two hundred jin and pack a mean charge.” Hu Haizhi gave a few more warnings before leaving.  

Taohua Village was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and wild boars were common, especially in autumn when the crops ripened.  

Most people feared wild boars, but Jiang Qianyue felt regret. “Wild boar meat is actually pretty tasty.” Still, she wouldn’t dare hunt them herself. Loving food was one thing, but she valued her life more.  

That night, the family once again squeezed onto the same bed. As she lay down, Jiang Qianyue tentatively asked, “How about asking Brother Niu to help tomorrow? It’ll go faster.”  

One day of admiring was enough—sleep was more important.  

“You want it done quickly?” Lin Zhengrong asked.  

“Yeah. Aren’t you uncomfortable sleeping like this?” Jiang Qianyue glanced at their fidgeting son beside them. “Beibei sticks to you, and you run hot. It’d be better to sleep separately.”  
Lin Zhengrong: Is she saying what I think she’s saying?