Chapter 31 – New Year’s Here!

Fu Ting: “……”

Sorry, his little wife changed faces too quickly—he hadn’t even had time to react.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay at home? Why did you sneak out again?”

“I…” Ruan Jiaojiao stammered for a long while but couldn’t give a proper explanation.

Fu Ting gave her a light smack on the butt and said, “I’ll deal with you later when we get back.”

Over there, not only had Fu Jun rushed over, but Shen Junmei also arrived. The couple clutched their lost-and-found son, Jin Dan, and wept bitterly.

Jin Dan, however, seemed badly frightened. He curled up silently in their arms, not making a sound.

After a while, Shen Junmei walked over and suddenly dropped to her knees with a loud thud before Ruan Jiaojiao. She didn’t say a single word, just cried uncontrollably.

Ruan Jiaojiao understood. When emotions hit their peak, sometimes a person truly couldn’t say even half a word.

She patted Shen Junmei’s shoulder and said softly, “Go back quickly. It’s too cold. Give the child a bath to chase away the chill. What’s past is past.”

“Mm-hmm!” Shen Junmei scrambled up, stumbling.

Now that Jin Dan was found, Ruan Jiaojiao and Fu Ting hurried back home to see Dabao and Xiaobao. As for Old Liu, who had been beaten down by Ruan Jiaojiao—well, he could just freeze out in the snowy night.

But even as Ruan Jiaojiao walked ahead, she could still hear behind her Fu Jun’s curses and blows raining down on Shen Junmei—

“You useless fool who can’t even give me a proper child. Can’t even keep watch on one kid—what use are you? One of these days, I’ll divorce you!”

“Shen Junmei, why can’t you learn from Ruan Jiaojiao? She not only looks after children well but can even beat up hooligans! Look at you—plain looks, struggled so hard just to give birth to one son… I’ve had more than enough of living with you!”

The only difference was—before, whenever Fu Jun beat and scolded her, Shen Junmei would always bow her head and admit fault. This time, she chose silence.

She listened quietly, and for the first time realized—In Fu Jun’s heart, she had always been the lowly one, born to serve his entire family.

She was never Fu Jun’s wife. She was his slave.

The next morning.

They had returned too late the previous night, and Ruan Jiaojiao collapsed straight into bed. Fu Ting had even been the one to undress her.

As for the promised “New Year’s gift”? She hadn’t given it to him.

Fortunately, Dabao and Xiaobao were staying at their grandparents’ place. That left only Ruan Jiaojiao and Fu Ting at home.

Still half-asleep, Ruan Jiaojiao felt something moving in the blankets, startling her.

She kicked—and her foot landed squarely on Fu Ting’s forehead.

“Ugh…” Fu Ting groaned, climbing out of the blanket with an aggrieved face.

When Ruan Jiaojiao saw it was him, she burst out laughing, poked his hard forehead, and teased, “Fu Ting, I’m your wife. Can’t you just hug me openly? Why sneak around like some thief, hmm?”

Fu Ting replied in all seriousness, “Because I wanted to try out your ‘New Year’s gift.’ I give you a gift, then you give me a gift.”

Ruan Jiaojiao: “…Wait, you’re still hung up on that?”

The hungry-wolf look in his eyes told her all she needed to know—today, she was in for a “fierce battle.” Terrified, she tried to escape.

But as soon as she crawled to the foot of the bed, Fu Ting caught her delicate ankle and dragged her back.

She had no choice but to face Fu Ting’s stubbled kisses…

By the time Fu Ting brought Dabao and Xiaobao home, Ruan Jiaojiao was still lying weakly on the bed.

Dabao, ever observant, asked the moment he walked in, “Daddy, Mommy, why are your lips so red?”

Fu Ting chuckled and said they had eaten a very spicy flower.

Ruan Jiaojiao: “……”

She rolled over, refusing to look at him, fuming.

But it was New Year’s Day—she couldn’t stay in bed all day.

And since Fu Ting’s cooking was truly inedible, her heart ached for her sons, and she soon dragged herself up to cook.

Remembering yesterday’s promise, she made festive steamed buns shaped like candied hawthorn skewers, giving Dabao and Xiaobao one “skewer” each.

Yet this joyous New Year’s morning was tainted by the arrival of a letter from Huo Yunshu.

Fu Ting held it, frowning. “This Huo Yunshu—he looks refined, but his writing is awfully frivolous.”

Ruan Jiaojiao was surprised. “Brother Ting, you actually recognize characters?”

“When I was little, I studied a few days with an old man in the village. I can read some.”

“Oh, I see…”

She wanted to see what was written, but Fu Ting refused to show her. Losing interest, she didn’t press it.

With Huo Yunshu’s meager knowledge, what else could he write besides cheesy nonsense like “You’re Zhu Yingtai, I’m Liang Shanbo,” or “I’m Xu Xian, waiting forever for you, my White Lady”?

She watched Fu Ting angrily toss the letter aside, clearly jealous.

This vinegar jar of a man—always picking fights over the smallest things.

Ruan Jiaojiao laughed until her shoulders shook, earning a scolding of “heartless little thing.”

“Come on, nothing actually happened between me and Huo Yunshu. And as soon as the letter came, I gave it straight to you—I didn’t even want to open it! What are you jealous for?”

She tried reasoning with him.

Fu Ting understood the logic, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to be mad.

Without rebuttal, he rushed forward and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. “I really want to tie you up with a rope, keep you from going anywhere, so the only person you see every day is me.”

Ruan Jiaojiao let him hold her and asked softly, “But then you’d be looking at me every day too. Wouldn’t you get sick of it?”

“Never. Not in eight hundred lifetimes. I could never get enough of my Jiaojiao…”

As he spoke, his voice grew hoarse.

Alarmed he might try something in broad daylight, Ruan Jiaojiao quickly pushed him away.

That day, the commune handed out meat and white sugar for the New Year, plus a small bag of sunflower seeds for each household.

Ruan Jiaojiao went to roast the seeds—the raw ones they gave out had no flavor.

Three “clingy men” refused to leave her side, wide-eyed, watching her roast.

Have you ever seen clingy men? Ruan Jiaojiao had three of them.

She couldn’t help but say, “It’s New Year’s—you can go play outside. There are lots of kids on the village roads. Brother Ting, why don’t you take the boys for a walk?”

“No!”

“No!”

“They’re not worthy.”

All three chimed in at once.

Ruan Jiaojiao: “……”

Well, fine.

Still, being spoiled by three men at once—she couldn’t deny it felt sweet.

Just as she finished roasting the seeds, Grandma Xue, who had once helped her before, came over with her wheelchair-bound son to pay a New Year visit.

“Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year, Grandma Xue! Happy New Year, Uncle!” Dabao and Xiaobao chorused.

“Oh, what sweet little rascals! Here, Grandma has some candy for you.”

The candy was brought back by her son. Grandma Xue couldn’t bear to eat it herself, but she gladly gave it to Dabao and Xiaobao.