Chapter 18: “Aunt Tong, You Haven’t Been Drugging the Food Lately, Have You?”

Listening to Jiang Yubai’s affectionate words and carefully laid plans, Jiang Yuning softened. She leaned against his chest, sniffled softly, wiped her tears, and spoke gently:

“Brother Yubai, it makes me so happy that you’ve been thinking of me, missing me.
I just worry that now that you’ve married a city girl, you’ll forget about the little childhood sweetheart who grew up with you.
Just thinking about earlier—how I could only stand aside like an outsider while you and Lin Jianxue acted all lovey-dovey—it hurt so much…”

Jiang Yubai felt a rush of pleasure from Jiang Yuning’s soft and gentle tone—something he could never experience from the proud Lin Jianxue.

At the Lin household, he had to play humble, constantly wearing a fake smile, carefully keeping the peace.

Only with Jiang Yuning could he drop the act and be a “real man,” soaking in her admiration and dependence.

He cupped her tear-streaked face, gently brushed away her tears with his fingers, kissed her cheek, and coaxed tenderly:

“Silly girl, how could I ever abandon you? You even gave up a child for me.
I’m just putting on a show with Lin Jianxue. We’re married in name only—I can’t let her family find out about us.
Don’t worry, I’ll marry you. In this life, I, Jiang Yubai, will have only one wife—Jiang Yuning.
And now that you’re living here, we’ll see each other every day.”

Jiang Yuning was coaxed into a smile through her tears. She wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and said playfully:

“Brother Yubai, you’re so sweet.”

Her voice was syrupy, dripping with honey, making Jiang Yubai’s heart melt.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her lips.

Just as the two were immersed in their passionate embrace…

A faint sound came from the doorway.

“Creak—”

Tong Caihe pushed the door open and walked in. She had originally just come to check if Jiang Yuning had settled in, but what she saw froze her in place.

She stood stunned for a moment, then quickly came to her senses, her face turning pale with shock.

She immediately peeked outside to make sure no one was watching, then rushed in and scolded them in a hushed, urgent voice:

“What are you two doing?! This is the Lin house! Separate immediately! If someone from the family sees this, what will we do?!”

She stepped in and quickly shut the door behind her.

Jiang Yuning, startled by Tong Caihe’s voice, scrambled out of Jiang Yubai’s arms, frantically wiping away her tears and standing there awkwardly.

She lowered her head, clearly embarrassed, and muttered:

“Aunt Tong… I’ve really troubled you during this time…”

Tong Caihe looked at Jiang Yuning’s pitiful appearance and her anger subsided significantly.

She sighed softly, walked over, and patted Jiang Yuning’s shoulder, her tone much gentler:

“Trouble? What trouble? We’re all family…”

In small villages like theirs, even people with the same surname were considered family—it was only natural to help each other.

Especially when Jiang Yuning was her son’s sweetheart. How could she not take care of her?

Still, just thinking about what she had walked in on gave her chills. What if it hadn’t been her entering, but someone from the Lin family? They’d be ruined.

Tong Caihe couldn’t help but grab Jiang Yuning’s hand and urge earnestly:

“Yuning, I know you’re feeling wronged, but now is not the time to get confused!
Yubai has only just managed to gain a foothold in the Lin family—you can’t drag him down now!”

Jiang Yuning bit her lip in frustration, eyes welling up again, but she still nodded obediently:

“I understand, Aunt Tong.”

Seeing her so obedient, Tong Caihe didn’t say anything more. She sighed again and began making the bed.

The room was dim, but Tong Caihe skillfully laid out the bedding, tucking everything in neatly.

As she worked, she muttered:

“Yuning, I’ll finish up the bed for you. In a bit, you’ll need to take care of Lin Xiaohu.
I’ve told you the temperature and how much formula to give him each time—you remember, right?”

Jiang Yuning stood nearby, watching her busy movements. She nodded a bit reluctantly:

“I remember, Aunt Tong.”

Then she pouted and mumbled under her breath:

“So spoiled. Still needs formula at night, have to use a thermometer to check the milk…
Kids in our village never needed all that. City folks are just complicated.”

Tong Caihe nodded in agreement:

“Exactly! It’s a nightmare.
If we weren’t so worried about getting caught, I’d honestly drug that brat and be done with it.
Yubai and I have been tormented by him for days now.”

When Jiang Yuning heard that, her eyes flickered with a strange glint. As if something had just occurred to her, she leaned in and whispered cautiously:

“Aunt Tong, you… haven’t been putting anything in the food lately, have you?”