Jiang Xia sighed and said, "Xiaobei, we are family. How could we possibly separate?"
"What I want to discuss with you is that starting tomorrow, you should stop going to the blacksmith shop. You're only eight years old; you shouldn't waste your time there. Leave the money-making to me."
Jiang Xiangbei was stunned.
He looked at Jiang Xia before him with utter disbelief, unsure how to describe the feelings stirring within him at that moment.
He had actually prepared himself mentally, thinking that perhaps Jiang Xia was being so kind to him and his brothers today only to sell them off for money and separate the four of them.
But why, then, did Jiang Xia's first words turn out to be telling him not to go to the blacksmith shop anymore?
Jiang Xiangbei stared at Jiang Xia, full of confusion, only to see in her eyes an unmistakable… heartache?
How could that be?
How could this woman possibly feel heartache for him?
He would never forget the past.
Back then, just because he had woken up a little late, she had stomped on him, kicking his stomach and head with all her might.
He had nearly died, yet she showed no restraint at all.
Now, how could a person change so drastically?
Jiang Xiangbei gritted his teeth and said coldly, "If I don't go, are we all just going to starve at home?"
"You starving to death is one thing, but my younger brothers are still small. I don't want to watch them starve."
Hearing this, Jiang Xia's expression shifted.
This rebellious child! What did he mean by "you starving to death is one thing"?
Was she not a person too?
Jiang Xia felt somewhat helpless and said, "I told you, leave the money-making to me. You're still young; stay at home."
Jiang Xiangbei snorted. "When the time comes and there's no food at home, you'll just make the four of us go out and beg like beggars!"
"How could that be?" Jiang Xia grew anxious. "Xiaobei, can't you trust me?"
I am your mother, after all!
This last part was Jiang Xia's own internal grumbling.
Jiang Xiangbei's expression remained icy. "If you want me to trust you, you'll have to actually earn money first."
Hearing this, Jiang Xia knew there was still room for negotiation and smiled. "Alright, it's a deal!"
"As long as I earn money, you can't go to the blacksmith shop anymore, understand?"
Jiang Xiangbei nodded reluctantly.
Jiang Xia stood up, stretched, and said, "Ah, I'm so sleepy. Time to go to bed."
With that, she went into the house by herself.
After a few steps, Jiang Xia turned back and looked at Jiang Xiangbei. "From now on, eat your lunch at the blacksmith shop right away. Don't always think about bringing it back. You're doing physical labor; it's even worse if you don't eat your fill."
After saying this, Jiang Xia went into the house.
Jiang Xiangbei sat alone, somewhat stunned.
How… how did she know?
The buns and steamed buns were indeed the meals given at noon during his time at the blacksmith shop.
But he couldn't bear to eat them, only drinking several bowls of rice porridge each time to fill his stomach. That way, he could save the buns to bring back for his younger brothers.
However, he had never told anyone about this because he didn't want others to know.
So how did Jiang Xia find out?
For the first time, Jiang Xiangbei felt something strange stirring in his heart.
The next day, around four in the morning.
Jiang Xia had no watch or phone, making it difficult to tell what time it was. But with things weighing on her mind, she slept restlessly, waking up every now and then to check the sky outside the window.
Finally, when the sky began to lighten faintly, Jiang Xia cautiously got up, took her bundle, and went outside.
Sitting in the courtyard, Jiang Xia couldn’t help shivering. She tightened her worn-out jacket and rubbed her hands together.
The family was so poor they didn’t even have an oil lamp, let alone candles or anything of the sort. By the time she finished dinner and cleaned up last night, it was already dark, leaving her no time to sew clothes.
So she could only seize the faint light of dawn to hurriedly get up and mend the children’s clothes.
Jiang Xia brought out the bundle, opened it, shook out the fabric inside, threaded a needle, and began cutting and sewing.
In her previous life, she had been very interested in handicrafts and cooking and had worked in related fields. Sewing a few simple garments was a piece of cake for her.
Jiang Xia sat on a small stool in the courtyard, sewing clothes. When she grew tired, she would lean her head back against the wall to relax for a moment before immediately lowering her head again to work on her task.
Not far away, on a large tree in front of the thatched cottage, a dark figure had been watching her for a long time.
The man was dressed in night-stalker’s attire, revealing only a pair of pitch-black eyes like obsidian, their gleam as brilliant as starlight.
When Zhan Mo heard Qingzhu’s report, he found it utterly unbelievable.
In the early days of his relationship with Jiang Xia, their feelings for each other had been very strong. But later, Jiang Xia gradually began to show signs of reluctance.
Due to his special status, he hadn’t been able to take her to meet his parents in time. Later, he had even gone straight to the battlefield without leaving a single word behind.
Zhan Mo had always believed that since they were already married with children, she would understand him. He thought that if she waited just a year or two, he would return with military honors, bring her back to the general’s mansion in the capital with great fanfare, and let her know his true identity.
But as soon as he left for the battlefield, this woman had forgotten all the vows they had made to each other, taken the money, and run off with their son.
He had ordered his personal guard to keep watch over her and had gradually grown cold-hearted toward her.
This woman, thinking he had disappeared without a trace, had mistreated their four sons and eloped with another man. He blamed himself for being blind and misjudging her.
But today, Qingzhu returned and reported that she had completely changed.
Now, sitting in the tree and watching her sew clothes, Zhan Mo felt a mix of conflicting emotions.
Although she came from a farming family, she had a delicate and pampered personality—this much Zhan Mo knew well. Even during their newlywed days, she had never sewn clothes herself.
Now, watching her sit under the moonlight, she seemed to have gained a gentle, beautiful charm.
This woman didn’t seem to be the same one he had known before.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia had hurriedly finished sewing the clothes. She picked them up to inspect them and, feeling they were about right, began packing up to return to the house.
As she stood up, something fell from her body.
Jiang Xia bent down to pick it up and saw it was a jade pendant with a flowing, luminous glow.
In the lower right corner of the pendant was engraved the character "Zhan."
Zhan Mo?
Only then did Jiang Xia recall that her husband’s name was Zhan Mo.
Quite a nice-sounding name.
Thinking of her husband’s handsome face and how good he had been to her in the past, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but curse the original owner a few times in her mind.
Why would she abandon such a good man and cause all this trouble?
Jiang Xia stroked the jade pendant a few times, then lifted it to her lips and kissed it before carefully tucking it back into her bosom for safekeeping.
Jiang Xia went inside to sleep, but Zhan Mo felt somewhat unsettled.
This woman…
If she truly eloped with another man, why would she treasure the jade pendant he gave her so dearly?
Especially at the end, the way she kissed the pendant was unexpectedly and indescribably adorable.