“What do you mean shameless?” Lin Ranran looked at Xia Zhiyuan provocatively. “Take a good look—this is my husband. If I want to kiss him, I will. What’s wrong with that? Besides, if you’re looking for a man, you’ve brought your gift to the wrong person.”
“You…” Xia Zhiyuan flushed with embarrassment and anger. “Then I’ll give these berries to Auntie.”
With that, she hurried toward Madam Ji’s room.
Trying to flirt with my husband right in front of me? Come back after a few hundred more years of practice.
Madam Ji already disliked Xia Zhiyuan.
The way the young woman looked at her eldest son was anything but innocent, and it infuriated her.
Her eldest son was already married with a wife.
Yet this young woman kept hanging around him.
If she dared ruin the young couple’s relationship, Madam Ji would never forgive her.
“Comrade Xia, we’ve already eaten. We don’t want these.”
Madam Ji’s expression was cold, and so was her tone.
Looking awkward, Xia Zhiyuan still refused to give up.
“Auntie, these are called wild raspberries. They’re really delicious.”
Madam Ji remained unmoved.
“You’d better take them back.”
“Our family isn’t used to eating these.”
“And another thing.”
“My eldest son is rather reserved.”
“He doesn’t like interacting with women other than his wife.”
“You should stop hanging around him.”
The warning couldn’t have been clearer.
Even a fool would understand it.
Embarrassed, Xia Zhiyuan left with her head lowered, feeling furious inside.
In her previous life…
When the Ji family first arrived, she had spent a little effort winning their favor.
Everyone in the Ji family came to adore her…
Everyone except Ji Junxiao.
Only after she tried every possible way to get close to him did the family eventually treat her as one of their own.
But this lifetime…
Everything had changed.
Was it because Lin Ranran came with them?
No.
The Ji family would become the richest family in the future.
She was supposed to become the richest man’s wife.
She had to find a way to make Ji Junxiao and Lin Ranran divorce.
“What kind of person is she?”
“She looks decent, but all she does is covet other people’s husbands.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Madam Ji muttered under her breath.
Ji Junyao returned after hanging up the laundry.
Seeing her mother’s angry face, she quickly asked,
“Mom, who upset you?”
Madam Ji told her everything Xia Zhiyuan had done.
Ji Junyao immediately became furious.
“What kind of person is she?”
“My sister-in-law finally decided to truly live with our family.”
“If that woman dares stir up trouble…”
“I won’t let her off!”
Madam Ji warned,
“Tell your brothers too.”
“Have them all stay away from that woman.”
“I know, Mom.”
Without realizing it…
Xia Zhiyuan had offended the entire Ji family.
Back in their room…
Ji Junxiao immediately noticed that his wife wasn’t happy.
He knew it had to be because of that woman.
He quickly explained,
“Wife…”
“I didn’t know she’d try to give me something.”
“I promise.”
“I won’t even talk to her from now on.”
Lin Ranran forced a smile through clenched teeth.
“It’s alright.”
“It just proves my husband is attractive.”
Married men must be happy when another woman shows interest in them, right?
Hmph… look at him.
Ji Junxiao hurried to prove himself.
“For the rest of my life…”
“Other than my wife, my mother, and my little sister…”
“I won’t even look at another woman.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“And if I tell you never to have any contact with that woman?”
“I promise.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Good.”
“Remember what you just said.”
Lin Ranran smiled at him and unconsciously rubbed her belly.
Ji Junxiao’s heart skipped a beat.
Is she using the baby to remind me?
Trying to please her, he quickly said,
“Wife…”
“You must be tired.”
“Let me massage your feet.”
“Sure.”
Lin Ranran climbed onto the bed and lay down.
“Husband.”
“Make sure you do a good job.”
Instead…
Ji Junxiao suddenly became nervous.
That passionate kiss she’d given him earlier still lingered vividly in his mind.
If he massaged her feet now…
He subconsciously swallowed.
He struggled to suppress the emotions surging inside him.
Then…
He quietly locked the bedroom door…
And cautiously walked toward the bed.
Lin Ranran gently rolled her pajama pants upward.
In an instant…
A pair of long, fair, flawless legs appeared before him.
Her skin was as smooth and delicate as polished jade.
Ji Junxiao immediately felt heat rush through his body.
Damn…
I shouldn’t have suggested this.
He regretted it immediately.
Seeing him frozen in place, Lin Ranran looked at him mischievously.
“Husband.”
“Go on.”
“Massage them.”
Unfortunately…
Ji Junxiao misunderstood again.
Back then…
She used to pretend she had headaches or fevers.
One phone call would summon him back in a panic.
Then she’d cling to him like an octopus, complaining that this hurt or that hurt, insisting he massage her.
“Husband…”
“Massage here.”
“A little lower.”
“Lower…”
He was a healthy young man.
How could he withstand that kind of teasing?
Every single time…
He completely lost control.
There was never any stopping once it started.
Only now did Lin Ranran realize what was going through his mind.
She finally understood the hidden meaning behind those words.
Her cheeks instantly turned crimson.
Oh my God…
The original owner really knew how to flirt.
So this is how women keep men wrapped around their fingers.
This is so embarrassing!
Just let me disappear!
While she was lost in her thoughts…
Ji Junxiao’s trembling hands gently held her slender foot.
He carefully began massaging it.
Lin Ranran shivered.
Goodness…
It feels like electricity running through me.
For Ji Junxiao…
This was pure torture.
His beautiful wife was right in front of him.
Yet he could only look…
Not touch.
As he massaged…
He found himself wanting to move higher, toward her calf.
Ji Junxiao!
Your wife is pregnant!
Are you an animal?
He immediately began silently reciting military discipline to himself.
The Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention…
He repeated them over and over before finally calming the heat in his body.
“Wife…”
“You’ve got blisters on your feet.”
“Does it hurt?”
Seeing several blood blisters, he frowned with concern.
Lin Ranran took out a bottle of antiseptic solution.
“They’re just blisters.”
“They don’t hurt.”
“Let’s use this.”
“You even bought medicine like this?”
Just how many surprises did she still have?
He suddenly realized…
He hardly knew her at all.
“Of course.”
“Better to be prepared.”
“Take some to Mom and Little Sister later.”
“They walked farther than I did.”
“Their feet must be worse.”
Ji Junxiao looked deeply moved.
“Thank you, Wife.”
“So now you know your wife is amazing?”
He nodded repeatedly.
“Then…”
“Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
She pointed at her lips.
Ji Junxiao instantly felt every ounce of self-control collapse.
His wife was going to be the death of him.
After carefully applying the medicine…
He finally couldn’t resist.
He leaned over…
Quickly pecked her lips once…
Then grabbed the medicine bottle and practically fled the room.
Watching his flustered escape, Lin Ranran couldn’t help laughing.
The baby’s already four months old…
Would being intimate really be dangerous now?
Bah, bah, bah!
What am I thinking?
The original owner has completely corrupted my thoughts.
As Ji Junxiao stepped outside…
He happened to run into Xia Zhiyuan.
“Brother Ji.”
She greeted him with a bright smile.
Ji Junxiao didn’t even raise his eyes.
Without saying a single word…
He walked straight past her toward his mother’s and sister’s room.
Xia Zhiyuan stamped her foot in frustration.
Just then…
Chen Jing came over carrying a basin of clothes.
“Xiao Xia.”
“Checking out handsome men?”
Xia Zhiyuan blushed.
“No.”
Chen Jing laughed.
“You know…”
“The Ji brothers are all good-looking.”
“If you’ve got your eye on one, tell me.”
“I’ll help you find out what he thinks.”
Blushing even harder, Xia Zhiyuan hurried toward the well.
“No one.”
“Oh?”
“Too shy to admit it?”
Lin Ranran overheard every word.
She knew perfectly well that Xia Zhiyuan had deliberately waited outside to create a chance encounter with Ji Junxiao.
Although her husband was keeping his distance now…
What if Xia Zhiyuan resorted to tricks?
She herself was pregnant.
She couldn’t satisfy him physically.
What if one day…
He couldn’t resist?
After all…
In the original novel…
Those two were the destined male and female leads.
The author was bound to bring them together somehow.
The more she thought about it…
The more uneasy she became.
Then she suddenly calmed herself.
If Ji Junxiao really couldn’t stay faithful…
Then I don’t want a man like that.
I need a backup plan.
There’s no going back to my cousin.
If Ji Junxiao fails me…
I’ll rely on myself.
Build my own career.
Make money.
Build my own influence.
A woman should stand on her own.
With that thought…
She gradually drifted off to sleep.
When Ji Junxiao returned…
Lin Ranran was already fast asleep.
She looked peaceful and beautiful.
Unable to resist…
He gently kissed her cheek twice before climbing onto the upper bunk to sleep.
On the way back…
That same woman had tried talking to him again.
He hadn’t responded at all.
Even back in the army…
Whenever female soldiers spoke to him outside of work…
He ignored them.
Many had pursued him before.
He never gave any of them a chance.
Compared to them…
Xia Zhiyuan wasn’t even worth noticing.
Still…
His wife had gotten jealous today.
That meant she cared about him.
Just thinking about it filled him with happiness.
Before long…
He fell asleep with a smile.
Before dawn the next morning…
Madam Ji was already up making breakfast.
She cooked millet porridge.
When she checked the chicken coop…
She found two freshly laid eggs.
Delighted, she immediately boiled them.
She silently praised Lin Ranran for buying the hen.
From now on…
There would always be fresh eggs.
She’d heard that if you kept collecting a hen’s eggs…
It would continue laying.
She wasn’t sure whether that was true.
But she secretly resolved that her daughter-in-law would eat eggs every single day.
Xia Zhiyuan hadn’t slept well all night.
The moment she heard movement…
She got up.
Seeing Madam Ji busy preparing breakfast for the entire family…
She couldn’t hide her surprise.
Shouldn’t the daughter-in-law be the one getting up before dawn…
Fetching water…
Chopping firewood…
Cooking…
How had it become the mother-in-law serving the daughter-in-law instead?
“Good morning, Auntie.”
Madam Ji didn’t really want to respond.
But since they lived in the same courtyard…
She coldly replied,
“Morning.”
This girl’s face is really thick.
“You’re making breakfast?”
“Your daughter-in-law isn’t helping?”
Xia Zhiyuan couldn’t help asking.
Madam Ji frowned.
“Comrade Xia.”
“Our family affairs are none of your concern.”
Xia Zhiyuan’s face alternated between red and pale.
“I was just curious.”
“In other families, daughters-in-law wake before dawn to fetch water, chop wood, wash clothes, and cook…”
“That may be how other families do things.”
“But not ours.”
Madam Ji cut her off without hesitation.
Xia Zhiyuan was furious.
In her previous life…
She had worked desperately to please the Ji family.
She’d suffered plenty before finally earning their affection after having children.
Yet Lin Ranran…
Lazy and spoiled…
Why did she have such a good life?
It had to be because of the baby in her belly.
The Ji family had always been terrified of ending their bloodline.
That child was more precious than their own lives.
In her previous life…
Lin Ranran had aborted the baby just to marry her cousin.
Although things had changed somewhat now…
Xia Zhiyuan believed the overall story wouldn’t.
She needed to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Lin Ranran.
“Sorry.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
She returned to her room.
Madam Ji’s good mood had been completely ruined.
“What a little vixen.”
“Trying to ruin my son’s marriage first thing in the morning.”
Still unwilling to give up…
Xia Zhiyuan came back carrying a small basket of sweet potatoes.
“Auntie…”
“A few days ago, the educated youths each received ten jin of sweet potatoes for breakfast.”
“Please accept a few as my apology.”
She had truly gone all out.
Madam Ji remained expressionless.
“Our family isn’t short of food.”
“You should keep them yourself.”
Just then…
Ji Junxiao got up.
“Brother Ji—”
Xia Zhiyuan immediately carried the basket toward him, hoping to impress him.
Ji Junxiao didn’t even glance at her.
Madam Ji called out,
“Eldest!”
“Take the porridge inside.”
“And wake your wife.”
“Tell her to eat her eggs.”
“Alright.”
The eight members of the Ji family crowded into Madam Ji’s and Ji Junyao’s room for breakfast.
Watching from outside…
Xia Zhiyuan’s eyes nearly turned red with envy.
Why could Lin Ranran sleep in and still get eggs…
While she herself had to chew on raw sweet potatoes?
The Ji family ate millet porridge with salted pickled radish.
Only Lin Ranran had two boiled eggs.
She peeled both eggs.
Kept one for herself…
Then split the other.
She gave the egg white to Ji Junyao…
And the yolk to Madam Ji.
“Ranran.”
“Mom doesn’t want it.”
“Sister-in-law.”
“I don’t want it either.”
Seeing both of them trying to return the egg…
Lin Ranran smiled.
“If neither of you eats…”
“Then I won’t either.”
Unable to win against her…
The two women reluctantly accepted.
Tears filled their eyes as they ate.
We’ve stolen the baby’s nutrition…
We’ve let the Ji family down…
The Ji men watched everything warmly.
Lin Ranran hadn’t just changed…
She had become genuinely thoughtful.
They’d noticed it the previous night when she’d insisted on sharing the meat.
Everyone except Lin Ranran left for work.
That only made Xia Zhiyuan angrier.
Why was Lin Ranran allowed to stay home?
“Auntie.”
“Your daughter-in-law isn’t working today?”
one of the educated youths asked curiously.
Madam Ji explained,
“Ranran isn’t in good health.”
“She won’t be working for now.”
“That kind of daughter-in-law won’t do.”
“Even seriously ill people still go to work.”
“If she doesn’t earn work points, what will she eat?”
“Exactly.”
“You can’t spoil your daughter-in-law too much.”
“She’ll become impossible to manage.”
“If you ask me…”
“She’s just lazy.”
“A daughter-in-law like that only needs to go hungry for a few meals before she’ll learn.”
The educated youths began chiming in one after another.