Xiao Jinye’s lips trembled slightly, his expression defeated. “Mom, don’t worry about it. Whoever she is doesn’t matter. I just don’t like the one inside.”
He made as if to leave. “I’m going up the mountain. If you need anything, have Zhijie come find me at the cabin.”
As his words fell, he suddenly turned his head and cast a quick glance toward the house.
Qiao Qingyan was so startled that she hurriedly ducked behind the door.
Zeng Yumei tried to keep him. “At least stay and eat before you go.”
“I’m not hungry.”
In just a moment, Qiao Qingyan heard the heavy sound of his footsteps gradually fading away, and she knew Xiao Jinye had left.
She didn’t go out right away. Instead, she turned and quietly walked back to the bedroom.
In truth, her mother-in-law Zeng Yumei was gentle and kind by nature, and she had taken quite a liking to this household.
She had secretly planned that if the man she was to marry had decent character—even if he lacked education or was plain-looking—she would be willing to slowly adjust, work on improving things with care, and settle down to live a stable life with him.
But now, having seen it with her own eyes, Xiao Jinye was utterly resistant to this marriage—even more so than she was—and already had someone else in his heart.
No wonder he was well past the usual marrying age yet had never started a family. So it was because he was staying true to the one he loved.
Qiao Qingyan sighed softly to herself. To be fair, he could be considered a devoted man.
Things having come to this, she had no choice but to calm her mind and carefully plan her path forward.
…
After her son left, Zeng Yumei let out a long sigh and turned into the kitchen.
Qiao Qingyan sat in the bedroom for a while, then took the initiative to go to the kitchen and help her.
Watching Zeng Yumei limp as she walked, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of unease.
Since she had decided she would eventually leave this household, she couldn’t stay here eating and living for free.
She secretly resolved to use her own money and ration tickets to occasionally buy some vegetables and grain for the family—she couldn’t take advantage of them.
Sweet potato porridge was simmering on the stove, and Zeng Yumei placed the date buns that Chunya had brought yesterday onto the steaming rack, covering the pot to warm them with the residual heat.
Seeing Qiao Qingyan come in, she immediately smiled and asked, “You’re up? Are you hungry?”
Qiao Qingyan shook her head and sat down in front of the stove, reaching to add firewood. “Auntie, you cook, and I’ll tend the fire for you.”
Zeng Yumei smiled and said, “Silly child, the porridge is already done. No need to add more firewood—the residual heat will warm the buns just fine.”
“Oh…” Qiao Qingyan looked slightly embarrassed and quietly set the firewood she was about to stuff in aside.
But the piece she had just added had already caught flame, and the fire in the stove surged suddenly.
Seeing this, Zeng Yumei quickly lifted the pot lid, took off the steaming rack, and stirred the porridge in the pot a few times.
She had deliberately made the porridge thick this morning, afraid that a strong fire might burn the bottom of the pot.
Her gaze fell on the clean, bright yellow dress Qiao Qingyan was wearing, and Zeng Yumei hurriedly urged, “Good child, go on out and rest. The kitchen is full of smoke and soot—don’t get your pretty clothes dirty.”
“It’s fine. If the clothes get dirty, I can just wash them.” Qiao Qingyan stood up and scanned the kitchen. “Is there anything else you need done? Let me lend a hand.”
One look at Qiao Qingyan told Zeng Yumei that this was a girl who had rarely set foot in a kitchen. Her hands were fair and tender, her nails neatly trimmed and pretty. After all, she was a woman who taught at a school—not at all like the village women who worked in the fields all day.
“You go rest. Mom will handle it.”
Zeng Yumei paused, remembering that last night was her son and daughter-in-law’s wedding night, and added:
“Qingyan, Jinye has been quite busy lately and hasn’t had time to come home and keep you company. I’m sorry you have to put up with that—please don’t take it to heart.”
“Auntie, it’s fine.” Qiao Qingyan curved her brows into a gentle, understanding smile. “He can focus on his own matters. I’ll be busy too—I need to prepare my lessons for the coming semester.”
Zeng Yumei picked up the knife, ready to chop the cucumbers she’d washed on the cutting board to make a cold cucumber salad.
Seeing this, Qiao Qingyan immediately stepped forward. “Auntie, your leg isn’t in good shape—please just rest. Let me do the cutting. You’re making cold cucumber salad, right? I know how to make that.”
Zeng Yumei waved her hand cheerfully. “No need, no need. Just stay here and keep me company while we chat. This little bit of work isn’t tiring at all.”
“Alright.” Qiao Qingyan leaned lazily against the kitchen doorframe, and when she looked up, she happened to see Duoduo crouching by the little rabbit’s cage, playing.
Zeng Yumei worked quickly and deftly, smashing the cucumbers, cutting them into segments, and arranging them neatly on a plate.
“Auntie, your leg… how did it come to be like this?”
Having just arrived yesterday, it would have been too abrupt to ask such a question right away. But now that they’d spent some time together and she knew Zeng Yumei had a gentle temperament, she set aside her reservations and chatted casually.
Zeng Yumei said, “A few years ago, I had an accident. My leg was left disabled, and I’ve walked with a limp ever since.”
“Can it be treated?”
“A few years back, Jinye specially took me to a big hospital in the city to have it checked. It can’t be cured. Sigh, after all these years, I’ve gotten used to it. I don’t feel like it’s much of an inconvenience.”
As she spoke, she smashed two cloves of garlic and chopped them fine. Just as she was about to add them to the plate, she paused mid-motion and asked Qiao Qingyan gently:
“Girl, I forgot to ask yesterday—do you have any dietary restrictions?”
Qiao Qingyan rubbed her nose awkwardly and answered honestly, “I… don’t eat garlic. I don’t like that pungent taste.”
Back when she ate at home, Chen Xiuying often scolded her for being picky and hard to please.
To “cure” her of it, she deliberately loaded every meal with lots of garlic. Qiao Qingyan had smelled it day after day and was nearly immune to it by now.
She was just about to say that there was no need to accommodate her—just cook as usual—when before the words left her mouth, she saw Zeng Yumei set the garlic aside.
“I see. Mother will remember that. From now on, when we cook at home, we won’t use garlic anymore.”
As she said this, she drizzled a few drops of sesame oil over the cucumbers, sprinkled on some fine salt, then poured in half a spoonful of vinegar and gently tossed everything together.
Qiao Qingyan was momentarily stunned, then raised a hand to rub the tip of her nose.
“When you stand for a long time or walk too much, does your leg hurt?”
Zeng Yumei chuckled twice and looked up at her. “Silly girl, anyone’s legs would hurt if they stood for too long.”
She added, “My leg is usually fine, but it aches faintly whenever it’s overcast or rainy. Though I walk with a limp, it doesn’t hinder me from doing work at all.”
Qiao Qingyan knew in her heart that she couldn’t stay here forever, yet she still couldn’t help speaking from the bottom of her heart:
“Auntie, from now on, whenever it rains, you should rest well. As for cooking and chores, I’ll take care of them for you.”
She was no pampered young lady who’d never lifted a finger in her life.
Chen Xiuying and Chen Xiaomeng had always hated to see her idle. Whenever she came home from school, she’d be casually ordered around—feeding the chickens, herding the sheep, carrying water, cutting pigweed—she had to do every kind of chore.
If she showed the slightest reluctance, she’d be met with a barrage of sharp, sarcastic remarks: “Oh, would you look at that—she really thinks she’s some precious city miss, doesn’t she?”
After finishing the farm work at home, she’d still have to stay up late at night grading her students’ assignments.
Hearing her daughter-in-law’s thoughtful words, Zeng Yumei broke into a smile. “With your delicate skin, you’re not suited for such rough work. Even if I can’t manage it, there’s still Jinye to handle it.”
After the cucumber salad was prepared, the steamed buns in the pot were heated through as well. Qiao Qingyan helped scoop out the food and carried it to the small stone table in the courtyard.
It was early July, and the weather was gradually turning hot and dry. The house felt so stuffy it was hard to breathe.
The morning breeze was gentle, and eating breakfast in the courtyard before the sun came out was the coolest and most comfortable option.
Duoduo was especially well-behaved at mealtimes. She didn’t need anyone to coax or feed her—she held her little spoon and nibbled at her sweet potato porridge in small bites. However, she was a bit careless, and broth would occasionally spill onto the front of her clothes.
Zeng Yumei had already tied a little bib around her neck. After every meal, she would carefully wash the child’s face and hands, keeping the little girl neat and tidy.
The three of them sat in the courtyard eating together, a picture of harmony and joy.
In Qiao Qingyan’s heart, a long-missed sense of peace and warmth gradually began to surface.
She took a careful look at Duoduo’s face and realized that the girl really did resemble her older brother, Xiao Jinye.
Both siblings had high nose bridges, strikingly defined features, and especially long eyelashes. One glance was enough to tell they were blood siblings.
Thinking of Xiao Jinye, Qiao Qingyan gradually sorted out her next steps in her mind.
She might as well settle down securely in the Xiao household for the time being, then try to get in touch with her aunt’s family and see if she could arrange a transfer to a job in town.
Once Xiao Jinye returned, she would discuss it with him properly. The two of them could be a married couple in name only—after all, they each had their own goals.
The reason she had agreed to the marriage in the first place was simply to escape her own home. Since Xiao Jinye already had a girl he liked, she no longer needed to force herself to live with this hunter.
He just needed to provide her with a temporary place of shelter, so she wouldn’t have to remain alone in this remote mountain village, free from harassment by idle troublemakers and away from the constant persecution of her stepmother and stepsister.
And in return, she would help him look after his young sister and assist Zeng Yumei in managing the household affairs, giving her full effort so as not to receive shelter for nothing.
Once she got in touch with her aunt and the rest of the family, the two of them could then part ways peacefully in divorce, and she would leave this place completely to go live with her aunt.
A slight smile curved at the corners of Qiao Qingyan’s lips. In her heart, she felt this was indeed a thorough and reliable plan.
Only… would Xiao Jinye agree?