9:00 p.m.
Xu Damao returned after eating and drinking his fill.
When he got home,
Lou Xiaoe was sitting in the living room.
Xu Damao could not be bothered to speak to her and headed straight for the bedroom.
Lou Xiaoe called out, “Xu Damao, I have something to discuss with you.”
Xu Damao replied irritably, “What is there to discuss?”
“I’m tired and want to sleep. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow.”
After saying that, Xu Damao lay straight down on the bed, pulled up the blanket, and turned his back to her.
Lou Xiaoe approached the bedroom, pulled the blanket away, and snapped, “Xu Damao, get up!”
“I have something very important to tell you.”
Xu Damao grew angry as well. He sat up and shouted, “Lou Xiaoe, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Lou Xiaoe took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in her heart.
She said to Xu Damao, “Xu Damao, come with me to the hospital tomorrow. We should both get examined and find out why we can never conceive.”
“It’s possible that one of us has a physical problem.”
Xu Damao immediately became furious. “Lou Xiaoe, are you sick?”
“If you want to go, go by yourself.”
“There’s definitely nothing wrong with me.”
Lou Xiaoe said angrily, “No. You’re coming with me.”
Xu Damao snorted. “I’ll say it again: there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. If there is a problem, it can only be with you.”
“Only hens that cannot lay eggs—”
After saying that, Xu Damao yanked the blanket over himself, covered himself again, and lay down.
He could not be bothered with Lou Xiaoe.
What nonsense.
He, Xu Damao, did not know how capable he was.
In the countryside, he was practically irresistible, all right?
What problem could he possibly have?
The reason Lou Xiaoe could not conceive was obviously because she was the one with the problem.
Right?
Not to mention—
He was a grown man.
If he went to the hospital with Lou Xiaoe for this kind of problem, would he still be able to face anyone?
He, Xu Damao, was a man with dignity, too.
Lou Xiaoe looked at Xu Damao like this and listened to his words.
She suddenly felt utterly disappointed and despairing.
Only then did she realize—
In Xu Damao’s view, the reason they could not have children was entirely her fault.
Xu Damao had never considered that there might be something wrong with him.
He had always believed that the problem lay with her.
It all made sense now.
She suddenly understood why Xu Damao was so impatient with her and why his tone was so harsh.
It turned out that, in his eyes,
she was the one who had made him lose face.
That was why—
After hearing Sha Zhu’s insulting words that evening, he had become so furious and flustered.
And that was why he had shouted at her so much.
So that was how it was.
So that was how it was.
For a moment,
Lou Xiaoe fell silent, her face filled with despair.
.....
At Ye Jianguo’s home.
The two little girls, Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, had fallen asleep.
Liu Qian lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
It was obvious.
What Ye Jianguo had said to her that evening had truly shocked her.
Was divorcing Xu Damao really Lou Xiaoe’s only way out?
However,
When she thought of Xu Damao’s womanizing, she felt that perhaps what Ye Jianguo had said really was the best choice.
Although Ye Jianguo had often beaten and scolded her before and had all kinds of bad habits,
still,
there was one thing he had never done.
He had never fooled around with other women outside.
Liu Qian thought to herself:
Perhaps that was also why she could continue silently staying by Ye Jianguo’s side, waiting for a prodigal’s return.
“Creak...”
The bedroom door opened.
Ye Jianguo, freshly bathed, walked in.
Seeing Liu Qian staring blankly, he could not help smiling. “Wife, what’s wrong? Are you still thinking about Lou Xiaoe’s situation?”
Liu Qian said, “Jianguo, I’ve thought it through.”
“Perhaps Lou Xiaoe divorcing Xu Damao really is the best choice.”
“That Xu Damao has gone too far. He is always fooling around with other women.”
Ye Jianguo climbed onto the bed, slipped under the covers, hugged Liu Qian, and said with a smile, “We should still avoid getting involved in this kind of matter for now.”
“If we get involved too early, it will only have the opposite effect.”
“It might even affect your friendship with Lou Xiaoe.”
“All we can do is help her when she is in trouble and give her a hand.”
Liu Qian nodded. “Mm, that’s what I think, too.”
Afterward,
Liu Qian looked at Ye Jianguo’s handsome face. Blushing, she said softly, “Jianguo, when should we have another son?”
“I want to give you a son.”
Ye Jianguo looked at her beautiful face, so close at hand.
He was moved as well.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “There’s no time like the present. Let’s start now.”
After saying that, Ye Jianguo immediately pressed down.
Liu Qian’s entire body flushed crimson.
However,
the next moment, she responded as well.
.....
The next morning.
Ye Jianguo rose early.
Although he had been exhausted the night before, after a good sleep he felt refreshed and invigorated.
It was wonderful.
He was growing fonder and fonder of life here.
Looking at Liu Qian and the two little girls still sleeping, his face was filled with a blissful smile.
He gently closed the door and walked out.
After washing up, he lit the fire and boiled corn and eggs.
They would serve as breakfast.
It was quite suitable.
Afterward,
with nothing else to do, he entered the mysterious space.
Sure enough.
The rice seeds he had planted in the cultivated land yesterday had all matured.
The rice grains were a brilliant golden yellow.
Ye Jianguo’s heart stirred, and he completed the rice harvest.
He had harvested a full 1,000 jin of rice.
It was all snow-white, premium-quality rice.
It also carried a faint rice fragrance.
Seeing the rice, Ye Jianguo smiled as well.
With these 1,000 jin of rice, there would be more than enough for their family of four to eat for a long time.
Afterward,
he looked toward the chicken coop and discovered that the three old hens had laid another 300 eggs.
With a thought, he collected the 300 eggs once again.
Adding those to yesterday’s eggs,
the warehouse in the mysterious space now held more than 500 eggs.
Looking at the eggs,
Ye Jianguo wondered whether he should sell some for cash.
After all,
judging from the current situation,
as long as he did not add any more hens, he should harvest 300 eggs every day.
That kind of yield was absolutely a bumper harvest.
The eggs would only pile up more and more.
Even if their family of four ate as much as they wanted, they could not consume that many.
Not to mention,
although eggs were highly nutritious,
still,
eating too many was not good either.
However,
not long after the thought of selling them for cash arose, he dismissed it.
One had to know—
he had only gone to the Pigeon Market to sell corn yesterday.
If he went to the Pigeon Market to sell things for cash so frequently, he might cause unnecessary trouble.
Therefore,
he decided to play it safe for now.
In any case, the eggs would not spoil in the warehouse.
They could be stored indefinitely.
There was no need to worry.
Once he had figured it out, he left the mysterious space.
Immediately afterward,
he filled the nearly empty rice jar to the brim.
For a moment,
a faint rice fragrance drifted through the kitchen.
Seeing this, Ye Jianguo covered the rice jar with its lid, finally concealing the rice fragrance.
However,
before long,
the aroma of the boiled corn began drifting through the courtyard compound once again.
.....
At Qin Huairu’s home.
Qin Huairu had risen early to prepare breakfast.
After all,
Bang Geng had to eat breakfast before going to school.
Soon,
she smelled the delicious aroma of corn.
She actually began craving it.
“Whose corn is being boiled? Why does it smell so good?”
Qin Huairu wondered.
At that moment,
Bang Geng, who had already gotten out of bed, said to Qin Huairu, “Mom, I want to eat corn.”
“This corn smells so good.”
Qin Huairu replied irritably, “All you think about is eating. There’s no corn. We only have Coarse Flour Steamed Buns. Hurry up and eat, then go to school.”
Bang Geng immediately protested, “No, I want corn!”
“The corn at Ye Jianguo’s home smells so good. Yesterday, I smelled how delicious their corn was and wanted to take some from their home to boil and eat.”
“But I didn’t expect them to have locked the door, so I went and took Xu Damao’s chicken, killed it, and made Beggar’s Chicken.”
“Mom, go and ask them for an ear of corn, all right?”
“I really want to eat it.”
It would have been fine if Bang Geng had not mentioned it, but the moment he did, Qin Huairu immediately thought of what had happened the previous night.
She said angrily, “Bang Geng, you still dare to bring that up?”
“I’m telling you, you are absolutely forbidden to steal anything ever again.”
“Do you understand?”
Bang Geng muttered, “I didn’t steal it. I only took it.”
Hearing Bang Geng’s mutter, Qin Huairu became even more furious.
She raised her hand and was about to hit the little bastard.
Seeing this, Bang Geng immediately ran away crying and shouted, “Grandma! Grandma! Mom is going to hit me! Grandma, come save me!”
Hearing Bang Geng’s words, Qin Huairu became even more enraged.
She was just about to say something when Jia Zhangshi’s voice roared from the room, “Qin Huairu, have you gone mad?”
“You want to hit my Good Grandson first thing in the morning?”
“Believe it or not, I’ll drive you out!”
Qin Huairu said wearily, “Mom, I didn’t hit Bang Geng. I was teaching him a lesson so he would remember not to steal anything again.”
“This is not something to joke about.”
Jia Zhangshi came over and said angrily, “Qin Huairu, I’ll tell you again: my Good Grandson has never stolen anything.”
“When a child takes someone else’s things, is that stealing?”
“What kind of mother are you?”
“How can you say such things about your own child?”
At that moment,
Bang Geng came over, hugged Jia Zhangshi, and said pitifully, “Grandma, I want to eat corn.”
“The corn at Ye Jianguo’s home smells so good. I want to eat it.”
Jia Zhangshi stroked Bang Geng’s head and said, “All right. I’ll have your mother go to Ye Jianguo’s place and ask for two ears right now.”
Afterward,
she looked at Qin Huairu and said irritably, “Why are you standing around here? Didn’t you hear that my Good Grandson wants corn?”
“Hurry up and go ask Ye Jianguo for two ears.”
Qin Huairu said aggrievedly, “Mom, we only had such an unpleasant falling-out with Ye Jianguo and the others yesterday. Do you really think he’ll give us corn if we go ask him now?”
Jia Zhangshi replied irritably, “I don’t care. My Good Grandson wants corn.”
“If you don’t bring it back for me, you don’t have to come back.”
Qin Huairu said directly, “I’m not going.”
Jia Zhangshi exploded with rage.
She shouted, “Qin Huairu, you’ve gotten bold, haven’t you?”
“You even dare disobey me now?”
“Is it because Sha Zhu wants to marry you that you’ve become so full of yourself?”
“I’m telling you, as long as I’m here, don’t even dream of marrying Sha Zhu.”
“Not a chance!!!”
.......