“Husband!”
Wang Hongmei was immediately unhappy.
The family savings were already running low. Giving away ten yuan for nothing made her heart ache just thinking about it.
Not to mention the nutritional supplements Zhao Yunzheng’s comrade had sent were all good-quality items. She normally couldn’t bear to buy such things herself, and she hadn’t even had a chance to taste them yet. How could she just hand them over?
Zhao Ziming was unhappy as well. In his eyes, Zhou Yu already lived in their house and ate their food. They were treating her well enough. Why should they give her anything else? He’d rather give those things to Rulan.
Zhou Yu coldly observed their expressions without saying a word.
Instead, her sobbing grew louder and louder, as if she intended for all the neighbors outside to hear.
No matter how reluctant he was, Zhao Changdong had no choice.
Grimacing, he went back to his room, took out ten yuan, packed the supplements and medicine into a bag, and handed everything over to Zhou Yu.
Deliberately, Zhou Yu counted the money and checked the contents of the bag right in front of them.
Only after verifying everything did she wipe away her tears.
“I’m not unreasonable. I know you were anxious after losing the money order receipt. But I was wronged too. Now that everything’s been cleared up, it’s fine.”
The smiles on Zhao Changdong’s and Wang Hongmei’s faces looked worse than crying.
Zhao Ziming couldn’t stand staying any longer.
With a dark expression, he pushed past Zhou Yu and stormed out.
Still worried about the receipt, Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei hurried off to continue searching.
After what had just happened, they no longer had the nerve to order Zhou Yu to help.
Just as they were about to leave the room, they suddenly heard Zhou Yu mutter to herself.
“How strange. I’d never heard anything about a money order receipt before. Why did one suddenly appear? Could Third Brother have been lying?”
Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei stopped in their tracks.
“Dad? Mom? Weren’t you going to look for the receipt? Why did you stop?”
Zhou Yu glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and pretended to have only just noticed.
The two of them awkwardly replied that they were leaving now and quickly walked out.
Feeling uneasy, Wang Hongmei whispered,
“Husband, was there really a money order receipt? If there was, how could it suddenly disappear? Something that important shouldn’t have been forgotten by the mail carrier.”
Even Zhao Changdong wasn’t so sure anymore.
Mainly because the disappearance of the receipt was just too strange.
And Zhao Ziming’s claim about the money had appeared out of nowhere.
Still, selfishly, he didn’t want to believe the money was gone.
With a stern face, he said,
“Would Third Son lie to us? Stop talking and keep looking.”
Wang Hongmei hurried after him.
Inside the room, Zhou Yu waited until they were gone before firmly closing the door.
She quickly returned to the bed, straightened the bedding, and carefully helped Zhao Yunzheng lie down again.
Still partially conscious, Zhao Yunzheng listened to the sounds around him.
Feeling how carefully and gently Zhou Yu supported him, his heart suddenly felt sour.
She was his wife.
And she genuinely cared about him.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have married him while he was still unconscious, risking a lifetime of widowhood.
She wouldn’t have cared for him so attentively these past few days or defended him against his family.
Yet he couldn’t protect her.
He could only let her suffer.
Zhao Yunzheng silently reflected.
When he finally woke up, he would treat her well…
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suddenly felt a soft, delicate hand pull open his waistband and slip inside!
Zhao Yunzheng: !!!
She… she…
What was this woman doing now?!
He didn’t need a change of clothes.
He didn’t need to be cleaned.
Could she possibly be planning to…
As Zhao Yunzheng’s thoughts ran wild, he felt her hand find something and withdraw.
“No time to waste. I need to get to the county and collect this compensation money as soon as possible, then deposit it into my savings account.”
Since no one else was home, Zhou Yu couldn’t help laughing.
Without the slightest restraint, she praised herself.
“I’m so smart. Hiding the receipt on Big Brother Zhao was a brilliant idea!”
Zhao Yunzheng: ???
What had he just heard?!
So there really was a money order receipt?
And this woman had actually taken it?!
Not only that—she had tricked him and used him as a hiding place?!
Zhao Yunzheng nearly choked from anger.
His fingers trembled slightly.
The movement caught Zhou Yu’s attention.
“Hm? His hand moved?”
She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
The man’s fingers had definitely twitched.
Delighted, she rushed closer.
“Big Brother Zhao, are you waking up?”
She waited.
But there was no further response.
Disappointment flashed across her face.
“Big Brother Zhao, you’re not awake after all. That’s okay. Even if you never wake up, I’ll still take care of you.”
Hearing those words, all of Zhao Yunzheng’s anger instantly vanished.
Forget it.
She surely hadn’t done it with bad intentions.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t care so much about him.
He was her husband.
So what if she used him a little?
She would never hurt him.
Unable to resist any longer, Zhao Yunzheng’s consciousness sank once more.
The last thing he heard was Zhou Yu cheerfully talking about going to the county and buying meat to make soup for him so he could regain his strength.
Zhou Yu had already thought of an excuse.
She would simply say that she finally had ten yuan and wanted to buy something good to nourish her husband.
Immediately grabbing her bag, she left the house and carefully avoided being seen as she headed to a poplar tree behind the village.
She had long anticipated that the Zhao family wouldn’t stop until they searched everything themselves.
That’s why she hadn’t brought the savings passbook home.
She had hidden it there.
After retrieving the passbook, Zhou Yu headed straight to the village entrance and boarded an ox cart bound for the county.
The driver, Uncle Li, looked surprised when he saw her.
“Well, if it isn’t Yunzheng’s wife. What brings you to the county at this hour?”
Zhou Yu deliberately forced a bitter smile.
“I finally have a little money. I want to buy some meat at the county supply cooperative to help my husband recover. Maybe if he eats better, he’ll wake up sooner.”
Uncle Li nodded with emotion.
“Yunzheng sure is lucky to have married such a caring wife. You don’t dislike him at all, and you truly care about him.”
Then he frowned.
“But if that’s the case, why do you look so upset?”
Zhou Yu simply sighed without speaking.
That immediately sparked Uncle Li’s curiosity.
He loved hearing village gossip.
“Come on now, why be shy with your Uncle Li? Tell you what—I won’t even charge you the fare!”
Right on cue, Zhou Yu’s eyes reddened.
“Uncle Li, I never expected you to treat me better than my own in-laws do.”
Then she carefully recounted everything.
How they had lost the money order receipt.
How they had accused her of stealing it.
How they had insisted on searching her room and Zhao Yunzheng’s room.
Uncle Li’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“No way. Changdong and his wife actually did that? And Ziming too? I remember him being a decent kid. He’s even an elementary school teacher. How could he accuse you like that?”
At that moment, Zhou Yu deliberately pulled out the ten-yuan note.
Uncle Li stared at it.
“If none of that happened, why would my in-laws compensate me with ten yuan?”
She lowered her head sadly.
“Even though I feel wronged, whenever I think about how Big Brother Zhao has been home for so long without even getting a decent meal of meat and has become skin and bones, I feel like my suffering doesn’t matter. At least now I have money to help him recover.”
Hearing that, Uncle Li became furious.
“Yunzheng is still their son! He’s even a soldier! How can they treat him like that?”
Zhou Yu listened with satisfaction as Uncle Li cursed the Zhao family the entire journey.
Judging by his reaction, he would definitely spread the story throughout the village.
When they finally arrived in the county, Zhou Yu cheerfully bid him farewell and immediately headed for the post office to collect the compensation money.