Seeing how tightly the shirt stretched across Huo Xuan’s frame, Xie Mingzhu pressed her lips together and smiled.
The slightly awkward atmosphere instantly softened and turned more relaxed.
Caught off guard by her smile, Huo Xuan felt a little flustered himself. He glanced down at his own clothes and muttered, “This shirt does seem a bit small. Looks like I’ll have to go into town tomorrow to buy a couple more.”
Xie Mingzhu thought for a moment, then said, “Those two were custom‑made by a tailor according to measurements. I remember there are also two ready‑made shirts in the chest—go take them out and try them on. They should be looser than these.”
Huo Xuan nodded and turned back inside to rummage through his things.
When he came out again, the shirt he was wearing fit noticeably better. It was still a little snug, but far more comfortable than the previous one.
“Is this one all right?” he asked.
Xie Mingzhu looked him up and down, then nodded lightly. “It’s much better.”
Huo Xuan broke into a smile.
“It’s getting late. You should go back to your room and rest,” he added.
Xie Mingzhu murmured her agreement and turned to go inside.
Once she lay face‑down on the bed and closed her eyes, the image of Huo Xuan bathing just a short while earlier flooded her mind no matter how hard she tried to push it away. She really didn’t want to think about it, yet the scene kept playing over and over.
Growing frustrated, she buried her face in the pillow and rolled from side to side, forcing herself to clear her thoughts. Under her breath, she chanted repeatedly, “Desire is emptiness, desire is emptiness…”
After some time, she finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Xie Mingzhu woke naturally. As soon as she turned over, she bumped her injured back and hissed softly in pain. Slowly, she sat up and put on her clothes.
It was quiet outside; Huo Xuan seemed to be gone. She glanced at the clock—it was nearly ten o’clock.
Her stomach growled loudly. If she hadn’t been so hungry, she probably would have slept even longer.
She walked over to Huo Xuan’s door, found it closed, and peeked through the window, but there was no sign of him. She had no idea where he had gone.
Heading into the kitchen, she found a pot of sweet potato porridge still warm and ready to eat. She filled a bowl, added some pickled vegetables, and finished it quickly.
By the time she was done, Huo Xuan still hadn’t returned. Stepping out into the yard, she noticed his bicycle was also missing—clearly he had gone out on business.
She paid it no mind and went back to her room. Although she had applied ointment the night before, her back still throbbed sharply.
She stood in front of the mirror, lifted her shirt, and looked at her reflection. The bruising had spread, covering nearly half her back in a frightening dark purple‑blue stain.
Taking out the ointment, she leaned closer to the mirror and carefully rubbed it over the sore area. When she finished, she lay back down on the bed and picked up a book to read.
By eleven o’clock, Huo Xuan still hadn’t come back, and Xie Mingzhu began to feel uneasy. She got up to go outside and check. Just as she was about to lock her door, she noticed a piece of paper stuck to the outer frame. Since she had opened the door and hadn’t looked outward earlier, she had missed it.
The note said he had gone to the county town, told her to eat the porridge in the pot as soon as she woke up, and promised to cook a proper meal when he returned. There was no mention of when he would be back.
Not knowing what he was up to, Xie Mingzhu shrugged it off and went back to her book. Before long, she grew drowsy and drifted off again.
She was half‑asleep when a sharp, shrill voice cut through the quiet: “You shameless hussy! Come out here this instant!”
The shout jolted Xie Mingzhu fully awake. Rubbing her throbbing temples, she frowned deeply.
The voice continued, loud and piercing: “Xie Mingzhu! Get out here right now! Look what you’ve done to my son!”
The woman began to wail loudly as she spoke.
Xie Mingzhu recognized the voice at once. She stood up, walked to the table, opened the drawer, and took out a small fruit knife, slipping it into her pocket.
When she opened the door, she saw Zhang Zenglan standing in the yard surrounded by a large group of people—all her relatives, their faces fierce and angry. They looked ready to smash the door down if she didn’t come out.
“What is the meaning of this?” Xie Mingzhu demanded coldly. “You all gather around my quarters like this—are you here to settle a score? Does the Party Secretary know about this? Does the team leader?”
The moment Zhang Zenglan saw her, she lunged forward like a rabid wolf. “You little harlot! This is all your fault! You’ve ruined my son and destroyed our family! I’ll fight you to the death!”
Bearing the pain in her back, Xie Mingzhu quickly sidestepped the attack and kicked Zhang Zenglan hard in the lower back.
“What are you making such a fuss for?” she retorted, sneering. “Who destroyed your son? Wasn’t it you? Wasn’t it his own doing? How dare you blame me for it?”
“You raised your children poorly and produced two shameless brats. If anyone deserves to rot, it’s you—why don’t you just do everyone a favor and disappear?” Her voice turned icier and sharper. “Your whole family is shameless through and through, yet you still have the nerve to come looking for me?”
Zhang Zenglan crashed to the ground, her mouth filling with dirt. The kick to her back hurt so badly she screamed and wailed.
“You unruly little tramp!” she spat, glowering at Xie Mingzhu. “If Haoyu hadn’t met you, he’d never have ended up like this! We were doing fine until you came along—this is all your doing, all your fault!”
Xie Mingzhu found her words utterly unreasonable.
“The Qin family wanted to use me as a stepping stone to climb higher and better themselves,” she said with a cold laugh. “Yet after using me, you felt wronged and decided to smear my name and drag me through the mud? How clever of you to plan it all so neatly!”
Behind Zhang Zenglan, her brothers glared at Xie Mingzhu with eyes bulging like bullfrogs. “How dare you speak to her like that?” one shouted. “Is that any way to address your mother‑in‑law?”
“Mother‑in‑law?” Xie Mingzhu scoffed. “She wishes! Does she deserve the title? Does the whole Qin family deserve it?”
“No wonder Haoyu chose Xiaoqing over you!” a scrawny, sharp‑faced woman beside one of the men cackled sarcastically. “Look at yourself—you can’t compare to our Xiaoqing in any way!”