The sudden visit from the Youth Office about Xia Zhuyu’s impending rural assignment had already thrown Li Rouyue and her daughter into disarray. If going to the countryside was unavoidable, their best hope was to secure a placement near Beijing, where they could easily provide care and visit frequently. Should Xia Zhuyu be sent to the harsh frontiers of the Northwest or Xinjiang, they would be powerless to help from afar.
Forcing a smile, Li Rouyue softened her voice and said, “I’m sorry, Yuhuan. We misunderstood you. Zhuyu only reacted so strongly because the news of her rural assignment came as a shock. I’ll talk to her and help her accept it. You must be tired after being out all morning—why don’t you rest first? I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”
Li Rouyue, ever shrewd and adaptable, quickly regained her composure. She even attempted to placate Xia Yuhuan, hoping to prevent further conflict. Despite their opposing stances, Xia Yuhuan couldn’t help but admire Li Rouyue’s resilience. With such temperament, was there anything she couldn’t accomplish? In comparison, Xia Zhuyu fell short.
Seeing her mother not only refrain from confronting Xia Yuhuan but actually curry favor with her, Xia Zhuyu bristled. “Mom, why are you sucking up to her? She must have brought the Youth Office here! Everything was fine before—why would they suddenly show up?” she shrieked.
“Shut your mouth,” Li Rouyue snapped. Her fierce glare cowed Xia Zhuyu into sullen silence, though the girl continued to glare resentfully at Xia Yuhuan.
Over the years, Xia Zhuyu had been treated like a princess in the Xia household, doted on by Xia Jianyong, who never let her suffer. When she reached the age for rural assignment without a job, she was supposed to go, but she whined to her father about avoiding hardship, and he intervened to keep her home. Everything had been peaceful until Xia Yuhuan returned, upending their lives. Now her carefree days were over, and Xia Zhuyu seethed with hatred for her stepsister.
Uninterested in the mother-daughter drama, Xia Yuhuan headed upstairs to her room once Li Rouyue had calmed Xia Zhuyu. After ensuring she wasn’t followed, she entered her dimension.
Inside, she began assembling the hoe and wooden handle she had bought that morning. The salesclerk had shown her how, and the process went smoothly. Once assembled, she soaked the base of the hoe in water and started clearing weeds with a sickle. Reclaiming such a vast neglected area would require considerable effort.
After working tirelessly in the dimension, Xia Yuhuan emerged feeling hungry. As she descended the stairs, she overheard voices from the living room and paused on the landing to listen.
Xia Jianyong said angrily, “I went to the Youth Office, but they refuse to budge. They insist Zhuyu must go to the countryside. It seems there’s no way around it this time.”
Hearing this, Xia Zhuyu burst into tears.
“Dad, I don’t want to go to the countryside. I don’t know how to do any of those farm chores. I’ll starve to death out there, waaah…”
Beside them, Li Rouyue held Xia Zhuyu, her heart breaking with every sob from her daughter.
“My dear child, please stop crying. Your father will surely find a way. Old Xia, is there really no other option?” Li Rouyue looked at Xia Jianyong, her eyes full of pleading.
Of course Xia Jianyong didn’t want Xia Zhuyu to suffer hardships in the countryside either. This was his daughter, cherished since childhood—how could he bear to see her endure difficulties?
He sighed softly and said, “From what the Youth Office has indicated, there’s no room for negotiation. Besides, I’m at a critical moment for my promotion and can’t make any major moves. If someone were to find fault, how could I compete with others?”
Hearing this, Li Rouyue knew that Xia Zhuyu’s assignment to the countryside was already settled.
Xia Jianyong placed extreme importance on this promotion, as it represented a crucial step to advancing to another level.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to become an obstacle to his promotion.
Not even his most treasured daughter.
Though Li Rouyue’s heart ached, she didn’t dare show it. Softly, she said, “Naturally, your matters are more important. Zhuzhu and I definitely won’t hold you back. Right, Zhuzhu?”
Though Xia Zhuyu was spoiled, she wasn’t foolish.
She understood clearly that only if Xia Jianyong succeeded could she prosper, for he was the source of all her luxury and comfort.
Even if she went to the countryside, if Xia Jianyong got promoted, he could find a way to bring her back. But if he failed because of her, he might just want to devour her.
So Xia Zhuyu nodded through her sobs, “Yes, Dad’s matters are most important. I’ll be fine.”
Seeing Xia Zhuyu’s red-rimmed eyes, Xia Jianyong’s heart ached with pity.
Li Rouyue seized the moment to gently suggest, “Old Xia, since going to the countryside is unavoidable, can you try to arrange for Zhuzhu to be sent somewhere with better conditions?”
“Could you take out some of those things you mentioned earlier and use them to pull some strings?”
“Zhuzhu has been pampered since she was little. If she’s sent to a place with terrible conditions, how will she manage?”
As she spoke, Li Rouyue couldn’t hold back her own tears, her eyes reddening.
Hearing this, Xia Yuhuan’s mind began to stir.
What Li Rouyue referred to as “those things” must be the dowry left by the original host’s birth mother.
The family of the original host’s mother, Xia Qingqing, had been in business since the war era.
Later, her brothers met with misfortune one after another, passing away prematurely. Her father was left with only Xia Qingqing as his daughter, making her the sole heir to the vast Xia family fortune.
In those days, suitors for Xia Qingqing were as numerous as carp swimming across a river—all hoping to marry into the Xia family and claim a share of the wealth after her father’s passing.
But Xia Qingqing was a woman of strong principles. Moreover, her father and brothers had supported the army during the war, making them “red capitalists” who were both politically loyal and specialized. Though many coveted her fortune, none dared to force the issue.
Eventually, Xia Qingqing took a liking to Xia Jianyong and married him, a poor young man, bringing with her the entire family fortune.
At that time, Xia Jianyong didn’t even bear the surname Xia; he had changed it to show loyalty to his father-in-law.
Xia Qingqing thus believed Xia Jianyong was a good man, genuinely fond of her, who would love and protect her wholeheartedly in the years to come.
Little did she know that Xia Jianyong was merely another one of those hoping to marry into wealth and claim the family fortune.
It was just that he disguised himself better than anyone else, successfully deceiving Xia Qingqing into falling in love with him. In the end, not only was the daughter she gave birth to abandoned by Xia Jianyong, but she herself died on the road searching for her child—a truly lamentable tragedy.
Thinking of this, Xia Yuhuan felt nothing but contempt for Xia Jianyong.
At this moment, Xia Jianyong said, “Alright, I’ll go fetch some things later and pull some strings to have Zhuzhu placed in a better-off village near the capital. That way, it’ll be more convenient for us to visit her.”
“Thank you, Dad! You’re the best!” Xia Zhuyu threw herself into Xia Jianyong’s arms, coquettishly.
Being sent to the countryside was one thing, but being assigned to a village near the capital was still better than being sent somewhere far away.
Watching this scene of paternal affection and filial devotion, Xia Yuhuan curled her lip in disdain.
Using his ex-wife’s dowry to pull strings for his illegitimate daughter—Xia Jianyong truly had no shame!
However, she would absolutely not allow Xia Jianyong to keep taking advantage of the original host’s birth mother.
She had to help the original host reclaim her mother’s dowry!