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Xiao Lihua looked at the man and found him more handsome than she remembered. It seemed that the original Xiao Lihua was dissatisfied with this man, which made her impression of him less vivid. However, this man fit her aesthetic quite well.
Xie Youshun was tall and thin; his face wasn't exceptionally handsome, but it was pleasing to the eye. His face was sharp, his eyes were dark and bright, and his skin had a healthy wheat color.
Xiao Lihua felt quite satisfied. She thought that this man was nothing like her previous husband, which was a good thing. Her former husband had been too refined, yet he had hidden the fact that he had another woman outside. Although Xie Youshun was a farmer, he could tolerate the original Xiao Lihua, even though she was quite unpleasant; he had never scolded or hit her, indicating that he was a decent man.
Living with such a man for a lifetime wouldn't be too difficult to accept.
Xiao Lihua's wish was simply to find a good man, have a few children, and live a peaceful life. Now that she had a child, if this man also met her expectations, the rest would naturally be about living together as a family. As for love, having been deeply hurt by her previous husband, Xiao Lihua felt it was truly unimportant. She believed she could manage to live well.
"I'll go check on the fields, Second Sister. You all continue washing clothes."
Seeing Xiao Lihua staring at him, Xie Youshun felt somewhat strange. However, they had spoken very little as a couple, especially outside; he generally didn't talk to her because whenever he did in the past, Xiao Lihua would always dismiss him. After several attempts, he almost stopped talking to her outside altogether and spoke very little even at home.
Now that they hadn't seen each other for quite some time, Xie Youshun simply tossed a comment to Zi Clan and turned to leave, taking Stone and Wood with him. He wanted to ask his son what was going on with their mother.
Xiao Lihua thought that this couple's relationship was quite cold, but she didn't mind. The original Xiao Lihua hadn't put much effort into being a good wife or mother; as long as she did her best, that would suffice. Xie Youshun wasn't a bad man; she didn't believe that if she spoke to him nicely, he wouldn't want to live well with her.
"Hmph, this husband of hers comes back and doesn't even say a word. How unlikable! He thinks he can win over those young masters; what a joke!"
Sister Zhu spoke up after Xie Youshun had walked far away, spitting into the water beside her.
The women nearby listened with half-smiles; they all knew the reason why Xiao Lihua had been driven out when she served others.
Zi Clan's expression wasn't good; it reflected Xiao Lihua's disgrace. But since Xiao Lihua married into the Xie Family, her disgrace also became the Xie Family's disgrace, which brought shame upon Zi Clan as well.
Xiao Lihua didn't care and said to Zi Clan: "Second Sister, let's go. The water here is too dirty; it's all people's spit and gossiping mouths. They even care about whether that couple talks or not; who knows where they heard such nonsense? It's really bothersome! They say those who worry too much get thin, but I haven't seen anyone actually lose weight."
Zi Clan laughed and replied: "Yes, let's find a cleaner place."
Sister Zhu's round face turned red with anger. The people around her, recalling Xiao Lihua's words, spat into the water, feeling that the water had been tainted. Although people might usually throw things into the water without being seen, now that they had witnessed it, even just a spit made them feel uncomfortable. Their gazes towards Sister Zhu turned somewhat disdainful.
Sister Zhu was furious, cursing Xiao Lihua under her breath, but everyone had walked away, and her insults went unheard. She lost this verbal battle.
Zhang Shuitao didn't show it on his face, but he was also unhappy inside, furiously pounding on his clothes.
After finishing the laundry, Xiao Lihua returned home with Zi Clan. Upon entering the house, she noticed a bundle on the kang. Unwrapping it revealed two sets of clothes, already dirty. She didn't find any money and guessed that Xie Youshun must have it on him or hidden somewhere in the house. She didn't bother searching; she would find out when he returned.
It was almost dark when Xie Youshun finally came back with his family.
“Mother, Mother, I’m back!”
As soon as Shitou entered the house, he rushed to Xiao Lihua, blinking his big eyes at her, wondering if she was still the gentle and smiling mother he remembered. He needed to confirm.
Xiao Lihua bent down and gave him a hard kiss on the forehead, saying, “Good son! Tell me what you’ve been doing? Did you take good care of your brother?”
Shitou's eyes sparkled; his mother was still the gentle mother he loved—how wonderful!
“Dad took us to the fields. I helped deliver seedlings, and my brother was very well-behaved! Right, Muzi?”
“Yes! I’m good!”
Little Wood was carried in by Xie Youshun. Seeing that his mother was still smiling like that made him immediately abandon his father and rush into his mother's arms, stretching out his little hands for a hug from Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua reached out to pick him up and let him sit on the edge of the kang while she tidied up his little tuft of hair.
Watching Xiao Lihua being so affectionate with their two sons surprised Xie Youshun. He had heard about Xiao Lihua's changes from their sons but could hardly believe it. Now seeing it for himself confirmed everything. After the initial shock came happiness; after all, it was great that his wife treated their children well and that their home no longer felt as cold as an ice cave. Thinking back to when he heard Xiao Lihua say by the river that she didn’t mind him and thought he was doing well among so many people made him wonder if something supernatural had possessed her. However, since she remembered things from before, it couldn’t be a ghost; it seemed she had finally come to her senses, which was truly wonderful news.
Xiao Lihua finished playing with her two sons and noticed Xie Youshun still standing there. She smiled at him, walked over to close the door, and let the two children play on one side of the kang while she sat on the edge of it to talk to Xie Youshun.
"You probably know that I've caused trouble again and can see that I've changed a bit. Don't be suspicious; I'm not possessed or anything. I really almost died this time, and I've come to understand some things. Let's put the past behind us and live well. What do you think?"
Xiao Lihua certainly wouldn't say that she was no longer the same Xiao Lihua as before; after all, ancient people cared about such things, right? She didn't want to be burned alive or drowned in a pig cage. Now that she had sons, she wanted to enjoy being a mother.
Xie Youshun had heard of people who changed drastically after dying once, so he thought it wasn't surprising that Xiao Lihua's temperament had shifted somewhat. Besides, she hadn't completely changed; seeing her at the riverbank making those women furious still showed traces of her past self. However, he didn't feel disgusted; after all, it was those women's fault.
"Alright, then let's live well from now on."
Seeing that Xie Youshun didn't have any doubts and was willing to live well with her despite what the previous Xiao Lihua had done, Xiao Lihua felt relieved. She then mentioned the matter of the silver and said naturally, "How much money did you earn this time? Give it to my parents and say it's for my medicine. If it's not enough, you can make up for it with what you earn later."
When Xie Youshun heard this, his eyebrows raised slightly as he replied, "This money originally belongs to the public."
Xiao Lihua looked at him and said, "Yes, it belongs to the public, but this money also includes my medical expenses. Think about it; if you had this money at home, you would definitely show it to me for treatment, right? The remaining money would go to my parents. Since they gave it first, you just need to pay them back from your earnings. Do you understand what I mean?"
Xie Youshun understood a bit but also felt confused. However, seeing how assertive Xiao Lihua was made him realize that this daughter-in-law wouldn't suffer losses; her claim for that one or two silvers seemed to have outsmarted everyone in the family, even if it was done in a somewhat unreasonable way. Nevertheless, Xie Youshun wasn't angry; instead, he found Xiao Lihua's assertiveness somewhat pleasing compared to how she used to be.
Noticing that Xie Youshun remained silent, Xiao Lihua said, "Your silence means you agree. I have something else to discuss with you. After hearing this, consider whether we should separate our households because I plan to do so; living like this is unbearable."
Xie Youshun was surprised when Xiao Lihua mentioned separating households. Since she married into the family, she had never brought up such a topic. She seemed dissatisfied with being married to him and hardly wanted to do anything at home except eat; she needed to be forced into doing chores and appeared quite willing to stir up trouble in the household. Now that she had become diligent and mentioned separation, he couldn't help but be astonished. However, once he listened to what Xiao Lihua had to say, his brows furrowed tightly.
"Shitou, is what your mother said true? Others have food while you don't? Is that how it is?"
Xie Youshun couldn't believe what he heard, especially since it came from Xiao Lihua's mouth. This daughter-in-law had just begun to change; previously, she completely ignored their two children. What she said didn't hold much weight in his heart.
Stone and Wood were playing in the corner of the kang but were listening to their parents talk. When their father asked, they nodded. Stone had wanted to tell his father before but held back thinking about their mother. Now that he could finally complain, he immediately shared all his grievances and started crying as he spoke. Little Wood saw his brother crying and began to cry as well.
Xie Youshun's face turned ashen. He worked hard outside, giving all his money to the family, yet his son was treated this way at home, and they kept it from him. He felt utterly heartbroken.
Xiao Lihua saw Xie Youshun's expression and knew he was very concerned about their son's suffering. She thought that the division of the family was finally in sight.
"Didn’t we say that we would split the family after Ruyi gets married? So it’s only a matter of time before we separate. Why don’t we do it sooner? I just found out that our son is enduring such grievances, and it breaks my heart to think about it. I only want to treat them well. As long as you agree to let us split, I promise to take good care of them and you, living a peaceful life without the troubles of the past. Think about it; living like this is unbearable for me day by day."
Xie Youshun sat there with a serious expression, deep in thought.
Xiao Lihua continued, "The sooner we separate, the sooner I can make some good food for our sons. Look how thin they are; if they go hungry for any longer, I worry it might harm their health. It's hardest to nourish a child's body back to health."
Seeing his two sons' frail little bodies and their faces that made their big eyes look even larger, Xie Youshun felt a pang of discomfort in his heart.
During dinner, Xie Youshun said nothing, maintaining a calm demeanor, but everyone could tell he was in a bad mood.
After dinner, Xie Youshun went to his parents' room to bring over his wages.
Xiao Lihua followed him, worried that Xie Youshun might not be able to voice her thoughts, so she intended to help him express them.
When Wang Clan saw Xiao Lihua, they became furious and started talking about the one or two silvers that Xiao Lihua had promised to compensate them for, insisting that Xie Youshun find a way to pay up. Xiao Lihua immediately shared her thoughts, infuriating Wang Clan who began cursing loudly. However, Xiao Lihua remained unfazed, thinking that if they dared to let her son go hungry for even more meals, they shouldn't expect those silvers.
While Wang Clan was still cursing away, Xie Youshun suddenly brought up the idea of separating the family. He recounted the incident with the bread, leaving Wang Clan speechless and staring at Xiao Lihua with wide eyes. Xie Shengcai's face also flushed red as he lowered his head in silence; they were in the wrong here, and discussing it would only bring shame to the Xie Family.
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