He Tiantian was stunned once again. It turned out that the Qi family not only slandered her for being unable to have children, but also that her marriage to Qi Jianguo was not because Qi Jianguo had saved her, but because they had set her up.

How many secrets does the Qi family still hold that she doesn't know?

After a while, Qi Fangfang asked again, "Mom, how did you and Dad set this up? Does my older brother know?"

"Hehe, your older brother is shrewd, of course he knows. It was his own idea. Your father and I just did as he said, and it really worked. In those days, if it weren't for your sister-in-law, your brother wouldn't have been able to find a good wife, and our family wouldn't have the good life we ​​have now," Mother Qi said proudly. She hadn't dared to do it back then, afraid of being laughed at if things went wrong. Luckily, she listened to her son, otherwise their family would never have lived such a respectable and enviable life.

Good heavens, Qi Jianguo knew, he knew everything, and he was the one who started it all.

“Mother, I heard my sister-in-law say before that she fell into a trap and stayed there for half the night. My brother went up the mountain to find her and try to save her, but he accidentally fell into the trap too and almost broke his leg. At night, my sister-in-law was scared, and my brother told her jokes. After that, she developed feelings for my brother, and the two of them got together,” Qi Fangfang said. “Now that I hear what you’re saying, it turns out that my sister-in-law falling into the trap and my brother going to find her was all arranged beforehand by you?”

"You guessed right this time," said Mother Qi. "Back then, there was no food, so everyone in the village went to dig for wild vegetables, and your sister-in-law went too. To lure her to that remote place, I gave your third aunt ten eggs! That trap was dug by your father and your eldest brother, just waiting for your sister-in-law to fall in while digging for wild vegetables. Your eldest brother's left leg was already shorter than his right, so even if he broke his leg, he got a beautiful wife in return. What a bargain!"

The trap was dug by Qi Jianguo!

It was all a trap set by Qi Jianguo and his family, and she, like a foolish roe deer, ran headlong into it, becoming their prey, and working like a slave in that family for so many years!

He Tiantian felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She sat on the ground, her legs numb, but this was nothing compared to the numbness caused by the extreme pain in her heart.

“Sigh, the child is too young to be separated from his parents,” Qi Fangfang said. “If my sister-in-law’s parents were with her, perhaps our family wouldn’t have been able to benefit from this.”

"Heh, her parents?" Mother Qi sneered. "The letter her parents sent was given to me by your second uncle, who is an accountant. At that time, your brother broke his leg, and He Tiantian and your brother were getting along well. How could I let your sister-in-law see the letter? Even when her father was critically ill, I didn't take the letter out."

Good heavens, the Qi family are a bunch of bastards! They actually... they actually hid her letter! She didn't get to see her parents one last time; she was sent down to the next village. Liu Lingli received a letter from home saying that her parents had passed away and asking her to help find them. It was then that He Tiantian learned that her parents had already died.

Once in the city, I could no longer see my mother's loving kindness or my father's smile; all I saw were two cold, lifeless urns containing ashes.

"Mom...Mom..." Qi Fangfang said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? You should at least let my sister-in-law meet her parents!"

"Hehe, what's wrong with that? If her parents hadn't died, would you have gotten a piece of the He family's property?" Mother Qi said. "I heard He Tiantian say that her family used to be rich, but during the Cultural Revolution, all their things were destroyed. But I don't believe it. Even our Qi family, with its impeccable revolutionary lineage and eight generations of poor peasants, knew to hide two Yuan Shikai silver dollars, let alone a wealthy family like the He family. If I hadn't made you get into the city where your sister-in-law's family lives, would you have been able to dig up that box of things from under her house?"

Her mother-in-law had said that since they weren't going to Nanshi anymore, the courtyard would be left for Fangfang to live in. At the time, she didn't think much of it and let Qi Fangfang stay. But unexpectedly, Qi Fangfang dug something out of her house, and all she got was a jade pendant the size of a thumb, which she said she bought from Lao Feng Xiang.

He Tiantian was extremely grateful at the time, feeling that Qi Fangfang treated her like family. She decided not to return to Nanshi anymore and transferred the house directly to Qi Fangfang.

How incredibly stupid she is! She was sold out and then still gave the seller money. She's the kind of fool who does that.

"Hehe!" Qi Fangfang said with a smile, "Mom, you're the smartest one in our family. After I went to my sister-in-law's parents' house, although it was empty, I actually found some good stuff after staying there for a while. If we hadn't sold a bracelet, how would we have had the money to buy a big house in the city?"

"You still have a conscience, at least you know to give me a bracelet to wear," Mother Qi said smugly. "I heard that the old house is going to be demolished soon, and they'll get a lot of new houses in return, right?"

"Yes, we can exchange it for four houses and get 550,000 yuan in compensation." Qi Fangfang said excitedly, "Mom, I'll give one house to my brother and another 100,000 yuan to you for your retirement. I'll renovate the house and rent out the rest."

Qi Fangfang is a primary school teacher. Her husband, Zhou Hongqi, is a salesman who often travels to Nanshi on business and stays in the He family's courtyard.

Qi Fangfang kept the family's treasures a secret from Zhou Hongqi, so they didn't live a very comfortable life. Fortunately, her family helped out, so they managed to make ends meet. Once the demolition compensation arrived, they would be rich.

He Tiantian covered her head with both hands and pulled her hair hard.

That was her family's house, and she just gave it away to the heartless Qi Fangfang like that.

The sound of a door opening came from the recorder. "Fangfang, that house was given to your family by your sister-in-law, so you should also give your sister-in-law a house."

Qi Jianguo was there too!

This man and his family wove such a vast web of lies, blinding her. The helplessness of losing her parents made her, so vulnerable, crave warmth and family most, leading her to accept Qi Jianguo's advances. Now, it all seems so absurd, laughable, like something out of a clown's act.

“Brother, what do you need so many houses for? Zhicheng and I will take care of you in your old age, and your wife can earn money.” Qi Fangfang said, “Brother, the person who demolished our area is the same person who went to Qijia Village to find your wife back then, his name is… his name is… Huo Yingjie. If your wife takes the houses, when she sees Huo Yingjie, what you did before will be exposed. Although your wife is kind usually, she is very stubborn. She will blame you then!”

Huo Yingjie?

She hadn't heard this name for many years. She never imagined that today, through this small recording device, she would learn the truth hidden for decades! She even heard this person's name!

Qi Fangfang just said that Huo Yingjie came to see her, but she didn't see Huo Yingjie back then.

"Who is this Huo Yingjie?" Mother Qi asked, puzzled. "What is his relationship with your sister-in-law?"

“Mom, you haven’t met Huo Yingjie. He’s incredibly handsome. My brother and sister-in-law came to visit her before they got married, and I happened to run into them. I told my brother, and he said something to that guy, and Huo Yingjie left. Not long after, my brother and sister-in-law got married.” Qi Fangfang said, “Brother, what exactly did you say back then?”

Qi Jianguo chuckled and said, "Hehe, it's nothing, just a performance. I fell down, and your sister-in-law helped me up, showing concern for me, which that person saw. I even got Old Wu from the scrap yard in the county town to imitate Huo Yingjie's handwriting and write your sister-in-law a heartless letter, saying that he had found a like-minded partner at work. After reading the letter, your sister-in-law tore it up, gave up, and didn't reply. Then I had Old Wu imitate your sister-in-law's handwriting again and write a letter to that Huo Yingjie, saying that she was about to get married, cutting ties completely, and they would have nothing to do with each other anymore..."

"In that case, Jianguo, we don't need the house anymore, so your wife won't have to face her old flame and cause a scene," said Qi's mother. "Fangfang, of the 550,000, give us 400,000. Your brother and I will keep it, but don't tell your sister-in-law, understand?"

A house costs more than 400,000 yuan, so Qi Fangfang readily agreed: "Okay, I'll transfer the money to you as soon as it comes through. Big brother, you...you don't have any objections, right?"

Qi Jianguo pondered for a moment and said, "Sigh... No objection..." His mother was right; he shouldn't let his wife return to Nanshi, lest he be cuckolded at his age.

Long-buried memories resurfaced when Qi Jianguo's words came through the recording pen, bringing back memories for He Tiantian.

At that time, Qi Jianguo had saved her life, and she felt only gratitude towards him, never intending to marry him. But that day, she received a letter from Huo Yingjie, and was heartbroken. Huo Yingjie was her first love, and they had promised to be together.

Huo Yingjie's betrayal and the death of her parents dealt a heavy blow to He Tiantian, causing her to fall ill. Throughout this ordeal, Qi's mother and Qi Fangfang took great care of her, and Qi Jianguo was especially concerned about her well-being, seeking medical treatment for her. After recovering, she accepted Qi Jianguo.

He Tiantian naively believed that even without romantic love, familial affection was still precious. Lonely and desperately needing the warmth of family to give her the courage to live on.

But she never expected that she would only learn the truth when she turned fifty: the first half of her life had been a life woven from lies.