Xia Tao completely ignored the two men's polite words. He quickly turned his head, looked at his younger sister Xia Wan with gentle eyes, and said softly, "Xiao Wan, you just need to pack your own things. You don't need to worry about anything else. Leave everything to me and Brother Xiang Dong!"

Xia Wan was naturally very relaxed around her family. Hearing her brother say that, she nodded obediently, gave a crisp reply, and then walked briskly into her room.

However, Xia Wan was unaware that Li Zhenzhen hadn't gone to work like the others. Not only that, she had stayed hidden in the house the entire time, so careful not to make a sound.

After Li Zhenzhen learned that Xia Shitou had been taken away by the police, her heart was instantly filled with fear and regret.

In a panic, she hurriedly went to the village chief to get a letter of introduction to return to the city. At this moment, she trembled like a frightened bird, constantly blaming herself: how could she have so easily believed Xia Shitou's sweet words?

What's even more foolish is that she rushed into the wedding without informing her family.

It was all because the Xia family members scared her, saying that she had already slept with Xia Shitou and might be pregnant. They said that in order to avoid gossip in the village, they should get married as soon as possible.

As for the bride price, it can be paid later; the Xia family doesn't have the money right now.

Li Zhenzhen was scared at the time, so she agreed without fully understanding what was going on.

Fortunately, the situation is still relatively optimistic, since she only held a simple wedding ceremony and does not yet have a formal marriage certificate.

This gave her some comfort, and she secretly vowed that if she had the chance to start over, she would treat marriage with care and never repeat the same mistakes.

Li Zhenzhen was anxious to return to the city because she believed that her parents would definitely be able to help her get rid of the Xia family's entanglement.

Moreover, she had secretly made up her mind that once she got back, she would make her mother give up her job and never return to the Huaihua Brigade, which she hated and feared!

However, the biggest problem she faced at that moment was that she didn't have enough money to buy a train ticket back to the city.

After thinking it over, she realized that Xia Wan was the only one who could help her, so she decided to ask Xia Wan for some money to tide her over.

She kept listening to the sounds outside, but found that Xia Tao and another man were always outside, which made it impossible for her to find a chance to talk to Xia Wan alone.

As time ticked away, any further delay might mean missing out on today's train ticket. Left with no other choice, Li Zhenzhen gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and resolutely pushed open the door and went out.

Her cautious actions still caught Xia Tao's attention, but seeing her clutching the bundle tightly in her arms and looking timid, Xia Tao didn't pay much attention and quickly turned back to packing his own things.

Seeing that Xia Tao didn't press further, Li Zhenzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickened her pace toward Xia Wan's room.

Just then, Xia Tao suddenly noticed the direction she was walking in and immediately raised his voice to shout, "Hey! Where are you going? That's my sister's room! I'm warning you, if you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better stop right there and don't go in!"

This person can do whatever she wants in the Xia family; Xia Tao won't interfere. However, that room still belongs to his sister, who is currently tidying up inside, so no one is allowed to enter without permission.

"I...I have something to discuss with Xia Wan. I really didn't mean any harm." Li Zhenzhen was quite frightened and filled with remorse.

She never imagined that just one trip to the countryside would bring such a huge change to her life.

At this moment, the dark-skinned man standing in front of her not only spoke in a gruff voice but also had an extremely rude attitude, which made her feel even more fearful and helpless.

Xia Tao frowned, his face full of impatience as he threatened Li Zhenzhen, "What could you possibly want with my sister? We're moving out soon, so you'd better not cause trouble at this crucial moment, or don't blame me if you get beaten up!"

Actually, Xia Wan had heard the commotion outside long ago, but she really didn't know why Li Zhenzhen had come to find her at this time.

However, despite her doubts, she also felt a vague sense of curiosity. When she heard Li Zhenzhen's almost tearful voice, Xia Wan finally couldn't help but shout towards the door, "Brother, let her in."

Her hands continued moving methodically, showing no signs of being disturbed by external factors.

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from afar, and she knew that Li Zhenzhen had pushed open the door and come in.

Despite hearing Li Zhenzhen enter the room, she remained silent, not even raising her head, as if she were completely absorbed in the task at hand.

As soon as Li Zhenzhen stepped into the house, her eyes quickly scanned the scene inside. The room, which was not large to begin with, now seemed particularly crowded.

Apart from the brand-new cotton quilt, the rest of the space on the kang was almost entirely occupied by Xia Wan's things.

On the slightly worn wooden table were some bottles and jars. Most of these items were unfamiliar to Li Zhenzhen, but she was very familiar with the several boxes of face cream stacked together.

That's something she could only use when she was in the city, and she had to use it sparingly!

But right now, Li Zhenzhen has no interest in these things that she once treasured, because at this moment, all she can think about is how to escape this place as soon as possible.

When Li Zhenzhen heard Xia Wan invite her into the house, she was relieved and secretly glad that Xia Wan was kind-hearted and that she should be able to borrow the money.

To her utter surprise, Xia Wan remained completely silent throughout, treating her as if she were invisible.

Left with no other choice, Li Zhenzhen had to bite the bullet and break the awkward silence, stammering, "Xia...Xia Wan, you said you could lend me 50 yuan, do you still mean that?"

Only then did Xia Wan stop folding the clothes she was folding, slowly turn around, and look calmly at Li Zhenzhen.

She immediately noticed the bundle that Li Zhenzhen was tightly clutching in her arms, and couldn't help but feel puzzled. She frowned slightly and asked instead of answering, "Where are you planning to go with all these bags?"

Li Zhenzhen's eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her gaze, saying, "I... I need to go back to the city to visit my family. I've already asked the captain for leave."