After finishing their meal and washing the dishes, Yan Hecheng went to chat with his friend in the village. Yan Xia, feeling quite bored, also went to Zhao Xinrong's house, intending to talk to her about the latest gossip in the village.

Because it's so cold, the area under the Bagua tree at the village entrance, which used to be crowded with people in the evenings, is now deserted.

After all, no one would be foolish enough to go out and starve.

"Little Xia, why did you suddenly come back? Come in quickly, have you eaten? I'll go to the kitchen and make you something."

Yan Xia didn't return until almost noon.

After lunch, they went up the mountain and didn't wander around the village, so Zhao Xinrong didn't know that Yan Xia had returned.

Therefore, she was both surprised and delighted to see Yan Xia come to her door.

"I've already eaten, no need to be polite. I just came out for a stroll and to chat with you, Sister Zhao. Are you not busy?"

Yan Xia quickly pulled Zhao Xinrong back.

I was afraid she would run off to the kitchen.

"Alright, since you've already eaten, I won't cook for you anymore, so you don't feel nauseous from being too full late at night. Come, sit in my room, it's very cold outside. Honey, Xia'er has gone back to the village. Xiaoxiu, Xiaoxiu, go to the kitchen and boil some water, make a cup of chrysanthemum tea for your Aunt Yan. Also, grab some pumpkin seeds and peanuts, so your Aunt Yan and I can chat and not just talk, it'll make us feel bored."

Qian Guangyi was squatting in the outhouse when he heard his wife calling him.

He immediately wiped his bottom clean, pulled up his pants, and came out.

"Little Xia, have you eaten yet? I'll have Xiao Xiu cook you a couple of dishes, just something to eat." No wonder they're a couple.

They all speak the same way.

"I've already eaten, Brother Qian. I got back at noon. I just finished dinner tonight, but I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come over to chat with Sister Zhao and catch up. I hope I didn't bother you?"

Yan Xia quickly waved her hand.

Whenever I visited the Qian family, the couple was always so polite.

"You've already eaten? Okay, go inside and sit down. I'll light a small stove for you and bring it in later so you won't get too cold."

After all, it's in the Jiangnan region, and the air is damp and chilly.

Even indoors, it's not very warm.

Yan Xia did not refuse.

She nodded and went inside with Zhao Xinrong.

"Girl, take off your shoes and sit on the bed, it's warm there!"

Seeing Yan Xia sitting properly in the chair, Zhao Xinrong pulled her to the bedside.

Unable to resist her enthusiasm, Yan Xia had no choice but to go to bed with her.

Zhao Xinrong then placed two pillows under Yan Xia's back so she could lean against them, and then covered her with the folded quilt.

"Oh dear, Sister Zhao, what are you doing? I'm not in postpartum confinement. Come, come, let's lean on each other and cover ourselves together."

Yan Xia felt embarrassed by being served so attentively.

She pulled Zhao Xinrong down to lean against her.

“Our family is so well-off now, all thanks to you, Xia Xia. Without you, how could my family have such a good life? I know that perfectly well. Don’t be so polite with me. I treat you like my own sister, so don’t feel guilty. This is what I should do.”

Zhao Xinrong looked into Yan Xia's eyes and said earnestly.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Has anything major happened in the village lately? I haven't been back for a while, tell me about it."

Yan Xia's eyes sparkled.

She loves gossip.

I love gossiping.

"Yes! Of course! And there's more than one!"

Zhao Xinrong also liked to talk about these things. She swallowed her words of gratitude and slowly began to speak.

"You know Zhu Xiaohua's niece, right? Zhu Wenjuan! Her child is sickly. Didn't you tell me before that the day she gave birth prematurely, you happened to be back in the village when Liu Wangtao stopped your carriage and asked you to give him a ride? Poor Zhu Wenjuan, she finally gave birth to a son, but she can't even raise him properly. He gets sick all the time."

Wang Tao's family was poor; they couldn't afford to call doctors all the time. He was also heartless. A few days ago, when the snow first started falling, he secretly abandoned his child on the mountain. The snow had piled up so thick overnight; how could the child have survived? Zhu Wenjuan went mad! She took a kitchen knife and caused a scene at the Liu family's house, even injuring Ma Efen!

I didn't dare go in to see. I heard from the villagers that half of her hand was gone, and half of Wang Tao's hand was cut off. She'll never have any children. After injuring him, Zhu Wenjuan ran away, and nobody knows where she went. I hope she and her child can live well. Ah, she's truly pitiful.

After Zhao Xinrong finished speaking, she sighed repeatedly.

She looked distressed.

"After the snow melted, didn't the village head organize people to go up and look for the child? Even if the child died, shouldn't the body be brought back? What kind of behavior is this? If you don't want to raise the child anymore, just don't treat the child next time it gets sick, or give it to a family that can't have children. Why throw it up on the mountain to freeze to death? Sigh, how cold must the child have been?"

Yan Xia shook her head.

"That's right! That's what I said too. If you can't afford to raise him, then don't treat him. Why let him freeze to death? Giving him away is better than throwing him away. That's why I say Wang Tao is a heartless guy! He can even do this to his own son. Bai Lizheng sent people to look for him, but they couldn't find anything. Even the blankets wrapped around the child were gone. I don't know if they were dragged away by wolves. Sigh, he was really born into the wrong family. Amitabha, may Buddha protect him. I hope this child will be born into a good family in his next life."

Zhao Xinrong clasped her hands together.

I bowed towards the window.

Yan Xia neither hated nor disliked Zhu Wenjuan; in fact, she treated her as a complete stranger.

She thought the girl was foolish, lacking her own critical thinking skills. Knowing her family was bad, she still harbored illusions about them. If she hadn't listened to Zhu Xiaohua, she probably would have married Chang Lu long ago.

How could things have turned out like this?

Ultimately, it was all their own choice, and Yan Xia couldn't control or interfere with it. She said a few words to Zhao Xinrong, then changed the subject to the next piece of gossip.

One hour later.

Having heard enough gossip, Yan Xia left the Qian family satisfied.

Once outside, the cold wind howled, and Yan Xia shrank her neck.

It's warmer inside.

When she got home, she found that her adoptive father was still awake, and the light from the candlelight shone through the window.

"Xia'er, you're back? Daddy made you a hot water bottle and put it in your bed. The hot water is warm on the stove. Go to sleep quickly after you've finished washing up before it gets cold."

Hearing the door open, Yan Hecheng put on his coat, opened the door, and poked his head out to speak to Yan Xia.

"Okay, I'm going back to sleep now. Dad, you should go to sleep early too."

Yan Xia, who had never been cared for by her parents before, experienced what it felt like to be remembered at this moment.

In modern times, she would be a struggling working-class woman.

Whenever she worked overtime until late at night and returned to her dilapidated rented room, she was always greeted by a dark and gloomy room.

The room was empty, and no one cared whether she was tired, hungry, or had eaten.

It was through the Yan family that she felt the warmth of kinship and the lively atmosphere, something she had never experienced before.