The Zhou Family Courtyard.

Jiang Pengyue humbled herself and carried several bowls of dishes to the table, looking virtuous. She smiled and said, "Mom and Dad, it's time to eat. I bought some new meat from the store this morning."

After saying that, fearing that the two would think she didn't know how to manage money, she added, "I don't eat often, I try to save money wherever I can, and only spend money when necessary..."

Old Zhou glanced at her and silently smoked his cigarette.

He looked down on Jiang Pengyue from the bottom of his heart, but unfortunately, she was pregnant with Xiang Qun's child. After being sent to the hospital for examination, the doctor repeatedly told her to take care of the pregnancy and not to be frightened or beaten.

Yangmei, on the other hand, paid no attention.

She also felt that her daughter-in-law was not very discreet in dating her son before marriage, but Xiang Qun was the only one in the Zhou family who could have children, so as long as she got pregnant, she would accept the marriage.

She firmly disagreed with her son's proposal to divorce and even planned to take Jiang Pengyue to Beijing to prepare for childbirth, and then discuss the matter after the baby was born.

No matter what, the Zhou family cannot discard them after they have served their purpose.

If this gets out, it will still be considered outrageous.

Zhou Xiangqun hasn't been home these past few days.

He eats and lives at his workplace every day, and you can hardly ever see him.

Even if they went to look for them, the response was always the same: "I won't see you."

Old Zhou couldn't stand it any longer and wanted to leave.

Yangmei was determined to stay, so it only took a few days.

“Pengyue, I don’t know what the rules are in Haicheng, but you’re pregnant, so you shouldn’t do these chores. Taking care of your pregnancy is the priority. I can cook for myself,” Yang Mei said with a smile.

Jiang Pengyue hurriedly put on a smiling face, but shook her head with a restrained expression.

She said softly, "Taking care of my parents-in-law is a daughter-in-law's duty no matter what. I'm just pregnant, it's nothing. I can do the laundry and cooking."

After she chose to be the "favorite of the family," the Jiang family always treated her kindly. However, Gu Meiyun also taught her that when a man marries, he should marry a virtuous wife. Especially in powerful families, filial piety is the most important rule. She must learn to do laundry and cook, and she must do it better than others.

She doesn't usually cook much, but she's skilled at stir-frying and stewing meat.

Among the dishes on the table, the boiled cabbage in clear broth looked quite ordinary, but it was actually made with chicken soup that had been simmered for two days and seasoned with a thick broth, resulting in an extraordinary taste.

There's also steamed pork with rice flour, and the preserved mustard greens inside are smoked with duck bones. The pork is also stewed in broth, and it melts in your mouth.

The meat inside the cabbage rolls wasn't ordinary meat either; it was pigeon meat that she had specially obtained from an acquaintance...

"Alright, let's eat. We'll go to the office later. We have to find Xiang Qun no matter what and discuss how to resolve this. Hiding like this isn't a good solution," Old Zhou said.

How could the Zhou family have produced such a rebellious son?

He just couldn't understand it.

Yang Mei smiled and picked up a delicate cabbage roll. After she put it in her mouth, she was surprised to find that the taste was unusual and the meat was not ordinary either. She couldn't help but eat another piece.

It's unbelievably delicious.

Even a state banquet couldn't be more impressive.

She ate several more dishes and, sure enough, discovered the secret behind them. She immediately realized Jiang Pengyue's intentions and thought about her colleagues in the capital, all of whom were arrogant and unwilling to cook.

Girls from Haicheng are just different.

Even their cooking is presentable.

She smiled and said, "Don't overwork yourself in the future. You'll have plenty of time after you have your baby. We've already received your kind intentions. Eating this kind of dish once a year is enough."

Old Zhou ate his meal in silence.

He took a bite of the cabbage and immediately felt uneasy.

This isn't eating; it's eating the blood and sweat of the working people.

While so many people are starving and freezing, she's living the life of a capitalist. No wonder the Jiang family eventually collapsed; she's terrible at raising children.

He quickly ate a few bites, then put down his chopsticks, no longer able to taste the food.

He got up and left quickly.

Jiang Pengyue breathed a sigh of relief only after the two of them finished eating and left the courtyard. She was filled with hatred for Lao Zhou, feeling that he was difficult to deal with, but there was nothing she could do about it.

We can only take it one step at a time.

Her only question was that on her wedding night with Zhou Xiangqun, after he beat her severely, she bled a lot and had terrible stomach pains, and she thought she had lost her baby.

But after a check-up at the hospital, the doctor said the child was perfectly fine.

She didn't know that the child was lucky, and just as Xu Manzhi had said, she was pregnant with twins, but Zhou Xiangqun aborted one of them...

Just as she was feeling uneasy, she saw an elderly couple walking towards her from outside the courtyard.

"Excuse me, does Comrade Jiang Pengyue live here?" Xu Guidao asked as soon as he saw Jiang Pengyue.

Jiang Pengyue looked wary.

Seeing that the elderly couple were dressed in coarse cloth and had wrinkled faces, clearly from the countryside, her attitude instantly turned cold. She raised her eyebrows and asked haughtily, "Excuse me, what business do you have with her?"

Xu Guidao had been scorned by the city dwellers along the way. When he saw Jiang Pengyue's ugly face, his fists hardened. He suppressed his anger and retorted, "If you are Jiang Pengyue, I will tell you. Otherwise, don't ask."

Jiang Pengyue suffered mistreatment at the Zhou family's home.

But she treated those of lower status differently. Instantly, she reverted to her aloof and unapproachable demeanor as a daughter of a powerful family in Haicheng, and sneered, "Heh, I've never seen anyone come to my door and start greeting me like that. Don't ask me anything if you have nothing to do, or I'll report you to the neighborhood committee for bullying an orphan."

Haha, she has no parents now, isn't she an orphan?

Ever since Gu Meiyun passed away on her wedding day and refused to go back with Xu Xiaofeng to pay her respects, she has severely offended the Gu family. In the past few days, not a single member of the Gu family has come to visit.

Now, she has even lost the support of the Gu family.

"Oh ho, what are you so arrogant about? Let me tell you, I'm her biological father. She's living the high life in Haicheng, and she didn't even tell her father about something as important as her wedding. I'm here to find her."

Xu Guidao rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

He didn't believe he couldn't handle Jiang Pengyue, even if he couldn't defeat Xu Manzhi.

Jiang Pengyue had no intention of revealing their identities to the two of them in the first place, and upon hearing this, she was even less likely to utter a word. She coldly and firmly said, "Give up on that idea. She won't see you."

What right do you have to see me?

As soon as the truth about the real and fake heiresses came out, Jiang Mingda sent someone to Xinghua Village to buy out the relationship. Xu Guidao was clearly no good.

She hadn't even gained a foothold in the Zhou family yet. If the heartless Zhou family found out that her biological parents were two peasants, it would be forcing her to her death.

No matter what, no one wants to live.

It's better to choose to let them die.

"You, you, you—" Xu Guidao stepped forward to make a move, but was stopped by his mother.

"Alright, you haven't raised a daughter for a single day. Let's go back to the village and stop causing trouble."

Xu's mother, Qi Jin, wanted to leave, but Xu Guidao blocked her way with great force.

He angrily said, "I'm going to sue Jiang Pengyue for not supporting her parents. She's so heartless, I'll make sure she doesn't have a good life. Just tell her that."