Zhao Chunmiao was still muttering, "All little kids look pretty much the same, but you're different. Everyone who sees you praises you. But you haven't been seen with your bottom exposed since you were seven or eight years old. I really didn't know..."

After a moment's thought, Qin Hanshu roughly guessed what "Niu Niu" meant.

She blushed slightly and looked away from Zhou Weiguang's baby photo, but after a while, she couldn't help but look back at it.

Well, I was mainly intrigued by Zhao Chunmiao's words. It's just a baby, isn't it all the same?

The photo shows Zhou Weiguang, who is at most one year old, with not all his teeth yet, sitting with his legs spread apart on Zhao Chunmiao's lap.

Perhaps because the photo was not clear and there was no reference, Qin Hanshu looked at it from left to right but couldn't see anything special.

Suddenly, Qin Hanshu felt Zhao Chunmiao's gaze shift to her.

Zhao Chunmiao then realized that Qin Hanshu was still nearby, and she didn't know if Qin Hanshu had heard what she said.

Although women in rural areas discuss far more open topics than this, and Zhou Weiguang in the photo is just a little boy, Qin Hanshu is, after all, an unmarried woman, and it's inappropriate for her, as his godmother, to say such things.

Zhao Chunmiao observed Qin Hanshu cautiously and nervously.

Qin Hanshu was good at pretending, and looked back blankly, "What's wrong, godmother?"

Zhao Chunmiao was relieved and smiled, "I wanted to invite you to stay for dinner. What would you like to eat? Your godmother will make it for you."

Qin Hanshu ordered a dish without hesitation.

Zhao Chunmiao agreed, put down the photo, and headed towards the kitchen.

Qin Hanshu followed, but when she reached the door, she glanced back at the innocent-looking Zhou Weiguang in the photo and fled guiltily.

After having lunch at the Zhou family's house, on the way back to the educated youth settlement, Qin Hanshu ran into Zhao Ru.

Now that it's hot and people are wearing less clothing, it's easy to see that Zhao Ru's belly is bulging.

Before visiting his relatives, Qin Hanshu had heard that Zhao Ru was pregnant. Niu Quangen even stopped smoking welding fumes because of this, which caused quite a stir in Haowan Village.

After all, he had six sons before, and none of them ever quit smoking.

Unlike before, when Zhao Ru would avoid Qin Hanshu whenever she saw her, she stopped and started chatting with her.

"You're back from visiting your family?"

Qin Hanshu nodded.

Zhao Ru asked, "How is the capital?"

Qin Hanshu didn't understand what she meant.

A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Ru's lips. "The capital city, is it still the same as before? Is that good?"

Qin Hanshu said, "There's no difference, they're all the same."

Zhao Ru's eyes filled with longing, "I really want to go back and see it, but unfortunately I can never go back..."

Apart from her protruding belly, Zhao Ru didn't look pregnant at all. Her complexion was sallow, she was so thin she looked unrecognizable, her eyes were big and bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and her chin was as sharp as a cone.

Everyone in the village praised Zhao Ru for being lucky, saying that Niu Quangen treated her much better than his previous wife, though she herself certainly didn't think so.

Zhao Ru's gaze was still filled with resentment and anger.

"I truly regret it. I regret being bewitched by Hu Wenwen and choosing to marry Niu Quangen to escape temporary suffering, which has ruined my entire life..."

She thought Niu Quangen was an honest man, and that she would find a way to get away even if they got married. Who would have thought that honesty was just on the surface?

Like Xianglin's wife, Zhao Ru recounted her tragic emotional journey.

Qin Hanshu didn't leave immediately. After listening to Zhao Ru's rambling for a while, she asked, "How is Hu Wenwen now?"

Zhao Ru paused for a moment, then gave a genuine smile.

"She's pregnant too, a bit further along than me. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I imagine she's having a tough time. How can Chen Tieshu compare to Niu Quangen?"

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Zhao Ru leaned closer and whispered:

“Around the New Year, I heard Chen Tieshu complaining to Niu Quangen that he kept losing money gambling and that there was another mouth to feed in the family. He really couldn’t afford to support them anymore and wanted Hu Wenwen to sell herself.”

“Their village is poor, and there are many bachelors who can’t find wives. As soon as the business opens, it’s sure to be good.”

Qin Hanshu was astonished. Even with her two lifetimes of experience, she had never heard of such a thing.

Zhao Ru noticed Qin Hanshu's thoughts and pouted, "When I first heard it, my expression was similar to yours. Later, I heard Niu Quangen say that such things are not uncommon in those poor villages. People will do anything to eat and survive."

If Chen Tieshu were only concerned with making a living, he wouldn't have ended up like this, but what can he do when he's addicted to gambling?

There's no limit to what a gambler can do; there's nothing they won't do.

"However, Niu Quangen managed to dissuade Chen Tieshu, and with Hu Wenwen also getting pregnant, the matter didn't work out." Zhao Ru's tone was quite regretful.

She gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "Once the child is born, there will be another mouth to feed. Chen Tieshu will definitely not let her off the hook then."

Zhao Ru was unwilling to accept this; she needed someone to hate, but who could she hate?

Does she hate Qin Hanshu? Or does she hate Niu Quangen, who imprisoned her? She hates both of them, but she can't bring herself to hate either of them.

The reason is simple: hatred is useless.

Whether it was Qin Hanshu or Niu Quangen, she couldn't achieve anything by hating them; in the end, she could only intensify her resentment.

Naturally, she directed all her hatred towards Hu Wenwen.

Hu Wenwen is not as good as her now.

Chen Tieshu was especially grateful to her for giving him a wife; with just a few words of provocation, she could make Hu Wenwen wish she were dead.

Seeing that Hu Wenwen was not doing well made her feel much better.

Hu Wenwen is now Zhao Ru's only hope for survival!

When Qin Hanshu heard Zhao Ru mention Hu Wenwen, her lifeless eyes suddenly lit up with excitement, like a hyena that had been starving for a long time catching its prey. She knew that Hu Wenwen's life would be even more miserable than she had originally imagined.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!