Perhaps it was because of the damage to her body, or perhaps the child didn't want to come into their family, but she never got pregnant again after that.

Seeing that she couldn't have a child and just kept doing chores in silence all day, Junzi and her mother-in-law looked down on her even more and would beat and scold her at the drop of a hat.

After beating and scolding her, seeing that her family had no reaction, they became even more ruthless. Junzi's gambling addiction worsened, and he would be beaten every time he lost money. Except for his arms and legs, there wasn't a single patch of good skin on her body.

To outsiders, they were still a loving couple. Junzi was very attentive to her, and when he won money, he would buy her new clothes and take her out for delicious food.

Every time she went back to her parents' home, her former girlfriends would envy her for finding such a good family. Junzi was very sweet-talking and generous at her house. Even if she pointed out some of Junzi's shortcomings, Grandma Shen would only complain that she had a bad temper. Every time she saw her, she would say the same things: take good care of Junzi, don't talk back, and give him a child as soon as possible.

Sometimes she felt that Junzi was really extreme. Sometimes he was so nice to her that he would want to pluck the stars and the moon for her and obey her every word. All of this was on the premise that he was in a good mood.

When he was in a bad mood, he would throw anything he could get his hands on at her—sometimes a broom, sometimes a stool, sometimes a burning cigarette butt. He would grab whatever was at hand, and the more she cried and screamed, the harder he would hit her.

Over time, she became like a wooden doll, never fighting back or arguing back. She just took it one day at a time, hoping that one day she would finally be able to endure it all.

……………………………………………………

Over here, Er Ya's family and Li Taohua's family had been busy for half a day before finally tidying up the yard. Er Ya, who was exhausted, slumped on a stool and had just taken a sip of water when she saw Li Taohua and Meizi packing their things and getting ready to go home.

"Wait a minute, Auntie, please sit here for a while. I'll go back to my room to get something."

She ran into the house, took out her piggy bank, counted out five yuan, and then ran back: "Auntie, here, you can split these five yuan."

He then ran to the kitchen, grabbed two more pieces of meat, and gave them to Li Taohua.

"Er Ya, what are you doing? Who offers money and gifts in return for helping others? I can't accept this."

Meizi also waved her hand, unwilling to accept it: "Yes, Er Ya, we haven't done any work, how can we take so much stuff?"

"Auntie, we've been relying on you these past two days. Please take all of this. It's a whole pig, and we can't even finish the leftover meat. I appreciate your kindness."

Seeing that she couldn't postpone it any longer, Li Taohua finally accepted the gift.

The sound of a child crying came from inside the house. Er Ya quickly said to Li Taohua, "Auntie, I have to go see my little brother."

After leaving Er Ya's house, Li Taohua counted the money and handed it to Meizi: "I told you Er Ya's family are good people. You helped them, so they won't treat you badly. Look at this piece of meat, it must weigh two or three pounds."

"Yes, sister-in-law, my heart is still pounding! This is so generous!"

Li Taohua understood Er Ya a bit: "If she gives it to us, we'll take it. Otherwise, she'll definitely have to make up for it elsewhere."

Meizi nodded and said, "Okay, I'll keep it. Sister-in-law, next time there's something so good, you must call me. Don't forget me."

"OK".

……………………………………………………

"Little Bao, why are you crying after you woke up? Your sister is here to see you. Don't cry, come here and let your sister give you a hug."

"Hey, Er Ya, you're the best at this. He's been crying for a while now, and nothing I do can soothe him. But when you hug him, he stops crying."

After saying that, Jiang's mother tapped Xiao Bao's little face again: "You little ungrateful thing, your mother feeds you milk day and night, but it's not as good as your sister's."

Er Ya smiled smugly and said, "That's right, after all, there's no one else in the whole world as beautiful as you."

Jiang's mother said irritably, "You always like to praise yourself, aren't you ashamed?"

Er Ya said smugly, "Being excellent is something you have to say, otherwise how would you know I'm excellent?"

After seeing off the last group of guests, Lin Jianguo came over to see Xiaobao. Seeing him lying obediently in Er Ya's arms, he teased, "This kid is better behaved next to you. He keeps your mother up at night."

When Jiang's mother saw him coming, she asked, "Everyone's gone? Xiao Lu left too?"

Er Ya said, "He's a very busy man. He left a long time ago and even took Lin Xiao's new clothes. Right now, Lin Xiao and Gou Dan are complaining about him."

"By the way, Dad, Mom, Brother Lu told me something today, and I'm not sure what to do. I wanted to discuss it with you."

Lin Jianguo teased her, "Oh, is there anything our Er Ya can't decide?"

"Of course, after all, I'm still a kid. Brother Lu said he was going to go to school and asked if we wanted to move to town and stay at his restaurant so that we could manage it for him."

Lin Jianguo and Jiang's mother asked in unison, "Moving?"

Er Ya shrugged and said, "Yes, that's why I didn't know what to do and thought I'd ask you guys."

Jiang's mother was tempted. Moving to the town would indeed be much more convenient, and the major housing problem would be solved. She wouldn't have to deal with the group of people in the old house who were always trying to figure out how to squeeze a piece of flesh out of her. Just now, she coaxed Lin Jianguo to give them five yuan. It wasn't a lot, but it was too frequent. No one could stand it if it happened too often.

However, this matter still had to go through Lin Jianguo. Jiang's mother looked up at him and, sure enough, saw his disapproving expression.

“Moving? There’s no need for that. We have bicycles, and it’s easy to go to town. Your grandparents are here. They’re getting old, how can we, as their children, live too far away?”

“Dad, even if we move away, it doesn’t mean we won’t come back. You can still take care of them as usual. This is a rare opportunity, and we don’t have to rent a place. It will also make it easier for us to do business.”

Lin Jianguo shook his head and said, "No, we still have so many crops. What will we do with the crops if we leave? They're all money."

Lin Jianguo may seem honest, but he can be quite stubborn when he gets angry. Er Ya knew what he was thinking, no matter what she said, that he just couldn't bear to part with the fact that Old Lady Shen had been so good to him.

To be continued!