"It's not painful. If you were going to feel pain, you would have felt it long ago." Zhao Zhenzhu quickened her pace, changed Zhou Bingchen's dressing, and stood up, preparing to go out and attend to her own business.

"Pearl, wait a minute." Zhou Bingchen stopped Zhao Zhenzhu.

In Zhou Bingchen's bag, besides medicine and a few changes of clothes, there was also a savings book with 800 yuan and 100 yuan.

Zhou Bingchen took out the passbook and money and handed it to Zhao Zhenzhu.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Zhenzhu glared at Zhou Bingchen but didn't answer.

“Pearl, this is all the money I’ve saved over the years, it’s all for you,” Zhou Bingchen said.

“What would you do with my money? You should give it to your mother. It wasn’t easy for your mother to raise you, while my children and I survive on air and dew,” Zhao Zhenzhu said sarcastically.

“Pearl, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have always told you to give in to my mother. My mother’s hardships are not your fault. It’s my responsibility to be filial to her, not yours. These past few days, I’ve been lying in the hospital thinking a lot, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how wrong I was.” Zhou Bingchen decided to have an open and honest talk with Zhao Zhenzhu.

"Heh~!" Zhao Zhenzhu sneered, crossing her arms without saying a word.

Since Zhou Bingchen wanted to talk, she decided to listen.

Let's see what Zhou Bingchen can say with his silver tongue.

“Also, I shouldn’t have secretly saved the money without telling you because I was afraid my mom would make a fuss. Over the years, you’ve worked so hard taking care of the kids and earning money at home. Half of my achievements are thanks to you,” Zhou Bingchen said with a forced smile.

"I wouldn't dare. I'm just a rural woman who only knows how to make a living by farming and occasionally makes a few clothes to earn a meager living. Your medals are earned through your own hard work." Zhao Zhenzhu remained unmoved.

"Pearl, this is what you deserve. Even if you want a divorce, this money is still yours." Zhou Bingchen was at a loss for words, so he could only stuff the money and bankbook in his hand into Zhao Zhenzhu's hand and hurriedly leave.

Zhou Bingchen was filled with regret.

There was something Zhou Bingchen didn't dare to say aloud.

Zhou Bingchen hadn't given Zhao Zhenzhu any money before, not just because he didn't earn much, but because he was worried that Zhao Zhenzhu wouldn't be able to manage the money well.

The Zhao family was much better off than the Zhou family. Zhao Zhenzhu was also quite generous with her money. When Zhou Bingchen brought home candy, Zhao Zhenzhu would always give the children from the first and second wives a handful at a time, without batting an eye. She didn't just give them one or two pieces at a time.

Sometimes, Zhou Bingchen felt sorry for her, but he didn't dare to say anything, afraid of being ridiculed by Zhao Zhenzhu.

Zhou Bingchen was used to being poor.

Before he turned fourteen, Zhou Bingchen had never worn new clothes. His clothes were all hand-me-downs from his older brothers, or even Zhou Fugui.

After turning fourteen, Zhou Bingchen grew very tall, reaching over 1.8 meters in a year and a half.

Zhou Fugui, Zhou Bingxing, and Zhou Bingqiang are all only about 1.6 meters tall. Their old clothes are much too short for Zhou Bingchen.

That year during the Spring Festival, Ding Ermei was afraid of being laughed at, so she made new clothes for Zhou Bingchen. Of course, given Ding Ermei's stingy nature, after making the new clothes, she would nag him endlessly, telling him to be careful when wearing them, to make sure they weren't torn, and that they would be altered for his two older brothers when they got old.

Before Zhou Bingchen married Zhao Zhenzhu, Ding Ermei went to town to inquire about Zhao Zhenzhu.

After returning home, Ding Ermei started nagging Zhou Bingchen again, saying that some people in town said that the Zhao family was well-off, that Zhao Zhenzhu never wore patched clothes, that she made two or three new outfits every year, and that she spent money lavishly.

Ding Ermei didn't want Zhou Bingchen to marry Zhao Zhenzhu, and she often brought up Zhao Zhenzhu's "extravagant spending of money." She said things like, "You won't go poor from eating or drinking, but you will if you don't plan ahead." She also said that Zhou Bingchen would marry a "spendthrift wife," and their future life would definitely be miserable.

Zhou Bingchen likes Zhao Zhenzhu very much, and he will not give up on this marriage.

After getting married, Zhou Bingchen thought that his monthly allowance wasn't much, and if Zhao Zhenzhu spent it freely, it definitely wouldn't be enough.

It's better to secretly save the rest of the money, except for the twenty yuan sent home. Money is something that you can save up and then keep saving, but you can also spend it and then it's all gone.

When Zhao Zhenzhu complained to Zhou Bingchen that Ding Ermei had taken the allowance Zhou Bingchen had sent back, Zhou Bingchen thought that if the money was kept with Ding Ermei, Zhao Zhenzhu could ask Ding Ermei for it when she needed it, and perhaps Zhao Zhenzhu would be more frugal. So he advised Zhao Zhenzhu not to take Ding Ermei seriously.

However, Zhou Bingchen also told Zhao Zhenzhu that she should let him know when she needed money, and he would find a way to help her, even if he had to borrow from his comrades, he would still send it back.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhenzhu was quite stubborn.

If Zhou Bingchen doesn't offer it to her, Zhao Zhenzhu won't ask for it.

Zhao Zhenzhu was unaware of Zhou Bingchen's ulterior motives; otherwise, she would have definitely given him a hard time.

If you're worried about her spending money, then don't marry her!

He married her, then hid things from her, telling her "Don't try to guess my thoughts." She's not a mind reader; she can't read his mind and tell him how they're going to live frugally from now on.

Zhao Zhenzhu spends money lavishly because she earns it herself. She spends her own money, not Ding Ermei's or the others'.

Zhou Bingchen made it clear that Zhao Zhenzhu wasn't incapable of being stingy.

It's just about not letting Zhou Bingchen's brothers and parents take advantage of her! Zhao Zhenzhu will make sure she does something flawlessly.

Of course, at this time, Zhao Zhenzhu was completely unaware of Zhou Bingchen's ulterior motives.

Hearing Zhou Bingchen's affirmation, Zhao Zhenzhu's nose tingled, and tears involuntarily fell.

Hard work? Over the years, she has been a single woman raising two children, working in the fields to earn work points and making money. Of course, it has been hard work.

However, Zhao Zhenzhu was not afraid of physical hardship and fatigue.

Zhao Zhenzhu feared heartache.

After a woman marries, she becomes an outsider in her own family and, in effect, also an outsider in her husband's family. Only if her husband is good and stands by her side can she have a foothold in her husband's family.

Zhou Bingchen is away from home most of the year, so Zhao Zhenzhu has to face everything on her own, which is already hard enough.

Unfortunately, Zhou Bingchen didn't give Zhao Zhenzhu any money.

In the eyes of Ding Ermei and her in-laws, this behavior was a sign that Zhou Bingchen didn't care about Zhao Zhenzhu.

Ding Ermei looked down on Zhao Zhenzhu, and by extension, Ding Xiaocui also looked down on Zhao Zhenzhu. Although Chen Jinfeng was slightly better than Ding Xiaocui, she would not side with Zhao Zhenzhu.

If it weren't for the support from Zhao Zhenzhu's family, her life in the Zhou family would have been even more difficult.

Zhou Bingchen didn't understand that his small action made it difficult for Zhao Zhenzhu to get along in her husband's family.

Zhao Zhenzhu refused Zhou Bingchen's money and put the passbook and money back into Zhou Bingchen's bag.

If it were Zhao Zhenzhu from her previous life, Zhou Bingchen's act of slipping her money would have been enough to move her.

Zhao Zhenzhu, however, is no longer moved.

She has plenty of her own money, and Zhao Zhenzhu no longer needs Zhou Bingchen's money.

Just as Zhao Zhenzhu had finished stuffing the money in, Zhou Bingchen returned.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Zhenzhu was startled when she saw Zhou Bingchen close the door.