Chapter 180 Insignificant

"I won't do it!"

She shook her head decisively, her tone firm, "I have the best husband in the world now. I can be with you every day, eat your cooking, listen to your jokes, and sleep next to you. What could I possibly be unhappy about? I don't want anything else. As long as you're here, that's enough."

"But my mother treats you..."

Fu Lian hesitated before speaking, his brows furrowing slightly. Before he could finish, Qiao Wanyin interrupted him.

"It's alright!"

She waved her hand with a smile, her movements crisp and decisive, like brushing away a speck of dust. "Your mother doesn't like me, isn't it because you're too successful? She must feel that the golden phoenix she raised with all her hard work has been snatched away by this little sparrow from the countryside. She can't help but feel unhappy about it."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Fu Li'an's face immediately darkened, and his voice suddenly rose an octave, carrying an undeniable seriousness, "What little sparrow! You're not allowed to talk about yourself like that!"

He looked at her intently, his eyes filled with heartache and reproach: "You are clearly smart and beautiful, hardworking, kind, and devoted to me. If we're talking about sparrows, I'm just a clumsy bird, not even good enough for you."

"Hahaha!"

Qiao Wanyin laughed crisply, her laughter like the morning bells ringing in every corner of the kitchen.

She reached out and poked his cheek, her eyes gleaming mischievously: "Then we're a pair of 'clumsy bird couple'! The clumsy bird flies first, let's work together and make our lives lively and exciting, who can say no then?"

Seeing that his wife's mood was not affected at all, Fu Li'an felt much more at ease.

He knew that her carefree demeanor was all an act.

She smiled at him on purpose, and downplayed those cold words, because she was afraid he would feel bad and be caught in the middle.

Therefore, he must treat her even better and not be lenient in the slightest.

He secretly made up his mind that no matter what his mother said or did in the future, he would never let Qiao Wanyin bear everything alone again.

It's unclear what Fang Wanyu and Song Yazhi talked about or how long they talked.

When she returned, her face was noticeably more relaxed, her brows were no longer furrowed, her expression was no longer as cold and rigid as before, and even the anger in her eyes had faded considerably.

After dinner, instead of staying to nitpick as usual, her mother-in-law, Song Yazhi, got up early, said "I'm sleepy," and went back to her room to sleep.

Qiao Wanyin was puzzled as to why she didn't continue to nitpick, and thought to herself: This commotion came so fiercely and left so quickly, could it be that she was persuaded by someone?

Or did I finally realize that I'm not so bad after all?

However, since no one caused trouble, she was happy to have an easy time.

She's not stupid; why would she invite trouble upon herself?

So she giggled and crawled into bed, hugging her husband's leg like a child, pressing her face against the warm hem of his clothes, muttering "sleepy," and soon fell fast asleep.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Fu Lian quietly got out of bed.

He put on his military uniform, straightened his collar, glanced at his wife who was still fast asleep, a gentle smile appearing on his lips, and then rushed off to work at the regimental headquarters.

In the kitchen, Qiao Wanyin was busy making breakfast.

Millet porridge was simmering in the pot, steamed egg custard was steaming on the stove, and chopped scallions on the cutting board were emitting a fresh aroma.

She hummed a little tune as she skillfully stirred the pot with the spatula.

Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw her mother-in-law, Song Yazhi, standing at the kitchen door with a long face, furrowed brows, and eyes as cold as a frost-covered winter day.

"Mom, you're awake?"

Qiao Wanyin acted as if nothing had happened, still smiling brightly and speaking gently, "The porridge is keeping warm in the pot, it'll be ready soon. The steamed egg custard will be ready almost too, would you like to sit down and rest for a while?"

Song Yazhi gave her a cold glance, her tone sarcastic: "Stop pretending. My son isn't home. Who are you putting on an act for? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

Qiao Wanyin paused, the spoon hovering in mid-air, but she quickly composed herself, raised her head, looked directly into her mother-in-law's eyes, and said in a steady voice, "Mom, do you mean we don't need to act anymore?"

Song Yazhi glared at her, her eyes full of disdain and contempt, as if looking at an overconfident outsider. "A country girl who doesn't even know the manners of the city. I don't know what kind of seductive tricks she used to seduce my son, and now she wants to act cute and coax me? No way! Don't daydream!"

Qiao Wanyin wasn't annoyed at all; in fact, a slight smile appeared on her lips. She casually untied the light blue floral apron tied around her waist, her movements unhurried, as if she hadn't noticed the barb in her words at all. "Oh dear, you should have said so earlier! If I had known you thought this way, I should have slept in a little longer last night. Why did I have to get up at the crack of dawn to do all this? You've wasted all my effort."

Song Yazhi: "..."

She opened her mouth, but no words came out; she seemed to be choked.

She was stunned.

What's going on?

Is this woman missing a screw in her head?

Why does it act completely against common sense?

Logically, upon hearing such words, shouldn't one turn pale with fright, quickly apologize, and continue cooking with their head down?

Actually, she had felt something was wrong ever since her son brought her home yesterday.

This Qiao Wanyin spoke calmly and composedly, and her demeanor was not timid at all, completely unlike the submissive and obsequious country girls she had met before.

She had said all that, with obvious disdain and a desire to get rid of her, yet she didn't react at all; instead, she was even able to laugh.

Qiao Wanyin hummed a little tune, a tea-picking folk song from the countryside, the melody light and melodious. As she hummed, she draped her faded apron over the back of a wooden chair by the kitchen door with a light touch, as if she were throwing away something insignificant.

Then, she turned and walked into the house, her steps light and quick, her shoes making a soft "tap-tap" sound on the floor.

Song Yazhi's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets, and she nearly thought she was seeing things.

"Where are you going? The food is half-cooked, and the pot is still hot! Aren't you going to make breakfast?"

Her voice suddenly rose, filled with anger and disbelief, as if she had been slapped in the face.

Qiao Wanyin walked to the living room door, then suddenly turned around, blinking her big, watery eyes, which were as clear as mountain streams. Her tone was innocent yet playful: "Mom, didn't you just say 'no need to pretend'? I thought you wanted to cook for yourself. Since you're so understanding, I won't bother."

Song Yazhi felt a lump in her throat, her face turning blue from holding it in. She couldn't breathe, and it felt like there was a wad of cotton stuck in her throat.

She originally thought that Qiao Wanyin would immediately smile apologetically and continue cooking in a humble manner, apologizing while tending the fire, hoping to soften her heart and thus take control of the situation.

To my surprise, this girl not only didn't back down, but instead went along with her words and climbed up the ladder, doing so with a sense of righteous indignation!

"You—" Song Yazhi's fingers trembled with anger as she pointed at Qiao Wanyin's back, her fingertips shaking, "You ill-mannered, uncultured brat! Who gave you the audacity to be so presumptuous!"