"Knock knock knock..."

As the two were talking, Shu Ying knocked on the door from the outside. Huang Meiling tilted her body slightly and said, "Yingying, come in quickly."

Shu Ying pushed open the door from the outside, followed by Xie Zhiyan carrying a basin of water for washing feet. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, letting Xie Zhiyan put the basin of water on the ground.

"Mom, I thought you must be tired after such a long drive. I just boiled some water for a foot bath, so I brought it over for you. Soak your feet first. I added some herbs to it to help relieve fatigue."

Xie Zhiyan stood obediently to the side, clearly having become a tool in this family. He didn't need to say anything; he just did whatever his wife asked him to do.

Huang Meiling beamed with joy, having raised an obedient son; all she needed was a daughter-in-law.

"You're such a thoughtful child, always considering everything so thoroughly. Daughters are truly their mothers' little darlings."

Xie Zhiyan…

Why does this sound a bit sarcastic?

He glanced at Shu Ying beside him with a wronged expression, and the other gave him a reassuring look.

The foot bath water was spring water that Shu Ying had changed in advance. She also brought over two boxes of moisturizing cream. "By the way, Mom, the environment where you and Dad work is relatively dry. This moisturizing cream is something I developed myself. It contains Chinese herbal ingredients, so it's relatively gentle. You and Dad can use it if you have any skin discomfort."

Shuying's moisturizing cream was certified by Song Zhaodi, who nodded repeatedly and stretched out her hands to show Huang Meiling.

"These little gadgets that Yingying researched are really useful. I used to have chilblains on my hands, and they would crack even in the summer. But now, after using the moisturizing cream that Yingying gave me, they are much better. My hands used to be much rougher than this. Look how smooth they are now."

She looked at her hands with satisfaction. During this time, she hadn't had to endure wind and rain or do any hard or tiring work, and she felt like a completely different person.

The happier Song Zhaodi was, the more heartbroken Huang Meiling felt.

Those hardships should never have been hers to begin with.

"Your father and I have wronged you in the past. We had heard that conditions in the countryside were tough, but we had never experienced it firsthand, so we could never imagine it. My dear child, how can I make it up to you?"

As the somber atmosphere returned, Song Zhaodi smiled and said, "Everyone in the countryside lives like this. Even if I was able to grow up with my parents, it's only because I was lucky enough to be born into a good family. It's just that the situation of women in the countryside is indeed more difficult, but no one can't make it."

If it weren't for Zhou Dawei's constant beatings, she might have been working in the fields all day long, just like the aunties in the countryside.

"Yingying has almost completely healed these wounds for me, both physical and emotional, and they will eventually fade away."

Huang Meiling couldn't resist in the end and hugged her tightly, gently stroking her back.

Song Zhaodi's back stiffened a little, but after realizing what was happening, she hugged her back.

This was the mother-daughter bond she had always longed for, and the care she had never received from He Caixia.

She originally thought that she was destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone for Yaozu from birth, but now she realizes that she can choose her own life and live the life she wants.

Shu Ying glanced at Xie Zhiyan, and the two of them, as if by unspoken agreement, left. Xie Zhiyan carefully closed the door.