"Father, please don't be sad anymore. Now that we know that my eldest sister isn't what the rumors said, isn't that a good thing?"

Shen Danru advised.

Shen Cheng looked bitter: "It's all my fault. Yu Lan is like this now, it's all my responsibility. I will never do it again. I will definitely protect you."

Shen Danru sighed inwardly. Having been submissive since childhood, she didn't expect her father to be particularly strong, but she just hoped he wouldn't be confused at crucial moments.

Shen Yulan refused to come back with them no matter what, and even drove them all out like a madwoman. Helpless, they had no choice but to go home first and then make plans.

Before leaving the Tai family, Shen Danru had a chat with Tai Kangping.

That's when I learned the general outline of the situation.

His bad reputation stemmed from his deceased wife.

The young couple had a deep and loving relationship. His wife became pregnant shortly after marrying him, but tragically, she died in childbirth ten months later.

Tai Kangping was so heartbroken that he became depressed and never remarried.

Six years later, Tai's parents forced him to remarry, since he was the only son in the Tai family. Tai's mother even threatened to go on a hunger strike.

Tai Kangping eventually compromised.

But they knew that there were always rumors about him in the village, which came from his deceased wife's family.

Tai Kangping's maternal family and his own family lived in the same village. After his wife passed away, the two families became enemies.

The deceased wife's family blamed Tai Kangping entirely for their daughter's death during childbirth, spreading rumors in the village that their daughter had been beaten to death by Tai Kangping.

At first, the villagers were skeptical, but as the story spread, it became believed to be true.

Tai's mother found a matchmaker, but the matchmaker waved her hand and said that no one in your family dared to marry into your family. Marrying into your family would be like sending someone else's daughter into a fire pit.

Only then did Tai's mother realize that by not standing up to refute her in order to appease her in-laws, they had indirectly harmed their son.

Tai's mother was willing to spend more money, but the matchmakers she found were either blind, lame, or mentally unstable.

Later, the matchmaker said that a girl was willing to marry into the Tai family, but it would cost thirty taels of silver.

Upon hearing that she was a good girl, Tai's mother immediately agreed without hesitation.

They even gave the matchmaker double the fee.

The matchmaker happily agreed and brought the two families together.

After seeing those abnormal women before, and considering that Shen Yulan was beautiful and a smart girl, Tai's mother treated her like a treasure, as long as she could live a good life with Kangping.

But things didn't turn out that way. After Shen Yulan entered the house, she cried every day, which led to the rumors that Tai Kangping was beating his wife.

Tai Kangping initially thought he would just live like a walking corpse, since it didn't matter who he was with anyway. To make his parents happy, he obediently married Shen Yulan. As time went by, he realized that one day, his heart was filled with her.

However, Shen Yulan has never let him touch her since they got married, and she deliberately dresses up in a seductive way so that he can see her but not have her.

This is also a form of punishment for him.

Tai Kangping mentioned visiting his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Shen Yuqing even threatened the Tai family, forbidding them from seeing anyone from Shangqing Village, let alone the Shen family, or she would hang herself.

The Tai family had no choice but to hide from the Shen family.

Later, when he learned that Shen Yulan had a sweetheart before her marriage, he suggested letting her leave. Shen Yulan refused outright, saying that she just wanted to torment the Tai family. Wasn't the purpose of marrying her to carry on the family line? She wanted to make the Tai family line die out.

Now that everything is clear, Shen Yulan will only be willing to go home after she has thought things through herself.

Nearly two years into their marriage, Tai Kangping has not only never touched Shen Yulan, but she also does nothing for him in the Tai family. Now he is even willing to release Shen Yulan and divorce her, which shows the character of the Tai family.

Although she was sold to the Tai family by the Shen family, Tai Kangping might not be an unsuitable match.

Tai Kangping was older; Shen Yulan was only fifteen when they got married, while Tai Kangping was twenty-five. But at that age, he was more mature and stable, and he was more loving towards his wife.

In this era, people obeyed the orders of their parents and the words of matchmakers, and marriages were mostly arranged by strangers. It was fortunate for Shen Yulan to meet a family like the Tai family.

Shen Yulan was simply unwilling to accept it.

"Father, do you know who my eldest sister liked before she got married?"

Shen Cheng shook his head; he had failed as a father.

"Alright, Dad, stop thinking about it. I believe that one day my eldest sister will come home."

Shen Danru thought that she could go back and ask Yu Yan and Xiao Hua if they had any clues to find her eldest sister's sweetheart. If he was not yet married, she wondered if he would still accept her eldest sister.

As the carriage passed through the town, Qingtan suddenly stopped and excitedly called out, "Miss, there are aunties selling chicks and ducklings. Can we buy some?"

Shen Danru lifted the curtain and saw several large baskets in front of a middle-aged couple, with each little furry creature looking quite adorable.

Shen Danru's eyes lit up, and her heart softened instantly. What girl could resist these furry creatures?

Qingtan had mentioned to her many times that they could raise some small animals after building a new house, and that buying them now would be perfect for keeping them at home when they moved into the new house.

The middle-aged couple immediately noticed Shen Danru looking at the chicks, and the man shouted:

"Young lady, would you like to buy chicks? Five coins each, chicks are on sale cheap. Ducklings are eight coins each. You can get off the cart and take a look."

Upon seeing Chen Dan alight from the car, he enthusiastically introduced his chicks and ducklings: "Our chicks and ducklings are all top-notch, guaranteed to be easy to raise."

Seeing Qingtan pick up a lively little chick and play with it in her hand, the uncle introduced it even more enthusiastically:

"These are all hens that can lay eggs. If they turn out to be roosters when they grow up, you can get a refund."

"Don't worry, girl, buy it and raise it. I sell here all year round, and I live nearby. Anyone can find out where I live. I promise I won't lie to you."

Seeing the sincerity in the uncle's words, Shen Danru knew that he was not lying.

Seeing that the chicks and ducklings in the two baskets next to him looked listless and didn't seem to have long to live, he asked, "Uncle, how much are those two baskets?"

The uncle looked in the direction Shen Danru was pointing at the two baskets and said:

“Kid, I can’t sell you those two baskets. I picked out the ones that were defective. If you take them home, they might die within a day. In business, honesty is the most important thing. I can’t cheat you.”

Seeing the uncle say that, Shen Danru glanced at him again; he was truly an honest man.

"Uncle, I'll take all these dying ducklings and chicks. I won't ask for a refund whether they're male or female. If they die, it's on me. You can calculate how much it costs."

Upon hearing this, the older man advised, "Girl, are you really planning to keep it? Wouldn't it be a waste of effort to raise it? Think it over carefully."