Chen Shuning couldn't bear to see Chen Tiejun looking so pitiful, so she quickly spoke up to persuade Qin Yalan, "Mom, don't blame Dad, I'm much better now."

Actually, I threw up most of the food I ate earlier, and now I'm really hungry.

"Mom, is there still any of the millet porridge that Jian Dang bought this morning? I want to eat that."

"Yes, yes, it's been kept warm in the pot, just waiting for you to wake up and eat! Wait a moment, Mom will bring it to you right away."

Upon hearing her daughter say she wanted to eat, Qin Yalan temporarily put aside her reprimand of Chen Tiejun, but before leaving the room, she still glared fiercely at Chen Tiejun.

Upon hearing that his wife was hungry, He Chaoyang hurriedly asked, "Besides millet porridge, is there anything else you particularly want to eat? I'll go out and buy it for you."

"No need, look at the time, the shops outside have been closed for a long time, where are you going to buy it?"

And all I want to eat right now is millet porridge, which was specially bought for me by the Party this morning and has been kept warm in the pot.

"As for the rest, we'll talk about it later!" Chen Shuning replied with a smile.

Chen Shuning's words were cryptic, but He Chaoyang understood them perfectly.

That's true. My wife's room is filled with all kinds of delicious food. If I want to eat, I can just find an excuse to send my parents-in-law out later, and then let my wife sneak a bite in the room.

With that thought in mind, He Chaoyang stopped worrying and took the millet porridge that Qin Yalan brought over, carefully feeding it to Chen Shuning spoonful by spoonful.

He Chaoyang's actions made Chen Shuning blush with embarrassment. She thought to herself, "I'm not seriously ill, so why do I need someone to feed me?"

She wanted to take the bowl and eat it herself, but He Chaoyang insisted on not letting her. Under the watchful eyes of her parents and younger brother, she had no choice but to finish the meal.

After finally finishing a bowl of millet porridge, Chen Shuning actually felt a little full.

She asked He Chaoyang to go to the cellar and bring up some apples, while Qin Yalan brought out some peanuts and melon seeds. The family sat around the warm kang (heated brick bed), eating and chatting happily.

Just then, snowflakes began to fall outside the window, fluttering and swirling, as if veiling the world in a pure white veil.

The atmosphere inside was warm and peaceful, perfectly complementing the snowy scenery outside the window.

While the second bedroom presented a warm and cozy scene, the front yard presented a completely different picture.

Wang Qingmei glared angrily at Chen Shuting, who had already secured her spot on the kang (heated brick bed) and was ready to sleep. She muttered under her breath, "We've already finished eating, and you're still shamelessly staying here and refusing to go home. There's only so much space in the house; where's the extra room for you two to sleep?"

Chen Shuting sighed helplessly and explained to Wang Qingmei, "Mom, Li Li went back to his mother's place and won't be back for the next few days."

If I go back, I'll have to cook for myself. As you know, coal prices have gone up quite a bit this year. I saved up and barely managed to buy a truckload of coal, but it's not enough to last the whole winter.

"So, Mom, please, have mercy and let Yue'er and me stay for a few days. We'll leave as soon as Li Li gets back."

Chen Shuting really had no other choice. Li Li never gave her a penny for household expenses, and now it was even more difficult to ask her mother-in-law for money.

All the household expenses, including food, clothing, and daily necessities, could only be covered by the meager income she earned from odd jobs.

Prices have risen sharply this year; that one truckload of coal cost her more than forty yuan, and she had to work very hard to save enough money to buy it.

Therefore, she had to use the coal sparingly to ensure she could get through the cold winter.

Wang Qingmei, who was already angry, became even angrier upon hearing this. Her eyes widened as if they were about to spit fire, and she scolded her with exasperation, "You good-for-nothing!"

If you don't have money, why don't you go ask the Li family for it? In any case, Li Yue is the granddaughter of the Li family. Does that old hag really think she can just ignore her completely?

Moreover, Li Li, as a respectable man, doesn't go out to earn money to support his family, but instead relies on you, a woman, to earn money to support him.

I just can't understand how I could have given birth to such a brainless wretch like you!

Mentioning this matter also made Chen Shuting feel very irritated, and her tone instantly turned terrible: "Do you think it's so easy to get money from the Li family! If I could get it, I would have gone to ask for it long ago, why would I have waited until now? It's all because that old man refuses to give it to me!"

"Enough, enough! Can you please stop nagging and criticizing me all the time? If you hadn't said the Li family was well-off and rushed into this marriage after only two meetings, would my life be like this today?"

"What do you mean I said the Li family is good? Back then, you were so envious of Shu Ning's marriage that you insisted on finding a family like the He family! Besides, you were the one who went to the Li family for a meal and then kept praising them for how good they were."

"You were the one who was in such a hurry to get married, so why are you blaming me now?"

Chen Tiewen had drunk a few extra glasses of wine today and had already fallen asleep at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), but he was woken up by the arguing between the mother and son.

He grumbled somewhat unhappily, "What are you all making so much noise in the middle of the night? Hurry up and get ready for bed, you have to go to work tomorrow!"

Wang Qingmei had always looked down on Chen Tiewen. If she hadn't unexpectedly discovered she was pregnant, and if that man hadn't been married and wouldn't have divorced his wife to marry her, she wouldn't have hastily married a man like Chen Tiewen who was both incompetent and brainless.

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