Fang Xue felt that no one dislikes flattery, and Fang Qiao was still young; she couldn't possibly be completely unresponsive to either soft or hard approaches.

She had a good plan, but she didn't expect Fang Qiao to completely ignore it.

"Big sister, you've been married for ten years and still can't manage the household, while I've only been married for a few years. I may look glamorous on the surface, but I'm actually not as well off as you."

Fang Qiao smiled and called her back, saying as she saw her off, "Big sister, it's getting late, you should go back now so you don't miss the bus back to the city. I won't keep you for dinner."

Fang Xue was unwilling to return empty-handed after failing to achieve her goal.

"Little sister, I know you have money, but you're just unwilling to give it to me. You resent me, so you're angry and unwilling to help."

With tears welling in her eyes, Fang Xue apologized, "Little sister, I was wrong back then. I shouldn't have gone back on my word when it came time to go to the countryside. I was the eldest sister, but I failed to fulfill my responsibilities. But, little sister, you have to understand me. You were young then, and I wasn't much older either. Suddenly having to go to a place where we knew no one, I was terrified. That's why I made the wrong choice in a moment of confusion. I've realized my mistake over the years. I don't ask for your forgiveness; I just hope you won't ruin my future because of a moment of anger."

"Big sister, you don't need to provoke me. What's past is past, and I don't care anymore. There's no reason for me to be angry or unwilling to help." Fang Qiao smiled and said, "I'm just like you, married into another family, unable to be the head of the household, and have no choice in what I do."

When her demands failed, Fang Xue conceded, "How about I consider it a loan from you...?"

"I've already said, I don't have any money."

"Can……"

Fang Xue wanted to say something more, but Fang Qiao interrupted her loudly: "Alright, big sister, that's enough. There's no point in arguing any further."

Her eyes were cold.

Fang Xue's heart skipped a beat when she saw this.

She understood the subtext in Fang Qiao's words: it would be ugly if things escalated to a complete breakdown.

Fang Xue's face was grim. She stared intently at Fang Qiao's face for a long time before asking, "Is there really no room for negotiation at all?"

Fang Qiao didn't say anything.

Fang Xue pursed her lips, nodded with a wry smile, and said, "Okay, I understand."

She turned to leave, and Fang Qiao reminded her from behind, "Take the basket with you."

Fang Xue stopped and took a deep breath before turning back to take the bamboo basket from the dining table, along with the hawthorns inside.

*

Fang Lu was imprisoned in a row of bungalows, which were divided into more than a dozen rooms. Two of the rooms were classrooms for ideological reform, and the remaining rooms were used to imprison people who had made mistakes.

Fang Lu lived in the third room on the left. The conditions were very poor; there was nothing inside.

Not only did students have to bring their own bedding, but their meals were also brought in by relatives; missing a meal meant going hungry. Of course, if you didn't want to bring food, there was a canteen at the training center where you could pay by the day with food coupons. As for the food, well, it was only slightly better than feeding pigs.

Fang Lu was spoiled since childhood, so naturally he couldn't stand the 'pig swill' served in the school cafeteria.

Yang Fengxia could only run to the study class three times a day to deliver meals, and she would shed a few tears each time.

Fang Xue brought lunch that day.

She had a gray headscarf wrapped tightly around her head and face, leaving only her bright red eyes exposed.

"Sis, why did you bring me lunch today? Where's Mom?"

As soon as Fang Xue saw Fang Lu, tears streamed down her face. She raised her hand to wipe her tears, sniffed, and said, "Mom accidentally fell and her leg hurts so much that she can't walk. So I brought you lunch today. For the next few days... please eat at the cafeteria here for now."

Through the iron fence, Fang Xue opened the lids of two aluminum lunch boxes and placed them in front of Fang Lu one by one. Then she handed him chopsticks and said, "These are the only two eggs left at home. I stir-fried some green peppers for you. They taste great. Eat up."

Fang Lu didn't take the chopsticks; instead, he reached out and grabbed Fang Xue's wrist.

Her deliberately concealed cuffs were rolled up, revealing several shocking bloodstains on the back of her hand.

Fang Lu's expression changed: "Sis, who did this to your hand?"

"No, it wasn't anyone..." Fang Xue's eyes darted away, "It was, it was my own carelessness."

"Do you think I'm blind?" Fang Lu's face darkened. "This is clearly someone scratched it! Tell me! Who are you?"

"Hey, don't ask anymore." Fang Xue suddenly pulled her wrist away from Fang Lu's hand, lowered her eyes, and avoided his gaze: "I just accidentally hurt myself."

Fang Lu: "Did Zhang Jun's mother bully you again?"

"Don't keep calling him Zhang Jun, he's your brother-in-law." Fang Xue's voice was soft, which was considered an admission of his words.

"I knew it was that old bastard!" Fang Lu clenched his fists. "Don't be afraid, sister. Once I get out of here, I'm going to teach her a lesson she won't forget."

“Little brother, please don’t…” Fang Xue looked troubled: “She is, after all, my mother-in-law. I call her Mom, so it’s my duty to be scolded by her.”

"She's bullied you like this, and you're still protecting her!" Fang Lu suddenly raised his hand and ripped off the headscarf Fang Xue was wearing, angrily saying, "These red marks on your face, were they from her too?"

Fang Xue covered her head, at a loss, and pursed her lips without saying a word.

Fang Lu said with exasperation, "Big sister, you need to be tougher. That old hag is only bullying you because she sees you as weak."

“It’s not her fault…” Fang Xue shook her head, her eyes red, and said, “This time it was my fault. Yes, I stole money from home and she found out, so she hit me… You know, my mother-in-law has always been very tight-lipped about money.”

“Little brother, it’s my fault for being useless. I’ve been married to your brother-in-law for over ten years, and in the end, I’m still treated like an outsider and guarded against. If I had any ability, I could have kept the money in my husband’s family’s hands, and you wouldn’t still be suffering here.”

Fang Lu remained silent for a long time, then forced a smile and said, "Sister, it's not your fault. You did your best."

"I originally wanted to borrow some money from your second sister, but unfortunately she was also unable to help..." Fang Xue said, tears streaming down her face.

Fang Lu sneered: "You don't need to speak up for her. What do you mean by 'willing but unable'? She's the most cold-blooded person. She wouldn't care about my life or death at all."

"Don't say that. She suffered in the countryside too." Fang Xue said softly, "She shouldn't have gone to the countryside back then. I'm sorry to her. I was too scared at the time. In order to avoid going to the countryside, I did something foolish, which hurt me and her."

"How can you blame yourself? You were also deceived by Zhang Jun's sweet words. He was raised by a widow and didn't even finish junior high school. He was not good enough for you at all!" Fang Lu said bitterly. "He just took advantage of your reluctance to go to the countryside, so he took the opportunity to encourage you to find someone to marry. Otherwise, why would you have rushed into marrying him in such a desperate situation!"

"Besides, isn't Fang Qiao doing just fine now? My second brother-in-law was demobilized and became a director, earning a good seventy or eighty yuan a month! If you hadn't given her your spot to go to the countryside back then, she wouldn't have been able to marry a military officer and enjoy her current good fortune."

Fang Xue's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, and she subconsciously clenched her fingers, lost in thought.