Chapter 108 (The 108th chapter)

Qiao Mianmian noticed that Lu Zhao had been in a good mood lately, and he smiled a lot more, like a male fox spirit. Every time she met him, she would want to take a second look.

When Qiao Mianmian went to play with Zheng Sanhua that day, she talked about this and said that Lu Zhao's face was indeed attractive.

"It's true! Once I ran into Lord Lu on the road, and I saw a young lady throwing him a sachet. He couldn't take his eyes off her!" Zheng Sanhua also praised Lu Zhao's good looks. "Speaking of which, Lord Lu's appearance is indeed outstanding. No wonder he is usually so serious. If he were chatting and laughing with people, how could he keep his subordinates in check?"

“I think he’s changed recently; he smiles a lot more,” Qiao Mianmian said.

"Really?" Zheng Sanhua thought for a moment. "Then maybe I'm a little more familiar with you, but I've never laughed with you. Anyway, what happens to Lord Lu is none of our business. I don't like men who are so good-looking. Even if they get married, they'll easily attract unwanted attention."

She prefers men to have a simple, unassuming appearance and not be too clever; ideally, they should be a little slow-witted, so that men will listen to whatever she says.

Qiao Mianmian, thinking that Zheng Sanhua was about to turn 18, nudged Zheng Sanhua's arm and asked, "After you turn 18, will your family find you a husband?"

“Yes.” Zheng Sanhua wasn’t shy at all when she talked about this; in fact, she was quite looking forward to it. “It’ll be soon. My birthday is on the fifth day of next month. It’s only a few days away. I’d like to visit you. On my coming-of-age ceremony, I’d like to order some dishes from your house.”

Her family doesn't have much contact with the Zheng family relatives, but they do have ties with the Jiang family. For such an important occasion as her coming-of-age ceremony, the Jiang family will definitely send someone. She's earned some money now and wants to make it a good occasion to give her family face.

Qiao Mianmian said no problem, "You can write down a list or order from a food stall, and I'll cook it and bring it to you personally."

She checked the time and, wanting to visit her fourth sister's house again, said goodbye to Zheng Sanhua.

At this moment, two unwelcome people appeared in Lin Xiahe's home.

Wang Chuang had already gone to the academy. Lin Xiahe placed her hand on her protruding belly. She didn't want her in-laws to know about this, so she had to deal with it all by herself.

The visitors were Han, the wife of Lin Xiahe and Lin Wangchun's biological father, and Han's son, He Yuanzong.

"Xiahe, the blood of the He family flows in your veins, and that's an undeniable fact. Your life is getting better and better, and you've even become a scholar's wife. What a blessing that is!" Madam Han said, then looked at Lin Xiahe's expression.

This was her second visit after the New Year, but she hadn't been allowed in last time. This time, she was smarter; she told her not to come in and wouldn't leave, which allowed her to come in and talk. She had just looked around the courtyard and thought it was quite nice, much better than where she lived.

"My good fortune has nothing to do with you. Speak your mind if you have something to say, or leave if you have nothing else to say. You're not welcome here," Lin Xiahe said coldly.

"Oh dear, what are you saying? I brought Yuanzong to see his own sister. You two are siblings who are connected by blood. You can disown me, but you can't disown him."

As she spoke, Mrs. Han patted her son beside her, "Quick, this is your second sister, call her 'second sister'."

He Yuanzong chuckled at Lin Xiahe, looking rather dim-witted, and said, "Second Sister."

"I don't need a younger brother like that. You should leave." Lin Xiahe gave them the order to leave.

"Don't get agitated, you're pregnant." Once Han sat down, she wouldn't get up easily. "Actually, you have to understand your father about what happened back then. He was the only son of the He family, and he had to consider the future of the He family. He also had his difficulties."

"The problem is, is my mother unable to have any more children? Or are we sisters unable to find husbands?"

Lin Xiahe raised her voice. Although she didn't remember anything when her mother was abandoned by the He family, she knew that her biological father didn't care about the three of them. "Don't mention any difficulties to me. If it weren't for the kindness of my maternal grandparents, the three of us wouldn't be alive today, let alone have the good fortune you mentioned!"

Lin Xiahe became increasingly angry as she spoke, and slammed her hand on the table to chase people away.

Having finally come all this way, Madam Han was unwilling to leave. "Calm down, don't be so impulsive. Whatever the reason, the past is the past. Look how well you live now, while your brother doesn't even have a decent set of clothes. Now that your father is seriously ill in bed, as his daughter, shouldn't you go back and visit him?"

Not long after she gave birth to Yuanzong, her husband injured his back while working, which prevented her from having any more children. At the end of last year, a cold nearly killed him, and he was on the verge of death. Unable to support the family on her own, she set her sights on Lin's two daughters.

In comparison, Lin Xiahe married better than Lin Wangchun, so Han Shi came to find Lin Xiahe first.

"Besides, Yuanzong is your own brother. If anything happens to you in the future, the Qiao family has no blood relation to you, so why would they treat you sincerely?"

Han felt she made a good point: "Only Yuanzong, who is connected to you by blood, will support you no matter what happens between you sisters."

"hehe."

Lin Xiahe was so angry she laughed. She had never seen such a shameless person. "I don't have a younger brother, nor do I need one. I'll say it again, the Qiao family is my maternal family. You and your son have nothing to do with me. If you want me to visit He Chujie or give you money, don't even think about it. I won't give you a single penny!"

"Xia He, aren't you too cold-blooded and heartless? No matter what, they are still your father and your brother. You can ignore me, but you can't ignore them!" Madam Han refused to leave. She wanted to see if Lin Xia He could hit her again.

Besides, Lin Xiahe lives so well, so we should help her son. Otherwise, how will they live in the future?

Lin Xiahe was truly enraged. If she weren't heavily pregnant, she would definitely be fighting Han Shi to the death right now.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Just as she was at a loss, she heard someone call out "Fourth Sister," and she panicked instantly.

Qiao Mianmian saw the door open and came in by herself. When she got to the door, she saw that there were other people there. This time, she was quite nice. "I said, Fourth Sister, why didn't you hear me calling you? It turns out there are guests at home."

“They are not guests.” Lin Xiahe raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

Noticing that her fourth sister was crying, Qiao Mianmian immediately became alert. "Fourth sister, did they bully you?"

"Look at what you're saying! We're family with Xia He, how could we bully her? This is Xia He's own brother, we're here to see Xia He." Madam Han put on a smiling face, looking Qiao Mianmian up and down. Seeing that Qiao Mianmian's skin was fair and tender, she could tell that she was well-fed and cared for, and she became even more jealous. "Speaking of which, you're a daughter of the Qiao family, right? We're here to visit Xia He. Her father is seriously ill in bed, and as her daughter, she should go back and see him."

Qiao Mianmian was furious. She hadn't heard her family mention the He family much, but she knew without even thinking how outrageous the He family had been in the past.

She stood in front of her fourth sister, saying, "You signed a severance agreement back then, and haven't sent a single pound of rice to my two older sisters all these years. Now that you're about to die, you only think of my sisters. You've really got a good plan. When people have no shame, they're truly invincible!"

"Who are you calling shameless?" Han was furious.

"Oh, it seems you're not only thick-skinned but also stupid. You can't tell right from wrong!" Qiao Mianmian snorted and turned back to comfort her, "Fourth Sister, don't be afraid. I'm here. Don't be angry. Take care of yourself."

She grabbed a broom and pointed it at Han, saying, "I'm telling you right now, don't get involved in your family's affairs again, or I'll beat you every time you come!"

"You...you shrew!" Madam Han pointed at Qiao Mianmian, "Your Qiao family has no manners at all, raising a daughter like you!"

"Calling me a shrew? Then I'll show you how fierce I can be!" Qiao Mianmian picked up the teapot and splashed it at him. When Han Shi screamed and He Yuanzong raised his fist, Qiao Mianmian became even fiercer. "You want to hit me? If you dare to touch me, I'll have my brothers wait for you at your door every day!"

She picked up the broom and saw He Yuanzong suddenly cry. She didn't react for a moment. Was this person mentally challenged? Why did he look like a child?

He Yuanzong sat on the ground, kicking his legs and crying, "Waaah, I want to go home! I've played here, I want to go home!"

His loud crying attracted Mrs. Wang and the others from next door.

Seeing her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lin Xiahe knew she couldn't hide it anymore, and her cheeks burned intensely.

She didn't want her in-laws to know about this shameful affair.

Madam Wang didn't recognize Madam Han and her son. When she asked what was going on, Madam Han learned that it was Lin Xiahe's mother-in-law. She said sarcastically, "So it's Xiahe's mother-in-law. I'm her stepmother. Although a stepmother is not as good as a biological mother, she is still an elder. Look at the kind of daughter-in-law you married. So rude and shrewish. She doesn't even want to visit her own father when he is seriously ill. How filial she is!"

"Where did this 'biological father' come from?" Qiao Mianmian glared. "The He family couldn't wait to marry you into their family, they even signed a disownment agreement, and now they're rushing to beg for your money. Fine, you want to play dirty, huh? I'll remember that!"

"Mianmian, go and see your fourth sister."

Madam Wang understood what was going on. When the marriage was proposed, she had inquired about everything clearly and knew why Lin was divorced. She also knew something else: "You are Han, right? As far as I know, you gave birth to a son less than six months after you married into the He family. A six-month-old baby is impossible to raise even by a god. You know what happened."

When the Wang family was hiring a daughter-in-law, they would always find out about her family background. Especially regarding the matter of Lin being divorced, Madam Wang would not listen to only one side of the story, so she sent someone to the He family to inquire about it as well.

As a result, all of He's neighbors praised Lin for being beautiful and capable, and some busybodies even told about Han giving birth to He Yuanzong.

This is because before Lin left the He family, Han had already gotten together with He Chujie, which is why He Chujie was in a hurry to divorce his wife and remarry.

"You...you're making false accusations!" Madam Han was shocked that the Wang family knew about this. She panicked, her eyes darting around, her heart pounding in her throat.

"Whether I'm slandering you or not, you know perfectly well. I'm here to tell you that the daughter-in-law my Wang family has chosen is not someone you can bully as you please. It's good that she doesn't acknowledge the He family. If she really did acknowledge that shameless man from the He family, I would curse her for being heartless!"

Madam Wang's words extinguished Han's last hope.

Han originally intended to use the charge of filial impiety to control Lin Xiahe, but she did not expect the Wang family to protect Lin Xiahe so much.

He Yuanzong was still crying on the ground. Madam Han couldn't think of a way to deal with him for a while and stood there stunned.

Hearing her mother-in-law say this, Lin Xiahe's heart, which had been in her throat, slowly calmed down.

She was afraid that her in-laws would find out and regret marrying her, but her mother-in-law completely sided with her.

At this moment, Madam Zhou came out and said, "Madam He, people need face and trees need bark. Our Wang family values ​​Xia He and naturally respects her opinion. If you insist on causing trouble, we are not afraid of trouble. Although Fourth Brother has gone to the academy, there are still quite a few men in the Wang family. You should think it over carefully. Do you want to leave on your own, or should I find someone to kick you out?"

Han was speechless, unable to find a way to refute him, yet she gained nothing in return. Seeing that she couldn't control Lin Xiahe, she had no choice but to show weakness and sit on the ground with her son. "My God, why is my life so miserable? I'm an innocent person, yet I'm still being slandered. Now my husband is seriously ill in bed, and he can't even see his daughter."

Han cried, and He Yuanzong cried too; their cries drowned out each other's.

Qiao Mianmian felt annoyed and wanted to curse, but the Wang family was there, so she had to hold it in.

Seeing that Han was being disrespectful, Madam Wang turned to her daughter-in-law and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, have your son go to the rice shop and tell your eldest son to bring the shop assistants back. Since they're shameless, don't blame the Wang family for taking action."

After the eldest daughter-in-law left, Madam Wang went to look at Han Shi and said, "If you're not afraid of ruining your reputation, feel free to sit here and cry. You'll be carried out by a group of men later. Let's see if you'll still have any face left then."

"Father-in-law, please have pity on me, don't be so cruel, give us a bite to eat!" Madam Han was terrified. If the man carried her out and word got back to the He family, she truly wouldn't be able to survive.

“My in-laws are the Qiao family, not your He family. You should know your place. The sins you committed when you were young are now your good fortune.” After saying this, Madam Wang ignored Madam Han and instead told Qiao Mianmian to take Lin Xiahe to another room. “I will handle things here. Xiahe, you can rest assured. Your mother-in-law has seen all kinds of situations. I have plenty of ways to deal with this kind of scoundrel.”

Qiao Mianmian immediately took her fourth sister away. She poured her a cup of hot tea and said, "Fourth sister, don't overthink it. Madam Wang has always been very perceptive. She won't hold a grudge against you for this."

Lin Xiahe took a deep breath, her heart aching. "I never expected that after so many years, the He family would come looking for me again."

"That's not surprising. The He family member who committed adultery with the Han family is shameless. We haven't done anything wrong, so don't take them to heart."

Qiao Mianmian sat down to comfort her, "You're pregnant now, so don't think too much about other things. Fortunately, Madam Wang and Sister-in-law Wang are both reasonable."

Lin Xiahe nodded and held her sister's hand, "It's good that you're here."

“We are sisters, we should help each other. Otherwise, when we get back, I’ll tell Mother that I’ll come and stay with you for a while starting today. You won’t be afraid if you have someone to keep you company at night.” Qiao Mianmian looked at her fourth sister’s belly. At this time, it was indeed necessary for someone to be by her side. “During the day, there are Madam Wang and the others. If you need anything, just call out over the courtyard wall.”

She paused, then looked earnestly at her fourth sister. "Don't be afraid to trouble us. We're family. Maybe I'll need your help someday."

"Mmm." Lin Xiahe leaned on her sister's shoulder. Hearing someone coming from outside, she got up and went to the window. She saw the Han mother and son being chased away. "Mianmian, don't you think He Yuanzong is a little different?"

Qiao Mianmian said yes, "She's clearly seventeen or eighteen years old, but she looks like a seven or eight-year-old child. It makes me feel like there's something wrong with her brain."

From his words and actions, she felt that He Yuanzong was mentally challenged, and thought that this was retribution for the He family.

Lin Xiahe snorted, "Since he wants a son so badly, and God has given him one, then let the He family raise He Yuanzong properly. I want to see if their He family line can be continued!"

She was holding back a lot of anger, resentment, and sadness, not only for herself but also for her mother.

The two sisters chatted for a while until Zhou arrived, at which point Qiao Mianmian mentioned her plan to come and keep her fourth sister company.

Originally, Zhou had planned to send her daughter over, but now that the Qiao family's daughter had arrived, she looked at Qiao Mianmian with great affection. "With you here, my mother-in-law and I can rest assured. During the day, we will come to take care of my fourth sister-in-law. You can rest assured that with us here, we will not let the He family come to visit again."

"Yes, I've always trusted Sister-in-law Wang the most when it comes to getting things done." Qiao Mianmian still had to go to the food shop. "Then I'll trouble you. I'll go to the food shop and get busy for a while, and I'll come back later."

She said goodbye to the Wang family and ran to the food shop. Because she was late, she pulled her mother upstairs and explained what had happened.

Hearing this, Lin clenched her fists. "That bastard He Chujie, why doesn't he just die? Why does he have to come and abuse my daughter!"

She didn't want to think about the past anymore, but the He family still came to her door to cause trouble for her daughter, which she couldn't tolerate. "Are you sure that Han gave birth to a son less than six months after marrying into the He family?"

After leaving the He family, Lin refused to hear anything about them and stopped paying attention to them. She only knew that He Chujie later had a son, which was said by people in Lin's village.

“It was Madam Wang who said it. I think Madam Han is guilty, so it must be true,” Qiao Mianmian said. “It’s good that you left the He family. Father is much better than that He Chujie, and Grandparents are also good to us. I’m only telling you about this. Whether you want to tell others or not is up to you.”

This matter is sensitive, but the Qiao family also knows about her mother's past with the He family. Whether to talk about it or not, and how to talk about it, is entirely up to her mother.

A surge of anger rose in Lin's heart, and she wished she could rush to the He family and strangle He Chujie to death. "Let me think about it. I need to think carefully about how to handle this matter."

She felt she would have to do something to make up for all the suffering she had endured. But she couldn't tell her daughter how, as she didn't want her to see her dealings with the He family.

"If there's anything you need, just tell me. Don't keep it to yourself." Qiao Mianmian brought up the matter of going to stay with her fourth sister again.

Lin agreed, "It's good to have you with me. Although Xia He and her husband's family are only separated by a wall, she's bound to be scared after what happened. You can stay with her for a while, and I'll go in March."

She took a deep breath and patted her youngest daughter's arm. "Let's go, we have guests downstairs, let's go down first."

When the mother and daughter came downstairs, Qiao Mancang noticed that the two looked strange, but he didn't ask them about it at that moment. Instead, he planned to ask Lin Shi about it later that night.

Qiao Mianmian went to the kitchen, and her second brother asked if something was wrong. Qiao Mianmian only said that her fourth sister was in her late pregnancy and it was inconvenient for her to stay with her for a while.

“Speaking of which, I should go see my fourth sister.” Cao Yuan went to see Qiao Jiaxing. “We’ll go together tomorrow. I bought some fabric for my fourth sister, so I can give it to her and make the children’s clothes in advance.”

Qiao Jiaxing agreed. Hu Qianqian, who was carrying in a tray, heard this and said that she and Qiao Jiawang would also go together. "Tomorrow morning I'll go to my dad's butcher shop and ask him to save some pig's trotters for tomorrow so I can take them to my fourth sister."