Seeing that life in the village was getting better and better, and just when he was thinking of making a bigger push, he suddenly realized that a crucial person was missing. Huang Sige's heart couldn't help but clench.
Huangshi felt the same way he did.
After hearing the old man finish speaking about the two men's probing, Huang Shi immediately became nervous. "Dad, this can't go on. Why don't we go find my second sister-in-law?"
“Impossible,” Old Man Huang sneered. “I will never back down to them.”
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble before, even losing his wife in the process.
"What can we do? This is bound to cause trouble sooner or later."
"What's the rush? Let me think about it carefully."
"Okay then!"
Jiang Nuan knew nothing about these things in Huangjiakou.
After Xie told Jiang Nuan about Wang's unusual behavior, she began to pay attention and noticed something amiss within two days.
After dinner, he told his three daughters-in-law to gather in the pavilion after they had tidied up.
"Mother, what do you want with us?" Xie, who arrived first, sat down next to Jiang Nuan.
"It's nothing serious, we just wanted to chat."
“Mother, this stone isn’t pretty,” she said, picking up an irregularly shaped stone from the table. “When we can get out, your daughter-in-law will go to the riverbank and find you some prettier ones.”
“These stones are useful to me,” Jiang Nuan explained softly, “they’re not just for playing with.”
She has already begun researching the One Element Array, and these stones are the materials.
Of course, the key is not the materials, but the energy infusion. By infusing the special energy in the body into the stones and arranging them in the correct positions, an array can be formed.
It sounds simple, but it's not.
Too little energy input will have no effect, while too much will cause the stone to shatter and need to be directed to the center of gravity.
In just two days, Jiang Nuan had broken countless stones.
As she spoke, another stone turned to powder in her palm.
Upon seeing this, Xie's eyes widened. "Mother, you actually crushed the stone! That's amazing!"
She also picked up a piece to try, but even with all her strength, she couldn't rub a single edge.
"Not crushing," Jiang Nuan paused, then suddenly asked, "How is your cultivation progressing? Is the qi you cultivate even the size of a grain of rice?"
Her own was already the size of two fists, and it was a bit difficult to control, but she could manage.
“Barely…” Xie pinched her fingertips and said dejectedly, “…about the size of a mung bean.”
She felt she had been working very hard, but her progress was always limited, and she couldn't even catch up with her husband.
This greatly frustrated the ever-ambitious Xie family.
"Huh?" Jiang Nuan was a little surprised. "It seems that you two really do have some talent."
"Really?" Mrs. Xie exclaimed happily. "Aren't we just too stupid?"
"Of course not. The energy available in the world is already scarce, and you have only been practicing for a short time. It is already quite remarkable."
Originally feeling bored and wanting to give up, Xie immediately became as energetic as if she had been injected with chicken blood. "Mother, don't worry, starting today, your daughter-in-law will practice hard."
“Okay,” Jiang Nuan nodded slowly, “You’ll see the benefits later.”
As they were talking, Wang and Jin arrived together.
“Mother,” Jin asked happily, “do you have something to tell the three of us to do?”
“No,” Jiang Nuan pointed to the moon in the sky, “the scenery is beautiful today, let’s chat.”
Is there a necessary connection between beautiful scenery and chatting?
The three sisters-in-law looked completely bewildered.
Jiang Nuan ignored all of that and slowly said, "In the blink of an eye, it's already April. I remember in January, our whole family was still filling our stomachs with wild vegetable soup, but now we have fish and meat all the time, and rice and noodles are readily available. It's truly unpredictable how things turn out."
“Who says otherwise?” Xie replied shrewdly. “To witness such a sight, I’ve lived a worthwhile life.”
"What a big change!" Jin exclaimed in surprise after turning her dark eyes. "I never imagined I could live such a good life!"
She thought that being released from her indenture was a great stroke of luck, but little did she know that better days were yet to come.
Hearing the three chatting, Wang tightly clutched the handkerchief in her hand and lowered her head, not responding.
She felt somewhat out of place.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, what are your thoughts?"
The long-unheard address caused Wang to momentarily lose her composure. "Mother, your daughter-in-law has no particular thoughts."
Seeing this, Xie immediately understood what Jiang Nuan wanted to do and immediately helped her out, "Sister-in-law, we're family, so don't be nervous. Just say whatever you want. Even if you say something wrong, Mother won't blame you."
Wang insisted, "It's really nothing."
"Doesn't your sister-in-law treat us like family?"
Ms. Xie was a little unhappy.
She felt that she was indeed a bit harsh in her speech, but she had never spoken ill of her sister-in-law in her heart.
“No,” Wang explained urgently, “I didn’t.”
“If not, then not,” Jiang Nuan said, getting straight to the point. “With things getting better and better at home, are there any things you’re having trouble adjusting to?”
These words struck Xie and Jin as odd.
"What could be difficult to adapt to?" Jin tilted her head. "What do you think, Second Sister-in-law?"
Xie glanced at Wang before speaking, "I don't have any either."
“I…” Wang didn’t know how to answer, “I’m fine too.”
“Sister-in-law,” Jin looked at Wang in surprise, “don’t you feel that our lives are getting better and better?”
"It's getting better and better."
“Then why are you saying it so reluctantly?” Jin looked at her with a troubled expression.
Upon hearing this, Wang glanced uneasily at Jiang Nuan, then lowered her head and remained silent.
"Afraid of me?" Jiang Nuan touched her face speechlessly. "I'm not going to curse you out for just saying a few words."
“Sister-in-law, Mother treats us like her own daughters,” Xie said, holding Wang’s hand. “You mustn’t make her sad.”
"No, no," Wang Shi jumped up in a panic, "Mother, I..."
"Don't rush," Jiang Nuan waved her hand, "Sit down first and talk slowly."
The gentle voice gradually relaxed Wang, but then a surge of grievance welled up in her heart, and tears fell down her cheeks.
The three of them did not disturb Wang and waited quietly for her to vent.
After a short while, Wang wiped away her tears and choked out, "Mother, second sister-in-law and third sister-in-law, I'm scared, really scared."
"What are you afraid of?" Madam Xie asked, puzzled. "Did your older brother bully you?"
“No,” Wang bit her lip before continuing, “I am of average appearance and mediocre personality. My family is not supportive, and I am not capable of handling things myself. I am really not fit to be the eldest daughter-in-law.”
The more you know, the more you worry about being disliked.
"Sister-in-law," Xie said, taken aback, "why are you thinking about these things?"
After Jiang Nuan showed an expression of "I knew it," she straightened up and said seriously, "Back then, when I was sick, you had to take care of me and manage the household chores. We relied on each other to get through the most difficult time. Just because of this, no matter what the family's situation is, you can always hold your heads high."
These words made Wang very uneasy. "Mother, those are things we should do."
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