Around the corner of the house behind them, a man came with a little boy. The boy was urged by the man to catch up with the two of them quickly, half running and half chasing.
Wen Jiaojiao was forced to move closer to the edge of the field, and looked at the barefoot boy running, saying:
"Kid, it's so hot outside, isn't the ground burning your feet?"
The boy, about four or five years old, wore clothes that had been handled countless times, patched and worn, covered in stubborn stains. He stopped and sniffled.
"Didn't you see I was running? It's because the ground was too hot."
Wen Jiaojiao chuckled and followed behind, passing the time by saying, "Then why aren't you wearing shoes?"
The boy walked ahead, following the shadow cast by the rice stalks: "My shoes are with my dad; they're too big, they'll easily fall off when I run."
Wen Jiaojiao turned around at the sound and happened to catch a glimpse of Wen Zhaoye's gloomy and cold face. She frowned, not understanding, but didn't take it seriously. She turned her body slightly and focused her gaze on the man at the back.
The man had delicate features, carried a hoe, and wore a clean white short-sleeved shirt tucked into well-fitting black trousers.
The boy, with his refined demeanor and the boy's dirty appearance, seemed to come from completely different families, and he didn't look like someone who would be doing manual labor at all.
He looked over with an ambiguous smile in his eyes and greeted her, "Jiaojiao, you're getting out of bed too?"
"Um."
Wen Jiaojiao smiled politely in response, ignoring Wen Zhaoye's increasingly grim expression, and turned back to gently pat the child's thin shoulder, saying:
"Hey kid, here's something for you to eat, want some?"
The boy stared curiously at her little floral cloth bag:
What is it?
"Ta-da!"
Wen Jiaojiao quite liked this little boy who meant her no harm. She took something out of her bag and teased him with a smile:
"It's a nectarine, kid."
Seeing the atmosphere between the two, the man's heart softened, and a soft smile appeared on his lips:
"Jiaojiao, thank you. I may have been a bit harsh with you before."
Wen Jiaojiao knew absolutely nothing about men, but when faced with his apology, she gave a perfunctory reply:
"fine."
Recalling the past misunderstandings between the two, and seeing them now exchanging pleasantries and speaking amicably, Wen Zhaoye's brows furrowed, his expression turning cold and somber, and he said angrily:
"What? You want to go and become someone's stepmother again?"
stepmother?
Wen Jiaojiao froze, utterly shocked:
Wen Jiaojiao, Wen Jiaojiao, you're a ruthless person.
It's one thing to take a liking to petty thieves, but...
How could someone be interested in a divorced woman with a child, and even go to her doorstep?
The man's name was Wen Liang. A few years ago, he went out to work, and every time he came back, he was wearing a white shirt tucked into black trousers.
His tall stature and distinctive city accent captivated many naive young girls in the village.
Although his family wasn't wealthy, he was eloquent and persuasive; at 18, he got a young girl pregnant and gave birth to this son.
Later, because of his infidelity, his wife was so angry that she drank pesticide and died.
He had to stay home to take care of his son and kept trying to win over another girl to be his wife.
Sixteen-year-old Wen Jiaojiao was one of them, and he even coaxed her into coming to his house every day to help take care of the one-year-old boy.
Wen Jiaojiao wasn't exactly a child-friendly girl; she secretly hit the boy a few times when he cried, which the man happened to see.
Wen Liang had already bought the food and drinks, planning to coax her into having sex that day, and then sneak her out.
They won't spend a single penny on betrothal gifts; they'll just have Xu Cuifen squeeze some dowry out of Wen Zhaoye and then send her daughter over.
Seeing the boy being beaten, and remembering the bruises on his body before, she immediately abandoned her plan, berated him, and chased him away, then lied to another girl.
As a result, the other girl, after less than a year of marriage, matured, became materialistic, and ran off with someone else.
Seeing that Wen Jiaojiao was still relatively kind to Xiaobao, and considering that the girl had gone out to work and seen the world in the past two years and had become more realistic, she couldn't be won over with sweet words alone. He had no choice but to try his luck with her again.
"Jiaojiao, actually, if you're still willing, I can accept you as you are now."
The veins on Wen Zhaoye's forehead throbbed as he looked down at Wen Jiaojiao's head with a stern expression.
He had the air of someone saying, "If you dare not firmly reject him, you can forget about ever touching him again."
Wen Jiaojiao's face turned ugly. She walked forward without turning her head, naturally not seeing his expression, and directly refused:
"I'm sorry, I've been away for two years and I've seen a lot. I see you dressed up like a proper lady, but your child looks like a beggar. I can't stand you at all."
Wen Liang hurriedly stepped forward, but saw that Wen Zhaoye's handsome face seemed to be covered with frost, and he showed no intention of moving an inch. He walked straight to Wen Jiaojiao's side through the wheat field and said:
"Jiaojiao, you've misunderstood me. I'm a grown man, I can't handle a child properly, and he's naturally mischievous, so I was thinking of finding him a mother."
From now on, you can manage me however you want—beat me, scold me, whatever you want—I promise I'll listen to everything you say. Besides, I'm currently running a big business, and it's doing quite well.
"You can just lie at home and count your money then. I'll hand over all my earnings, and you can buy whatever you want."
Wen Zhaoye felt uncomfortable and said in a strange tone:
"Isn't it just about hauling some watermelons from the village to the county town to resell? And this has become such a big business?"
Lying in bed counting money? With your income, you couldn't even count a few sheets of toilet paper.
"This has been going on for so many years, and they're still using this trick to fool young girls. Anyone who falls for it again and again is brain-damaged."
He emphasized his last sentence, and after he finished speaking, his deep, dark eyes swept over Wen Jiaojiao, and when she looked at him, his eyes glared at her dangerously.
Wen Jiaojiao couldn't tell whether his last sentence was a reminder or an insult, but based on the severity of his treatment of her, she immediately categorized it as an insult.
She took a slow breath, calming her displeasure, and ignoring Wen Liang's slightly embarrassed expression, said directly:
"Yes, my brother is right. But since you have such a knack for charming young girls, why don't you teach my brother a couple of tricks, so that his mouth won't drive his wife crazy and end up like you?"
Wen Zhaoye misunderstood again, not thinking she was insulting him at all. His handsome face melted like an iceberg, turning into a pool of soft water, and his gaze towards her was filled with a gentle and doting smile.
You're shameless! You actually want me to learn how to coax you in front of others. I can do it, though. I'll coax you properly when we get back to our room. But in public, a man should prioritize his image.
Undeterred, Wenliang continued to use her coaxing skills, saying:
"Jiaojiao, I'll be rich someday. Besides, I was only with my deceased ex-wife because I was immature. After spending time with you, I learned what it means to be moved and what it means to like someone."
"The reason I was with another woman was because I regretted our argument and got drunk, which allowed her to take advantage of me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married her."
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