Wen Zhaoye couldn't remember the last time Wen Xiaojian had shown him kindness, but it must have been before Wen Xiaojian remarried.
I haven't experienced this feeling in seven or eight years, but I've found it again and again through her.
His gaze lowered, and a long-suppressed regret finally welled up in his heart, causing him to fall into deep thought:
If only I hadn't given Xu Dajun the idea of running away with her.
Two years ago, when Wen Jiaojiao first got together with Xu Dajun, she paid for all his food, drink, and accommodation expenses, which led to him asking for money more and more frequently.
And every time Wen Zhaoye refused, the consequence was nothing more than her making a scene at the factory gate, regardless of her own safety, followed by Wen Xiaojian calling her and threatening to kill himself.
He had this thought at the time: if she disappeared forever, the world would be at peace. He even made up two plans for this.
First, he was seriously injured and would be bedridden at home for the rest of his life, requiring only food and drink, which Xu Cuifen would take care of.
Secondly, it could cost her her life. On rainy days, people often slip and fall off cliffs to their deaths in the back mountain, and it would be easy to fake an accident.
One day, when she returned home, she saw Wen Jiaojiao with Xu Dajun at the door, desperately wanting to marry him. Xu Cuifen was furious and beat and scolded Xu Dajun.
He couldn't help but think of a third way: to stay out of it and never see her again.
At the time, he merely arranged for two people to tell the two men on their way back to the county town how prosperous and wealthy the outside world was, and that they would definitely make a lot of money if they went out.
That young couple eloped, made a fortune, and now they've returned home to a life of luxury that everyone admires.
Based on Wen Zhaoye's understanding of Xu Dajun, if she ran away with him and ran out of money, he would definitely sell her.
Or force her to sell her looks and engage in some sex work, so that even if she comes back, she will be emaciated and won't live long.
However, when Wen Zhaoye saw Wen Jiaojiao from afar while riding his motorcycle, he was immediately struck by her beauty.
Even though she was just standing by the river with a washbasin in her hand, sighing inwardly, she still evoked in him a sense of unparalleled and independent beauty.
He managed to suppress his amazement only by recalling all her terrible behavior.
But when he looked up again with disgust, his eyes met hers.
He only felt a momentary panic in his heart, which made him abandon his original plan to cripple her on the spot and then slowly kill her.
The moment she entered the house, all eyes automatically fell on her face, and when she looked back at him...
Fearing that eye contact would cause further discomfort to her heart, she quickly looked away.
Even though he never went to see her again, hearing her call him "brother" stirred something within him.
I was puzzled by how soft and delicate her voice had become, yet it didn't sound artificial at all.
And just how lucky is she to be able to come back from that situation instead of suffering a miserable fate?
Wen Zhaoye was never a good person. The moment she dared to steal money and leave, he had already planned how she would die.
But the overwhelming resentment that had festered for two years ultimately couldn't withstand the intense heart-fluttering feeling brought on by just one glance from her and one "brother."
So much so that when he saw her constantly acting up and using Wen Xiaojian as a shield to try and control him, he only made a few sarcastic remarks and never had the heart to lay a finger on her.
As evening approached, the last rays of sunset faded completely from the horizon, and darkness enveloped everything. The flickering lights of kerosene lamps and dim bulbs illuminated the dark, deserted alleyways.
Xu Cuifen carried two bowls of dark, mushy medicinal soup into the small house and said:
"Zhaoye, Jiaojiao, go to the fishpond quickly after you've drunk it."
Wen Zhaoye had indeed been suffering from severe "internal heat" lately, especially at midnight and in the early morning. Without hesitation, he brought it over, tilted his head back, and drank it down.
Now the desire shouldn't be so strong anymore, right?
Wen Jiaojiao looked at the dark, mushy medicine that Xu Cuifen was practically offering to her lips with resentment, and shook her head in refusal:
"Mom, I don't want to drink it. Besides, I've already taken other Chinese medicine. What if the medicine is too strong and I die?"
"Mom has already asked, the medicine isn't strong, just a little bit is enough." Xu Cuifen was afraid that she would back out at the last minute, so she had to persuade her to drink a mouthful.
The bitter taste exploded in her mouth, fiercely stimulating her brain nerves, and Wen Jiaojiao's face turned slightly ferocious.
Carrying the kerosene lamp, he nodded and went outside, secretly spitting out a mouthful of Chinese herbal medicine where the two weren't looking.
What kind of medicine is this? It's so bitter.
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