The godmother laughed along, "I've been busy my whole life, and when I'm idle, I feel restless and uncomfortable all over."
"Sitting under the shade of the drying shed sewing clothes, I could earn money myself, of course I was anxious."
That very evening, the godmother made the agreement with Aunt Liu and then happily went home with Xu Ruantang.
As soon as they entered, they saw Chen Ji wearing an apron and serving dishes.
"Godmother, wash your hands and eat." Chen Ji put down the dishes and greeted her.
Xu Ruantang went to wash her hands with her godmother. Her godmother nudged her arm and asked in a low voice, "Does Xiao Chen cook at home for you two?"
“Yes, he’s a good cook,” Xu Ruantang answered truthfully.
The godmother smiled meaningfully, "Oh no, it's obvious he just wants to spoil you."
After finishing her meal, Xu Ruantang went to take a shower. When she went upstairs, she found Chen Ji sitting by the bed waiting for her.
After she sat down, Chen Ji pulled her legs onto his own and took out the ointment to apply.
Xu Ruantang turned her head and saw a bruise on her leg.
She scratched her head. "Actually, it doesn't hurt that much. I get a big bruise from just a light touch."
Last night, she went to the bathroom in the dark, afraid that turning on the light would wake Chen Ji, and bumped her head on the corner of the bed when she entered the room.
It only hurt for a moment, but who knew it would turn into such a bruise the next day.
She didn't pay much attention to it herself. She would often get bruises all over her body, which looked scary, but sometimes she didn't even notice and got used to it.
"I don't want to turn on the light, so I put a flashlight by the bedside. I'll take it when I go downstairs later." Chen Ji moved very gently, carefully applying the ointment, which felt cool and comfortable.
Xu Ruantang lowered her eyes, staring blankly at his sharply defined profile.
After applying the medicine, Chen Ji helped her pull up her nightgown, only to find her lost in thought again when he looked up. "What are you thinking about?"
He suddenly moved closer, and Xu Ruantang blinked. "No, it's just that it's not what I imagined. According to the usual script, shouldn't you have said that you would carry me to the bathroom at night from now on?"
Chen Ji chuckled lightly, "Or should I go in your place?"
Xu Ruantang rolled onto the bed, wrapped in a towel, and said, "Sure enough, men are all big pigs; they can change their minds so quickly."
When they were courting, they called each other "baby"; once they had each other, they called each other "darling"; when they were happy, they called each other "wife"; but when they argued, they were called "crazy."
She lay sprawled on the bed, one leg draped over Chen Ji, and sighed heavily, "Being a woman means relaxing and not taking men to heart."
Chen Ji looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Having such a mouth is truly your blessing."
"Life is so boring, and toads are commenting on humans. Who are you?" Xu Ruantang glanced at him sideways. "Marrying me is a sign of your good taste, marrying you is my bad luck."
That little mouth kept talking, shutting Chen Ji down completely.
Chen Ji, however, had no temper and simply loved her vibrant personality.
......
For the next few days, Xu Ruantang left early and returned late every day.
She was forced into it.
Whether it was because her godmother and Aunt Liu were too excited about doing business, or because middle-aged and elderly people simply couldn't sleep, they waited for her to come downstairs early every day.
They didn't rush her, they just told her that they had prepared breakfast and eaten, and then sat and waited for Xu Ruantang.
Not wanting them to be too tired, Xu Ruantang didn't hold any complicated opening ceremony; she simply opened the door to do business.
At first, there weren't many people in the shop. Most of them were people who came to Qiu Ji Pastry Shop to have an iced drink after shopping in the Xifo Temple Market.
Xu Ruantang organized her previous design drafts in the store, and even wore the finished clothes to take color photos to hang in the store.
She deliberately didn't make too many, just six or seven dress styles, three sets of pajamas, and two sets of middle-aged and elderly shirts.
Some people brought their own fabric to have clothes made, and others saw the colorful photos on the wall and thought they looked nice, so they asked someone to make a dress based on the photos.
Aunt Liu and her godmother were quite satisfied with making three or four pieces a day. They chatted and sewed clothes, and time flew by.
Even when no one is talking in the shop, Sister Juan will come over.
With Qiu Liang around, Xu Ruantang was not worried about anyone causing trouble or bullying the two elderly people, as she was busy with other tasks.
Xu Ruantang was unaware that it was because she left early and returned late that she managed to avoid several evil spirits.
For the past two days, strangers have been loitering in front of the compound gate, asking everyone they meet if they know Xu Ruantang, saying they're here to visit relatives.
There were sentries at the entrance, but they only dared to linger in the distance. They hadn't managed to catch anyone for several days and even began to suspect that they had come to the wrong place.
As usual, Xu Ruantang picked up Xiaobao on the weekend and ran into Wang Xiuxiu and Lu Xiaozhao when she took her back to the compound.
Wang Xiuxiu brought a bunch of groceries and insisted that Xu Ruantang come to her house, saying she would make her some stir-fried chicken.
Halfway there, they ran into Li Shuhe again.
Li Shuhe came specifically to find Xu Ruantang, but Wang Xiuxiu also dragged her to her house.
As for Xiao Bao, Lu Xiao Zhao had been carefully leading him forward, protecting him as they walked, and even wanted to hug him after a few steps.
Unfortunately, Xiao Bao was so chubby that he couldn't lift him, and his little face turned red from exhaustion.
The group arrived at Wang Xiuxiu's house. She opened the door and let everyone in, then turned and went next door to call Liu Xue.
Looking at her bright and clean home, Xu Ruantang thought back to the stench she had experienced last time she visited; it was a world of difference.
Liu Xue arrived quickly, her face full of gossip.
As soon as the door closed, she poured water while sighing, "Last time we went to the hospital, Zhang Li said she wanted to divorce Hao Jianjun, right? Guess what's going on now?"
Wang Xiuxiu brought a small stool and sat down to pick celery. Hearing this, she looked up and asked, "Didn't you persuade her to stop back then? I've been busy lately and didn't even know how she was feeling."
"Sigh, forget it." Liu Xue sighed again. "In this situation, why is she still making a fuss about divorce? What will happen if she does get divorced?"
Xu Ruantang was also shocked. The doctor had said that it might fall off on its own, but who would have thought that the result would be the worst?
"Everyone saw it that day. Hao Jianjun's attitude was so bad. I guess Sister Zhang Li just wanted to make a scene so he would coax her." Xu Ruantang guessed, "Didn't she say that her family came? It's normal for her to make a scene, otherwise she would have nowhere to vent her anger."
Xu Ruantang didn't actually believe Zhang Li would get a divorce. Hao Jianjun had treated her like that for a long time, so if he wanted a divorce, he wouldn't have waited until now.
Besides, in this day and age, especially a military marriage, divorce shouldn't be so easy.
Besides, given her current situation, staying together is the best option.
It wasn't that she discriminated against anyone, but after living here for a long time, she found that women in this era had far too few choices, unlike in later generations.
Divorced, without stable employment, it's difficult to even survive.
"Your family? They've come." Liu Xue's face was full of sarcasm. "When your daughter encountered such a big problem, the first thing your family did was apologize to your husband's family, saying that they hadn't disciplined their daughter properly, which led to this situation."
Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but ask, "Huh? No matter how you look at it, the Hao family is the one who went too far. What were her parents thinking?"
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