Under the old lady's coercion, Zhao Moyan and Xiaotian finally consummated their marriage that night. Two complete strangers, forced into this situation, could hardly experience the joys of intimacy; they merely went through the motions. Soon after, Zhao Moyan got up and left the room. Xiaotian lay expressionless on the bed, tears still clinging to her eyes. Later, the old lady's illness worsened, and Xiaotian busied herself caring for her. Zhao Moyan stayed by her bedside every day, and nothing more came of it between them. Before her death, the old lady called Xiaotian to her bedside and gave her the jade hairpin she had worn on her wedding day, hoping she would protect the family and leave descendants for the Zhao family. Xiaotian was flustered and didn't know what to do, but she nodded in agreement. After the old lady passed away, Zhao Moyan became even more silent and indifferent towards Xiaotian. Even when Xiaotian prepared meals and brought them to him, he wouldn't eat, only drinking water. He knelt before the mourning hall, keeping vigil for the old lady until her burial. Only then did he eat. Almost half a month had passed since the old lady's funeral. Zhao Moyan wrote a divorce agreement, packed his belongings, and pawned all the valuables in his house. The next morning, he gave Xiaotian the two taels of silver, the land deed, and the divorce agreement, telling her to remarry. The silver was compensation, and the house was left to her; she could live there if she wanted, or buy it if she didn't. From then on, they would owe each other nothing and each live happily ever after. Xiaotian tried several times to beg him to stay, but ultimately just silently accepted Zhao Moyan's arrangement. After Zhao Moyan left, Tianyu could sense Xiaotian's resentment, but she was helpless, only hating her bad luck. The villagers only knew that Zhao Moyan had gone to take the imperial examinations, and no one did anything to her. But as time went on, some people still gossiped behind her back. She promised the old lady she would take care of the family and hoped Zhao Moyan would return. Later, she discovered she was several months pregnant, and for a time she was overjoyed, thinking that Zhao Moyan would surely return once he found out, and she would finally fulfill her promise to the old lady. After giving birth to Tangyuan, it was the twelfth lunar month, and no one was there to care for her. The hardships of life made her depressed. Coupled with the lack of news from Zhao Moyan, her young age, illiteracy, and already timid and introverted nature, coupled with the absence of relatives and the inability to properly care for Tangyuan, her mental state gradually deteriorated. However, forced by circumstances, she could only numbly accept it, occasionally venting her resentment on Tangyuan. The longer time passed, the less news from Zhao Moyan came, and life worsened. She lost hope and stopped caring for Tangyuan, only occasionally showing concern when she remembered she was still a mother. Tangyuan lived a difficult life in this environment, learning housework at a young age and also taking care of Xiaotian.
Watching Xiaotian's ordeal in her dream, Tianyu felt a pang of pity for her. Xiaotian was still just a child; how could she bear so many blows from fate? She thought of students her age today, who, despite being bullied at school, often commit suicide or suffer mental breakdowns. Moreover, Xiaotian had fled, watching her loved ones leave one by one, finally arriving here thinking she could live a happy life. But fate played a cruel joke on her; her husband was heartless, leaving her without mercy in the end. In a society where a woman was expected to follow her husband wherever he pleased, and men were everything, how could a woman who suffered such a fate not go mad or become depressed? The final scene showed Xiaotian lying unconscious in bed, Tangyuan clinging to her, calling for her mother. Suddenly, Tianyu understood. Xiaotian wanted to tell her that she was worried about Tangyuan, but life was so hard, exceeding her capacity to bear it. Tianyu whispered in Xiaotian's ear, "Don't worry, I understand. I will take good care of Tangyuan and protect this family." A tear rolled down Xiaotian's cheek as she lay unconscious.
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