Zhao Xiaoyu was awakened by Ye Zhaoqiu's sharp voice. She scooped up a ladle of water, pulled aside the curtain, and splashed it onto Ye Zhaoqiu's face.
"Are you awake now? No one is obligated to constantly indulge you. If you want to yell, go outside and yell."
"You, you... Zhao Xiaoyu, how can you speak to me like that? I am your elder. On what grounds do you treat me this way?"
"I'll say what I want. What kind of elder are you? Just because this room isn't inhabited by you alone."
"Zhao Wencong, look at your daughter. I am your legally married wife, not a homewrecker. Why aren't you disciplining her properly?"
Zhao Xiaoyu shoved her hands into her pockets, not even looking at Ye Zhaoqiu directly, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"
"Go change your clothes. It's time to go to work."
Zhao Wencong left after speaking. Having heard Ye Zhaoqiu's hysterical shouting and recalling the grain from that morning, he understood everything.
Ye Zhaoqiu's cheat, her ability to conjure things out of thin air, was gone. This made him her sole support.
Given her nature, she would cling to him tightly. If she reverted to her former image of a virtuous wife and loving mother, his daughter would certainly not suffer.
Ye Zhaoqiu wiped her face, her emotions immediately calming. She took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Xiaoyu with feigned affection.
"Xiaoyu, Auntie didn't mean to be harsh with you just now. Auntie just encountered a difficult situation and lost control of her emotions for a moment. You can forgive Auntie, right?"
"Hmph."
Zhao Xiaoyu snorted and turned away. Ye Zhaoqiu's face immediately fell. She kicked the bed a few times in frustration and impatiently changed her clothes.
She was distracted all day, muttering to herself from time to time. It wasn't until evening that she completely accepted the fact that her spatial ability was gone.
Looking at Zhao Wencong's back, she naturally wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her body against him.
"Wencong, is there something I'm doing wrong? Is there a misunderstanding between us?"
Zhao Wencong brushed her hands away. "Don't touch me. We have to work tomorrow. There's no misunderstanding. It was good just like before."
Ye Zhaoqiu's tears began to flow. "When does 'before' start? You weren't like this with me before.
What am I doing wrong? Tell me, and I can change. I truly like you, or I wouldn't have been willing to come here with you.
I treated Xiaoyu and the others as my own children. I worked myself to death every day, and I made sure they had their fill of food.
A stepmother who does this much is already considered excellent. What else are you unhappy about?"
Zhao Wencong closed his eyes and said nothing. Ye Zhaoqiu cried even harder.
"Are you upset that I haven't had children for you? But in our current situation, raising two children is already difficult enough.
My first husband constantly cursed me as a barren hen. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I divorced him.
I know you're educated and capable, not like that worthless man. That's why I was willing to open my heart and accept this relationship.
In the end, you're the same. You look down on me too. Why is my life so bitter? What's the point of me living anymore? Woo woo woo~"
"Are you done acting? I can see through your little schemes at a glance. Even a blind person can see your condescending and disdainful attitude. Xiaoyu and the others aren't stupid.
You look down on coarse grains, so you give them the better portions, always trying to make them remember your kindness and repay you in the future. I made it clear to you before marriage that my intention in finding a wife was to take good care of my two children.
Therefore, I don't need you to have children. It is your greed, calculation, and pettiness that have made me see clearly."
"I was just overwhelmed by the sudden blow. I am just a weak woman. I did these things only to make my own life a little better.
I have no children, and in my old age, I can only rely on Xiaoyu and them. I want them to remember my kindness towards them. I was just too eager.
I truly have no ill intentions, Wencong, you must believe me. I will definitely correct these small flaws. Can we go back to how we were when we first got married?"
"No, we can't go back."
"Zhao Wencong, do you have any conscience at all? Do you know how difficult it is for a woman to live on a farm?"
"I know. I've implicated you. I will protect you, but I can't give you more than that."
Ye Zhaoqiu knew there was no hope for them. Angrily, she turned away. The next day, she didn't even bother with superficial pretense.
Everyone was smart enough not to mention the spatial ability again. They secretly took out the grain to eat.
Their living quarters were very secluded, and the villagers didn't like to come over unless necessary. Fine grains were mixed with coarse grains, and even Ye Zhaoqiu didn't notice anything amiss.
...
Zhao Zhili's head swam. Without realizing it, his sickle cut his left hand.
At first, he didn't feel any pain. When he discovered he was bleeding, he realized he was injured and gasped in pain.
"Oh my, his hand is bleeding a lot."
"Good heavens, did he cut off his finger? Zhao, how are you feeling?"
"I'm talking to you. Can you hear me?"
Zhao Zhili shook his head at them, looked around, found a few clumps of blood grass, crushed them with a stone, and applied them to his wound.
He pressed down with his hand to ensure the herb wouldn't fall off, then bent down to continue cutting pig feed.
"Does he have some kind of illness? He won't even say a word."
"Let's ignore him. My grandmother said it's never good to get involved with them. No one in our village likes their family."
"He doesn't interact with people, completely lacking in manners. I heard they came from a big city. Does he look down on us?"
"Tch, their family is now trying to make a living in our village. The last time Li Ergou and the others beat him up, he didn't even dare to squeak."
"He only has a good-looking face. My elder brother, at his age, is already working in the fields, yet he's here with us children cutting pig feed. He has no shame."
"What girl would dare marry someone like him in the future? He'll probably have to rely on a young girl to support him, hahaha~"
No matter how they taunted and mocked him, Zhao Zhili never replied, not even with an expression. These people found him uninteresting and let him go, stopping their jibes.
Seeing them leave, Zhao Zhili finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to rest. Despite being children, they were fierce fighters, and there were many of them.
Even if he miraculously won, their families had plenty of brothers, and he wouldn't stand a chance.
He had learned this behavior after suffering a few losses. He stored all this humiliation in his heart, waiting for a comeback and to return it all later.
After finishing cutting the pig feed, he shook his head fiercely, trying to clear his head. Slinging the basket onto his back, he picked up his sickle and headed back.
Several children were already lined up to hand in their pig feed. Those who came later also ignored him and cut in front of him.
The person scoring the work pretended not to see. Zhao Zhili could only sit aside to rest with his basket on his back.
Several children made faces at him. "Peh, useless thing, spineless coward."
The person scoring also looked down on his behavior. In the end, he only credited him with one work point.
Zhao Zhili had no backing to resist and could only accept it silently, making a mental note to settle the score with these people.
"Hahaha, little coward, let's go. Do you think he's crying?"
"He's definitely wetting himself. We should have come earlier and cut in front of him. He has no masculinity at all."
"Then let's come earlier tomorrow and make him the last one to leave, hahaha."
...