Chapter 77

Uncle Ye chuckled quietly to himself. After finishing his meal, he gently touched his wife’s belly.

“Chunhua, Tieniu? Are you asleep? Daddy’s off to work now…” he called softly, greeting the baby by its little nickname.

Then, without being asked, Uncle Ye carried a pile of firewood into the yard and began chopping.

Xiao He stood beside him, wiping his sweat. Although her husband had retired from the army and still had a bad leg, she had already prepared herself for a hard life when she married into the Ye family. She had never dared to dream of such good days as now.

Uncle Ye was diligent. Even with his limp, he rushed to do as much work as he could.

Since he returned home from the army last year, the Ye family’s work-points at the year-end tally had gone up by a full two thousand. This year he even had hopes of being named a “Model Laborer.”

That gave Uncle Ye even more drive to work hard.

In his own heart, he had his reckoning too.

Everyone in the village said Shui’ya had married well. Ever since she married, the Ye family had been living comfortably, blessed by her educated husband. They had climbed to higher branches thanks to him.

That was true—Uncle Ye admitted it himself. Half the money to build the new house had come from his niece’s husband.

But Uncle Ye resolved that he too would earn money for the household, so that outsiders wouldn’t look down on them.

Someday he would save enough to pay back his nephew-in-law for the house. After all, Shui’ya was no worse than anyone else. That young man from the Xie family was just lucky to have gotten her!

So Xiao He watched her husband finish chopping wood, then go fetch water, feed the chickens and pigs, never pausing for breath after their meal—working tirelessly, never idle for a moment.

Ye Qingshui, meanwhile, finished every last grain of rice in her bowl. She wiped her mouth. She really did eat a lot these days, as if she’d been starved in a past life. The more she ate, the stronger she felt—now she could carry eight full buckets of water in one go.

Xie Tingyu also ate three bowls of rice.

With two more strong men in the household, the family’s grain share at year-end had doubled. They no longer had to scrimp and ration like before.

Xiao He glanced at the young couple exchanging shy looks. She thought back to something she’d heard in the fields that morning, then reluctantly took out the milk powder she had been saving to drink after childbirth.

She mixed a bowl of warm milk and set it in front of Ye Qingshui. The fragrance filled the air, making mouths water.

Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “Auntie, you drink it yourself. It’s a waste on me.”

She leaned closer and whispered, “I’m not pregnant.”

It was all a misunderstanding—she darted a glance at Xie Tingyu. This was his fault.

Xie Tingyu looked embarrassed, opened his mouth, then smiled politely: “Thank you for your care, Auntie.”

Xiao He was surprised, but quickly smiled knowingly. Everyone in the family could see the couple’s feelings for each other were steadily growing.

“Work hard, Shui-er. You married earlier than your little uncle. Go on, drink the milk and strengthen your body.”

Her hand rested tenderly on her own belly, her face glowing with maternal warmth.

Ye Qingshui’s heart ached as she thought of the child she had once lost.

…

It wasn’t just Auntie Xiao He who misunderstood—Shen Weimin also assumed the couple must be expecting. Back at New Year’s, he had seen how sweet they were together. By now, surely, a child was on the way.

He and Liu Yiliang even discussed what gift they should give to Xie Tingyu.

When he heard about it, Xie Tingyu rubbed his nose awkwardly. “Don’t trouble yourselves. It’s still too soon to think about that.”

Shen Weimin, disappointed at being denied the chance to be “uncle,” pouted. “Too soon? You’ve been married a year already. Time you thought about children.”

Xie Tingyu didn’t know how to explain. Better to keep his mouth shut—any explanation would be humiliating.

As if having children was something one person could decide on their own!

Shen Weimin caught the faint look of frustration on his friend’s face and suddenly laughed out loud. “Brother Yu, don’t tell me you haven’t…?”

Lowering his voice, he muttered: “Don’t waste that handsome face of yours, Brother Yu. Have more kids—one day we’ll marry them into each other’s families.”

Spring came. Life revived everywhere. Bulky winter coats were shed for light spring clothes, and in this southern town, some were already wearing short sleeves.

Outdoors, Xie Tingyu wore his white shirt; at home, he stripped down to a vest.

At night, when Ye Qingshui got up, she often caught sight of him wandering around in nothing but a pair of thin shorts.

Pressed against his burning-hot body, she kissed his cheek apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

Her face flushed with guilt, torn inside. In her last life, she and Xie Tingyu hadn’t consummated until after the college entrance exams—then, unexpectedly, she had conceived. Would that child come again in this life, if things happened earlier?

That baby had accompanied her for several months. Last time, she hadn’t fought hard enough to bring it into the world. She already carried that guilt. Now, if she still chose not to… her regret would never be healed.

She whispered in his ear, “Brother Yu, someday I’ll give you a surprise.”

Xie Tingyu tightened his arms around her waist. She had put on some flesh, and it felt so much more comfortable to hold her.

Soft and irresistible.

Another rejection. His heart ached bitterly. But he only patted her head with understanding. “Sleep. Don’t think so much.”

What “surprise” could compare to the joy of finally getting to eat meat? He couldn’t imagine it.

But instead of surprise, shock soon awaited him.

After the spring plowing, he began to notice people looking at him with eyes full of pity.

Among the male educated youths, it wasn’t so obvious. But when he went to deliver food to his wife in the women’s labor group, the atmosphere was stranger still.

Ye Qingshui put down her hoe, took off her straw hat, and sat under a tree to rest, eating hungrily while watching her husband toil in the sun.

The female educated youths whispered among themselves.

“Who knows how it turned out like this? They looked so good together…”

“And to think I misjudged Ye Qingshui, thought she was a decent one.”

“Don’t stop me—I can’t stand seeing Comrade Xie kept in the dark like this.”

Ye Qingshui frowned, watching the women quarrel. Then one of them raised her voice and called her out:

“Ye Qingshui, how can you still eat at a time like this!”

With righteous anger, she picked up a clod of mud and hurled it.

Ye Qingshui flinched, eyes shut. But Xie Tingyu stepped in front of her.

The muddy lump splattered against his clean shirt. He grunted softly.

His face went cold and sharp, like shards of ice on a snow peak.

Seeing him struck while shielding her, Ye Qingshui was furious. She set aside her food, grabbed the offending woman, and snapped:

“What do you think you’re doing!”

The woman shook her head at Ye Qingshui’s defiance. “What am I doing? I was blind, that’s what. Here—explain this to Comrade Xie!”

From her blouse she pulled a crumpled slip of paper and slapped it into Ye Qingshui’s hand. The thin, worn sheet nearly fell apart as it fluttered to the ground.

Xie Tingyu bent down and picked it up.

It was an abortion certificate. In the lower corner, blurred but unmistakable, was the name: Ye Qingshui.

At the sight of her name, Ye Qingshui froze as if struck by lightning. Her eyelid twitched; instinctively, she glanced at Xie Tingyu.

His expression was unreadable. He quickly scanned the document, folded it, and tucked it into his pocket. His voice was icy as he told the others:

“This is false. I expect sensible people to stop spreading lies. And I will find out who forged this paper.”

The brigade leader, oblivious, called out nearby: “End of work! Team leaders, collect the tools and return them. Everyone be here early tomorrow.”

With the slip in his pocket and his wife’s lunchbox in hand, Xie Tingyu walked home in silence.

Ye Qingshui hurried after him, pulling the paper from his pocket to read it carefully.

The words “People’s Hospital” leapt out at her, sparking a vivid memory. She checked the date—it matched exactly what had happened in that time.

She knew at once. And fury rose in her chest.

Xie Tingyu’s face was dark as he entered the house and slammed the door with a “bang.” He was truly furious.

Nervously, Ye Qingshui followed him inside, sat down beside him, and fixed her eyes on his cold profile. Then she clutched his shoulder, shook him slightly, and said:

“I’m sorry. It’s not what you think.”

What was he thinking of her now?

Thinking back on her past, one could say it was “full of bad marks.” Her relationship with Xie Tingyu had been cold and distant, and just when it was finally making some progress, this whole mess came up again. Ye Qingshui uneasily lifted her head to look at Xie Tingyu.

She wasn’t even sure how he would see her now.

Looking at the man, his emotions unreadable, his eyes seemed to burn with a hidden flame, his face tense to the point of being frightening. Any man, upon hearing he had been “cuckolded” by his wife, would be furious, right?

Xie Tingyu stayed silent for a long while before pulling her tightly into his arms, pressing his forehead against her cheek, his voice hoarse:

“You don’t need to say sorry. It’s me who should apologize to you.”

Ye Qingshui blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned. The words she had prepared all along instantly lost their purpose.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Xie Tingyu’s voice was hard as iron:

“I didn’t know a person’s malice could be so deep, that they would slander you over and over again. This time, I won’t let her get away with it—”

The veins on his clenched fists bulged.

The instant he had seen that “abortion slip” with her name, it felt like a thunderbolt had struck him—his mind went blank, unable to think at all.

But once he calmed down, he quickly realized there were countless flaws. The pregnancy and abortion dates didn’t match, and Ye Qingshui simply wasn’t that kind of person.

She was in his embrace now, pressed against his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart.

And also, his fury.

His clothes were filthy, he hadn’t even had time to change. Sweat drenched his body, his temples still beaded with it. But Ye Qingshui didn’t dislike it one bit. Instead, she took a deep breath, leaned in, and kissed his lips.

Smiling, she asked:

“You don’t suspect me?”

“What if one day, I really wasn’t happy and went out to find someone else…”

Before she could finish, her backside met his palm.

His hand was as hard as iron sand, the smack making her heart pound with a stinging ache.

Xie Tingyu’s face was dark as he said bluntly:

“Try saying that again and see if I don’t break your legs.”

Words like that were too damaging to a man’s pride.

Thinking about that profiteer who was always contacting his wife, Xie Tingyu found himself hating him more every time. His heart was sharp as a thorn.

Sitting on his lap, Ye Qingshui recalled softly:

“That day, I went to find a hospital for Old Master Zhou—it was that People’s Hospital. When I came out, I bumped into Zhao Yan and He Fang.”

“Zhao Yan’s face was pale, like she was…”

Xie Tingyu gave a low hum of acknowledgment.

He set her down, his gaze locking onto hers:

“Leave this matter to me.”

After they discussed it, Xie Tingyu looked down and suddenly realized the state they were in. His expression instantly darkened.

With his obsession for cleanliness, he quickly stripped off his dirty clothes and put on something fresh. Looking back at Ye Qingshui, his temple twitched.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice husky with apology:

“Shui’er, your clothes are a bit dirty too, you should change.”

His palm felt hot as he opened the wardrobe to pull out a clean dress.

Meeting his gaze, Ye Qingshui accepted the clothes, her cheeks flushing red.

Xie Tingyu said calmly:

“I won’t look. Change yourself.”

He turned around casually, pulled out a book, and pretended to read with focus.

After the rustle of clothes, Ye Qingshui stood in a fresh blue-and-white dress, her face burning red.

Turning her head, she unexpectedly met a pair of deep black eyes.

The man who had sworn not to look was in fact staring, without the slightest attempt to hide it. Who knew how long he had been watching? Surprised, Ye Qingshui blinked.

Xie Tingyu’s breath hitched, and he hurried to explain:

“I wasn’t looking!”

The sunlight fell on her fair, smooth face; her blushing cheeks were like the most beautiful painting of spring. The sight stirred his chest with restless heat, and Xie Tingyu quickly turned away to suppress it.

Dimples appeared on her cheeks as Ye Qingshui lowered her head with a quiet laugh.

“If you want to look, just tell me. It’s not like I’d stop you.”

—

Late at night, cool as flowing water.

From the women’s dorm at the educated youth spot came the sound of muffled sobbing.

Zhao Yan was crying pitifully, panic in her voice as she asked He Fang:

“Why did you do this?”

He Fang replied:

“I only did it for your own good. You know as well as I do—when Ye Qingshui caught us at the hospital that day, if we didn’t strike first, sooner or later your secret would be exposed. Think about all the times you cursed her behind her back—do you think she’d let you go this time?”

“Right now, she’s the one who should be worrying.”

Everyone in the village had noticed Ye Qingshui’s changes—her body was developing, no longer flat as a bean pod but blossoming like a flower. Behind her back, countless men were already coveting her, even some of the single male educated youths would bring her up from time to time.

He Fang’s mind flashed with Ye Qingshui’s face, twisted in jealousy under the cover of night.

Her voice softened as she said:

“Don’t worry. I saw her and Xie quarreling when I was back in the capital. He won’t trust her anymore—she can’t even protect herself now.”

That New Year’s Eve, He Fang had wandered to the military family compound.

She had seen Ye Qingshui crying and quarreling with Xie Tingyu, clearly on the verge of divorce. Now, seeing them pretend to be a loving couple back in the village, she ground her teeth. No, this marriage had to end!

She gently comforted Zhao Yan:

“The Party secretary promised you, he’ll protect you.”

Author’s Note:

Shui’er: Divorce, divorce, I want a divorce!

Readers: Divorce, hurry up and divorce already!

Author (Ping Shengjun): Divorce, divorce, divorce!

Chapter after chapter, He Fang kept waiting and waiting…

—— The End ——

He Fang, crying after being tricked: “What about the divorce you promised?!”

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