She knew the importance of going to work in the fields; him working a day meant a day's food for the family, yet she had failed at a critical moment. "Are you tired? I feel better and can walk on my own." She noticed that the scarf around his neck had loosened, so she reached out and tightened it for him.
Qin Jin was scorched by the warmth of her fingertips, and a strange sensation rose up in his heart. It had been like this last night—as soon as she touched him, he would feel an unbearable restlessness all over his body. This inexplicable feeling caused panic, and he scolded, "Don't mess around!"
Li Qiao: "..." So fierce.
Arriving at the clinic, the doctor asked her a few questions, gave her a hot water bottle, and told her to fill it with hot water in the evening to warm her stomach. The doctor also urged her to drink more brown sugar water before sending her off.
Li Qiao walked back home and heard voices as she approached. They were coming from Old Mrs. Qin's room. She said, "Grandma, we're back."
Old Mrs. Qin opened the door and called Li Qiao into the room, asking with concern, "What did the doctor say?"
Li Qiao first greeted the grandmas and sisters-in-law seated there, then relayed the doctor's instructions.
Old Mrs. Qin then ordered Qin Jin to make the brown sugar water.
Qin Jin: Does she not have hands?
Peng Chunhua, another newly arrived daughter-in-law in the village, laughed and said, "Qiaoqiao is really blessed to have married Jin. She doesn't have to do anything and even has someone to take care of her. Unlike me, getting up early in the morning to prepare meals for the whole family, serving the men, and shoveling snow. Today, Jin missing work is a big loss."
The implication was that Li Qiao was lazy and a hindrance, unlike herself, who was virtuous and brought prosperity to her husband.
Old Mrs. Qin picked up on it and countered without leaving a trace. "Qiaoqiao's fate is incomparable to your hardworking life."
Peng Chunhua was choked up.
Li Qiao snickered.
"Li Qiao! The brown sugar water is ready," Qin Jin called her by her full name.
"Coming." Li Qiao went to the next room to drink the brown sugar water. The bland sweetness spread out from her tongue, and the ordinary sugar water tasted surprisingly delicious in her mouth.
Thinking back to her previous life of luxurious clothing and exquisite food, and now to her barely-satisfied hunger, her nose soured and tears couldn't stop flowing.
Qin Jin scoffed, "It's not even hot, why cry?"
Li Qiao sobbed softly, "You're too fierce. I didn't mean to hold you back from work."
Qin Jin's eyes widened in surprise, pointing at himself. Fierce? He had missed work, but what did he say?
The evildoer complains first.
It was cold outside, and he had gone into the river to save someone, not only to receive no praise but also to be falsely accused.
It didn't matter to be falsely accused; he had a green hat on his head.
Even with the green hat, he still had to serve her as if she were a revered ancestor.
The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. Rolling up his sleeves, he threatened, "Like crying, do you? I'll give you a couple of slaps to make sure you cry more heartily!"
Li Qiao immediately fell silent out of fear, her tearful eyes looking at him with a grievance, her face still wet with tears.
Before they were married, he had seen her cry too, pressing her eyes tight together to squeeze out tears and shouting at him shamelessly, calling him a toad lusting after a swan's flesh.
The person in front of him seemed to have changed; when she cried, she didn't blink, allowing her tears to fall freely, pitiful and naive in a way that evoked compassion.
No matter his attitude, she never cursed at him and would even greet him with a smile.
Somewhere along the line, he began to feel distressed for her.
Outside, someone called for Qin Jin, snapping him back to reality. A girl shows good attitude, and he feels distressed—isn't that just masochistic?
He let out another cold snort and walked out the door.
After calming her emotions, Li Qiao finished the remaining brown sugar water and filled a hot water bottle to warm her stomach.
Then she sat down at the desk and opened her books, knowing that only by studying hard could she leave this place.
She had roughly flipped through the books and made a study plan suited for herself. She dove into it, and before she knew it, a day had passed.
In the evening, Li Qiao noticed the rabbit tearing at its own fur and thought it had gone mad. She quickly pointed it out to Old Mrs. Qin.
Old Mrs. Qin, with her extensive experience, joyfully said, "The rabbit is going to give birth. It's good we didn't eat it yesterday."
The granddaughter and grandmother waited for over two hours, and the gray rabbit gave birth to three soft and pink little baby rabbits.
Li Qiao loves it so much, it's so cute. It's too late, she yawns and returns to her room to wash up and go to bed.
She wakes up in the middle of the night to find no one beside her. Was she captured again?
Just as she is about to go back to sleep, the door creaks open, and the young man, covered in cold dew, strips off his clothes and heads straight for the bed.
Li Qiao holds down the blanket, "You're not even washing your feet."
"You scared the hell out of me!" Qin Jin says nonchalantly, "What does it matter to you if I wash my feet or not? You don't have to smell them."
Li Qiao sighs helplessly, "I can't stand you, you're really rude."
Qin Jin flares up, "Cai Hechuan isn't rude, then why didn't he want you? Don't think just because Old Mrs. Qin is nice to you that you can be so self-important. Do you really think she cares about you? Isn't she just considering my face? Just wait and see! If you don't have a child within two years, she will drive you out of the house."
Li Qiao cries out of anger.
The whimpers, like those of a small, abandoned creature, make Qin Jin's heart wrench in discomfort. What's gotten into him? Her accusations against him were even harsher than this.
In the tranquil environment, the soft, barely audible sobs strike his heart like a drum.
He can't take it anymore and softens his tone, "Okay, I'll go wash, is that better?"
Feeling extremely wronged, Li Qiao nonetheless manages a faint nod, constrained by her circumstances.
"Geez! I'm totally cursed to have you for a wife."
Li Qiao thinks to herself she's the one who's even more cursed, hearing a soft rustling noise as he clearly slides into bed.
Qin Jin hisses, "Your feet are as cold as ice out there." If anyone dares to say in front of him that a wife's bed is warm, he would never let it go!
Li Qiao silently moves her legs away, turns her back to him, and closes her eyes to sleep, but in just a few seconds, the young man suddenly presses against her back.
Li Qiao struggles lightly, and he immediately lets go. It's not long before his arms and legs wrap around her, and his face leans onto her neck.
She pushes him away with her elbow, but he simply grabs her hand and holds it down.
She says huffily, "You despise me and yet you hug me; what exactly do you want?"
After a long wait with no response, she turns her head to find him asleep.
Li Qiao is exasperated, "...Falls asleep in a second and uses me as a pillow?"
...
In the morning when Li Qiao wakes up, there's no one beside her. She doesn't see him at breakfast either, and, to show concern, she asks Old Mrs. Qin about him.
Old Mrs. Qin responds, "He's such a big guy; why do you need to worry about him?"
Alright, if Grandma isn't worried, then she won't worry either.
The sun rises higher.
Li Qiao moves a stool to the doorway to sit and read in the sun.
"Wow, you're really studious."
Li Qiao looks up to see Peng Chunhua, who had come by for a visit the day before, stepping into the courtyard. She looks around and asks, "Is Old Mrs. Qin not at home?"
"Hello, Sister-in-law, Grandma has gone visiting," Li Qiao closes her book, goes inside, and brings out another stool. "Please, take a seat."
Right after Peng Chunhua sits down, the production team leader comes by to remind her to notify Qin Jin not to forget to feed the pigs and clean the sty tomorrow.
"Jin went out today; I don't know if he'll be back tonight. Can I do it?" Li Qiao says.
"Of course."
Li Qiao then inquires about the location of the pig farm, says goodbye to the team leader, and chats leisurely with Peng Chunhua.
Before long, she has a clear understanding of the collective's division of labor and the relationships between different households.
In this village, aside from the educated youth, only the Qin family and the Zhou family at the west end of the village are outsiders.
The rest are all surnamed Feng, hence the village is named Feng Family Village, but even those with the surname Feng have varying degrees of kinship.
While mentioning this, Peng Chunhua says with a touch of pride, "My father-in-law and the head of the commune are brothers. I was even matched with Qin Jin from your family at one point. My father disapproved of the match, saying the Qin family was too poor and had a bad reputation, that they wouldn't amount to much. He disagreed, and I ended up marrying into this village after all. I feel a little guilty seeing him around."