Taoyuan Village.

Thunder rumbled incessantly, and heavy rain poured down.

As soon as Wang Chen pushed open the door to his family's orchard house, his gaze was captivated by the sensational scene on the bed.

There lay a graceful and alluring beauty.

"Even from the back, she's so captivating, her face must be even more beautiful.

I wonder whose daughter she is, if only she could be my wife."

Wang Chen's mind was filled with wild fantasies, but he couldn't help but grimace at his own bitter reality.

To afford medical school, his family was not only dirt-poor but also deep in debt; with his pitiable state, he figured he could never marry such a beautiful wife in his lifetime.

"Ah!"

While Wang Chen was lost in thought, the young woman turned around and, upon seeing a man suddenly standing at the door, let out a scream.

The screech jolted Wang Chen, but it also afforded him a clear view of the woman's features.

The young woman had a stunningly beautiful face, her features as if they had been carefully sculpted, especially her sparkling eyes, which exuded a mesmerizing charm.

In that moment, their eyes met.

"Sister-in-law Li Qian?"

"Wang Chen?!"

Wang Chen asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"

"I was working in the fields and got caught in the rain; my clothes were drenched, and since no one was at your place, I thought I'd seek shelter and dry my clothes," Li Qian paused, "You... weren't you studying in the city? Why did you suddenly come back to the village?"

Wang Chen chuckled awkwardly, "I've graduated."

Li Qian slapped her forehead, "Look at my memory—just a few days ago, your brother Hu was saying you were about to graduate, and he's waiting to have a drink with you once you get back."

"Has Brother Hu not gone out to work this year?" Wang Chen asked.

Li Qian sighed, "Ever since the accident at the mine two years ago, he's been staying in the village."

"What happened?" inquired Wang Chen further.

Li Qian's lips moved slightly, revealing an expression of unspeakable secrecy.

Just as she was trying to figure out how to explain, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"Chenzi, I heard from Widow Yang that you're back. Are you in there?"

"Sounds like Brother Hu's voice," Wang Chen said with a grin, "Just in time to ask him firsthand what exactly happened."

Seeing Wang Chen about to open the door, Li Qian hurriedly said, "Wait a second."

"What's up, Sister-in-law?" Wang Chen asked.

Li Qian gestured to herself, still without clothes, "I'm not dressed yet, and if Zhang Hu sees us like this, he's bound to get the wrong idea."

Wang Chen showed a flustered look, "What should we do then? Should you hurry and get dressed?"

"Chenzi, are you there or not?"

Zhang Hu's voice was already at the doorstep.

Hearing this, Li Qian hastily said, "There's no time, quickly cover me with whatever you brought back."

"Huh?"

"Stop with the huh, look, Hu has changed a lot. If he sees us like this, who knows what crazy thing he might do."

"But can this really work?" Wang Chen asked as he pulled his bedding out of the snakeskin bag.

Li Qian piled Wang Chen's clothes in front of her legs and then covered herself with the bedding, pointing to the space in front of her, "Come sit here. As long as you don't stand up for a while, he won't notice."

Wang Chen was still hesitant, but at that moment, the door opened.

In an instant, Wang Chen hastily sat down, his eyes filled with guilt as he looked towards Zhang Hu.

"You were clearly here, why didn't you answer?"

"Ah... I just got back from a long car ride and fell asleep," Wang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking very unnatural.

Zhang Hu glanced at him, "I even thought you brought a girlfriend home and were afraid I'd see her."

"I'm so poor, what woman would want to be with me?" Wang Chen laughed sheepishly.

Zhang Hu shook his head, "Don't say that. You're the only one in our village who has been to university and learned medicine. In the future, surely lots of young ladies and wives will come to see you"

Wang Chen touched his nose, feeling very uncomfortable all over. Worried that Zhang Hu might discover Li Qian hiding behind him, he quickly shifted the topic, "Hu, did you need me for something?"

Zhang Hu took out a cigarette, lit it, and after taking a puff said, "Brother, I want to ask you for a favor."

"Tell me, as long as I can help, I surely won't hesitate," Wang Chen replied eagerly, since Zhang Hu had not only helped him fund his education but had also taken care of his grandparents' affairs after they passed away. This was a debt of gratitude Wang Chen had to repay.

Zhang Hu sighed, not saying anything directly, but instead took deep puffs of his cigarette.

Looking at Zhang Hu's troubled face, Wang Chen recalled what Li Qian had just said about Zhang Hu having an accident in the mine that changed his personality.

Wang Chen thought that Zhang Hu's issue must be serious.

He raised his hand and patted Zhang Hu's shoulder, "Bro, did something happen to you?"

Zhang Hu put out the cigarette and was about to light another one when Wang Chen stopped him, "Are you trying to drive me crazy with worry?"

Zhang Hu sighed again, "A couple of years ago, there was a cave-in at the mine. The two guys who went down with me were killed on the spot, and although I survived, my thing got smashed."

As he spoke, he pointed down to his lower body.

Seeing this, Wang Chen was taken aback, "This..."

"Now, aside from peeing, it's really just for show," Zhang Hu lit another cigarette and continued, "I've been married to your sister-in-law for four years. At first, we thought we'd earn some money before having kids, but then the accident happened and I didn't make money, nor can we have kids now.

Because of the child issue, it's gotten to the point where the whole village is gossiping. It's also caused my parents to become sick with worry. I haven't told the old folks about my accident, just that we're not in a hurry for kids. We could keep it quiet for a short time, but as time goes by, they're getting more anxious.

Not too long ago, my mother heard someone calling me a dead eunuch and argued with them. Afterwards, she was so upset she took to her bed and couldn't get up, and my dad is too ashamed to meet people because of this"

"You should have made things clear to them," said Wang Chen.

Zhang Hu shook his head, "Can't tell them, no. The fact that we haven't had kids has already made them sick with worry. If they find out my thing is completely ruined, they might just die from the stress."

Hearing this, Wang Chen grimaced, "So, you mean they can't find out."

"Yeah," Zhang Hu sighed, "The old folks are sickly, and your sister-in-law might as well be living like a widow. I'm worried the old folks won't make it a few more years, and I'm afraid your sister-in-law might find someone else. It's driving me almost insane."

"I..." Wang Chen didn't know how to respond and paused before asking, "So what do you want me to do to help?"

Zhang Hu looked up, "You help brother have a child."

"What?" Wang Chen was shocked, "Bro, don't joke around. I'm a man; how can I have a child?"

Zhang Hu shook his head, "I'm not asking you to have it, I'm asking you to..."