If flowers bloom, youth will naturally follow.

Brother Ma saw that he was clever and ambitious, so he hired him to work for him and run some business. The treatment he received was far better than what he could get at his small company.

Xia Donghai lived up to expectations. He had a thick skin that couldn't be pierced by a needle, and a silver tongue. Within a week of taking office, he helped Brother Ma secure a major deal that was about to be abandoned.

Brother Ma treated him with special regard, taking good care of him, teaching him how to be a person and how to do things, and creating a feeling of being both a teacher and a friend. He even trained him to work in a very lucrative business.

Xia Donghai is indeed very clever, with many unorthodox ideas and a series of shady operations, which have increased the profits of this already lucrative business by another 50%, making Brother Ma often sigh inwardly, "I am still too honest."

Xia Donghai worked tirelessly to figure out how to make money so he could go home before the baby was born and bring money back to Ma Dongmei so she could live a good life.

Before they knew it, the New Year had passed, winter had gone and spring had come. Xia Donghai estimated that Ma Dongmei was about to give birth, so he asked Brother Ma for leave and wages so he could go back to his hometown to take care of his wife during childbirth.

He was constantly working to earn money, treating people to meals during holidays, and he was working at full capacity. He figured that his salary and commission from Brother Ma should amount to more than three thousand yuan (which was a lot).

Brother Ma is usually very particular, and he doesn't hesitate to give money either. He gave him 10,000 yuan right away: "Drive back home, bring your wife with you after she gives birth, don't let her suffer alone at home. When you come back, come work with your brother, and we'll do a good job together."

……

After Xia Donghai left the village, he disappeared without a trace. The villagers who had taken him away returned to the village and told everyone they met, "He's a hopeless case. Xia Donghai is a vagrant who can't handle any hard work. I wonder where he's gone to make quick money again! He's probably already in jail by now."

The saying "three men can make a tiger" spread quickly and became: "I heard Xia Donghai is in jail. Alas, it's just a pity for that silly girl Dongmei."

Soon, these words reached the ears of both sets of parents. While both sides were cursing Xia Donghai, they also became less attentive to Ma Dongmei.

Her in-laws hated Xia Donghai for disgracing them and disliked Ma Dongmei, an extra burden, so she naturally wouldn't try to win him over. Her parents also hated Ma Dongmei for not listening to advice and insisting on marrying that rogue Xia Donghai, and they often mocked her, so she gradually stopped going back to her parents' home.

Ma Dongmei endured the most difficult year of her life while heavily pregnant. Her in-laws didn't care, her parents didn't love her, and she had to harvest the autumn crops and celebrate the New Year alone.

Xia Donghai had a few poor brothers who would help her with whatever chores they could whenever they had time.

Xia Donghai didn't go home for the New Year. Winter passed and spring came. As her due date approached, there was still no news of Xia Donghai. Ma Dongmei's belly grew bigger day by day. With her belly growing bigger, there were more and more rumors in the village and her heart gradually cooled.

Just when Ma Dongmei's belly was getting too big to bear and she was about to give in to her parents, Xia Donghai drove home like a hero.

He kept honking his horn, and amidst the whispers of the villagers asking, "Who is this? Who's driving this car?", he drove to the dilapidated little house that didn't even have a wall around it, just a wooden enclosure.

Xia Donghai carried large and small bags into the house. The outer room was not much warmer than the open air. There was leftover rice from the morning, half a bowl of porridge, and a bowl of pickled vegetables on the chopping board.

Xia Donghai was taken aback. Ma Dongmei should be about to give birth, so why was the room so cold? Was this what she ate? He took two steps to lift the curtain and enter the inner room. When he saw Ma Dongmei, his joy turned into a pang of heartache.