Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

Shu Yun went to open the door, but the moment she opened it, everything went black. Just a few steps away, she saw several dead rats lying neatly in a row.

As she got closer, Shu Yun could even smell a faint stench of decay, and she took a step back, her face pale.

At this moment, Shu Yun saw the kitten beside her, which had a mouse that wasn't quite dead yet, in its mouth.

The kitten didn't understand Shu Yun's fear. It tilted its head, took a few steps toward Shu Yun on its four little legs, and pushed the dead mouse on the ground with its little paws, as if it wanted to feed her.

Shu Yun was shocked. Ignoring the meowing kitten, she slammed the door shut.

Then, she immediately closed all the doors and windows to prevent the kitten from bringing in the dead mouse.

The kitten meowed outside for a long time, but Shu Yun didn't open the door. She huddled inside, shivering, until Gu Jun came home and rescued her.

At this time of day, Shu Yun would usually sit alone under the tree to rest, but today there was no one there, and the courtyard was quiet.

He called out, "Xiaoyun, I'm back."

Shu Yunben was lying listlessly on the table, but he perked up a bit when he heard the sound and hurriedly went to the door and called out, "Gu Jun, Gu Jun, I'm here. There are so many dead rats on the ground, I'm too scared to go out."

Gu Jun frowned, clearly disgusted by the pair of bloody dead rats. "Who put them here?"

As he went to the wall to get a broom, he reassured them, "Wait a moment, I'll take care of them right away."

Shu Yun hummed in response, her voice weak and feeble: "It's still that same little kitten from before."

Gu Jun was surprised, "Did it bring this?"

Gu Jun swept the entire courtyard entrance area and rinsed it with water before letting Shu Yun come out.

As soon as Shu Yun opened the door, the kitten jumped down from the eaves, startling Shu Yun so much that she screamed and hid in Gu Jun's arms.

Gu Jun quickly hugged the kitten, comforting it while shooing it away with a broom. The kitten dared not approach any further and obediently squatted to one side, meowing in confusion.

Shu Yun peeked out from Gu Jun's arms and could still see suspicious red bloodstains on the kitten's whiskers.

"Don't be afraid, it won't dare to come over." Gu Jun said, lifting the kitten by the neck with one hand. The kitten's four paws were dangling in the air. It struggled uncomfortably for a few moments, but it couldn't break free at all and could only hang in the air like a limp noodle.

Shu Yun nestled in Gu Jun's arms, glaring at the kitten as she lectured, "You're not allowed to do such naughty things next time, or I won't feed you any treats."

The kitten couldn't understand human speech, but blinked its big, watery eyes and meowed innocently.

Gu Jun guessed, "It's probably because you fed it a lot of good food a few days ago. It knows how to repay kindness, so it specially caught so many mice for you to eat."

Shu Yun sighed helplessly, "I don't need this favor."

Meanwhile, at Granny Jiang's house next door, Kong Ping had just finished drinking the lactation-boosting soup. Suppressing the nausea rising in her throat, she wiped her mouth, observed Granny Jiang's expression, and tentatively asked:

“Mom, I think I’ve almost recovered. Xiaoyan and Xiaoxia have been staying in the countryside for years, and I haven’t seen them for several years. Why don’t you bring them over? I can take good care of several children.”

Granny Jiang squinted and said bluntly, "What are you talking about? What's so great about taking in two little girls? They're just eating Genbao's food for nothing, Genbao, don't you think so?"

Granny Jiang teased the baby still in her arms, her face filled with kindness once again.

"Let's just stay in the countryside. When he's older, we can find someone to marry and use the money to pay for Genbao's dowry."

Kong Ping timidly retorted, "They're still young."

Granny Jiang snorted coldly and glanced sideways, "You just lie in bed and rest. Don't think about any nonsense. If you think too much, your milk will get blocked and you won't be able to come out. Do you think I'll throw you back to the countryside with you?"

Kong Ping flinched upon hearing this, and Granny Jiang continued, "And you shouldn't think about those two girls anymore. Once you're feeling better, try to have a few more chubby grandsons."

Hearing this, Kong Ping's face showed even more sorrow. In this family, her husband was like an old man as soon as he came home, never lifting a finger to help with anything, big or small. His mother, Jiang, was in charge of everything, and Jiang was a formidable woman. Kong Ping had absolutely no standing in the family.

If it weren't for the fact that she gave birth to a son this time, she probably would have been sent back long ago, and a new bride might have already been married into the family.

She recalled the two pitiful eyes in her memory and couldn't help but want to speak again, but Granny Jiang waved her hand to stop her, "Listen, there's a sound."

The two women fell silent. Granny Jiang's head was almost touching the wall, so she couldn't hear clearly, but both of them heard Shu Yun's scream from next door. They exchanged a glance, and Granny Jiang immediately became gloating. Although Kong Ping didn't show it, the emotion flashing in her eyes was one of pleasure.

Granny Jiang then had something to say, turning to Kong Ping and saying, "You heard that too, didn't you? They're beating their daughter-in-law. You'd be hard-pressed to find a family as good as ours. Someone like you would be beaten to death if you went to their house. So, let's just enjoy our current life and not be ungrateful for our good fortune."

Kong Ping nodded in deep agreement, "Mom, you're so good."

Granny Jiang nodded. "It's good that you know."

Despite the two people imagining it as a chaotic mess, Shu Yun and Gu Jun were doing their housework in a clear and orderly manner, with clear division of labor.

Gu Jun cooked the last fish he had kept in the bucket, while Shu Yun took down all the clothes hanging in the yard, folded them neatly, and put them in the wardrobe.

Shu Yun said to Gu Jun, "I heard from Sister Tian that when she came here back then, she was going to treat everyone to a meal. We've been here for a few days now, should we treat everyone too?"

Gu Jun thought for a moment, "If you're not tired, then do it. There's no requirement to invite anyone."

Seeing that the fish in the pot was almost cooked, Gu Jun picked up a piece of meat for Shu Yun to taste.

Shu Yun made the decision: "Then let's have a feast. These past few days, our sisters-in-law have been very helpful to us since we moved here. Go and ask about the time first. If there are no problems, let's set it for next week and invite some close friends over for a simple meal."

Gu Jun agreed, and Shu Yun tugged at Gu Jun's sleeve again, shaking it gently twice, "Gu Jun."

Her voice was soft and sweet, making Gu Jun's ears tingle.