Li Min's final words were spoken with such force that Zhang Fangcao felt too stifled to become angry.
"Minmin, I came today just to see if you're feeling better. Do you want to go to a bigger hospital? After all, if a woman can't have children, then... uh, I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to."
Li Min waved her hand at her. "It's alright. Everyone in Kushan knows about my condition. You don't need to remind me, and Suozhu ge knows too."
Chen Suozhu looked up and declared to Li Min, "Minmin, I don't mind. I've already told my grandfather that if we don't have children by the time we're forty, I'll adopt one. I only want you."
Being directly confessed to by this simpleton again, Li Min's face flushed. "You really aren't worried? You're the only child in your family."
"I'm not worried. Children are a matter of fate. Dr. Yang didn't say it was impossible, so let's leave it to fate."
"Suozhu ge, I..." Li Min was touched.
Fearing Li Min might lose her composure and reveal the truth, Chen Suozhu interrupted her. "There's no need to say anything. As long as you and I understand, that's enough."
"Mmm!" Li Min nodded vigorously.
Beside them, Zhang Fangcao gritted her teeth. Why was Li Min, who couldn't have children, still receiving a man's undivided attention?
It was all Tian Jing's fault. Ever since Tian Jing arrived, everything had changed.
Zhengguo ge had changed, Li Min had changed, and this Chen Suozhu had changed too.
Even her husband had changed; he even called out "Jingjing" in his dreams.
In all of Kushan, only Tian Jing had the name "Jing."
She wouldn't let that vixen off the hook. Not only had she stolen Zhengguo ge's heart, but she had also stolen Aiguo's heart. She was determined to make that woman pay.
"Minmin, you and your eldest sister-in-law did a spouse exchange. Why hasn't the Tian family come to pick you up yet?"
The problem must lie here. Why wasn't the spouse exchange done on the same day? Why was it staggered? And why was the person who was exchanged in the Tian Jing, that vixen?
"Comrade Zhang Fangcao, you need evidence for your words. Otherwise, you are slandering. Er Laizi hasn't been released yet. Do you want to accompany him?"
Li Min was not to be trifled with. She used to consider Zhang Fangcao a good friend and treated her with utmost sincerity.
Now that she had seen through the woman, she dared to threaten her. Li Min was not afraid. Even though she was foolish, she had learned at least ten percent of her eldest sister-in-law's shrewdness from being around her.
"Minmin, you've misunderstood me. That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean? Speaking carelessly will incur punishment. If the Tian family finds out you're slandering them, do you think they'll come looking for Accountant Li?"
"However, you've separated from the family. It won't be useful for the Tian family to look for Accountant Li. They should be looking for Li Aiguo."
Li Min's mention of the Tian family made Zhang Fangcao hesitate. The Tian family was numerous, and Tian Yongren was the accountant for Zhangshan Production Brigade, holding the same position as her father-in-law.
"Um, Minmin, did the Tian family know about your engagement?"
"Are you sick?" Li Min raised her voice. "Why should the Tian family know about my engagement? What are they to me?"
"Aren't you related by marriage? Why didn't you invite the Tian family?"
"You had a miscarriage, but I didn't see the Huang family come to see you!" Li Min's mother leaned against the courtyard entrance and answered for her daughter. Her daughter was still too weak; she didn't know how to hit where it hurt.
Her sore spot struck, Zhang Fangcao's face turned dark. "Cousin..."
"You've called me the wrong person," Li Min's mother interrupted her. "Our family has severed ties with Accountant Li's family."
"Aunt Li, for the past three years, even if I haven't done much for you, we've had some pleasant interactions. Why must you hit my sore spot?"
Li Min's mother remained unmoved. "You slander Minmin and Tian Jing so casually. Have you considered those pleasant interactions at all?"
"Fine, I can't win against you two. I'll leave, alright?"
Zhang Fangcao left in a huff.
Li Min's mother watched her retreating back and sighed. She had misjudged Zhang Fangcao, too. Fortunately, she hadn't married her into the family; otherwise...
"Mother-in-law, what are you sighing about?"
Tian Jing came around from the kitchen and heard her mother-in-law sighing.
"Eldest sister-in-law, let me tell you." Li Min saw her elder brother and elder sister-in-law returning and quickly ran over to show off.
Li Min's mother closed her mouth, letting her daughter speak. It was best for her daughter and daughter-in-law to have a good relationship.
Li Min rambled on about her confrontation with Zhang Fangcao and then looked at her eldest sister-in-law, waiting for praise.
Tian Jing nodded slightly. "You've improved. However, when mentioning Er Laizi, you should have insinuated that there might be an ambiguous relationship between them, given that she spoke up for him that day."
"Ah? Isn't that too vicious?"
Tian Jing shook her head. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'The most venomous heart belongs to a woman'? She brought up the matter of your spouse exchange. Why are you still considering her reputation? It's the men on both sides who are condemned for spouse exchange. She showed no mercy to your elder brother."
"Right."
Li Min slapped her thigh. "Why didn't I think of that? Next time, next time she dares to come to me pretending to be nice, I'll definitely retort."
"That's right. To be merciful to enemies is to be cruel to yourself and your loved ones."
Tian Jing picked up a woven basket, dangled it in front of Li Min, then covered it again. "Take it inside for Mother to cook herself."
Rabbit skins? Were they roasted?
Li Min took the basket. "Of course. Do you expect me to do it?"
After saying that, she remembered the fabric patches her eldest sister-in-law had sewn and couldn't help but laugh. "Eldest sister-in-law, while Mother's eyesight is still good, you and elder brother should hurry up and have a baby. Mother can sew clothes for your child, otherwise, hehe."
Tian Jing didn't blush. "Isn't there you? You should quickly learn sewing from Mother. Your nephew's clothes will depend on you."
Li Min: "..." Her? Her sewing skills were only good enough to patch up holes or sew small items.
Seeing the basket full of rabbit skins, and hearing that Tian Tian had roasted them dry on the mountain every day, Li Min's mother's eyes turned red. She had said she wanted to earn her daughter-in-law's sincerity with her own sincerity, and before she could act, her daughter-in-law had already...
It made her feel a bit ashamed.
"Mom~" Li Min saw her mother's eyes redden and felt a pang of sadness too. "It's getting so cold, and eldest sister-in-law is still wearing that corduroy suit. I see there are over a dozen rabbit skins here. You don't need rabbit skins for the sleeves of your cotton-padded clothes. Make her a vest!"
"Alright." Li Min's mother rubbed her eyes. "I'll make it for your eldest sister-in-law first. I'm always sitting on the kang, so I'm not cold."
Li Min reached out and touched her mother's hand, which was warm. "Mom, your health has improved."
"Yes, it's all thanks to your eldest sister-in-law," Li Min's mother clasped her daughter's slightly cool hand. "These rabbit skins are more than enough. Shall I make a vest for you too?"
"I don't need one. Just sew two pieces onto the knees of your cotton-padded trousers."
"That will suffice. I'll make yours a bit smaller, and cut the shoulder area a bit larger. You knit sweaters every day, and your hands need to be warm to knit faster."
"Alright then." Li Min took out the rabbit skins. Underneath the rabbit skins was corduroy fabric. "Mom, eldest sister-in-law brought fabric. Do you want to remake the outer fabric for the cotton-padded clothes? Rabbit skins with new fabric would be beautiful."
"Yes, remake the outer fabric for the cotton-padded clothes."
Seeing the dark brown corduroy, Li Min's mother knew it was for her. She couldn't let her daughter-in-law's good intentions go to waste.