Bai Jiu recounted the original host’s story while closely watching the changes in his expression.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t detect anything.
This man hid his emotions far too well.
"Just a few days ago, while I was sick, Song Caihua tried to sell Xiuxiu off as a child bride. I dragged my sick body out and gave her a beating. I wasn’t thinking about anything at the time. All the grievances I’ve suffered over the years somehow just surged into my heart, so I caused a huge scene.
"Add to that the news of your death—she hoarded the subsidies sent down from above and tormented me and the children every day. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I demanded we split the household."
Inside the room, she continued to detail the events of the past few years.
Outside, the team leader and Aunt Li had been braving the cold wind for over an hour.
Seeing the firelight flickering through the window but hearing no commotion, the two finally stood up from behind a nearby mound of dirt.
"Let’s go. It seems Zhijun and that girl Bai Jiu have worked things out."
As it turned out, after leaving the house, they were still worried about the couple and feared something might happen. Mostly, Aunt Li was afraid Bai Jiu would be at a disadvantage, so she had dragged the team leader to hide behind the dirt mound, keeping an eye on the courtyard not far away.
If anything went wrong, they were ready to rush in immediately.
To their surprise, an hour passed, and aside from the flickering fire, not a single sound came from the house.
Well, no—at one point, the delicious aroma of noodles wafted out, nearly making the team leader drool with hunger.
"Let’s go."
***
Bai Jiu recounted everything to him in detail as the night grew deeper. "That is everything that has happened in the years since I married you." Finishing her piece, Bai Jiu stared at him.
Gao Zhijun closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his gaze was filled with apology, heartache, and above all, deep remorse.
He had thought...
"I’m sorry. I have wronged you and made you suffer for so many years."
He was well aware of her background. The fact that the higher-ups had passed her political background check proved she didn’t have major issues; the real problem lay with Old Master Bai. He had assumed that as long as he gave them money, they would treat the mother and children better for the sake of the cash. He never expected human nature to be so greedy.
He shouldn’t have thought so highly of them.
He knew exactly what kind of people they were, yet he still held onto a sliver of hope for them. He shouldn’t have come back in the first place. Dying out there would have been better than the foolish things he had done.
"If I tell you I truly don’t blame you, you probably wouldn’t believe it," Gao Zhijun continued. "There are certain things I don’t wish to discuss, but I will absolutely not agree to a divorce."
She was the wife he had fought so hard to win.
No matter what happened, he would never let go. Now that he had the means to give her a better life, he was even less willing to let her go. Even if she was disappointed in him or heartbroken, he still wouldn’t let go. He would just allow himself to be selfish one more time.
"I’ve wronged you all these years. Aside from refusing a divorce, I will support whatever choices you make." All he could do right now was show her his firm stance.
Bai Jiu was dumbfounded. This outcome was a million miles away from what she had expected.
She wondered if he had some kind of weird fetish. His reason for keeping her by his side definitely couldn’t be as simple as he claimed. Putting herself in that scenario, she knew that if her own husband had sent her mother and brothers to face a firing squad, no matter how much she loved him, she would still...
Bai Jiu stared at him for a long time. Finally, seeing him wearily pinch the bridge of his nose, she looked away.
"Then we’ll talk about this later." Whatever his motives were, as long as she kept her guard up, she wouldn’t have to worry about him playing dirty.
"There’s only one kang bed in the house. You must be tired too, so let’s rest," she added. Since things had reached this point, dragging the conversation out wouldn’t change the outcome. She would just have to take it one step at a time.
"Alright."
That night, the family was finally reunited after many years. Sadly, while the setting remained the same, the people had changed.
The next day, Bai Jiu was awakened by the loud broadcasting from the village’s loudspeakers.
When she got up, the spot next to her was already empty.
Her heart skipped a beat. She rushed out before she even had time to properly dress. Fortunately, she found him in the kitchen.
"You’re all up so early?" Seeing the father and his two children washing up, Bai Jiu felt a wave of relief, but even more so, a sense of loss.
She felt as if the children had completely forgotten their mother now that their father was back.
"Mommy, you’re awake! Daddy’s back!" Little Xiuxiu, her cheeks flushed, ran toward her mother, eagerly sharing her joy as she approached. "Mommy, Daddy came back last night! Why didn’t you wake me and my brother up?"
The little girl didn’t notice her mother’s expression change drastically as she spoke. She continued to playfully seek affection from her mother just like she always did.
Bai Jiu felt a sharp, knife-like pain in her heart, hurting so much that she clutched her chest. The smile faded from her face.
"I forgot." That momentary sense of loss made Bai Jiu feel somewhat disappointed in the children. "Mommy needs to change clothes. Go out and play."
With that, she turned and closed the door.
Gao Zhijun took in her entire reaction. He wanted to smile, but he couldn’t. He realized she had still grown distant from him.
"Alright, Xiuxiu, come here. Let Mommy change." Gao Zhijun waved at the slightly bewildered little girl.
Xiuxiu didn’t understand why her mother was unhappy. When Daddy hadn’t returned, didn’t Mommy always say that everything would be better once Daddy came back? But now...
Since she was only five years old by traditional reckoning, there were many things Xiuxiu simply couldn’t comprehend.
It wasn’t just her; even Zhengyang was the same. In his heart, he had always hoped his father would return like a hero. Now that his father was back, he was happy, but in his heart, his mother was more important.
Although he didn’t know why his mother was acting differently than before, he could sense her unhappiness. Zhengyang looked at his sister, who seemed completely clueless, and then at his father, who was washing his face.
A flash of inspiration hit him; it was as if he suddenly understood something. He quickly finished washing his face, put away the towel and washbasin, and waited outside the bedroom door for his mother to come out.
Naturally, Gao Zhijun noticed his son’s actions. He just hadn’t expected the boy to be so observant. It seemed he had suffered quite a lot over the years. Thinking about how the boy had nearly lost his life previously, hatred surged within Gao Zhijun’s heart. If he weren’t someone capable of enduring things, who knew what he might have done...
When Bai Jiu came out, she saw Zhengyang standing guard at the door, while Xiuxiu was in Gao Zhijun’s arms.
"Mommy." Zhengyang threw himself straight into his mother’s arms.
Bai Jiu smoothly picked him up. "What’s wrong?" Wasn’t he perfectly fine just a moment ago?
"Mommy, I love you. Please don’t be unhappy," the little guy said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Bai Jiu froze for a second, but she quickly broke into a smile. "Mommy isn’t unhappy." She gently patted the little boy’s cheek and kissed him back. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
Normally, at this time, she would already be up making breakfast before heading out for work in the fields.
"He made it, but we haven’t eaten yet. We’re waiting for you," Zhengyang said. The clever little boy didn’t even refer to him as ’Daddy’.
His shift in attitude thoroughly warmed Bai Jiu’s heart.
After breakfast, Bai Jiu headed out. Gao Zhijun stayed home to watch the children.
Initially, Gao Zhijun wanted to go to work in the fields for her, but Bai Jiu refused. No matter what it was, she believed in doing things herself. True comfort came from self-reliance.
She wasn’t used to relying on others.
Perhaps... she had just gotten used to being independent.