To please others? It's better to please yourself.

From the moment Xu Jing'an entered the house until she chatted with the children, she acted as if nothing had happened, as if nothing had changed from usual.

Even though she tried her best to hide her emotions and expression, Shen Yue still keenly noticed the difference in his sister-in-law.

After watching Xu Jing'an return to her room to rest, Shen Yue beckoned to Shen He. The two brothers stood face to face in the corner of the courtyard, smoking.

"What happened?"

There's nothing wrong with talking about what happened today. Shen He told his older brother what had happened and what had come to light.

Shen Yue was silent for a moment, then hissed as he gasped. "Second brother, sister-in-law really doesn't plan to change careers?"

Shen He glanced at his older brother and said irritably, "Change what? I'm not changing it!"

Shen Yue thought about it and agreed. To be honest, as the elder brother-in-law, he didn't have much interaction with his younger brother's wife. But based on their recent interactions, he realized that his sister-in-law was quite a remarkable person.

Putting everything else aside, at least with her at home, he and his second son can go anywhere with peace of mind!

Shen He looked at his silent elder brother and asked, "Are you back to leave again?"

Shen Yue exhaled smoke from his nostrils and nodded: "You should always come back to see Mom and Dad before you leave!"

Shen He chimed in, "Don't worry, I've got everything covered at home! If you're still concerned, just have your wife bring the kids home to stay. We can always lend a hand!"

"No way!" Shen Yue quickly interrupted. He might have had this plan before coming, but now he had none of it.

"Your sister-in-law is scheming. If things get tough, just lend her a hand. Just don't get involved with her."

With his sister-in-law being so quick-witted, Gu Panpan would be in big trouble if he didn't get a beating! He has to think about the four children!

……

Xu Jing'an slept soundly through the night and only felt better the next day. After returning from the police station, the couple took their children out to play: parks, zoos, department stores, fishing in the river, catching wild rabbits in the countryside...

For five days in a row, the children had a great time, but Shen He felt he couldn't keep up.

Working overtime day and night is quite difficult for a middle-aged man!

Zhizi Moruomu!

That evening, when the family had dinner, Shen He received special treatment.

Besides the stir-fried eggs with chives and yam porridge that everyone else was eating, there was also a separate plate of stir-fried pork kidneys in front of him. Shen He's porridge also had some goji berries added, which was unusual.

He's now wondering: Was he being too obvious?

Mother Shen called to the whole family, "Eat—everyone eat!"

"Jing'an's lost weight. What do you want to eat tomorrow? Let your dad cook!"

"Second brother, don't stop! Eat it while it's hot!"

"Don't be shy, second brother, eat more!" Shen Yue, always eager for a good show, piled several pieces of pork kidney into his younger brother's bowl.

Before going to bed that night, Shen's father quietly brought Shen He a bowl of boiled black beans. "Son, Dad has been through this, I understand!" He patted his son on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Shen He closed the door with a blank expression.

Xu Jing'an looked at her husband at that moment, then lowered her head and lay on the bed, chuckling to herself.

The next morning, Shen He went back to work.

In summer, it's only cool in the mornings. So every morning after buying groceries, Shen's mother would catch up with her group of old friends and not return until the sun was high in the sky.

The children disappear as soon as they open their eyes and have eaten their fill.

Xu Jing'an woke up but remained lying in bed, enjoying her salted fish lifestyle.

Shen Yue was sweating profusely from his workout and was about to fetch water to take a shower.

"Thump—thump—thump" "Thump—thump—thump"

Shen Yue draped the towel over his shoulder and went to open the door.

……

With the downfall of the Gang of Four, the end of the Cultural Revolution, and the resumption of the college entrance examination, Liu Qing keenly sensed that the times had changed!

But Liu Qing, who was always cautious, remained patient. He spent half a year going through all the newspapers, listening to the radio every day, and even making a special trip to the municipal government, the revolutionary committee, the neighborhood committee, and the office.

Finally, she realized that the world had changed. That very night, she told her daughter that she was leaving.

Chen Xiangxiu grew up here. Even though she was unhappy in the Chen family, she never thought of leaving.

"Leaving? Where to?"

Since Liu Qing had brought it up, he didn't intend to hide it: "Xiangxiu, you are not a child of the Chen family."

……

Chen Xiangxiu listened in stunned silence to her mother's "adapted" version of the love story.

Indeed, Liu Qing wouldn't even tell her own daughter about the revenge killing. She deeply understood one principle: secrets are meant to be kept in one's heart while alive, and taken to the grave when dead.

What Chen Xiangxiu heard became a different story: Chen Dong saved the young Liu Qing, and the two gradually fell in love and got married.

Unexpectedly, Liu Qing was unable to conceive for a long time, so Chen Dong had an affair with a young widow. When Liu Qing found out, he was furious and cheated on her in return. However, after one night, Chen Xiangxiu became pregnant.

Xiangxiu's biological father was an outstanding man, yet he was infatuated with Liu Qing, to the point of madness. When Liu Qing decided to elope with Xiangxiu's biological father, Chen Dong suddenly realized his mistake and knelt down, begging Liu Qing not to leave.

Torn between the two men, Liu Qing eventually died of lovesickness, and Chen Dong, feeling guilty, fell into the river and drowned.

After hearing Liu Qing's words, Chen Xiangxiu felt a chill run down her spine. She had only one feeling: love is terrifying!

The mother in the story and the mother in front of her are like two different people.

Chen Xiangxiu couldn't believe that the person who was mentally unstable was now her gentle, kind, warm, thoughtful, hardworking, and capable mother.

Love can blind a person and lower their IQ.

Chen Xiangxiu had a strange feeling. It was as if if she got caught up in this, a lot of trouble would follow.

She knew from a young age how difficult her own mother's life was in the Chen family! She didn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps and become someone else's slave!

Chen Xiangxiu's mind cleared up after thinking about this!

"Mom, where do you want to go?"

Liu Qing thought for a moment, then took out a jade pendant and an old letter from his pocket. The envelope had the character "Guo" written on it in a flamboyant style.

"Your father's name is Guo Yunhuai, and his hometown is in M ​​City. Your father has connections there, and he even left us a house."

"Look!" Liu Qing said, pulling out a property ownership certificate.

"And there's a steel mill there too, we can transfer our jobs there! I've asked around," Liu Qing said, deliberately lowering his voice.

"The factory manager there is surnamed Guo; he's probably a cousin of your father!"

"Isn't this better than us being here all alone and helpless?"

Too many people here know Xiangxiu and her mother well. And none of the families who come to propose marriage for her are good ones!

What's more, Liu Qing's biggest worry is that his daughter's surname is Chen! But here, it simply doesn't make sense to change his daughter's surname!

"Okay! When are we leaving?" Chen Xiangxiu didn't hesitate. She felt this place wasn't very auspicious for her and her daughter, so it was better to leave!

Liu Qing: "Let me contact them and see. If all goes well, it should be within the next few days."

Chen Xiangxiu suddenly remembered: "Mom, Xu, the clerk in our unit's archives, is from M City! Should I ask her about it?"

Liu Qing nodded: "Xiao Xu is a really good person, and she keeps her mouth shut! I heard from people at the factory that she has already returned from university."

The next day, Chen Xiangxiu inquired her way to Shen He's house.