After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Zhu Ge'er was torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

He wasn't a heartless person to begin with, especially when it came to a beautiful baby like Pearl.

In the end, his affection for Pearl prevailed over reason. He wiped his hands clean and secretly broke off a small piece of cornbread and handed it to Pearl.

Pearl was happily munching on a cornbread bun on a stool in front of the cowshed when she saw her little father's pair of silver-embroidered shoes standing in front of her.

In a panic, Pearl stuffed the rest of the cornbread into her mouth and then covered her mouth in an attempt to cover up her mistake.

Lin Nian: "..."

I don't know who he took after.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." When Yin Cheng picked up Zhenzhu, he felt the gaze behind him almost materialize.

The father and son chuckled together.

Yin Cheng wanted to take his wife's hand, "Niannian..."

Pearl repeated after her, "Say it!"

Lin Nian reached out and gently tapped Pearl's forehead. "What did you call me?"

Pearl covered her head and obediently called out, "...Little Daddy."

Lin Nian lowered her voice, "Take Pearl outside and wait for me. I need to say a few words to Brother Zhu. You're not allowed to eavesdrop."

"Oh." Yin Cheng glanced back at the people in the cowshed, but didn't sense any danger from them, before carrying Pearl out of the yard.

In the farmhouses, every household has a fence around their courtyard. Families with some savings will build earthen walls, while even better ones use blue bricks, which are sturdy, durable, and aesthetically pleasing.

Ma Er Quezi's house has mud walls, which shows that the family used to be quite well-off, but now it is in great disrepair.

After Yin Cheng left, Zhu Ge'er was still a little nervous.

He nervously clutched the hem of his clothes, his head bowed, letting his hair obscure the red birthmark on his face.

Lin Nian broke the silence first, "Ma Er the Cripple is dead."

Zhu Ge'er paused for a moment, then lowered his head even further. "Is...is that so?"

So, is it destined that I will be sold and resold like livestock throughout my life?

In that instant, he felt utterly hopeless.

His tone was light, yet it inexplicably made Lin Nian feel somewhat heavy-hearted.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him..." Lin Nian said, "But I think it's good that Ma Er the Cripple is dead, then no one will hit you anymore."

When Zhu Ge'er heard that Ma Er Quezi was dead, he froze on the spot.

He truly wished Ma Er the Crippled to die, yet he also didn't want him to die.

After Ma Erquezi dies, his family will definitely sell him again, and the next one might be even worse off than Ma Erquezi.

In an instant, Zhu Ge'er's face turned as white as paper.

He could no longer hear what Lin Nian said; he was just staring blankly at his shoes.

His shoes were so worn out that his big toe and heel were awkwardly sticking out.

The shoe uppers have been patched and repaired countless times, to the point that they are now completely unrecognizable as they originally were.

In contrast, Lin Nian's shoes were clean and beautiful, with exquisite and ingenious silver thread embroidery. They were the most beautiful shoes he had ever seen in his life.

People are just different in one way or another. Some people are born without worries, and they have a husband who dotes on them and a well-behaved son.

Some people are born ugly, and their biological fathers consider them a curse or a burden. So when they are sixteen, they are sold to local thugs and begin years of abuse.

He was only worth three hundred coins.

He couldn't help but find it somewhat ridiculous.

He did indeed laugh out loud.

Lin Nian thought he was happy to finally escape his suffering, and she was happy for him too.

Suddenly, Zhu Ge'er said, "Do you think you're so kind, like a bodhisattva descended to earth?"

Lin Nian's smile froze on her face.

"What...does this mean?"

Zhu Ge'er scoffed lightly, "I can tell that you are not ordinary people. To be honest, your condescending attitude and self-righteous salvation really disgust me."

Lin Nian looked at him, puzzled.

"You have a good family background, a good husband, and a good child. Compared to you, I am filthy and ugly; I am just livestock to be sold off at will."

"You probably don't know that there are people like me in this world, do you? My poverty only serves to highlight how happy and fulfilled you are now..."

Zhu Ge'er couldn't continue speaking.

He wasn't a mean person to begin with.

"That's not how it is," Lin Nian said. "You're very brave and kind. I know you don't mean what you're saying."

Lin Nian continued, "Don't be afraid. I said I could take you to register your household, and I definitely can."

His gaze was so unwavering that Zhu Ge'er was involuntarily drawn to him.

What... establishing a household?

He said he would help him register his household.

It took a while before Brother Zhu found his voice again.

He asked, his voice trembling slightly, "Can I really do it?"

Lin Nian nodded.

"Who are you?"

Lin Nian said, "My name is Lin Nian."

"You can really help me set up an account."

Lin Nian thought for a moment and said, "My brother is the magistrate of Song County in Yuezhou."

Zhu Ge'er's lips trembled, and it took him a long time to say, "Thank you, and I'm sorry."

He felt so despicable that he lowered his head even further.

Lin Nianchong waved his hand, "I should be thanking you. Pearl is being immature and has caused you trouble."

Zhu Ge'er shook his head, "He is the most well-behaved baby I have ever seen."

Lin Nian chuckled, "You're right."

I don't know if he caught it from men, but he's become shameless too.

After agreeing on a time to go to the yamen with Zhu Ge'er, Lin Niancai said goodbye and left the courtyard.

Pearl had already fallen asleep on her father's lap.

Lin Nian yawned, "Husband."

"Um?"

Lin Nian clung to the man, saying, "I'm sleepy."

Yin Cheng picked up his wife with one hand, just like he picked up Zhenzhu. Both of them snuggled in his arms and rubbed their eyes.

"Go to sleep."

When Yin Cheng wiped Lin Nian's body that evening, Lin Nian was still muttering in her sleep.

Upon closer listening, Yin Cheng realized that he was even teaching Pearl to be elegant and reserved in his dreams.

He suppressed a laugh and kissed his wife on the forehead.

The next day, when Old Man Xue heard that they were leaving, he first looked surprised, then pretended to be relieved and said, "Get out of here, so as not to disturb my peace and quiet."

Yin Cheng asked him if he wanted to go to the capital together, but Old Man Xue refused.

Yin Cheng didn't insist. He simply told him the location of the Prince Cheng's residence and suggested that he could visit in the future so that the elderly man wouldn't feel lonely at home.

Old Xue's lips twitched, but remembering that this was his last day in the thatched hut, he didn't argue with him.

Zhang Huailing had already changed into the uniform of the Golden Guard and was escorting the bandits in a grand procession to the local government office...

After the group arrived at the government office, Lin Nian took Zhu Ge'er to the registrar to register their household.

Lin Nian's trip was no secret; many officials recognized him, so the registrar worked extremely quickly.

Before parting, he slipped a gold leaf to Zhu Ge'er.

Worried that Zhu Ge'er would face difficulties from his father's family after returning to the village, he specifically asked an official to accompany Zhu Ge'er back to support him.

Zhu Ge'er's words of gratitude stuck in his throat, and before he could say them, Lin Nian got into the carriage.

A large group of people left in a grand procession, while Zhu Ge'er stood still, watching their departing figures.

Only after they were completely out of sight did he slowly begin to walk home, prompted by the officers.

By this time, it was already broad daylight. Zhu Ge'er clutched his household registration document tightly and suddenly burst into tears, as if he wanted to cry out all the pain he had suffered over the years.

He started crying and then laughed again.

He looked up at the clear sky and took a deep breath.

Today should be a good day.