After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 213: All Hopes on You Taking the Lead

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: All Hopes on You Taking the Lead

Xixi nodded solemnly and resolutely, her eyes mixing courage with unease, anticipating the freedom to express herself like other children but fearing the pain that acupuncture might bring.

While adjusting the Golden Needle on Jiang Ziling’s leg from time to time, Su Yu silently calculated the time. Once everything was ready, she stood up to prepare the materials needed for the next hot compress, mentally noting her hope that all her efforts would soon fill the household with laughter and joy.

Er Ya and San Ya’s eyes, like magnets attracted to the scene before them, stuck to what they were witnessing; even as sleepiness washed over them like a tide and consecutive yawns reddened the corners of their eyes, they didn’t want to move a step away, as if leaving would mean missing the most spectacular show in the world.

It wasn’t until Xie Xinghua’s voice, gentle as the spring breeze, drifted by their ears, reminding them several times, that the sisters reluctantly exchanged a glance, their steps slow and heavy, as if each step was a farewell to something precious, but they finally turned around and left.

In the following days, Su Yu’s life was packed with acupuncture treatments of various scales, her hands becoming a bridge of healing and hope.

Fortunately, the most worrying young patient, Xixi, made exceptionally smooth progress under Su Yu’s attentive treatment.

Although the little girl was young, facing those glinting silver needles, her tears continuously fell, yet she miraculously kept her body still, swallowing the pain with a strength beyond her years.

Xie Xinghua, witnessing Su Yu’s hard work, was filled with gratitude.

To repay Su Yu for treating Jiang Wangshan, she led Er Ya and San Ya in taking over all the household chores, from sweeping the floors to cooking and doing the laundry, sparing no effort.

Xie Xinghua’s gesture not only eased Su Yu’s burden but also added a touch of warmth to their modest home.

Especially when Er Ya tried to mimic Su Yu’s stir-frying, the spatula awkward in her hands but the dish turning out both colorful and fragrant, Su Yu couldn’t help but praise Er Ya’s culinary talent, which not only filled Er Ya’s face with a sense of accomplishment but also kindled a deeper love for the art of cooking within her.

Today, another market day had arrived, and Su Yu also had a hospital shift; she had to hurry to prepare for departure.

Seeing this, Xie Xinghua immediately came forward to help, whether driving the carriage or packing the luggage, her actions were so efficient that they commanded respect.

This synergy and friendship seemed to warm everything around them.

However, for Lady Zhao, this conjured a different taste.

Lady Zhao, already harboring displeasure, watching Xie Xinghua interact so diligently with others, felt even more stifled.

Xie Xinghua not only helped with cooking and laundry but also took on heavy tasks like feeding the livestock. This busy figure amplified Lady Zhao’s discontent, growing like a snowball.

She had intended to find an excuse to stir up trouble while Su Yu was away but thinking of Xie Xinghua’s recent dominance, which overpowered even Su Yu, she somewhat recoiled.

After all, nobody wanted the hard-won tranquility of their home to be disturbed once again.

Lady Zhao suppressed her discomfort, lifted Dazhuang on her back, and staggered into the kitchen to cook noodles.

Without Xie Xinghua’s help in the past few days, this elderly woman was almost bent double under the weight of daily life.

From chopping firewood and managing meals to washing clothes and cleaning the yard, and even caring for all the minutiae involving Dazhuang, all had to be borne by her alone.

Driven by necessity, Jiang Xunzhong left home daily before dawn and only returned when the night fell, unable to share in the household responsibilities.

Fang Qin, due to illness, was confined to her bed and could do nothing but wait for her meals. Even bringing a bowl to her bedside became a task that required Lady Zhao’s assistance.

Each time she brought the meals, Lady Zhao would incessantly complain, but Fang Qin, fully aware of her own situation, could only silently accept, without uttering a word.

Fang Qin was puzzled by the change in Lady Zhao’s attitude. Initially, right after her return, Lady Zhao seemed to avoid her, presumably out of concern for the damage to her reputation, letting her fend for herself.

Fortunately, Xie Xinghua was kind-hearted and never forgot to bring her a warm meal every day.

Now, Lady Zhao even made sure to provide three meals a day, which completely baffled Fang Qin.

After much thought, Fang Qin guessed that this might be because, after the separation of the chief family, only the three of them were left to rely on each other, and Lady Zhao was trying to win her over, hoping to have support in her old age.

With this thought, Fang Qin’s spine seemed to straighten slightly, and the inferiority she had felt due to the loss of her chastity began to fade away.

However, when Lady Zhao walked into Fang Qin’s room carrying steaming hot noodles and found her still lazily lying in bed, all her pent-up emotions burst forth, her words carrying a clear heat, "All you do is sleep, you are incredibly lazy!"

Unexpectedly, Fang Qin mistook "incredibly lazy" as a derogatory term, and she sprang from the bed, her finger almost pointing at Lady Zhao’s nose, fiercely questioning, "Who are you calling rotten? You old witch! Do I have to remain a widow all my life for your family’s short-lived son?"

At this moment, Fang Qin had realized that the harm inflicted on her was not intentional and that she should not be the one to bear the responsibility.

Ultimately, all the misfortune was due to the Jiang Family’s ill-fate dragging her down.

Now, she’d found an excuse for self-liberation and was no longer as ashamed as before.

Seeing Fang Qin’s reputation damaged yet showing no sign of remorse, even talking back confrontationally, Lady Zhao was unable to contain her anger and almost rushed forward to teach her a lesson.

Fang Qin resisted vigorously, fists and feet ready, warning, "If you dare touch a hair on my head, you’ll regret it later!"

She had thought this would intimidate Lady Zhao, but Lady Zhao merely let out a cold laugh, then switched to a feigned smile, seemingly genuinely scared by Fang Qin’s threat, "Oh, my dear daughter-in-law, don’t say such things. I am counting on you now. You seem to be recovering well; hurry up and eat the noodles, then I’ll accompany you to the market to buy some new clothes."

The sudden change in Lady Zhao’s attitude made Fang Qin even more convinced that she had the upper hand.

Sneering disdainfully, she decided to get up and eat.

After this turmoil, Fang Qin had visibly lost weight; her clothes hung loosely on her body, and indeed, she needed some new clothes to spruce herself up.

"All right, after eating the noodles and washing up, we’ll set off."

Between her words, there was a flicker of barely noticeable determination and anticipation in Fang Qin’s eyes.

Lady Zhao softly responded and turned to open the door with a slightly more buoyant step, the faint smirk at the corner of her mouth, under the weak sunlight, took on an especially subtle nuance, as if concealing a scheme unknown to others.

In fact, Fang Qin’s physical condition had significantly improved, though the pain in her buttocks still faintly reminded her.