Free Web NovelChapter 29: Chapter 31: Resolving Doubts (Part 1)
The children’s names had been chosen: Li Xianglin for the daughter and Li Xiangrui for the son, the same names from their last life. After all the necessary matters were settled and seeing it was getting late, everyone got up and went home.
Zhou Lian sat to one side, holding a cup of red date water as she watched Li Xiu tidy up. She took a contented sip and smiled, feeling a sense of relief. Things were different now; the days ahead would be much more comfortable. She stroked her belly. Her precious daughter was here now, too. She would take excellent care of her and give her a happy, carefree childhood. Unlike in their last life, her daughter wouldn’t have to live in fear of her parents fighting, nor would they be scraping by with just enough to eat and stay warm, never having any delicious food or nice clothes.
"Li Xiu, come here." Seeing he had finished tidying up, she beckoned him over.
Li Xiu dried his hands, walked over, and settled Zhou Lian onto his lap. He gave her a kiss before asking, "What is it, baby?"
She stared at him in a daze. He was him, and yet he wasn’t. They had been married less than three months, and she was already starting to forget what the man from her past life had been like. This version of him was considerate and attentive, cherishing her with delicate care. It was completely different from their last life. He had cared for her then, too, but not like this—not like she was a precious treasure he held in the palm of his hand. ’Will he still raise his hand to me like he did before?’ That one slap had shattered every girlish dream she’d had.
"Li Xiu, would you ever raise a hand against me? Would you ever hit me?"
His heart clenched. Li Xiu hugged her tighter and asked in a hoarse voice, "Baby, why would you ever think I could bring myself to hit you?"
"I see so many men who hit their wives. Look at Sun Er—he seems so honest, and his wife is so aggressive and unreasonable, but even he hit her." The last incident with Sun Er’s wife had been stirred up by Li Xiu and his younger siblings, both openly and covertly. They had forced Sun Er’s parents to come to their door and apologize, and only after they also went to Grandma Li to apologize and have her mediate was the matter dropped. Now, Sun Er’s wife was on bad terms with her in-laws, her husband had beaten her several more times, and even her own children blamed her.
"Baby, you’re my very life. You’re more important than our children. How could I ever bring myself to do that? Even if you were to turn the world upside down, I couldn’t bear to scold you, not even once. Bao’er, Bao’er, please don’t say things that stab me in the heart like that again. It hurts too much."
Li Xiu gently tucked Zhou Lian’s head against his chest, kissing her hair over and over. ’What on earth possessed me in my last life? I listened to my mother and Li Xin, came home, and fought with my wife.’ When he heard her say that she hadn’t even been interested in him when they were first introduced, his mind had gone blank. The moment his hand flew, the moment he saw the absolute disbelief in her eyes, he was consumed by regret.
But from that day on, his wife had closed her heart to him. She never got angry with him or threw a tantrum again. Aside from matters involving the children, no matter what he asked, her response was always the same: "You handle it." "Whatever." "I’m fine."
He had been such a fool in his past life. When the members of the Yue Family came and his wife didn’t leave with them, when she stayed to continue her life with him and even smiled and told him it was fine, he truly believed she had moved on and forgiven him.
Thinking back carefully now, he realized that after that incident, she would still smile at him, but her heart was never in it again. Things just kept piling up, one after another, until she left with their daughter, so decisively and without a backward glance. In this new life, that slap wasn’t just his own psychological burden; it was an obstacle his wife still couldn’t overcome.
"We only met a few times before our wedding. Why are you so devoted?" Zhou Lian had never understood why Li Xiu seemed so utterly smitten with her from the moment they met. He had been attentive in their last life, too, but his intensity this time around made her feel unsettled. She had tried testing him, but he didn’t act like someone who had been reborn. And yet, his actions made it seem as if he knew what was coming.
Li Xiu knew his wife felt insecure. He had been too obvious with his affection, but he couldn’t help it. He just wanted to treat her better and better. Gathering his thoughts, he said slowly, "Bao’er, I had seen you before."
Seeing his wife look up at him, Li Xiu caressed her face. "Bao’er, it’s getting late. Let’s go inside. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll tell you all of it, how about that?"
When she nodded, Li Xiu carried her into their bedroom. He helped her wash up for the night, took off her outer robe, and settled her into bed. After a quick wash of his own, he climbed into bed and held her, letting her lean comfortably against his chest. He took a deep, satisfied breath before he started to speak.
"Bao’er, back when Second Sister in law Ge promised Grandma she would find a wife for me, I sensed something was off with my mother. I didn’t pay it much mind at the time. Later, when they said the girl was from Second Sister in law Ge’s home village and that we’d meet once work slowed down, I noticed my mother seemed displeased. I thought there might be a problem with you, so I asked Grandma about it. She told me your father was a barefoot doctor and that you were a very honest and proper young woman. That’s when I decided to test my mother, and I finally understood. It wasn’t that she disliked you; she disliked the idea of me getting married at all."
"That’s when I finally saw it. She doesn’t care for me, but she wants me to earn money for my younger siblings’ dowries and weddings. Thinking back on everything that had happened since I was a child, I finally understood her intentions. It was a hard pill to swallow. That’s when I decided I had to see you. I had to see what the girl who was supposed to be my wife, the girl who was supposed to spend her life with me, was really like."
"One evening, as you were coming home from work, I followed you from a distance. I heard you talking to your mother, and your voice was so gentle I felt I could listen to it for a lifetime and never grow tired. After that, I started crossing the mountain every day after work just to see you. On days I couldn’t get a look, I’d just stand outside your courtyard wall, smoking a cigarette and listening to you talk. I thought back then that if I could marry you, if I could hear that gentle voice every single day, I would be incredibly happy."
"Watching my mother stir up trouble constantly, I decided we had to separate from the family. I knew that with a mother-in-law like her, my wife would surely be mistreated. She couldn’t do much to me, but she could torment my wife, and I couldn’t bear that thought. Later, my dad said we could separate the households once we were married, but I knew my mother wouldn’t give me a single thing."
"The day Eldest Uncle came over and asked about my marriage prospects, I intentionally provoked my mother. When I saw she had made him angry, I proposed that we separate the family’s assets early. I said I would build my own house and find my own wife, and that my parents could just give me whatever money they deemed fair for it. In the end, my mother infuriated Eldest Uncle so much that he had Eldest Aunt arrange our first meeting instead."
"When I finally met you, it felt like a flower blooming in my heart. I wanted to marry you right away. But I had nothing back then—I only got 250 yuan from the family division. I wanted to build you a nice house and provide you with a good life, and that’s when I thought of Daqing Mountain."
"Everyone says you shouldn’t go into Daqing Mountain. My master, who taught me for six or seven years, even made me promise not to go in there before he left. But at the time, I had no other options, so I snuck in. On my very first trip, I made over three hundred yuan. I was so happy. It meant I could provide for you properly, so you wouldn’t have to suffer any hardships."
At this point, he felt his wife’s body tense up. Li Xiu leaned down to kiss her, gently stroking her back until he felt her relax. Only then did he continue, "I know going into the mountains is dangerous, and I was always very careful. My bride wasn’t even home yet. If something had happened to me, I wouldn’t have been able to rest in peace. We divided the family property on the very night I returned from meeting you."
"Everything went just as I’d planned. My mind was always on you, which gave me the energy for anything. But I wasn’t allowed to see you before the betrothal gifts were formally presented. When I missed you too much, I would go to your family’s home in the middle of the night and wait outside the courtyard wall. I’d wait until you woke up and started talking, and just hearing the sound of your voice would make me happy."
"After the formal betrothal, I was finally able to visit the Yue Family. I wished I could see you every single day, but I couldn’t do that either. I was worried people would start gossiping about you if I came by too often. So, I just eagerly awaited the day of our wedding. Back then, I was afraid the longing would be too much to bear, so I went into the mountains frequently. There are a lot of good things in there... wait, let me go get them for you."
Li Xiu hopped out of bed and hurried over to the wardrobe. He grabbed a stool, climbed up, and retrieved a large box from the very top. After wiping off the dust, he returned to the bed, grinning, and threw the box open. Zhou Lian gasped.
