They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 74 Half-Sister
Zeng Xiaojuan nodded and smiled amicably at Xu Zhichun, "And this is—"

Zeng Xiaoyan quickly introduced them, "This is a sister-in-law from my husband's family. Second sister, you can just call her Sister-in-law Xu. Sister-in-law Zhichun, this is my second sister."

Xu Zhichun and Zeng Xiaojuan exchanged polite greetings. Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "You sisters must not have seen each other for a long time. You two chat, I'll just take a walk."

Zeng Xiaoyan really had a lot to say to her half-sister, so she hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law Zhichun, don't go too far. We'll come find you in a bit."

"it is good."

Xu Zhichun walked away, and Zeng Xiaoyan looked Zeng Xiaojuan up and down. "Second sister looks much thinner than before. Is she doing well at the Lou family?"

The Lou family isn't exactly a good family either.

Zeng Xiaojuan subconsciously avoided her gaze and nodded gently: "I... I'm fine. How about you? How are you doing in Liangjia Village? Are they treating you well?"

Zeng Xiaoyan's gaze softened unconsciously, and a smile appeared on her lips. "I thought it was bad at first, and I made a fuss about it for a long time. But now I think it's pretty good. If my stepmother knew, she would probably be so angry that she would die. Hehe!"

Zeng Xiaojuan was both amused and exasperated: "You! No matter what you say, as long as it's good, it's good. In the future, try to control your temper a little and live a good life."

"Yes, you too. By the way, where's Qiao'er? I haven't seen Qiao'er yet."

Qiao'er is Zeng Xiaojuan's daughter, and she is only two years old. Before Zeng Xiaoyan got married, she was practically confined to the small courtyard. She was excluded from almost all visits from relatives. She had never actually met this niece, nor had she ever been to her second sister's husband's house in Loujia Village.

Zeng Xiaojuan was surprised that she was thinking about her daughter. She was both happy and flustered, and stammered, "She...she didn't come today."

"What!" Zeng Xiaoyan exclaimed in surprise, "I just saw your mother-in-law. Who's taking care of Qiao'er at home?"

Zeng Xiaojuan quickly replied, "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll ask the neighbor lady to watch over it for most of the day. It'll be fine."

Zeng Xiaoyan was speechless: "Why didn't Second Sister bring her along? She's so young, how can you leave her with someone else? Wouldn't it be better if you brought her along and took care of her yourself?"

Zeng Xiaojuan forced a smile: "I'm just worried that the child is too young and will cause trouble."

"You really are—what happened to your hand?"

When Zeng Xiaoyan spoke, she tugged at her second sister's hand and noticed several deep red marks on her wrist.

"it's okay no problem!"

Zeng Xiaojuan was startled and hurriedly tried to shrink back, but Zeng Xiaoyan wouldn't allow it.

Not only did they not allow her to shrink back, they also forcibly pulled her hand over to examine it closely.

Upon seeing this, one couldn't help but gasp. Not only on the wrist, but also on the upper arm and even the back of the hand, there were scars of varying sizes and depths.

Her palms were extremely rough, with deep, crisscrossing marks that made it hard to believe they belonged to a young woman in her early twenties.

"Second Sister," Zeng Xiaoyan said, her voice trembling with shock and anger, "What...what happened? How did you get injured? Does your husband know?"

Zeng Xiaojuan forced a smile and said, "What's the big deal? Don't be like this, please don't be like this. I won't hide it from you now. The Lou family isn't having an easy time either. There's always housework to do. It's my own fault; I'm not very skilled at housework. That's why I... I got quite a few injuries. It's nothing serious. They all look scary, but it's just on the surface. I'll get used to it later."

Zeng Xiaoyan's eyes were red. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? You're still trying to fool me. Is it that old woman tormenting you?"

"Shh—" Zeng Xiaojuan was so startled that she quickly tried to cover her mouth, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Zeng Xiaoyan was furious. "You've always been like this, always trying to avoid trouble and just let things slide. It was one thing before, but after we got married, they couldn't do anything to us. But now you're married and have children, and you're still like this. When will this ever end? I think that old woman is in perfect health!"

If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to live another twenty years without any problem.

"Where is my second brother-in-law? What does he mean? Has he bullied you?"

Zeng Xiaojuan was startled and paused for a moment before trying to say no, but it was too late.

He couldn't fool Zeng Xiaoyan anymore. "He was involved too? I knew it!"

If Lou Er had any conscience and had protected his wife even a little, Zeng Xiaojuan wouldn't have so many scars on her arms, hands, and backs of her hands.

This is only what I can see; I don't know what it's like for what I can't see.

No wonder she's lost so much weight.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that her face was covered with a thick layer of powder, an obsessive whiteness. Without this thick layer of powder, one wonders how haggard and unsightly her complexion would have looked.

Zeng Xiaoyan was extremely disappointed and felt increasingly upset.

But she couldn't scold her second sister, who had always been a gentle and mild-mannered person, unlike her.

Why didn't Qiao'er come?

"."

Zeng Xiaojuan choked, unsure of what to say.

Zeng Xiaoyan couldn't believe it: "Could it be that the old woman and my second brother-in-law abused Qiao'er?"

"No, no, no!"

Zeng Xiaojuan hurriedly denied it. Although her mother-in-law and husband disliked Qiao'er because she was a girl, it was at most a matter of favoritism, not abuse.

She couldn't hide it any longer and had to tell the truth.

Of course she was worried about her young daughter, but her mother-in-law said she had inquired and found that her eldest sister did not have any children yet. If she brought Qiao'er, wouldn't it make her eldest sister and stepmother angry?

Not only did Qiao'er not come, but her elder brother and sister-in-law's son, Fuman, also didn't come.

Zeng Xiaoyan almost laughed in anger after hearing these words.

"That old woman is truly a talent."

Look what this says!
Seeing her second sister like this, Zeng Xiaoyan knew without even asking that her second sister must not be having a good time in the Lou family.

"Second sister, if no one cares about us, we have to care about ourselves. Qiao'er is still young. If you don't want her to suffer, you have to protect her."

Zeng Xiaojuan's nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears.

“I know, I know, I won’t let Qiao’er suffer. They don’t like that Qiao’er is a girl, but I do. She’s my daughter, so well-behaved, and I will protect her.”

Zeng Xiaoyan felt slightly comforted by her words. Fortunately, although her second sister was gentle, she loved Qiao'er and, being a mother, she was strong; she seemed better than before. After all, her second sister in the past would never have said such things.

Before Zeng Xiaoyan could say anything more, Lou Er arrived.

"Xiaojuan!"

The two sisters turned to look at the same time.

Lou Er gave Zeng Xiaoyan a rather unfriendly glare, which made Zeng Xiaoyan's temper flare up and her face turn cold. Therefore, she did not see the momentary look of fear and panic that Zeng Xiaojuan suddenly showed.

"My lord."

Lou Er frowned: "What are you doing here? Aren't you going to help? Today is your father-in-law's 50th birthday, there are so many things waiting for people to do, and you still have time to wander around here? Is this how a daughter should act?"

The initial score is a bit low, but don't worry, it won't affect anything! Hugs!
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(End of this chapter)