Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

Jia Dongming hadn't expected that this seemingly pampered Miss Lou would also hold such old ideas, so he slowed down the car and spoke gently in the night breeze: "Let me give you an example."

If men are like seeds, then women are like fields.

If the seed is bad, even the most fertile soil will not sprout; conversely, if the soil is poor, even the best seed will not take root.

These words were like a lamp that suddenly lit up, illuminating a dusty corner of Lou Xiao'e's heart.

She remained silent for a long while before letting out a soft sigh: "I always thought it was my body that was failing me... I don't know how many bitter medicines I've swallowed in the past two years."

Mingtian, I'll go to the hospital for a checkup.

If it really is because of Xu Damao…”

Before she could finish speaking, she gently bit her lip, and the pent-up grievances she had been holding back for so long suddenly found their release.

These days, "divorce"

These two words are too heavy for ordinary people to even mention.

Lou Xiao'e was angry, but all she could think about was how to reason with Xu Damao when she got home and make him admit his mistake.

Jia Dongming sensed the anger in her words, but he just kept pedaling silently.

There's an old saying: "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage."

Although he knew the couple's life was not peaceful, he did not want to add to their troubles.

The wheels clattered over the stone pavement, making the night seem even quieter.

Lou Xiao'e gazed at his broad back and suddenly recalled the scattered rumors circulating in the courtyard. She couldn't help but break the silence: "Section Chief Jia, I heard that when you were a child... you were separated from your family?"

Jia Dongming's hand on the handlebars paused slightly. "Yes."

His voice was steady, as if he were talking about someone else's story: "That year, I went to Tianqiao with my father to buy grain. On the way back, we ran into Japanese soldiers firing shots in the street."

The crowd dispersed as soon as it became chaotic.

Lou Xiao'e listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "After your memory returned, didn't you think of going to look for them?"

"think."

He answered readily, "I was stunned by the shells during the war, but that made me remember some old things—I only remembered my parents' names."

I planned to settle down after my military service and then gradually inquire about things, but unexpectedly, I ran into my mother on my very first day in the courtyard house.

He paused, and a barely audible sigh drifted on the night wind. "But my father and brother are still missing."

Lou Xiao'e's heart softened suddenly, and she blurted out, "Perhaps... this is because our fate is not yet severed."

The car was parked in front of a small building.

Jia Dongming steadied the bike frame and helped her off. When saying goodbye, he simply nodded and turned to ride into the depths of the alley.

Lou Xiao'e stood under the porch lamp, watching the figure disappear into the night until it was completely out of sight, before raising her hand to knock on the door knocker: "Mom—I'm home!"

A warm yellow light shone from a window on the second floor.

A short while later, the door opened, and Lou Tanshi, wearing an outer robe, peeked out. Seeing it was her daughter, her brows furrowed: "Why are you back at this hour? Did you quarrel with Da Mao again?"

Upon hearing Xu Damao's name, Lou Xiao'e's expression softened. "He called me a hen that can't lay eggs."

She turned her face away. "I was so angry that I ran back."

Lou Tan was not surprised.

This wasn't the first time such a scene had occurred this year.

She glanced up at the dark sky, her tone reproachful: "It's this late, and you dare to walk alone at night? Couldn't you have waited until dawn?"

In fact, Lou Xiao'e regretted it as soon as she rushed out of the courtyard.

The alley was dark and long, and she forced herself to keep going, relying entirely on a bit of unwillingness to give up—but just at the fork in the road, she bumped right into Jia Dongming, who was riding by on his bicycle.

Faced with her mother's complaints, she simply replied, "I didn't come back alone."

My neighbor in the courtyard gave me a ride on his bicycle—it was Jia, the new head of the security department at the steel rolling mill, who had only moved in less than a week ago.

Lou Tan's expression hardened slightly: "A neighbor? A man?"

Upon hearing her daughter's words, Madam Lou's face immediately darkened, and her voice carried an undeniable warning: "Xiao'e! Remember your place. You are a member of the Xu family. Be mindful of your actions and don't let people speak ill of our Lou family behind our backs."

Lou Xiao'e was taken aback at first, then Mingbai's mother misunderstood, and a thin layer of anger rose on her face: "Mom! What are you thinking! I met Brother Dongming on my way back. He had just finished get off work and was worried about me traveling alone at night, so he gave me a ride on his bicycle."

Please don't make unfounded assumptions!

Hearing her daughter's explanation, Lou Tan's tense expression relaxed slightly, but her tone remained firm: "It's best if there isn't one."

But you must always remember that you are a married woman, and your every word and action affects the reputation of both families.

Before her mother could finish speaking, the scene from last night involuntarily became clear in Lou Xiao'e's mind—the soft sound of a bicycle rolling over the bluestone pavement, the cool night breeze, and that person's silent and reliable back.

A wave of unease washed over her, and she turned and walked into the house, saying, "I'm tired, I'm going to rest."

The next day, just as the morning light began to spill through the window, around seven o'clock, while Jia Dongming was still fast asleep, a clear and peculiar sound rang out directly in the depths of his consciousness: "Ding! Daily check-in is complete. Confirm?"

The sound abruptly pulled him from his deep sleep.

He opened his eyes, and a thought immediately crossed his mind: "Sign in."

"Ding!"

The voice immediately responded: "Check-in successful."

You have received: a portable blessed land; ten catties each of seeds of five grains and miscellaneous grains; ten catties each of seeds of seasonal vegetables; ten catties each of seeds of various fruit trees; and ten yuan in cash.

Should we sow the various seeds obtained this time within this blessed land?

A stream of information then flooded into Jia Dongming's mind.

He learned that this small world was about fifty acres in size, and that he could complete sowing, harvesting, and even preliminary processing with just a thought. What was even more wonderful was that time flowed within it ten times faster than outside.

Thinking that in the future they would be self-sufficient in rice, vegetables, and even fruits, and would no longer have to worry about scarcity, Jia Dongming was overjoyed and immediately ordered: "Plant all the seeds you have obtained."

The seeds have fallen to the ground, and all relevant information is readily available.

According to the time sequence within the cave, grains take about a month to grow outside, vegetables can be harvested in half a month, and fruit trees take three months to bear new fruit.

Thinking of the abundant life that would soon follow, Jia Dongming felt cheerful. As he got up to put on his clothes, he hummed a lighthearted tune.

Shortly after 8 a.m., in a consultation room at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

The doctor carefully examined the test results in his hand, then looked up and solemnly said to Lou Xiao'e, "Comrade Lou, according to this report, your physical condition is normal."

I suggest that your spouse also come to the hospital for a check-up.

Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e suddenly recalled a subtle reminder from the previous night.

Her heart suddenly raced, a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, and her voice trembled slightly: "Doctor, are you saying... the problem might not be with me? My husband and I have been married for two years, and there's been no sign of pregnancy. Could it really be him...?"

Seeing her nervous expression, the doctor became more cautious in his words: "Comrade Lou, judging from your test results, there is indeed no problem, and your constitution is the type that is easy to conceive."

To determine the exact cause, it is essential for the man to undergo a comprehensive medical examination.

"I can give birth... I'm not..."

The immense shock stunned Lou Xiao'e, who murmured to herself as tears welled up unexpectedly.

A mix of relief, resentment, and indignation overwhelmed her defenses. "So I can give birth! It wasn't my problem at all! It was Xu Damao! He was the one who couldn't!"

She clutched the light yet incredibly heavy report tightly, as if she held all the confidence and evidence in her hands. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, she turned and hurried towards home.

In the Lou family's living room, Lou Tanshi was leaning against the sofa, listening to the melodious opera playing on the radio.

Seeing her daughter rush in like a whirlwind, her face radiant with an unprecedented brightness, she couldn't help but frown and habitually scold, "Xiao'e, how many times have I told you, a young lady should have the composure of a young lady."

"What kind of behavior is this, rushing around like this?"

Lou Xiao'e was preoccupied with the certificate at that moment, and seemed oblivious to her mother's reproach.

She pulled the report straight from her pocket, placed it on the coffee table in front of her mother, and said in a slightly raised voice due to excitement, "Mom! I went to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for a checkup today! It's in black and white—it's not me who can't have children, it's Xu Damao!"

"What?"

Lou Tanshi suddenly sat up straight, her face full of surprise and doubt.

She instinctively picked up the form, her gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar terminology and conclusions. Confusion almost escaped her lips: "This...this infertility, isn't it always said to be the woman's fault? How...how come it's being linked to Xu Damao?"

Lou Xiao'e gently placed the medical report on the coffee table, the edge of the paper making a soft, crisp sound as it touched the glass.

Her mother simply looked down, her fingertips unmoving, her expression still one of skepticism and silence.

"mom,"

Lou Xiao'e's voice was low, but each word was clear, like autumn rain tapping on tiles: "This matter is like planting crops."

If the seeds are bad, no matter how fertile the soil, not a single seedling will grow.

She paused for a moment, waiting for her words to sink into the air. "The doctor said that not only is my body fine, but I am also very fertile."

Two years—Xu Damao and I have been married for two years with no sign of marriage, and the root of the problem lies with him.

The light from inside leaked in through the gaps in the blinds, casting streaks of light and shadow on the back of Lou Tan's hand.

Lou Xiao'e leaned forward a little more: "And, Mom, you don't know."

Every time he returned from showing a movie in the countryside, his collar and cuffs would always smell of other people.

I secretly had someone investigate; he has more than one mistress in the countryside.

As she said this, her throat tightened. "I used to think it was because I couldn't have children that I swallowed my anger and silently endured his insults, even when he called me a 'chicken that doesn't lay eggs'."

Now that the truth is out, it wasn't me who couldn't have children, it was Xu Damao.

"Can you ever truly forget the grievances I've swallowed these past two years?"

Lou Tan finally raised her eyes, her gaze falling on the neatly printed medical terms on the report.

She seemed to have been burned by something; her hand trembled slightly, and she sank into the soft cushions of the sofa, remaining motionless.

This silence, however, only intensified the bitterness that had been building up in Lou Xiao'e's heart.

Her voice was tinged with grime: "You said it yourself back then that Xu Damao's mother had worked as a maid in our family for many years, and we knew her well. I would definitely not suffer if I married into the family."

But what was the result? What kind of life did I live? Because I had no children, that mother and son made things difficult for me both openly and secretly, saying those things—"

She turned her face away. "This is the good family you chose for me."

The Lou family married their daughter off to Xu Damao because they valued his working-class background and hoped to use this to dilute the mark of a capitalist's daughter on Lou Xiao'e.

Xu's mother had worked as a maid in the Lou family for many years, which added an extra layer of "security" to the marriage.

The illusion.

Now, listening to her daughter's accusations, each word dripping with resentment, Lou Tanshi finally realized the meaning behind that "safety."

Beneath it lies such shallow wishful thinking.

Steady footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Lou Zhenhua came down from the second-floor study, his expression solemn. "Xiao'e,"

He stopped beside the sofa, his tone carrying the authority of the head of the family, "How dare you speak to your mother like that? When we arranged for you to marry into the family, your safety was the primary concern."

Was this intention wrong?

Lou Xiao'e has always held her father in awe.

But with a heavy heart, she looked up and said in a soft but firm voice, "Dad, I know you mean well and want to protect me as workers."

But what kind of family is the Xu family? They are a bunch of people who only care about their own interests and have no warmth whatsoever.

I didn't marry a person, I married an ice cave.

Lou Zhenhua remained silent.

He actually knew that Xu Damao had some shady relationships in the countryside, but in his mind, it wasn't a big deal for a man to have some affairs outside the home.

Looking at her daughter's pale yet stubborn face, the slight sense of relief and neglect in her heart suddenly turned into a heavy sense of guilt.

He sighed, his stern features softening. "Xiao'e, things have come to this; you are now a member of the Xu family."

We can't just get a divorce because he can't have children, can we?

Lou Xiao'e was stunned by these words.

After receiving the report, she was so consumed by anger and resentment that the thought of divorce never truly crossed her mind.