I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The word "Lin Jie..." brought tears to Zhang Man's eyes.

"I'm a woman nobody wanted to begin with, and I never thought about getting married. Don't pressure her. What will happen to her if we get divorced? What will happen to the children? If you have time, just come visit me occasionally."

What's lost is lost, so what's the point of keeping it?

Isn't it slowly withering away during those agonizing years?

Zhang Man didn't want to break up other people's families, and always thought Lin Jie was disabled, which is why she treated him like an older brother, trusted him, and relied on him.

Dependence is a terrible thing. Whenever she encountered difficulties, Zhang Man's first thought was of Lin Jie.

Zhang Man is also a flower, and she also needs the nourishment of love. Being with Lin Jie is not dignified or immoral, but what can she do?

Decent, moral love comes with conditions: who would be willing to take care of their mother and raise their younger brother?

In an instant, Zhang Man realized that she and Lin Jie were redeeming each other.

"Manman, I will make proper arrangements for her. I want to marry you. Only when I marry you will I be a real man."

Lin Jie made up his mind: it wasn't that he couldn't be good enough, it was that he couldn't be with Han Dan.

"Go back now. It's not good if someone sees you. Don't come to the school to see me again."

"Manman, I..."

"Let's go..."

The early summer night was still a bit chilly, but a gust of wind made Lin Jie feel invigorated.

What a sacred night! For the first time in over thirty years, he had a woman in the truest sense of the word.

He's capable, very capable... Even the balloons that were about to explode and the bodies that were about to burn remained calm.

The evening breeze stirs the strings of my lover's heart; my lover is right before my eyes.

Lin Jie leaped with joy like a boy, his empty sleeve, which had made him feel inferior, soaring proudly with each leap.

Life is so wonderful.

Zhang Man got up and, enduring the pain, washed herself.

She returned to her bedside, looked at the money and bright flowers scattered on the bed, and wept softly.

Her life was so hard. She was sent to the countryside during the best years of her life. When she wanted to return to the city, the price was her father's death.

A paralyzed mother, a young brother, and a monthly salary of just over thirty yuan—they carefully maintain their precarious home.

Zhang Man dared not get sick or rest. She had to face her mother with enthusiasm every day so that her mother wouldn't overthink things.

That house, left by my father, was filled with pots and pans to catch the rainwater whenever it rained.

Even the bed on my mother's kang (heated brick bed) was wet.

Especially those blind dates, when they see her, they always show a gentle look, but when they hear about her family's financial situation, they run away faster than a horse, and even blame the matchmaker, saying, "You introduced such a person to me, do you think I'm a sucker who's easy to bully?"

No one proposed marriage to Zhang Man anymore; she didn't deserve love.

Zhang Man didn't want this abnormal love with Lin Jie, but she needed money. Lin Jie could give her money so her mother could take her medicine and her younger brother could eat meat.

Dad, can you tell me what your daughter should do from heaven?

Han Dan was in a good mood when she returned from Qiaoqiao's house, but her mood soured again after sorting through the gifts Qiaoqiao had given her.

A pair of black leather shoes probably costs more than ten yuan. Qiaoqiao said that Xiaowei's feet are too big to wear them, so she would give them to Haohao.

At the time, Han Dan was happy, but now, looking at the black leather shoes, she finds them particularly jarring.

Her son couldn't wear them, so she made my son collect scraps?

Han Dan casually tossed the little leather shoes on the ground, feeling very annoyed. After fuming for a while, she picked them up again, hugged Hao Hao, and said, "Come on, Mommy will put your new leather shoes on you."

It's a little bit big, the leather is soft, and it's very pretty.

Hao Hao doesn't like wearing leather shoes. He wants to eat candy, and he kicks his legs wildly, trying to get rid of those annoying shoes.

"What are you doing? These shoes are so beautiful, so many people would love to own them."

Han Dan raised her hand and slapped Hao Hao's bottom. Hao Hao started crying, grabbing Han Dan with both hands and wailing loudly.

A subtle feeling arose spontaneously, like being electrocuted.

"Okay, sweetie, Mommy shouldn't have hit you."

Han Dan held Hao Hao tightly.

What's wrong with me? Why am I having these thoughts?

Han Dan pushed Hao Hao away in a panic.

Anxiety and frustration made Han Dan somewhat out of control. No, I'm not a bad woman, how could I have such filthy thoughts?

Ignoring Hao Hao, Han Dan quickly went to the toilet, filled a bucket with cold water, and poured it over herself.

It was early summer, and the water was very cold. Han Dan shivered, and all the heat subsided.

When Han Dan returned home for the Chinese New Year, she asked her mother in a veiled way what a woman should do if a man doesn't have that function.

Her mother immediately interrupted her, saying with disdain, "What good woman thinks about that kind of thing every day?"

Han Dan dared not ask any more questions, fearing that she would be seen as a bad woman by others.

Even though my mind is entirely focused on my child, and I still have to go to work every day until my legs are sore from standing, why do I still have those dirty thoughts?

Han Dan hated herself.

Making dinner, bathing the child, and doing housework left me with a sore back, so I had to put the child to bed early.

Unintentionally, Hao Hao's little hand landed on Han Dan's body again. Han Dan didn't remove it, but instead fell asleep peacefully.

Lin Jie has changed; she has become bright and cheerful. Early in the morning, she was carrying Hao Hao and spinning him around in the living room, and Hao Hao was laughing happily.

Han Dan cooked three bowls of noodles and urged, "Hao Hao, eat quickly, Mommy will be late for work."

"You go to work after you finish eating, I'll take Hao Hao there."

Han Dan was stunned for three seconds. Lin Jie was a hands-off parent who never sent Hao Hao to school.

"Oh, Daddy takes Hao Hao to school, Daddy is a great hero. Chirp... Chirp... Beat the big bad guy..."

Han Dan smiled, a rare occurrence: "Look at this child, he's just like a soldier."

"Haohao, when Daddy has time, I'll make you a wooden gun, okay?"

"Okay, okay..." Hao Hao happily kissed Lin Jie, then kissed Han Dan, who smiled so much her eyebrows curved.

Isn't this the life she wanted?

Working at an ice pop factory only takes a few months a year, which sounds easy, but once you start, it's a full eight hours a day, and sometimes you have to work overtime at night.

All the popsicles and sodas in the city come from the popsicle factory. There's no room for laziness; if the quota isn't met, the city's cold drinks supply will run out.

Han Dan rarely works overtime. She has children at home, and she can't stand standing for eight hours a day and then have to work overtime at night.

Fortunately, Lin Jie has a high salary, so even if she earns a few dollars less, her family is still quite well-off.

After finishing her noodles, Han Dan changed into her work clothes, told Hao Hao to be good at kindergarten, and hurriedly rushed to catch the school bus.

Hao Hao ate noodles all over the table. Lin Jie held him and patiently fed him, but in his heart he was making a little plan. How could he let Han Dan bring up the matter of divorce?

The child definitely cannot be saved by Han Dan; he is a member of the Lin family.

Han Dan couldn't take the house away either; it was a house allocated to him by the chemical plant, and Han Dan only had the right to reside in it.

As for savings, Lin Jie doesn't care about his salary and doesn't know if his family has any money.

If you want a divorce, you first need to help her find accommodation. The popsicle factory is a family-run business and there is no family housing area. Where are you going to find a house for Han Dan?

Forget it, there's no rush, let's take it slow for now.