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

With Qiaoqiao's comforting words, the box of chicken and chicken soup was finished. Auntie San returned with a tub of hot water: "You're so carefree, eating so heartily. Your mother-in-law didn't even ask you about it."

Feng Lin, whose mood had just improved, lowered his head.

"Auntie, are there some things you really necessary to say?"

Qiaoqiao felt inexplicably sad. If she were in the same situation, her mother would definitely not say such discouraging things, but would encourage her to cheer up.

"Qiaoqiao, Fenglin isn't as smart as you. There are some things she won't know unless you remind her. Jintao left her some money, but she used it all to subsidize the Zhao family. She doesn't even buy herself anything nice to eat. I feel sorry for my silly daughter."

Sometimes, the facts aren't that important. At this moment, Feng Lin doesn't need to be blamed; she's already very upset.

"Auntie, I'll stay with Fenglin this afternoon. If you have work to do in the fields, come back with the truck and get back to help."

Since she was the mother, Qiaoqiao couldn't say much.

"Okay, I'm going back. There are still pigs and chickens at home, and the wheat harvest is in a couple of days, so I'll be very busy. Fenglin, I've taken a few changes of clothes. Don't worry too much, just take good care of yourself."

"Yes."

Zhao Jintao came in after finishing his meal. Qiaoqiao said, "Brother Jintao, you should go back too. I'll take care of Fenglin today. You haven't slept for two days. Go back and get some sleep."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Go back, take a shower, you smell terrible. Have Gu Quan bring you to the hospital again tonight to replace Qiaoqiao," Zhou Wenhui suggested.

"Well then, Qiaomei, thank you for your hard work."

"It's alright, Wenhui, you should go back too."

"Okay, Fenglin, you should get some rest."

Qiaoqiao told them all to leave, as she wanted to stay with Fenglin.

The ward was quiet, with only Qiaoqiao and Fenglin present.

Qiaoqiao filled a basin with warm water and gave Fenglin a thorough wash before sitting down to talk to her.

"Qiaoqiao, how fortunate I am to have met such a good friend as you." Feng Lin smiled, his face pale.

"How lucky I am to have met such a good friend like you. I used to be ashamed to hold my head up in the village, and you were the only one I played with." Qiaoqiao held Fenglin's hand with heartache.

"Fenglin, when you were taken into the emergency room, I was terrified, afraid you wouldn't wake up. In my heart, you are family. After I married Wenhui, I didn't care about you as much and didn't write to you as often. I'm sorry."

Qiaoqiao couldn't describe the bond between her and Fenglin.

They had played together since they were little. Qiaoqiao had a bad family background, so everyone could scold her, but only Fenglin protected her.

It was warmth amidst the biting cold wind, as if they were sisters in a past life.

"It's my fault. I promised to write to you, but I didn't. Qiaoqiao, I envy you so much. I envy you for having such a good husband and such good in-laws. Yesterday, I was trimming the rabbit's fur, thinking I could make you a pair of warm rabbit fur gloves. But for some reason, I felt dizzy and couldn't remember anything."

"Silly Fenglin, you only think about others. Your mother is right, you need to cherish yourself."

"Aren't you always thinking about others? You bought me a sweater, but you don't even have one for yourself. You bought Jintao those leather shoes, and he loves them so much he doesn't want to wear them."

"Fenglin, when you go to the city, think more about yourself, eat well, and take good care of your health."

"To the city?"

"Yes, Wenhui told Dad that once you're discharged from the hospital, you and Brother Jintao will go to the provincial capital, and Dad will arrange a place for you to stay."

Feng Lin burst into tears: "Qiao Qiao, you've thought of everything for me."

"You've lost your child, how can your mother-in-law tolerate you? And all those gossipy people in the village, their mouths are like knives. Go to the provincial capital, follow Brother Jintao, there's not so much trouble in the city, we can start over."

"Qiaoqiao, I'm not afraid of being tired or suffering, I'm just afraid of those hurtful words. I raised pigs and rabbits, and my mother-in-law keeps saying she still owes the team money. The more she says it, the more guilty I feel, and I just want to pay it back as soon as possible. Actually, Jintao gave me over a hundred yuan..."

"Fenglin, your fainting is also related to the pressure. You should write to Brother Jintao about these things, or tell me. Don't keep them to yourself and let them break you down."

"These are all family matters that would make people laugh at me, so I can't tell you, and I can't disturb Jin Tao's studies."

Fenglin wiped away her tears. She also wanted to be weak, she also wanted to have someone to rely on, but she didn't have one, she could only bear it all by herself.

"If you're unhappy in the future, just tell me, and I'll help you figure something out."

"Jin Tao went to your house to study, and when we got married, you bought us things and gave us money. Uncle Zhou valued Jin Tao so much. Your family has been so good to us, so good that we can't repay you."

"Fenglin, you're overthinking it. When Brother Jintao comes to my house to study, it's just noodles and cabbage, nothing more than a small favor. My father-in-law is good to Brother Jintao because Brother Jintao is excellent, how can you call it a favor? If we're talking about favors, you've protected me for over ten years, how can I repay that favor? Fenglin, you've changed, you don't treat me like a good friend anymore."

Qiaoqiao's eyes were red; Fenglin's heart was heavy.

"I've figured it out. If I can't pay it back, then I won't. Uncle Zhou told me to go to the provincial capital, so I'll go. I want to be with Jin Tao." Feng Lin smiled, a rare occurrence for him.

"It's all my fault, I should have thought of this sooner." Qiaoqiao took a towel and wiped Fenglin's tears.

When Zhao Jintao returned home, no one was home. He went to the bedroom, lay down on the bed exhausted, and felt Feng Lin's scent on the pillow. Jintao hugged the pillow and cried bitterly.

He could never forget that little child, eyes tightly closed, as if asleep.

That was his son, Fenglin's son. He failed to protect his child.

Zhao Jintao, what kind of man are you if you can't even protect your wife and children?

Zhao Jintao always thought that his mother was just sharp-tongued and wouldn't be too harsh on Fenglin, after all, the child in her belly was also Zhao family blood.

He was wrong. He didn't realize that words can also be deadly.

What has Fenglin been through at home? He hears his mother's cold words every day, is reluctant to eat or drink, and still has to do so much work. Zhao Jintao, you trust your parents too much. They really don't love other people's children.

Fenglin, if I had known I would cause you such a terrible tragedy, I shouldn't have come to propose marriage in the first place. Now that you've lost your child and ruined your health, how can I atone for my sins?

Fenglin, from now on you will be my child. I will cherish you, protect you, and not allow anyone to hurt you. Fenglin, believe me, I will spend my whole life atoning for my sins. You must forgive me.

In this once happy bridal chamber, Zhao Jintao cried his heart out. Men aren't without tears, but because he's a man, he has to hold them back.

After crying and washing his face, Jin Tao began packing Feng Lin's clothes. He decided that Feng Lin would return to the provincial capital as soon as she was discharged from the hospital, and he absolutely could not let her go back to the village and listen to those rumors again.

"Brother Jintao, Brother Jintao, are you home? Auntie and Fenglin's mother are fighting in the field."

Outside the door, Zhao Gui called out urgently.

Zhao Jintao dropped his clothes and came out. Zhao Gui shouted, "Are you home? Go check on things quickly, someone's going to die!"

Without thinking twice, Zhao Jintao hurriedly followed Zhao Gui.

Aunt San and Zhang Cuilian grabbed each other's hair and wrestled on the ground, both covered in yellow mud. Their fathers on either side were anxious but couldn't pull them apart, while a bunch of villagers watched the spectacle.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Jintao shouted coldly.

"What are you doing? I'm avenging my Fenglin. If your mother hadn't mistreated her, would Fenglin have had a miscarriage? I have to beat Zhang Cuilian to death."

"Give me a break. How much do you actually care about Fenglin? We live in the same village. Did you give her an egg or buy her a pound of sugar? I don't care about her, and you, as her mother, haven't cared for her much either. Fenglin acted tough and got my grandson killed. I have to make my son divorce her..."

The two of them gripped each other's hair tightly, determined to kill each other.

"Fenglin is my wife, my love. Her miscarriage was my fault. Mother, mother-in-law, I will take care of Fenglin from now on. You don't need to worry about her. If you like to fight, then keep fighting."

After Zhao Jintao finished speaking, he left expressionlessly, leaving the two women looking at each other in bewilderment.

How tragic! So many people say they love Fenglin, but the only one who truly loves her is Qiaoqiao.