A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

On the way home with Duoduo, Qingyan ran into Jiang Runsheng again.

His car practically blocked the entire narrow road.

Jiang Runsheng got out of the car, his voice warm and deep: "Qingyan, you're off work."

"Thanks to you, I'm out of work now."

Qingyan said irritably, "I've already been suspended. The whistleblower letter was most likely written by your husband. Now that I'm jobless, are you happy?"

Jiang Runsheng's face stiffened: "I'm sorry."

"No, I can't take that responsibility. Stay away from me." Qingyan pursed her lips. "I'm very grateful to you for Grandma Xiaohua's surgery last time. Let me give you some advice: keep an eye on Chen Xiaomeng. She's both stupid and wicked. She can make me lose my job today, and who knows, she might make you lose your job tomorrow."

After saying that, Qingyan pushed her bicycle and was about to leave.

Jiang Runsheng strode forward and grabbed the bicycle handlebars: "Qingyan, I went to the Education Bureau today. Don't worry, I'll find someone to resolve your matter and give you an explanation. Chen Xiaomeng was in the wrong, and I should compensate you."

"Let go! I don't need your help! Just staying away from me is helping me."

Qingyan frowned and tried to pull his arm away.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Runsheng boldly grabbed her hand and said, "I can't stay away from you!"

Duoduo, sitting in the back seat, stared wide-eyed at the sight.

Qingyan was furious and felt extremely disgusted by his touch. She abruptly pulled her hand away and rubbed it forcefully against her clothes.

"Jiang Runsheng! Do you know that Chen Xiaomeng has been targeting me because you keep bothering me? Do you know how much trouble you've caused me? I'm begging you, please stay away from me and don't hurt me."

After saying that, Qingyan didn't linger. She got on her bicycle, picked up Duoduo, and angrily drove away.

When she got home and saw that Xiao Jingye still hadn't returned, Qingyan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and silently shed tears, not even eating dinner.

After Zeng Yumei understood the whole story, she was filled with anxiety and worry. She wanted to contact her son to come back, but Chun Ya and Zhi Jie were both busy in the city recently, so she had no way to pass on a message and could not contact Xiao Jingye at all.

In just one night, rumors that Qiao Qingyan had been suspended by the Education Bureau due to her poor teaching ethics spread rapidly throughout several villages surrounding Guangming Elementary School, and gossip abounded.

The next morning, Zhijie's mother and Chunya's mother came to the Xiao family to inquire about the truth.

Qingyan had already woken up, but she remained on the kang (a heated brick bed) and refused to get up.

The elders outside spoke in hushed tones, but the harsh words "suspension," "whistleblower letter," and "professional ethics issues" still reached her ears without missing a single one.

She pulled the blanket up over her head, painfully covering her ears, not wanting to hear anything.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaomeng returned to her parents' home in high spirits, happily sharing the good news with her mother, Chen Xiuying, in the courtyard.

"Really?" Chen Xiuying's eyes lit up, unable to hide her excitement. She then glanced at Qiao Nianshan, who was engrossed in his carpentry work, and immediately lowered her voice, "That brat is finally not going to be a teacher. I wanted to slap her twice whenever I saw her arrogant and haughty attitude before."

The mother and daughter faced each other, whispering secrets to each other.

Qiao Nianshan silently did his carpentry work nearby. After a while, once Chen Xiaomeng left, he also made an excuse to go out for a while.

At that moment, Qingyan was sitting in the courtyard in a daze. Fubao seemed to sense that she was unhappy and gently rubbed her shoes with its tail.

Qiao Nianshan came in carrying his things, having walked several miles, and was covered in sweat.

"Father, what brings you here?" Qingyan stood up.

Upon hearing the sound, Zeng Yumei quickly walked out of the main room and warmly invited her in-laws to come in and sit down to rest.

Qiao Nianshan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and waved his hand: "I can't sit down. I have to go back to work later. There's a batch of furniture at home that needs to be delivered on time."

He looked at his daughter: "Nizi, what's your job all about?"

Mentioning this, Qingyan's shoulders slumped: "I lost my teaching job. Someone wrote a letter of complaint to the Education Bureau accusing me."

"Who wrote it?" Qiao Nianshan pressed.

Qingyan looked at her father without saying a word.

She didn't expect Qiao Nianshan to stand up for her or defend her.

I just want to calm myself down before I go to Chen Xiaomeng to have a proper talk about this.

"It wouldn't be Xiaomeng, would it?" Qiao Nianshan asked tentatively.

Qingyan lowered her head and didn't say anything.

"Ugh—" Qiao Nianshan slapped his thigh hard, his anger surging. He immediately turned and walked out with his hands behind his back. "I'm going back to ask Chen Xiuying!"

Qingyan hurriedly chased after him to the door, leaning against the doorframe and calling out, "Dad! Don't get involved in this!"

Qiao Nianshan, his back slightly hunched, walked away quickly.

When Zeng Yumei carried the brewed hot tea out of the main room, Qiao Nianshan was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard.

She placed the tea on the small stone table in the courtyard: "It's alright, Qingyan. Even if we don't become teachers, the three of us can still live comfortably at home. We can even help out with Jinye's mountain produce business."

Zeng Yumei knew that her daughter-in-law liked being a teacher, but she really didn't know how to comfort her right now.

Perhaps only if Jinye comes back and comforts her properly will she feel better.

-

Inside the city, there is a quiet and elegant private courtyard.

"Xiao Xiao, stop and rest for a bit, have some fruit," a pregnant woman in the courtyard gently advised.

She was over thirty years old, with a gentle and approachable face. She wore a navy blue cotton cheongsam with a clean white vest over it, exuding an elegant temperament.

Xiao Jingye stopped hoeing, lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat, and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll finish turning over this small plot for you so you and Auntie don't have to worry about it later. We can plant vegetables after watering it in a few days."

Zhou Shunan said softly, "My husband, Lao Zhang, has been away on a business trip for several days. He should be back today. I'll tell him about your wife as soon as he gets back."

Xiao Jingye: "It's alright, sister-in-law, there's no rush."

Zhou Shunan looked up and teased, "You say you're not in a hurry, but I see you coming to our house every day, you're probably already worried sick."

As soon as she finished speaking, an elderly woman with graying temples walked out of the house. She was Zhou Shunan's mother-in-law.

She untied the white apron from her waist, wiped her hands, and said gently:

"Xiao Xiao, stop sending ginseng and wild game from now on. We have more than we can eat at home. Jin Chuan told us not to accept valuables. Look at the mess you've made..."

"A few days ago, Shunan fell on the road. Luckily, you happened to bring chicken soup and took her to the hospital in time. We haven't repaid this favor yet, but we keep accepting your gifts. We feel really bad about it."

The old lady took out a wad of cash from her pocket and handed it to Xiao Jingye: "Take this money. I can't let you lose money for nothing."

Xiao Jingye declined, stuffing the money back into the old lady's pocket, his smile open and easygoing.

"Auntie, sister-in-law, don't feel guilty. It was just a coincidence that day. Anyone would have stood by and done nothing."

"Those mountain produce are just some snacks, nothing valuable. It's really too much of a hassle for you to give me money. It's fate that we got to know each other. I could tell at a glance that your family are all very kind and approachable people."

"Uncle Xu from the restaurant said you really enjoy these mountain delicacies and wild game. I'll save any fresh ones for you from now on!"

"You child..." the old lady murmured.

Just then, a clear car horn sounded from the courtyard gate.

It was Deputy Director Zhang from the Education Bureau who returned.