She subconsciously took a look at Ren Jianbai’s face. Seeing his gloomy face, Liao Shi pushed back her messy hair with her hands and tried her best to tidy up his clothes.

With a hoarse voice, she paused for a moment, then a wry smile appeared at the corner of Liao Shi’s mouth, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to call you anymore, so why don’t you just let me call you two more times?”

“You don’t deserve to call me by this name,” Ren Jianbai said.

“Yes, I’m not worthy of it.” Liao Shi rubbed her red eyes with her dirty hands, “It was just bought with money. My status is very low, so I am not worthy of a xiucai.”

“But my husband, please don’t forget that when I was bought into your home, you were overjoyed and just showed off to others that you had a wife…”

“But it was all just innocent jokes from children, nothing to take seriously,”

Ren Jianbo interrupted Liao Shi’s words, “Besides, there is no three media and six appointments, let alone a marriage certificate for a child bride. It’s just the unwritten old customs of the elders. It’s not a serious marriage anywhere.”

“Not only me, but even my parents and fellow villagers don’t take this matter seriously. Yet here you are, just a slave, daring to claim such a status. That takes quite a bit of audacity,”

Listening to Ren Jianbo’s logical and emotionally charged arguments, and ending with a stern rebuke, Liao Shi could no longer hold back her tears. They burst forth like a flood, overwhelming her.

“If my husband doesn’t like me, why did he sleep with me in the first place?”

As soon as he said this, Ren Jianbai’s face changed at first and then became livid.

“How can you take it seriously when I was drunk?”

Ren Jianbai shouted, “I was so drunk that day that I fell unconscious, and when I woke up you were lying on my bed. How could I know that you didn’t do this on purpose and just wanted me to marry you?”

“When we were at home, I often heard people say that you and Ren Tiezhu from the village often exchanged glances, unclear about your relationship. Later, when you became pregnant, how could anyone be sure that you didn’t have an illicit affair and conceive this illegitimate child? Perhaps you’re trying to shift the blame onto me and force me to marry you into my family?”

“I didn’t dwell on your past actions. I respected you as an elder, provided for you to live comfortably, and treated you as my own parents. Yet you repay my kindness with treachery, constantly using this matter to blackmail me and even attempting to take advantage of me. You’ve repeatedly plotted against Miss Su, with such a venomous heart. It’s truly despicable!”

Abhorrent indeed!

Liao Shi bit her lip.

She was obviously Ren Jianbai’s child bride. She took care of him and was his legitimate daughter-in-law. She was also the first woman to have physical contact with him and have his first child. She should have been Ren Jianbai’s wife, and Ren Jianbai was supposed to be her lawful husband.

But now, Ren Jianbo refused to acknowledge her, denied their marital relationship, and accused her of having relations with others. Moreover, he personally served her a bowl of medicine to induce an abortion, and even openly referred to her as a mother to their child, making it clear that he wouldn’t even give her the position of a concubine in the future.

Why was that?

Because her status was low, as she was bought with money, treated like merchandise, and could not be brought out in public?

Was it because she was older, with damaged looks, unable to compare to Su Yujin’s stunning beauty like that of a fresh flower?

However, she had been happy before.

Even that night, he exerted himself vigorously during moments of pleasure, almost as if he wanted to merge her into his body, with hardly a moment’s respite throughout the night. He even promised her a legitimate marriage in the future.

They say you tell the truth after drinking, so he must be somewhat sincere towards her.

However, these sincerities gradually faded away later.

If we were to carefully examine the reason for his waning affection, it’s nothing more than those birds and flowers outside. They see Ren Jianbo’s handsome appearance, his young age, having passed the imperial examination at a young age, with limitless prospects for the future. That’s why they rushed to pursue him.

Since those wild bees and butterflies had evil intentions, she naturally had to catch up, lest the tree she had worked so hard to raise for so many years would eventually be plucked by others.

It was a pity that she met a useless person.

At this time, even Ren Jianbai said that she was a snake-hearted person.

If you say she has a heart of snakes and scorpions. 

What about Ren Jianbai himself?

Since he had never thought about marrying her, and never thought about giving her a status, then why did he buy her back, provoke her, and make her heart focus on him?

If we analyze it carefully, it was all because of Ren Jianbai that she was like this now.

If we were to talk about being hateful, she probably couldn’t compare to him.

But even if he was hateful, she couldn’t hate him.

In the end, he was the man she loved, her husband, the father of her grown daughter.

Liao Shi laughed bitterly a few times, and could no longer say anything to refute Ren Jianbai. So she only lowered her voice and said, “If you think I’m hateful, why do you want to come and see me again?”

Ren Jianbo took a deep breath, suppressing all his displeasure and disgust. He spoke in a tone devoid of warmth, “In the end, it’s just a master-servant relationship. You will be exiled after the New Year. I’m afraid I won’t have the time to see you off as I will go to study at the county school. Coming to see you before the New Year can also be considered as a farewell.”

Having just clarified his relationship with Liao Shi, now others praised his kindness and benevolence, causing his popularity to soar, and the cold treatment from before was no longer present.

So, his current visit served to further consolidate his reputation.

Next, he also wanted to ask something.

Listening to what Ren Jianbai said, Liao Shi closed her eyes.

It was unclear whether she felt that having Ren Jianbo come to bid farewell left her with no regrets, or if she believed that Ren Jianbo’s words were merely polite gestures, causing her heart to remain unaffected.

“Next, I also want to ask something.”

Ren Jianbo paused for a while, then finally made up his mind and spoke with difficulty, “Years ago, my father slipped and fell into a well, and was only discovered the next day. I remember that day, you took your clothes to wash at the well. Does this matter have anything to do with you?”

Liao Shi opened her eyes and looked at Ren Jianbai with bright eyes. “I did it.”

“You’re willing to admit it.”

“Things that have been done should naturally be acknowledged,” Liao Shi laughed. “Actually, on that day, your mother was right there. She watched me push your father down with her own eyes and didn’t say a word.”

“Did Mother actually see Liao Shi push Father into the well?”

This was something Ren Jianbo hadn’t anticipated.

Father was stern; ever since he started tutoring Ren Jianbo, he had been extremely strict, making him write characters every day until his hand trembled, refusing to let him rest.

If he achieved something while studying and was praised by his master, his father would just nod lightly. But if he couldn’t study better than others, he would be punished by kneeling until late at night.

Even though Ren Jianbo could understand that his father was strict because he hoped for his success, seeing other people’s fathers showing him care and concern while his own injuries were compounded by old wounds that hadn’t healed, he harbored a deep resentment towards his father.

He wished he would die soon.

He had to say that although Liao Shi’s greed was disgusting, this matter was very much in line with his wishes.

However, his father was very good to his mother.

Why did his mother…

(End of chapter)

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