Jiang Yuning’s face flushed deep red. She was completely speechless, unable to understand why he kept talking about “sleeping together” so casually all the time.

Just then, Sister-in-law Wang Xiangmei, Second Sister-in-law Li Chunyan, and several villagers returned from work. Seeing smoke still rising, they hurried over and asked:

“Liye, what happened here?”

Xiao Liye put away his teasing expression and said seriously:

“It caught fire.”

Wang Xiangmei, with sharp triangular eyes and a rather strong, sharp appearance, said anxiously:

“Oh my, Liye, I have to say this—even if you don’t want this woman, you can’t burn down the kitchen out of anger.”

Someone else chimed in:

“I bet it’s the third daughter-in-law trying to avoid cooking forever and came up with this one-time solution. Last time, someone’s daughter-in-law didn’t want to cook either, so she added two pounds of salt to the dish—heard she hasn’t cooked since.”

Wang Xiangmei added:

“She’s full of schemes. Burns down the kitchen, can’t even have children—what use is she?”

Xiao Liye was about to speak when Jiang Yuning quickly cut in, not wanting to be blamed for burning the kitchen on her wedding day:

“It was him. He deliberately caused the fire out of anger.”

Xiao Liye turned back in shock, seeing her extremely serious expression as she shifted all blame onto him without hesitation. He swallowed the rest of his words:

“……”

Fine. Even though it was actually because she distracted him at the moment he lit the fire and he acted impulsively—it was still partly his fault.

Wang Xiangmei looked Jiang Yuning up and down. She had only just heard about the marriage after work, and rushed back in anger after hearing rumors at the supply store.

Originally, she had planned to marry off her own cousin into the family, but now she had been cut out of the deal, and she was furious.

She said coldly:

“Liye, listen to me—you don’t want her, so just beat her until she runs away. Why waste things?”

Another woman added:

“Exactly, beat her a couple times, she’ll behave. But the kitchen costs money to repair.”

Jiang Yuning was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Before she could respond, she said firmly:

“If he dares to hit me, I’ll call the police. Anyone encouraging him will be arrested too.”

Xiao Liye curved his lips slightly, amused. Call the police? Did she not know the police in this area were basically connected to his family? If he really wanted to hit her, even shouting wouldn’t help her.

Wang Xiangmei seized the opportunity:

“Liye, see? She’s not someone who can live properly in a family. If you hit her, she’ll just embarrass you by calling the police.”

Jiang Yuning knew about Wang Xiangmei. In her family’s introduction, she had learned that Wang Xiangmei had a cousin she wanted to push into the marriage with Xiao Liye, since she was childhood friends with him, all from the same village.

So there was no chance they could get along peacefully.

She said directly:

“You care so much about the family? Then when your husband beats you in the future, don’t cry so loudly that the whole village hears it.”

Wang Xiangmei’s face immediately darkened.

Before she could respond, Li Chunyan gently pulled her arm and said:

“Sister-in-law, forget it. It’s getting late—we should cook.”

“If you want to cook, you do it. I’ve been working all day too,” Wang Xiangmei snapped and stormed back into the house.

Li Chunyan, in contrast, had a much gentler appearance and tried to smooth things over:

“Alright, don’t be angry. There should still be some hot water in the thermos—you go wash up.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Yuning said.

She knew about her: her first child was a daughter, her second was finally a son but disabled in the leg, and her third child also had problems. No clear cause was ever found, and she was afraid to continue having children.

So her gentle temperament was really due to lack of status in the family.

At least Jiang Yuning had a healthy daughter. But with the reputation of being “unable to bear children,” her coming half-year would likely not be easy either.

She went inside and poured hot water into a basin. The weather was getting cold in November, with big temperature differences, so she didn’t dilute it too much.

While washing, she heard more villagers coming back and gossiping outside about how Xiao Fangdong had forced the marriage to repay a debt of gratitude.

She stayed silent, holding back frustration.

After washing, she put on light blue long-sleeved pajamas and pants, and let her damp hair fall behind her. She didn’t go out immediately.

After a while, Xiao Liye knocked:

“Jiang Yuning, did you drown in there?”

She opened the door coldly, about to step out—but Xiao Liye suddenly noticed the back of her clothes was soaked from her wet hair.

The light blue fabric had turned semi-transparent, revealing her slender back and even the white undergarment beneath.

His face instantly turned hot, and his ears reddened.

But Jiang Yuning didn’t notice anything and was about to walk past him. In the next moment, he grabbed her waist and pushed her back into the room.

“Go out looking like that? What are you trying to do? Your eldest and second brothers are still outside.”

Jiang Yuning glanced at herself—her clothes weren’t tight, just loose pajamas, neatly buttoned.

She frowned:

“Is there a rule in your house that you can’t wear pajamas outside?”

Standing in the narrow doorway, Xiao Liye couldn’t look at her properly. His gaze kept drifting, especially toward her slender waist.

“Yes,” he said awkwardly. “From now on, whenever you leave this room, you have to dress properly. Go change.”

Though confused, she still respected it. She changed into a long-sleeved shirt and jeans before coming out again.

As she stepped out, the earlier arguments outside abruptly stopped. Xiao Liye’s eldest brother, second brother, and Wang Xiangmei all looked displeased.

Only Li Chunyan came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and smiled:

“Dinner’s ready.”

Jiang Yuning went into the kitchen to help. Inside, she found the kitchen had already been cleaned spotless—the soot from earlier fire damage was gone, and the pots and bowls were neatly arranged.

She guessed Li Chunyan had cleaned up the mess and felt a bit embarrassed.

Li Chunyan smiled:

“It’s fine. Luckily the house didn’t burn through—it was just some soot. Easy to clean. Go call Father for dinner.”

Jiang Yuning nodded.

She went to call Xiao Fangdong:

“Uncle, dinner’s ready.”

At that moment, Xiao Liye’s eldest brother snorted:

“No manners. Married already and still calling him ‘uncle’—you look like you’re just visiting.”

The second brother also said coldly:

“Food is cooked by our family. What, you’re here to enjoy yourself?”

Jiang Yuning opened her mouth but said nothing.

The marriage had been rushed; there were only two tables of guests, and one was her family’s side.

Technically it was a wedding, but also not quite official yet. Calling him “father” felt strange.

She remained silent.

Xiao Fangdong snapped back:

“If you don’t want to eat, then get lost. Stop making sarcastic remarks here.”