The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Xie Tianyi responded quickly, and said jokingly with a smile: "Nothing, Chen Xi, please help me get some water to wash my face. Chen Rong said he wanted to go see the two little guys."

After he finished speaking, Chen Rong had already slipped out the door like a cunning rabbit, leaving behind a string of relaxed laughter echoing in the air.

Chen Xi looked at her brother's departing back, feeling confused. The subtle changes in their behavior today made her inexplicably curious.

Just as her thoughts were wandering, Xie Tianyi's words brought her back to reality: "Time flies. You have been in our family for two months. To me, you have long been an indispensable part of this family. I think it's time to be honest with you about some things."

When Chen Xi heard this, a trace of doubt emerged between his brows, and his eyes were fixed on Xie Tianyi, as if waiting for an answer that could solve all the mysteries.

Xie Tianyi nodded slightly and pointed to the inconspicuous wooden cabinet beside the bed. It was a place that looked ordinary but actually hid a secret.

Chen Xi walked forward as he was told and gently opened the cabinet door. In an instant, several thick stacks of silver bills came into view. They lay there quietly, emitting a faint scent of ink. Every piece of wealth was a testimony to Xie Tianyi's hard work.

She held up the banknote in astonishment, her eyes filled with confusion and deep shock. She looked at Xie Tianyi in disbelief, as if she was trying to find the truth behind all this from his face.

"A few years ago, I co-founded a private school in Beijing with a friend. In the past two years, thanks to our good reputation and unremitting efforts, our business has been booming. These are all my savings."

Xie Tianyi's tone was calm but firm, "Now, I am willing to hand over all of this to you to manage. From now on, you are the real head of our little family."

Chen Xi's fingers gently stroked the banknotes. She was so shocked that she couldn't calm down. She couldn't help but blurt out: "You have such a rich fortune, why are our lives still so simple, even poor?"

Recalling the scene when I first arrived at the Xie family, the simplicity and poverty of the home are still vivid in my mind, as if that home had almost nothing except love and warmth.

This sudden reversal made Chen Xi both moved and puzzled, and his heart was filled with complicated emotions.

Xie Tianyi's eyes revealed a subtle gloom, and the corners of his mouth sank slightly.

"You know the temperament of the people in the village. It's better to have less trouble than more. Xiaoyang and Xiaochen are still young, and every corner of their lives requires expenses, not to mention the savings necessary to pave the way for their future and prevent unpredictable storms. Now we are a family in the same boat, and I have no intention of hiding anything from you. You will be in charge of the big and small things in the family from now on. When school starts, use these banknotes to pay the tuition for Chen Rong, Xiaoyang, and Xiaochen, and give them a better start."

When mentioning the true origins of Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, which were not as terrible as the rumors outside, Xie Tianyi's eyes became gentle and distant.

"These two children are not my private life as the outside world speculates. In fact, I met them by chance on the long road to Beijing for the imperial examination. At that time, they were helpless and alone. So I decided to take them on the journey, and in a blink of an eye, several years had passed quietly."

Chen Xi listened to the story behind this, his heart surged like the tide, and his understanding of this family deepened a little.

She was about to ask about the details of Xie Tianyi's leg injury, but she stopped abruptly when the words came to her lips, fearing that her words would accidentally touch the scars in his heart.

Sensing Chen Xi's hesitation, Xie Tianyi began to explain on his own, his tone calm and frank.

"As for my leg injury, it was caused by an accident on our way home. In order to protect Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, I failed to avoid a speeding carriage in time and was unfortunately run over by the wheels, injuring my bones. Fortunately, I still had some savings, so I was able to ask a kind passerby for help and rent a carriage, which brought the three of us back to Xianghe Village safely. If it weren't for that help, perhaps we would have disappeared in this vast wilderness and no one would have known about us."

Chen Xi stared at him in shock, an indescribable warmth gradually filling his heart.

This usually taciturn man actually carried such a heavy secret and responsibility, and raised two young children alone. She could understand the hardships and difficulties just by imagining it.

"There is always hope for the future. I now rely on collecting herbs and practicing medicine to provide our family with food and clothing. Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, I will give them all the love and care I would give them as if they were my own children."

Chen Xi's eyes were clear and resolute, full of maternal radiance.

However, facing Xie Tianyi's emotional gaze, Chen Xi suddenly felt at a loss. In order to ease the delicate atmosphere, she hurriedly found an excuse to leave: "Oh, by the way, the water for washing your face may have gotten cold. I'll go to the kitchen and get a hot basin."

Having said that, he hurriedly turned and left, leaving behind a warm yet slightly awkward silence.

The moment she walked out the door, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Xie Tianyi's sudden conversation, though warm, also caught people off guard.

As the door closed gently, Xie Tianyi sat alone in the room under the dim light, his thoughts surging like the tide.

His eyes were sometimes confused and sometimes firm. He kept wondering in his heart whether he was just impulsive and couldn't help but say those words that had been pent up for a long time.

Or was it that her past was too heavy, inadvertently bringing her invisible pressure?

He tapped the table lightly with his fingers, recalling every word he had just uttered, and couldn't help feeling a little regretful. If he could express himself more tactfully, perhaps the atmosphere wouldn't have become so subtle and tense.

Outside the door, Chen Xi was completely unaware of this. The slight hesitation she inadvertently revealed was like a stone thrown into Xie Tianyi's heart, causing waves.

Not long after, Chen Xi stepped into the house again, carrying the newly prepared warm water.

She found that Xie Tianyi was still leaning back, with a barely perceptible expectation in his eyes.

In a soft voice, she handed over a towel: "Wipe your face first to cool it down, then I'll wash your feet, and finally check carefully how your leg injury is recovering."

Xie Tianyi nodded gently, his gratitude evident in words. He took the towel and gently brushed it across his face, as if washing away the chaotic emotions in his heart.

Afterwards, with Chen Xi's light but powerful support, he slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning his back against the soft pillow, looking a little uncomfortable but full of dependence.

Chen Xi carefully helped him take off his socks, and a pair of white jade-like feet gradually appeared, and then gently immersed them in the foot basin filled with warm water.