The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

On the other hand, at the Chen family, Zhou Xuemei goes out early and comes back late every day. On the surface, she is going out to do laundry, but in fact she is exchanging the latest news with the neighborhood women by the river.

There, a group of aunts and ladies sat by the river, scrubbing clothes vigorously and sharing various country anecdotes with great enthusiasm.

Any slight change in the village cannot escape their keen ears.

Today, what they talked about the most was that Xie Tianyi was miraculously able to walk again under Chen Xi's careful care.

When Zhou Xuemei heard this, she was extremely anxious. She immediately put down her work and hurried back home, just to tell Old Mrs. Chen the good news as soon as possible.

Although Mrs. Chen had already completed the bone setting, she still felt a sharp pain in her ankle every time she took a step, forcing her to be very careful with every step for fear that the injury would recur.

Seeing this, Zheng Cuihua left on the pretext of going back to her parents' home to visit her relatives, leaving Zhou Xuemei to take care of all the household chores alone.

Long hours of hard work made her already frail body even more tired, and back pain became a daily companion that she could not get rid of.

Stepping over the threshold and entering the familiar yet slightly old home, Zhou Xuemei immediately saw Old Lady Chen, who was sitting upright on a carved wooden chair, holding a porcelain teapot with orchids painted on it, sipping tea leisurely.

Zhou Xuemei was anxious. She didn't even stop walking when she spoke, "Mom, have you heard? People in the village are saying that Chen Xi somehow managed to heal Xie Tianyi's legs, which had been disabled for many years. It is said that he can now stand up and walk like a normal person!"

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Chen frowned slightly, and paused slightly with the fan in her hand. A trace of disbelief flashed in her eyes, "Are you serious? Xie Tianyi's legs have been disabled since he fell off the cliff. He has sought medical treatment for many years but to no avail. Does this girl Chen Xi really have such ability?"

There was suspicion and surprise in his words.

"It's true. This morning when I was washing clothes by the river, the aunties and sisters in the village gathered together to chat and spread the news. It was as if everyone had witnessed a miracle with their own eyes."

Zhou Xuemei spoke rapidly, with a complex emotion in her tone, perhaps envy or jealousy.

Although she talked endlessly, her face did not show any sign of fatigue. Instead, she looked energetic because of the waves in her heart.

Old Lady Chen gently waved the fan in her hand. Her sharp and deep eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. She stared at Zhou Xuemei. After a moment, she slowly spoke, "In this case, Chen Xi is really a hidden talent. It's not easy to cure Xie Tianyi's difficult leg disease."

There was a hint of recognition in his voice, but also some resentment and anger about the fact that he had been turned away from the clinic after suffering a broken bone in the past.

The pain of not receiving timely treatment was like a thorn in her throat, causing her to unconsciously transfer this long-suppressed resentment to Chen Xi.

When Chen Zhenwen woke up in the morning, he mentioned casually that he had met Chen Xi by chance on a bullock cart transporting goods, and the two seemed to have had some disagreements because of picking mushrooms.

Thinking that her family was cut off from the news because they did not participate in this collective activity and had no idea what was happening in the village, Zhou Xuemei became the only source of information for the family. She ran around outside every day to find out information, and her hard work can be imagined.

Zhou Xuemei had been doing housework for several days and inquiring about trivial matters in the village. She felt unprecedented fatigue both physically and mentally.

Deep down in her heart, she secretly wished that if she had a strong family to support her, she might have chosen to escape from the day-to-day toil and find a peaceful place to cultivate her body and mind.

But the reality is that all the burdens still fall on her thin shoulders.

Facing Old Lady Chen, Zhou Xuemei's tone was filled with grievance and helplessness. "Mom, you know I have to take care of things at home and deal with things outside by myself. I am so tired that my waist can hardly stand up straight. When can my sister-in-law come back to help me share the burden? Let her come back as soon as possible."

She looked haggard, with red eyes. She looked so pitiful that anyone who saw her would feel a little sympathy.

Hearing this, Mrs. Chen's eyes flashed with shrewdness. She slowly put down the fan in her hand, gestured to Zhou Xuemei to keep quiet, and said, "Tomorrow I will ask the second son to bring her back and see if she is willing. You just have to work harder these few days, and when she comes back, you will naturally be much more relaxed. After all, the only ones this family can really rely on are you and Zhenwen. Zheng Cuihua is a child with a casual temperament and it is difficult for her to achieve great things. In the end, the future of the family has to be supported by the two of us and Zhenwen."

Although old lady Chen is old, she is still mentally sharp. She is clearly aware that she has difficulty walking and is in urgent need of finding a daughter-in-law who can take good care of her and is easy to control, so that she can continue to maintain her status and authority in this large mansion.

Among the candidates for daughter-in-law, Zhou Xuemei is obviously more suitable than Zheng Cuihua.

Zhou Xuemei has a gentle personality. A few warm words can make her happy and let down her guard. This kind of personality just falls into the net carefully woven by Old Lady Chen.

Whenever Zheng Cuihua was not present, Old Lady Chen would quietly induce Zhou Xuemei with words, which neither revealed her purpose too much nor touched Zhou Xuemei's heart deeply.

She warned Zhou Xuemei not to talk about family matters in front of Zheng Cuihua, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble and destroy the false image of family harmony that she had carefully created.

Every time Zheng Cuihua returned to her parents' home, she was like a fish that had been trapped in shallow water for a long time and finally leaped into the vast ocean.

She no longer had to bear the heavy burden of housework, nor did she have to be constantly vigilant against the gaze of her mother-in-law. Therefore, she always yearned for this moment of peace and was unwilling to return early to her husband's home, which made her physically and mentally exhausted.

During the days she spent with Old Lady Chen, she felt like she was bound by invisible shackles. She worked until late at night every day, and back pain became the norm. The feeling of exhaustion seemed to penetrate deep into her bones and was indescribable.

Having finally found an excuse to get away this time, Zheng Cuihua decided to enjoy this hard-earned free time and leave the heavy housework to Zhou Xuemei.

Zheng Cuihua's mother saw her daughter return, and even asked her to enjoy a few more days of leisure at home without rushing back to the old house to continue serving the eccentric old man.

When Zheng Cuihua returned home, she immediately found the long-lost comfort. The servants at home served her attentively and considerately, and tea and meals were carefully prepared. She only had to stretch her hands and open her mouth. Her life was as leisurely as a fairy. The joy in her heart was indescribable.

Inside the Xie family compound, the night was gentle. After Chen Xi and Xie Tianyi finished their dinner, they walked into the washroom one after the other in tacit understanding.

After Xie Tianyi finished packing, he walked to the window. In the flickering candlelight, he immersed himself in the pages of the book with complete concentration.