Switched Marriage: The Coddled Little Wife
Chapter 439: With Sugar, The Pain Goes Away

Chapter 439: Chapter 439: With Sugar, The Pain Goes Away

"What’s wrong with Ningning? Is someone at school bullying you? Or did something happen?"

Ningning raised her small head, looking at her mom, not knowing how to explain.

Qin Juan patiently led the conversation, "No matter what it is, Ningning has to share it with mom, right? Even if Ningning can’t solve the problem, maybe mom can help. I know something must have upset Ningning today."

Ningning looked at her toes and finally began to speak after a while, "Mom, today when I went to the restroom, I accidentally bumped into another kid. I just lightly bumped her, and she started crying, holding her arm in pain. I apologized, but she said it wasn’t my fault."

"Uh-huh, what happened then?" Qin Juan knew her daughter and prompted further.

Ningning pouted, "I feel like it was my fault. She cried, so she must have been hurt by the bump. Later, I followed her secretly and saw her checking her arm when no one was around. Her arm was covered in bruises, like she had been beaten. Mom, I guess it must have been her dad who hit her. She’s so pitiful..."

Her own dad used to hit people and would leave mom looking like that too.

Qin Juan also thought of this.

Although she tried her best to protect the child when she was with Zhang Wenbin, that kind of living environment still left a shadow on her young soul.

As for the child who was beaten...

"If Ningning thinks she’s pitiful, then next time you see her, can you give her some of your candy?"

She didn’t have the power to save anyone; she had been in that environment and understood their mentality better.

If one couldn’t deliver a fatal blow and cut off their means, meaningless resistance would only provoke the offender to become even more vicious.

How many people have the capability to strike a fatal blow?

If she didn’t have a strong maternal family, she might have had to struggle in such a family for her whole life.

Divorce is too hard for women.

Going forward, Qin Juan’s mood also became heavy.

Ningning’s mood improved, though. She hadn’t yet had the heart to eat the candy her mom bought her. The next time she saw that kid, she would give her one... no, two pieces.

With candy to eat, it wouldn’t hurt as much.

It wasn’t until they arrived at Lin Chuxia’s family courtyard that Qin Juan’s mood suddenly lifted.

Seeing her sister-in-law, she was clear on how she achieved her good life today.

"Sister-in-law, didn’t you want to eat the dish with chicken and mushrooms? I bought some wild mushrooms on the way, and they’ll taste best stewed with the old hen from home."

Qin Juan went straight to the kitchen with the mushrooms.

As soon as Yuan Bao saw Ningning arrive, he started hopping around excitedly.

Little Ningning adored Yuan Bao the most; she giggled when licked by him, filling the courtyard with her cheerful laughter.

"Auntie, Yuan Bao must have missed me. Can I give him my candy? I want to give him some."

Lin Chuxia knew Yuan Bao loved children the most, with Zhuangzhuang and Ningning being his best pals.

"Of course, Yuan Bao looks forward to Ningning’s visits every day."

With permission granted, Ningning dug into her pocket and pulled out a piece of fruit candy. She peeled it and tossed it into the air, "Yuan Bao, catch!"

Yuan Bao, knowing he was being offered a treat, leapt up and caught the candy in one go.

"Wow, Yuan Bao, you’re amazing! Auntie, Yuan Bao is really incredible."

"Ningning is quite impressive too."

...

The cheerful voice could be heard from afar, and on the walkway to the family residential building not far away, a little girl stopped in her tracks and looked towards the direction of the laughter.

The gate of the courtyard there was open, and she could also see the small figure inside the courtyard.

Looking at her joyous appearance, the corners of her lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"You little wretch, I was wondering why you haven’t come back yet, turns out you’re playing on the way home, did you do it on purpose? Just waiting for your dad to finish work and see that you haven’t come back so that he would think I mistreated you, not picking you up from school?"

Feng Jingjing saw her mother storming over from a distance, her face changed dramatically, and she quickly shook her head, "No, Mom, I wasn’t playing on the way home, I had duty today."

Seeing her obedient demeanor, Sister-in-law Feng’s anger subsided a bit.

"Come back earlier next time, don’t wander outside aimlessly, what’s so great about wandering on the streets, all those kids are from the city, they won’t play with you anyway..."

Sister-in-law Feng muttered as she walked ahead, Feng Jingjing turned her head for another glance in the direction of the courtyard, her eyes filled with loss...

............

Lin Chuxia had been staying at home during this period; she hadn’t heard any news about Wang Tianxue going to the Bun Shop again, but she wasn’t in a hurry to do anything either.

Instead, she had planted all the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

She had also planted the pomegranate tree in front of the window, and today, to her delight, she discovered tender new shoots on the branches.

"Xiaxia," Qin Yang came back from work, his eyes brimming with mirth, "Just now, a call from the old home came to my office, guess who called?"

Lin Chuxia tilted her head and asked, "Who is it? Not the eldest brother?"

Calls from the old home to Qin Yang’s office were usually made by Qin Han.

And the village chief and people from the factory would usually call Qin’s Restaurant when looking for her.

Qin Yang shook his head, "Not the eldest brother, it was Xiao Wu who called. His wife gave birth, to a boy, calling to share the good news with us."

Among the brothers of the Qin family, it was Qin Wu, the third uncle, who had the best relationship with Qin Yang, and it was evident that Qin Yang was also happy for him.

Lin Chuxia also felt pleased upon hearing the news, "Ah, now he has a daughter and a son, a perfect good-fortune phrase completed."

Though she herself did not favor sons over daughters, and Qin Wu and his wife loved Niuniu dearly, in the rural areas, especially during that era, there was still a strong desire for a male child.

Apart from the traditional value of carrying on the family name, at that time the countryside hadn’t achieved mechanization yet, most tasks were manual labor, and men did have more advantages.

Like in Qin Liang’s family, Qin Jianjun, a lad of seventeen or eighteen, could already handle manure in the pig pen.

Shoveling out the manure from the pig pen pit, that was no small feat.

"Uh-huh, he sounded really happy," Qin Yang said, his gaze then fell upon Lin Chuxia’s belly.

Lin Chuxia understood in an instant, caressing her belly with a look of complaint, "Dream on, Aunt Flo came this morning," the seed didn’t take root.

Qin Yang indifferently stroked her head, "It’s okay, I’ll work harder next month."

Lin Chuxia: (͡°ᴥ͡°ʋ)

With Lin Chuxia not feeling well, Qin Yang certainly wouldn’t let her do any work.

For lunch, Qin Yang cooked the meal himself and even specially stewed a pot of chicken soup for her.

After taking a sip of the warm chicken soup, Lin Chuxia didn’t skimp on her praises, "Your culinary skills are really getting better and better, you’re truly a man who’s fit for both the hall and the kitchen."

Qin Yang didn’t think so; if anybody was fit for both the hall and the kitchen, it was his wife. Still, seeing her enjoying the soup made him happy.

"Are you going to return to the old home during this period?"

A few days ago, Lin Chuxia mentioned that the vegetable greenhouses in Qin Family Village had reached the production phase, and it was clear that she was still concerned about the matters there.