“We thought he would remarry Liu Fen, but instead he brought back a woman in her twenties for a marriage certificate. Really… why does heaven favor such fools with wealth?”

The Village Chief praised Xia Dajun to his face but ranted furiously after returning home.

His wife rolled her eyes: “You men are all the same, can’t control what’s in your pants! For his successful daughter’s sake, he should remarry – perhaps Liu Fen refused?”

Who could know for sure?

After all, Xia Dajun’s initial divorce was because the whole family bullied Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Changzheng and Zhang Cui didn’t act like proper elders, actually hiring someone to break their niece’s hands. But Xia Xiaolan wasn’t helpless – she got her uncle and aunt locked up in prison.

Even Xia Ziyu had fled and remained uncaught.

River Village had poor morals, and the Village Chief’s wife wasn’t exactly a saint, but even bad people had degrees – they all despised fools like Xia Dajun.

Valuing a niece over his daughter?

The Village Chief’s wife continued criticizing while counting money:

“Isn’t Xia Dajun just a stupid donkey? His brother and sister-in-law were worthless, causing him to lose his wife and daughter, and he still hasn’t come to his senses. He even took Xia Changzheng’s son to raise in the big city – now that’s being a ‘good person’!”

She emphasized “good person” sarcastically as the couple mocked Xia Dajun.

They were also jealous that even a fool could get rich.

The Village Chief’s wife thought to herself that women always got the short end of the stick in this world. Both were divorced, but while Xia Dajun found a young, pretty new wife, despite Xia Xiaolan’s success, Liu Fen would have trouble remarrying.

Since leaving with Xia Xiaolan, Liu Fen had never returned to River Village. The villagers’ impression of her remained frozen in the past – dark, thin, withered, and aged. In terms of looks, she really couldn’t compare to Xia Dajun’s young new wife.

When Xia Dajun returned for his certificate, villagers, afraid of missing a chance to flatter the wealthy man, gathered around Xiaoyu saying the same things.

Xiaoyu couldn’t help touching her belly. Though she’d never met Xia Dajun’s ex-wife, with over ten years of age difference, the other woman naturally couldn’t compare to her. That woman was also foolish – even if Xia Dajun was useless before, he earned plenty now. If it were her, she would have actively sought remarriage!

Afraid of the Xia family?

How useless – with a little effort, the Xia family could easily be brought to heel!

While Xiaoyu was feeling smug, the flatterers unexpectedly mentioned Xia Dajun’s daughter:

“Ah, father and daughter can’t stay angry forever. You should convince Dajun in the future – Xiaolan is so successful, how can they keep their relationship strained? Even if you have more children later, they’ll be twenty years younger than their elder sister. There will be many times they’ll need their big sister’s help. Xiaolan is pretty and smart, her prospects won’t be bad…”

Xiaoyu suddenly looked up:

“What did you say?”

The flatterer was startled, stammering:

“I… I didn’t say anything. Never mind if you don’t want to. I spoke wrongly – now that Dajun is successful, why would he need help from a mere girl!”

But Xiaoyu had already heard: “You said Dajun’s daughter with his ex-wife is called Xiaolan? Xia Xiaolan, right? With an uncle named Liu Yong!”

The other person nodded.

Xia Dajun’s new wife seemed quite fierce – but they didn’t know Xiaoyu felt as if struck by lightning.

She knew Xia Dajun had an ex-wife and daughter but had never connected him to Xia Xiaolan.

This wasn’t her fault – how could Liu Tianquan tell her what he didn’t know?

If Liu Tianquan had stayed in Pengcheng, he would eventually have learned about Xia Dajun’s relationship with Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong, but wasn’t he hastily called back to Hong Kong?

Xiaoyu had lived with the Xia family for so long yet never knew.

When Grandmother Xia mentioned Xia Dajun’s ex-wife and daughter, she always called them “worthless women” and “broken shoes”!

Xiaoyu hated Hong Bing’s family, seeing them all as just spending Xia Dajun’s money. She naturally looked down on the foolish Wang Jingui too, and with poor sister-in-law relationships, they never privately discussed Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan.

So only now did Xiaoyu connect everything.

Anqing County, Xia Xiaolan!

Their parents divorced, and lived with her uncle, aunt Liu Fang was Liang Bingyan’s wife, and Liu Fang tried matchmaking between Xia Xiaolan and Fan Zhenchuan… many scattered pearls were suddenly strung together.

Xiaoyu felt a sharp pain in her belly. Seeing her distress, the flatterers were terrified.

Xia Dajun, who had been drinking with the Village Chief in the main room, overheard the commotion and quickly took Xiaoyu to the town clinic.

The clinic treated Xiaoyu and told Xia Dajun the baby was safe.

Xia Dajun sighed in relief, collapsing into a chair.

The accompanying villagers exchanged knowing looks – so she was pregnant, Xia Dajun was capable indeed!

“What did you say to Xiaoyu? Why did her stomach suddenly hurt?”

The village women hemmed and hawed – who knew they couldn’t mention Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan?

But Xiaoyu slowly regained consciousness in the hospital bed, grabbing Xia Dajun’s hand: “Dajun, don’t blame them. Maybe I was just tired from traveling. It’s good the baby is safe.”

Xia Dajun was Xia Xiaolan’s father!

Xiaoyu’s life had been so comfortable before. If Fan Zhenchuan hadn’t fallen, she would have enjoyed the good life with him. Though without official status, even those seeking Fan Zhenchuan’s help treated her, the “housekeeper,” carefully.

When Xia Xiaolan appeared, she destroyed Xiaoyu’s life.

Even if Fan Zhenchuan hadn’t been arrested, he would have sent Xiaoyu away to marry Xia Xiaolan.

After Fan Zhenchuan’s fall, she couldn’t survive in Hedong County. Heading south, she was deceived and sold, suffering greatly before ending up with Liu Tianquan, who wasn’t a good person either!

Liu Tianquan had her seduce Liu Yong. Though small and thin, Liu Yong was a proper man.

Xia Dajun was just an honest man, yet hadn’t they slept together before marriage?

Only Liu Yong had never touched her – Xiaoyu thought him reliable and truly wanted to be with him… Who knew Xia Xiaolan would appear again – Liu Yong was Xia Xiaolan’s uncle!

She and Xia Xiaolan must have been mortal enemies in a past life. Liu Tianquan had her seduce Xia Xiaolan’s uncle, and now her father!

Xiaoyu had been emotional earlier, and though still not calm, her initial shock had turned to smug satisfaction – however capable Xia Xiaolan was, she would soon become her stepdaughter! She wondered what expression Xia Xiaolan would have when Xiaoyu became her stepmother.

At least Xia Xiaolan could forget about having a harmonious father-daughter relationship, and her mother could forget about remarrying!

Xiaoyu held Xia Dajun’s hand, “Brother Dajun, now that you have your certificate, let’s return to Hedong County quickly to complete the procedures.”

She glanced at the River Village people as she spoke. Xia Dajun nodded vigorously, “Whatever you say.”

The villagers all knew Xiaoyu was pregnant – how could they not hurry with the paperwork?

In Xiaoyu’s condition, they weren’t sure if it violated family planning rules. Xia Dajun was quite afraid the Family Planning Office might take Xiaoyu away. As the couple spoke intimately, the River Village people found it offensive to watch.

They used to say Xia Xiaolan was promiscuous, though they never caught her in the act.

Now they knew the capable one was Xia Dajun, getting a woman pregnant before marriage and rushing to get a marriage certificate to cover the shame… This Xiaoyu wasn’t decent either, so young yet involved with Xia Dajun, pregnant before marriage – such an improper woman, Xia Dajun’s future seemed to hold a green hat!