Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

As soon as he returned home, Chen Jie saw Ruirui sitting at the door, watching some kids playing with pork hock bones.

These are just pig's knee bones, a toy loved by kids of this age.

For a child of this era to have such a pork hock bone was comparable to a child today having a set of Transformers, something that would spark envy among all their peers.

Ruirui watched the children playing with the pork hock bones with envy. There were boys and girls, the oldest no older than six or seven, and the youngest around four.

They were squatting on the ground playing with the pork hock bones at this moment.

Only Ruirui sat alone at the door, unnoticed by anyone, looking very pitiful.

Chen Jie approached and said to Ruirui, "What's wrong? Why aren't you playing with them?"

Ruirui pouted and said, "I don't want to play with them."

Hearing this, one of the kids not far away said, "It's us who don't want to play with you."

"You're lying. It's me who doesn't want to play with you guys..."

Ruirui shouted anxiously, but the children replied, "It's indeed us who don't want to play with you!"

Chen Jie, hearing this, asked the kids, "Why don't you guys play with Ruirui?"

The kids were silent when Chen Jie asked this, and they immediately ran off.

Chen Jie looked at Ruirui and asked, "Why aren't they..."

"It's me who doesn't want to play with them."

Ruirui argued, and Chen Jie, hearing this, patted Ruirui's head. Seeing how stubborn the little one was, he squatted down and asked, "Why don't you want to play with them?"

"They, they said my sister is a jinx, and I'm a little jinx, that playing with me would bring them bad luck..."

Hearing Ruirui's words, Chen Jie sighed. *Children wouldn't come up with such malicious words on their own; it must be something the adults taught them. This showed how much suffering the Su sisters had endured in the past.*

As Ruirui spoke, her eyes, however, were fixed on the big yellow apricot in Chen Jie's hand.

"Brother-in-law, what's that?"

Chen Jie noticed her longing look and couldn't help but laugh. Could she honestly not know it was an apricot?

Clearly, she was asking just to have a taste.

"It's an apricot, but it's a bit hard and very sour."

"Smack~ Can I try it?"

Ruirui smacked her lips, looking expectantly at Chen Jie.

"If you don't mind it being sour, you can have it."

He handed the apricot to Ruirui. She took one, bit into it, and her whole expression changed; it was indeed sour.

Chen Jie thought she would give up, but after a moment of adjusting, she took another small bite, squinting and grimacing, only to immediately take another bite.

Like that, bite after bite, sour yet delighting, she ate more than half of it.

*This kid truly wasn't picky about food.*

Chen Jie thought of taking Ruirui back home, where lunch was already prepared. Today's lunch was rice mixed with pork lard residue.

The refined lard had been sealed in a jar. They had rendered enough lard to last two to three months if carefully rationed, but Chen Jie wanted some meat at each meal, so this lard would only last a month.

The pork lard residues had been collected, cut into pieces while still hot, then mixed with freshly steamed sorghum rice, wild onions, and a dash of soy sauce.

A bowl of pork lard residue mixed rice was ready.

"Lunchtime."

Su Yunjin called out, then brought the rice to the table. Ruirui could hardly wait. Her eyes were fixed on the bowl of pork lard residue mixed rice, drooling.

Chen Jie served her a big bowl, served Su Yunjin a big bowl, and said while handing it to her, "You've worked hard, my dear wife."

Su Yunjin paused, her cheeks tinged with pink.

*It was a strange and wonderful feeling.*

Chen Jie served himself a bowl, and then said to Su Yunjin, "My dear wife, serve Ruirui a bowl of pork lard residue in the afternoon."

"Hmm?"

Su Yunjin looked at Chen Jie, puzzled.

Chen Jie smiled and said, "Ruirui, in the afternoon, bring a small bench and eat the pork lard residue at the door. If any kids want to play with you, give them a piece, and let them follow you to play from now on."

"Ah? Why are you giving such good pork lard residue to those annoying kids?"

Ruirui looked at Chen Jie, puzzled.

Chen Jie smiled and said, "Ruirui, remember this: You need friends. The more friends you have, the better your life will be. You don't want to play alone every day, right? Listen to your brother-in-law, and I guarantee that soon you'll have a group of kids around you."

Ruirui blinked and asked, "Really?"

"Trust your brother-in-law, that's right."

Chen Jie said, while Su Yunjin added, "Isn't this too much... We're not wealthy either."

Chen Jie laughed and replied, "It will get better. With me here, our family won't lack food."

Saying this, Chen Jie touched his chest and said, "By the way, my dear wife, I got this back for you."

Chen Jie spoke, taking out an old hairpin.

When seeing this hairpin, Su Yunjin clearly trembled, staring at it blankly, tears welling up.

This hairpin was the only relic her mother had left her, but she had pawned it.

That day, she had been beaten by Chen Jiusi again, losing hope. She saw no hope and went to the pawnshop with the hairpin, getting two hundred coins, then used those two hundred coins to buy a packet of arsenic and two pounds of fine rice.

She had poisoned Chen Jiusi, but unexpectedly, he caught on...

She thought she would never see that hairpin again in her life, but today, there it was before her eyes.

She couldn't hold back her tears, weeping bitterly.

Holding the hairpin tightly to her chest, she sobbed uncontrollably.

Ruirui looked at her sister, puzzled, but she kept shoveling the pork lard residue mixed rice into her mouth. Why was her sister crying again? Was it because the pork lard residue mixed rice tasted so good, so fragrant that it made her cry?

Chen Jie looked at Su Yunjin, feeling the woman's emotions. He reached out and held her hand gently.

Su Yunjin felt her hands enveloped by his large hand, her heart fluttering with a warmth she had never experienced before.

Chen Jie whispered in her ear, "It's over, all of it is over. From now on, I will give you and Ruirui the best life in this world."

Su Yunjin looked up, meeting his eyes, and at that moment, she melted in the tenderness of his gaze. She had never imagined this man could be so gentle.

"Eat, let's eat."

Su Yunjin averted her eyes, shyly lowering her head. From Chen Jie's angle, her ears turned red, like a tempting peach, and he wanted so much to take a bite.

Smack!

Overcome with emotion, Chen Jie kissed her right there. Su Yunjin covered her face in surprise, flushed with embarrassment, unable to believe what he had done; the child was still there, he was being just too bold.

And Ruirui, as if sensing something, looked up at the two, her mouth moving like a little hamster, then resumed eating, no longer caring for these strange adults!