Chapter 71: The First White-Eyed Wolf Awakens

Bai Siqi was about to go crazy.

She never imagined she’d end up locked up like this.

She was someone who had been reborn!

Her good days in this life hadn’t even started yet, her glory hadn’t even begun—how could she be locked up already?

“I want to see Fu Mingxue—!”

She shouted this every day.

But unfortunately, no one paid her any attention.

“Quiet down.”

“I want to see Fu Mingxue!”

Bai Siqi simply couldn’t calm down.

She didn’t want to stay in this hellhole for even a second longer.

But no matter how much she screamed, it was useless.

After a few days of pointless struggle, she realized there was nothing she could do.

In her heart, she hated not only Fu Mingxue, but also Song Yan—it was all his fault for being useless.

If he had married Fu Mingxue in this life like he did in the last, would any of this have happened?

And her mother—why did she have to drag her into this too?

That was what Bai Siqi hated most.

If her mother hadn’t dragged her into this, none of this would have happened.

She wouldn’t be locked up here.

The verdict from the local court came quickly: five years of reform through labor on a farm. And she was to be sent there the very day the sentence was handed down.

When Bai Siqi heard this, she fainted on the spot—

Fu Mingxue knew nothing about any of this.

But the Song family was definitely having a hard time.

Song Anxiao felt like she was drowning in misery every single day.

Three kids, a paralyzed mother.

How was she supposed to take care of all of them?

That night, exhausted to the point of tears, Song Anxiao fell into an unusually long dream—

In the dream, her life was completely different from now.

In the dream, her brother had saved Fu Mingxue from drowning, and the two of them got married.

Fu Mingxue didn’t go to college; instead, it was her former sister-in-law, Bai Siqi, who went.

Fu Mingxue stayed home to look after the three kids and care for the paralyzed mother.

As for herself, with Fu Mingxue’s careful tutoring, she managed to get into a junior college the next year.

Even though it was just a nursing program, in those days that was still great—after all, it came with a guaranteed job placement.

Later, she even married a doctor from the same hospital and had a lovely son—her life was happy and fulfilling.

Song Anxiao was woken up by the sound of Xiao Han crying.

When she opened her eyes, she was dazed for a long time.

Why was her life now so different from the one in her dream?

It was Fu Mingxue—

Everything had changed because Fu Mingxue didn’t marry her brother.

Song Anxiao was panicking now.

Everything was different—what was she supposed to do?

Could she still become a nurse?

If she couldn’t be a nurse, how would she ever meet her husband from her previous life?

In the next room, Song Mother, hearing her grandson wailing his lungs out for ages, felt a pang of heartache.

She immediately shouted, “Anxiao, what are you doing? The kids are crying! They must be hungry—hurry up and get up to feed them—”

Hearing this, Song Anxiao felt even more terrified.

Was she going to spend the rest of her life in this house—just like Fu Mingxue in her dream—raising these three kids? And taking care of her mother, who’d been paralyzed for years and just wouldn’t die?

The thought alone filled her with dread.

……

“Mom, we’re spending New Year’s at home this year, and who knows when we’ll be back again. We should eat something nice for New Year’s.”

“So, where did you get this chicken?”

Fu Mingxue: …?

Could her mom not be so sharp?

There would be rewards every day from now on, but she couldn’t be interrogated about every single one, right?

And that siheyuan courtyard house she won in Beijing—how was she supposed to explain that?

“Mom, of course I bought it on the black market.”

Mother Fu narrowed her eyes. “Do you have money burning a hole in your pocket? I see you buying this and that every day. And didn’t I tell you not to go to the black market anymore? Why did you go again?”

Her voice involuntarily rose."

"**Chapter 72: Daughter-in-law, Happy New Year**

Fu Mingxue instinctively shrank her neck after being yelled at.

“Mom, don’t shout! I was just thinking, since your son-in-law is here, we should make something nourishing for him. Look how skinny he is—”

Qin Wenhuo happened to be walking through the front gate into the courtyard just in time to hear this. He couldn’t help but glance at his little wife.

Fu Mingxue also heard the door open and looked over on reflex.

Their eyes met.

Fu Mingxue: …?

Why is the timing so perfect? How much did he hear?

Judging by those deep black eyes—she had a feeling he’d heard everything.

She gave an awkward, embarrassed smile and quickly looked away.

Mother Fu also saw her son-in-law had come home.

She couldn’t keep scolding her daughter with him there.

“Son-in-law, you’re back.”

Her gaze fell on what he was carrying, and she realized he was holding a chicken too.

“Son-in-law, why did you buy one of these as well?”

Qin Wenhuo walked forward calmly. “Mingxue’s a bit thin, so I bought a chicken to help her build up her strength. After all—studying is hard on the brain.”

Fu Mingxue: …?

Mother Fu immediately beamed. “Oh, you’re absolutely right, son-in-law. Her brain really isn’t—well, I mean, studying does use up a lot of brainpower. Look at you two, you’re thinking of her, she’s thinking of you, that’s how a young couple should be.”

Fu Mingxue: …?

Qin Wenhuo: …

He glanced at his little wife and saw her stunned expression—he couldn’t help but let the corners of his lips curl up just a little.

Then he looked away. “Mom, I’ll go slaughter it then.”

“Alright,” Mother Fu quickly added, “Just one is enough.”

One chicken would be more than enough for them.

They could bring the other one to Beijing later.

“What are you standing there for? Go put that chicken in the coop, then come help boil water.”

Fu Mingxue: …?

Ever since Qin Wenhuo came to stay, she felt like he was her mom’s real child.

It was New Year’s Eve.

Mother Fu had prepared all sorts of dishes, and even made dumplings.

A big table full of food—this was the most lavish New Year’s Eve dinner she and her daughter had ever had.

Mother Fu picked out a big chicken drumstick for Qin Wenhuo. “Son-in-law, here, eat more. You’ve worked hard today.”

“Mom, I can help myself. You should eat too. You’re the one who worked the hardest today.”

Qin Wenhuo looked cold and distant, but his words were anything but.

What he said made Mother Fu very happy.

After dinner, the three of them cleaned up together, then stayed up to see in the New Year.

For Qin Wenhuo, it was actually his first time staying up for the New Year, and he found it quite novel.

When they were heading back to their rooms, Qin Wenhuo called out to Fu Mingxue.

“Wife—”

The word “wife” made Fu Mingxue’s skin break out in goosebumps.

“W-what is it?”

“This is for you. Happy New Year!” Qin Wenhuo handed her a red envelope.

Fu Mingxue stared in surprise as she took it.

Before she could open it, Qin Wenhuo had already gone into his own room.

Fu Mingxue squeezed the red envelope. It was pretty thick.

Goodness, was he giving her New Year’s money?

She hurried back to her room, a little excited, and opened the red envelope—there was actually two hundred yuan inside.

Holding the money, she felt all sorts of complicated emotions.

On the first day of the new year, Fu Mingxue was the last one in the house to get up.

When she got up, her mom was nowhere to be seen.

She only saw Qin Wenhuo sweeping the floor.

Thinking of the red envelope he’d given her last night, she beamed and called out, “Good morning, hubby!”

That one greeting startled Qin Wenhuo so much he froze on the spot.

He almost dropped the broom in his hand.

By the time he looked up at the culprit, she had already sashayed away, leaving him with just her retreating back.

Qin Wenhuo’s eyes grew even darker—"