"It's a wheelbarrow," Tian Jing picked up a piece of steamed pumpkin. "You leaving with your dowry is something Tian Lifu definitely didn't expect. He came empty-handed. Will the two of you be able to carry a large wooden chest and walk over thirty miles back? The wheelbarrow counts as part of your dowry. Once you get to the Tian family's, you must protect your own belongings."
"Sister-in-law," Li Min's eyes welled up with tears, touched.
"That's enough," Tian Jing waved her hand. "Don't be too moved. It's all because you sacrificed yourself and jumped into that fiery pit of the Tian family to save me. I should prepare properly for you, shouldn't I?"
Though she teased him with her words, Tian Jing truly felt this way. Perhaps the original owner didn't think so, but she, Tian Jing, believed that only a simple family like the Li's could give her the desire and motivation to live a good life.
Without troublesome relatives gossiping or trying to take advantage, she could do as she pleased. Didn't the original owner in the Li family do as she pleased? It was a pity she lacked the ability and only knew how to cause trouble.
Li Min's mood soured. She put down her chopsticks. "Sister-in-law, if you keep talking like that, I'll regret it."
Li Mu lowered her head and wiped away tears.
Tian Jing turned to look at Li Zhengguo and saw his lips tightly pursed. She figured he regretted it too.
She turned back to Li Min. "Li Min, there are six days left. No, five days left. Think carefully. Do you really want to go to the Tian family?"
"If you change your mind, I won't go back to the Tian family. We'll give Tian Lifu the money for marrying off a bride. As long as it's something money can solve, it's not a problem. But you have to ask your heart."
"In my opinion, apart from your family, which is so poor it's barely scraping by, making it a good in-law family, any other family with better conditions and more brothers is not a good in-law family."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Sister-in-law Niu. Such a fiery and strong woman, yet under her mother-in-law, she still has to act meekly and flatter her, doesn't she?"
"There's no harmonious mother-in-law daughter-in-law relationship, no harmonious sister-in-law relationship, and no harmonious sister-in-law relationship between wives of brothers. It's not that other people have good character or good conditions that you'll have a good life. Life is something you have to build yourself."
"I have the confidence to tell you to break off the engagement. I dare to marry into your family, a family that lives from hand to mouth. Do you dare?"
"Think about what you want. You see hope in me now, you see the good in your own family. You're feeling reluctant now."
"If you have the courage to break off the engagement, I will fully support you. If you have the courage, marry into the Ku Mountain. I will bring you good things if I find any."
"The most important thing is for you to be firm about the path you want to take in the future. Don't be scared away by a few words, and don't be lured away by a few words."
"The Tian family is indeed a fiery pit. So, if you regret it, I will support you. Don't worry about how much money it costs; I have the means to help you, as long as you don't regret it in the future."
Li Mu no longer cried secretly but looked up, letting tears stream down her face. She looked directly at Tian Jing's face.
"Tiantian, with your words, no matter what Minmin's final choice is, Mother will remember your kindness. The mother-in-law daughter-in-law relationship you're worried about will definitely not be a problem. Just because of your words, this family will be yours to decide from now on. Mother and Zhengguo will fully support you."
Li Mu's words made Tian Jing breathe a sigh of relief. Although the current emotion couldn't guarantee that problems wouldn't arise in the future, at least her life in the Li family for the next few years would be smooth.
Li Min also looked at Tian Jing with teary eyes. "Sister-in-law, I will think about it carefully and also ask Sister-in-law Niu indirectly. In a couple of days, I'll give you and Big Brother an answer."
"Yes, after we return from the county town," Tian Jing nodded. "Once we have money, nothing will be a problem. Don't reveal this matter. If the Tian family is prepared, we'll be on the defensive."
"Okay!" Li Min nodded vigorously. She knew the importance of the matter.
After breakfast, Li Zhengguo didn't rush to work. He pulled Tian Jing into the west room and closed the door.
He lowered his head and whispered in Tian Jing's ear, "I, I fell for you a long time ago. So, when I knew the Tian family wasn't a good place, I didn't stop my sister in time. Am I very selfish? And now, I still need to use your money to solve problems."
Tian Jing stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder. "Comrade Li Zhengguo, no matter what secrets you have or are hiding, I believe that if you could, you wouldn't want your sister to go to the Tian family. It's safer for me to step forward now than for you, isn't it?"
Seeing Li Zhengguo nod, Tian Jing smiled. "I said we'd give each other space. From now on, as long as you don't stop me from going into the mountains, I will. Going into the mountains won't be dangerous for me. Ku Mountain is like my backyard; I can come and go freely."
"Although Li Min is a bit petty, her heart is not bad. I'm willing to help her. It's better than you and I having to rescue her from the Tian family frequently in the future, right? It's also better than feeling guilty about having the ability now but ruining her life for some reason, right?"
Li Zhengguo's eyes reddened. Wasn't that the truth? In his previous life, if he had just made a little effort, his sister wouldn't have lived under Tian Lifu's fists. Later, even though he rescued his sister, he ruined her life.
In this life, he planned to persuade his sister after Tiantian arrived. But his sister always wanted to marry out of the mountains, and she was also influenced by Zhang Fangcao's ideas. He was clumsy with words. Before he could expose Zhang Fangcao's true nature, he was like a headless fly, unable to find a way.
When Tiantian arrived, she scared away the curious villagers on the first day, exposed Zhang Fangcao's true nature on the second day, and brought greater hope to the family on the third day.
She also spoke of the terrible aspects of the Tian family from time to time, and his sister herself retreated. Then Tiantian gave her courage.
Therefore, he was the most touched one. "Tiantian, thank you."
Tian Jing raised her hand to wipe his eyes. They were indeed watery. "A man doesn't shed tears easily, only when he's heartbroken. Are you heartbroken?"
"Naughty," Li Zhengguo chuckled and playfully pinched her little nose. This stubborn little temper of hers.
Tian Jing slapped his hand away. "Don't take advantage of me randomly, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Li Zhengguo wiped away the moisture in his eyes with the back of his hand. "Tiantian, I told you, wherever you go, I'll go. This life, I'm sticking with you."
"If, if you really can't fall for me, just let me be the person behind you, okay? Even if I'm just a bodyguard, just don't chase me away."
Tian Jing had long known about Li Zhengguo's devotion to the original owner. In the end, he helped start the fire without regret. "What do you like about me? My appearance? My personality?"
Tian Jing was genuinely curious why Li Zhengguo was so devoted to the original owner. The original owner's bad temper, no matter how good her disposition or how much love, would have been worn away.
Li Zhengguo's earlobes turned red, even spreading to his cheeks. His eyes dodged, not daring to look at Tian Jing.
Tian Jing looked up at the sky speechlessly. Such a pure man, who was even too embarrassed to say sweet nothings. No wonder the original owner didn't like him anymore.
Even though he died for the original owner in the end, she had still told him goodbye before she died.