Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife

If it hadn't been for his second brother, his daughter wouldn't have been sent by his father to the countryside and suffered a mishap there. Fortunately, she survived and married a good man. But no matter how well she was doing now, the debt still had to be paid with interest.

As he thought about these matters, Xiao Feng clenched his fists and hatred flashed in his eyes.

Seeing his superior's determination to destroy his own brother, Houzi didn't offer any comment. He simply said, "I will contact them as soon as possible."

"Good. I will leave this matter to you. Once it's done, you can fully retire," Xiao Feng said.

"Thank you, General," Houzi replied before taking his leave.

While the political situation was heating up, the people in Xie Village were busy preparing for winter. Unlike the previous year, when winter began in early December, this year it started in early November.

Due to the sudden drop in temperature, many people were falling ill, including the wicked ones who lived in the production team's pigpen and cowshed.

Now that Liu Piao had married into the Zhang family, she had also learned about the family's situation from her husband. In the month since she married Zhang Ermu, she had been helping her husband and sister-in-law forage for mushrooms and medicinal herbs in the mountains.

With the extra money they earned from selling goods from the mountains, they were able to buy cotton and fabric. Since she had experience working in a clothing factory, Zhang Ermu bought her a sewing machine.

At that moment, she had just finished making a cotton-padded jacket for the family. Turning to her mother-in-law, she asked, "Mother, do you think these jackets will fit Grandmother and Grandfather?"

Mother Zhang looked at the size and nodded. "They will fit."

Hearing this, Liu Piao said, "Mother, I didn't use new fabric to make these jackets, to avoid drawing suspicion. Will Grandmother and Grandfather dislike the gift?"

"They won't. They will definitely like your gift," Mother Zhang replied with a smile.

Since her daughter-in-law had married into the family, Mother Zhang had seen how diligent she was. Not only was she good at taking care of the household and her husband, but she was also filial to her parents-in-law and kind to her sister-in-law.

With a daughter-in-law like this, she felt satisfied and at peace.

Unaware of her mother-in-law's thoughts, Liu Piao was relieved after hearing her reassurance. She had never met her husband's grandparents before, and this would be her first gift to them. She hoped they would like it and be able to endure the cold this year.

After finishing the cotton-padded jackets, she made socks, stomach warmers, and gloves. The weather was no longer suitable for going into the mountains, so they spent most of their time at home. With nothing else to do, she made lots of clothes.

While she was cutting the fabric to make gloves, she heard someone knocking the gate.

"Sister Ah Piao, are you home?"

Hearing her cousin's voice, Liu Piao stopped what she was doing and said, "Mother, it's Liu Hua. I will go see her."

"Go ahead," Mother Zhang nodded.

Waiting outside, Liu Hua was carrying a bamboo basket on her back. When she saw her cousin, she smiled and asked, "Cousin, did I disturb you?"

Opening the gate, Liu Piao said, "Not at all. Ah Hua, what brings you here? Come inside."

Liu Hua shook her head and said, "Sister, I still have to go back and cook for my husband and son. I came to ask for your help."

"What can I do for you?" Liu Piao asked curiously.

"Sister, I want to make winter clothes for my husband and son, but my sewing skills are limited. Since you are so good at it, I was hoping you could help me make cotton-padded jackets, gloves, and boots," Liu Hua explained.

Hearing this, Liu Piao nodded and replied, "That won't be a problem. Just give me their measurements and let me know what style you want."

Liu Hua was delighted by her response and said, "Sister, you can decide on the style, we are not picky. As long as it's warm, that's enough."

She then handed the bamboo basket to her cousin and added, "Sister, these are the cotton, fabric, and leather I bought. If there are any leftovers, you can keep them."

Liu Piao checked the amount of cotton and fabric before saying, "Ah Hua, this is too much. We won't need all of it."

"Sister, I know you won't take my money, so just treat the leftovers as your labor fee," Liu Hua said.

Since she insisted, Liu Piao didn't refuse. With the extra cotton, fabric, and leather, she could make a new quilt for her parents-in-law and boots for her husband. Their current quilt had become stiff and thin. It was no longer warm enough for the winter.

"All right then. You can come pick them up in ten days," she said.

"Thank you, Sister."

After expressing her gratitude, Liu Hua left the Zhang family's house in a good mood. She was good at fighting and fairly capable with household chores and farming, but she only knew how to mend clothes, not how to sew them from scratch.

Fortunately, her cousin had returned, and she could ask her for help. Otherwise, she would have had to trouble her friend again.

When Liu Piao returned with the large basket, Mother Zhang asked in surprise, "Ah Piao, what did your cousin bring over?"

Setting the bamboo basket down, Liu Piao replied, "Mother, Ah Hua asked me to help sew winter clothes for her family. There will be some leftover cotton and fabric. We can use it to make a new quilt for you and Father."

Hearing this, Mother Zhang said, "My quilt is still usable. You should make two more pieces of clothing for yourself."

Liu Piao took her mother-in-law's hand and said, "Mother, your legs can't be exposed to the cold, or they will get worse. Now that you are getting better, we can't take that risk. So let me make you a new quilt, okay?"

Mother Zhang was touched by her words and finally agreed. "Okay."