"Su, Jiaojiao, don’t worry. If Uncle Wen really comes to cause trouble, we can all be your witnesses," Xi Li said, patting her chest.

"That’s right. Miss Xi is correct. We can all testify that it was definitely Miss Wen who was being unreasonable today."

Song Zijie lightly patted his chest and spoke with conviction. Gu Jiaojiao was his savior, and he would always stand by her side.

However, Xi Li thought Song Zijie was just trying to get close to her, so she assumed he was echoing what she had said.

Her imagination running wild, Xi Li’s heart began to race with excitement. She lowered her head, her face overcome with shyness.

"Everyone, get back to work. If the Wen family dares to cause trouble for my wife, I’ll break their legs," Su Shuochi declared domineeringly.

Wen Wenjin was speechless. ’...He says that as if I’m not part of the Wen family myself.’

He’d been studying in the Imperial City for the past few years and genuinely had no idea his father had spoiled his little sister to this extent!

"That Miss Wen was indeed a bit out of line. If her father is also the type who doesn’t distinguish right from wrong, then it’s a good thing to see their true colors sooner rather than later."

What Gu Jiaojiao didn’t say out loud was that behind the girl’s delicate features, she could see a scheming nature that was hard to conceal.

’But what did it matter if she wasn’t innocent? Before I even had to expose her, Su Shuochi had already fired her. I have to admit, the man is decisive.’

’Whether Su Shuochi would protect me like this for a lifetime or not, at least he has genuinely cherished me.’

’The man attracts admirers even with a crippled leg. What will happen once his leg is healed? We still have a long road ahead of us.’

’In this world, relationships built on mutual benefit are the most stable. If you have no value, why should anyone help you? Why should they protect you?’

Therefore, Gu Jiaojiao only glanced at Su Shuochi, not showing much excitement or gratitude.

She pushed Su Shuochi to his work desk, and he resumed drawing his designs.

She sat beside him and watched, occasionally offering a pointer, as it was equipment she had used before.

Everyone else also quickly returned to their work, as if Wen Qing had never caused a scene.

Song Zijie took two of his men to buy materials. One drove while the other acted as protection. Those two were the equivalent of modern-day personal bodyguards.

To be able to afford a car and bodyguards in this era, Song Zijie was far more successful than Song Zijin.

Aunt Song was also much more reasonable than Boss Song’s wife. A memory surfaced from deep within Gu Jiaojiao’s mind.

Back then, after the original owner of her body had been given the cold shoulder by the Sheng family and was looked down upon by Mrs. Sheng, she had been crying secretly under a large tree.

Aunt Song had passed by and seen her. She patted her on the shoulder and comforted her, "Jiaojiao, don’t cry and don’t be afraid. No matter what happens, don’t be afraid.

It’s best if you have that bond with your parents, but if you don’t, you still have to grit your teeth and get through it.

A girl relies on her parents. Your birth parents gave you life, and your adoptive parents raised you to adulthood. Neither had it easy.

Even if that bond is gone, you have to learn to let it go. After all, without them, the you who has grown so big wouldn’t exist."

That was why Gu Jiaojiao was so grateful for the guidance Aunt Song had given the original ’her,’ and why she had volunteered to treat Song Zijie’s illness and help Song Xiaxia with her infertility.

It is said that parents who love their children must make far-sighted plans for them.

Children are a continuation of their parents’ lives. Besides raising them, parents must also guide them along the long road of life and not allow them to go astray.

First and foremost, parents must teach their children the courage to be independent and strong.

If parents fail to instill enough confidence and courage in their children to be independent and strong, then once the support and care of their elders are gone...

...one can only imagine the confusion and panic those psychologically unprepared children would feel when they have to face the tempests of life all alone.

Next is to give children the security that comes from being loved and the capacity to love in return, as well as appropriate life experience and skills.

"Jiaojiao, what are you thinking about? The sun’s set. Let’s go home for dinner," Su Shuochi called out as he gathered his papers and pens.

"Mm, I was just mesmerized watching you," Gu Jiaojiao said, a smile touching her eyes.

"Hehe, I’m like this every day. What’s there to see?" Su Shuochi said, but inwardly he was blossoming with joy.

"They say a man focused on his work is the most handsome. Seeing you just now, I finally believe it’s true."

"You sure have a way with words. Good thing I’m in this wheelchair, or your praise would make my knees weak."

"Hahaha..." The couple looked at each other and burst into laughter, drawing the endless envy of everyone around them.

Gu Jiaojiao wanted to drive herself, but Gao Xiangming still needed to use her car to take the others home.

The worksite was in the suburbs, after all, so everyone needed a car to get back to the city.

Gao Xiangming had brought a dozen or so of his men over. They had two vehicles specifically for transporting the workers.

The other ten men stayed behind to guard the site. There were five people in Song Zijie’s car.

The Xi Family had one car just for their own family members, and the Wen family likewise had a car and several people.

Working overtime wasn’t common in those days. Everyone set out at dawn and went home at dusk.

"Gao Xiangming, just drop us off at the entrance to the compound. You can go back and eat. We’ll walk home."

Su Shuochi told Gao Xiangming to stop the car. It had been a long time since he had walked through the compound with his wife.

So much so that everyone seemed to have forgotten he was married, and all sorts of random people were trying to get close to him.

"Alright, Su. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning." Gao Xiangming obediently stopped the car at the compound entrance.

Gu Jiaojiao was in an excellent mood. The couple walked and chatted softly with each other.

She told Su Shuochi that she had acquired several hundred catties of dried goods today—dried green beans, dried cucumbers, and dried eggplant—all of which she had stored in her space.

They wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of vegetables in the winter. For now, it wasn’t convenient to raise pigs in the space.

But she could raise chickens, cattle, and sheep, so there would be no shortage of meat. There was land in the space, but Gu Jiaojiao couldn’t bear to use it for planting vegetables; she had planted almost all of it with medicinal herbs.

The site they had contracted was several hundred mu. When construction began, they had also planted many green beans and cucumbers around the perimeter.

Su Shuochi listened intently as his wife chattered on and on, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

The pedestrians in the compound still tried to gossip about them from a distance, but they couldn’t overcome the couple’s sharp hearing.

Even from far away, Gu Jiaojiao and her husband could hear everything crystal clear.

"Did you hear? That new daughter-in-law at the home of the eldest son of the Song family is up to her old tricks again. You know what it is this time?"

"Isn’t Sheng Yueyue in the hospital? What kind of trouble could she possibly cause?"

"She was just sent back to the Song Family, and by her own father from the Sheng family, no less."

"I heard she goaded her second brother into telling their father to have the adopted daughter go to the hospital to see Sheng Shiwen."

"Father Sheng tried to refuse every which way, saying he didn’t have the face to ask Gu Jiaojiao, but that Sheng Yueyue threatened to jump off the building."

"Goodness me, threatening to jump off a building! My heavens, what happened in the end?"

"Father Sheng is no pushover. He just dragged her right back to the Song Family."

"Sigh, I don’t know what terrible luck the Song Family had to end up with such a troublesome daughter-in-law."

"Isn’t that the truth? The Song Family can afford to eat meat every day, but Sheng Yueyue doesn’t appreciate her good fortune. She just has to act up and cause a disturbance until no one can have any peace."