Daughter-in-Law: He’s a Dog Skin Plaster
Xie Mingtu stood in front of her, his head lowered, avoiding her eyes, as if he was caught in a state of anxiety and indecision.
“What is it?” Su Xiaoman asked, bewildered. She didn’t know what Xie Mingtu wanted to give her or why he was being so cautious.
What could it be? A gift for her?
The things he gave her were always unique.
Su Xiaoman’s mind couldn’t help but recall the time Xie Mingtu gave her a rabbit. The little white rabbit was curled up in a basket, its two fluffy long ears drooping. When it tried to escape, Xie Mingtu swiftly caught it, and the two of them spent the day outside roasting the rabbit together.
The roasted rabbit that day was delicious, and spending time alone with him had been relaxing.
As these memories flashed through her mind, Su Xiaoman’s heartbeat slowed. Then Xie Mingtu, finally looking up at her, handed her a package with both hands.
His expression was strange, both serious and filled with anticipation, like a devout believer offering their most precious gift to their deity.
“What’s this…?” Su Xiaoman asked as she took the package and opened it. Inside was a large swath of fiery red fabric, suddenly exposed to her view.
“Silk fabric?”
The bright red colour was even more vibrant than the most intense autumn sunset, more brilliant than fire. It was stunning.
Su Xiaoman held the crimson fabric in her arms, feeling an inexplicable sense of joy. She had seen many luxurious and expensive fabrics before, and while the red fabric in her hands wasn’t particularly high-end, it still made her very happy.
It was as if something unclear had suddenly become obvious, and her heartbeat quickened. Even though her hearing wasn’t particularly sharp, she felt like she could hear the sound of her own pulse.
Finding her voice again, Su Xiaoman looked at him, her eyes bright, and asked, “Why are you giving this to me?”
She added with a playful tone, “Are you asking me to make clothes for your future wife?”
Xie Mingtu looked up, meeting her gaze with clear determination. “Manman is my wife.”
“You must have heard what my second brother said the other day. I’m not your wife yet. We don’t even have a marriage certificate, and I haven’t officially married you,” Su Xiaoman replied with a smile she tried to suppress, stating the facts in a matter-of-fact way.
“Manman is my wife,” he repeated, stubbornly holding to his belief, with a hint of grievance in his voice.
Su Xiaoman met his gaze. “I told you I’m not. If another man takes me to register for marriage, legally, I’d be his wife.”
Did he think he could have a wife so easily?
In this era, the law stipulated that men could only marry at the age of 20, while women could marry at 18. There wasn’t much of an age difference between Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu. She could go and register for marriage, but Xie Mingtu, who hadn’t reached the legal marriage age, couldn’t.
“Jiang Yantang?” Xie Mingtu’s expression suddenly turned sharp, his eyes reddened like a wild wolf reacting to an intruder in its territory. “He’s the same age as me, not even 19 yet.”
“Oh, you know his age? But as far as I remember, he said his household records were altered, so he’s listed as a year older, almost 20,” Su Xiaoman said, observing Xie Mingtu’s reaction.
“If I went to register with him, we could get married by the end of the year.”
“You can’t!!”
Hearing her say that, Xie Mingtu became visibly agitated. His sharp, sculpted brows tightened, and his gaze turned fiercely possessive, clearly provoked by her words.
Seeing him so riled up, Su Xiaoman realized that the obedient, puppy-like persona Xie Mingtu showed around her was probably not his true nature. “Why not? What, are you planning to fight him for it?”
She took his left hand and gently pressed down on the back of his hand, like a shepherd calming a restless beast.
When Su Xiaoman grabbed his wrist, Xie Mingtu stiffened.
“I never said I liked Jiang Yantang, nor do I like any other men. I won’t marry any of them.”
As soon as she said this, Xie Mingtu, who had been bristling with tension moments ago, immediately relaxed.
“Manman…” Xie Mingtu returned to his usual self, speaking to her in his familiar tone.
Su Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh at his quick change of demeanour. “Just because I don’t like him anymore doesn’t mean I’ve accepted you.”
“Manman, please like me. I’ll work hard to earn money and give you a good life. I can keep accounts, drive cars, fix machines, and I—”
Su Xiaoman interrupted him, “And you can catch rabbits for me?”
Xie Mingtu nodded vigorously, as if to say that if Manman wanted, he could catch a thousand rabbits. “Manman, whatever you want, I’ll catch it for you.”
“Do you want to see fireflies, Manman?”
Su Xiaoman pursed her lips, realizing that this silent Xie Mingtu had learned how to market himself and had even taken the initiative.
With such a handsome face, he gazed at her expectantly, like a puppy afraid of being abandoned by its owner.
“Alright, I’ll put the fireflies on the list for later. Now, Xie Mingtu, let me ask you something. When I woke up sick that time and you made rice porridge, did you give me rice water and keep the porridge for yourself?” Su Xiaoman had initially thought it was because Xie Mingtu was too poor and could only afford rice water, but later she realized that Xie Mingtu wasn’t as simple as he seemed. He probably had more food hidden away.
Of course, she wasn’t that simple either.
“Manman, I was wrong.” Xie Mingtu looked regretful. If he could go back in time, he would give Manman both the porridge and the rice water.
“If I become your wife, what would you do then?”
“I’ll give Manman both the porridge and the rice water.”
“No need for that, of course. We’d share everything equally,” Su Xiaoman said, thinking that as a couple, they shouldn’t have unequal treatment like “you eat noodles, I drink soup.”
“Manman… please be my wife?”
“I’ll see how you behave. For now, I’ll accept you temporarily. Let’s try dating for a year. If things go well, when you turn 20, I’ll wear the wedding dress I make myself and marry you officially.”
Su Xiaoman knew she had feelings for Xie Mingtu, but since she had never been in a relationship before, she wasn’t sure how deep those feelings went or whether they could become a true couple.
Such a big decision couldn’t be made hastily.
“Okay.” Xie Mingtu agreed without hesitation. As long as Manman accepted becoming his wife, he was willing to do anything. “Manman, I’ll treat you well.”
“If you don’t, you’ll be in big trouble.” Su Xiaoman teased, playfully tapping his forehead.
In the original story, Xie Mingtu, the main villain, was described as strikingly handsome, cruel, and obsessive. Although the current Xie Mingtu hadn’t reached that point, there were faint signs of it, indicating he wasn’t as simple as he seemed.
He was naturally intelligent, and if not guided down the right path, he might very well become the same twisted character from the book.
Once he learned the truth about his background and realized that his birth mother had intentionally subjected him to years of oppression and abuse, he might become psychologically unbalanced.
Even if he returned to the Jiang family, how would he react when he found out that his biological parents favoured Jiang Yantang, who wasn’t even related to them by blood? Would that lead to resentment and a descent into darkness?
The former Su Xiaoman once harboured resentment. She had her grievances, and she wasn’t just a blank sheet of paper for others to manipulate. If her story were written into a book, she might have played the role of a villainess, just without Xie Mingtu’s flamboyance.
But now, those people were part of the past, and Su Xiaoman no longer clung to the idea of family ties. Besides, fate had compensated her.
Gratitude must be repaid, and so must grudges. She could take revenge, but she had to do it the right way, without sacrificing her bright future for obsession.
She held Xie Mingtu’s hand firmly and looked seriously into his eyes. “Xie Mingtu, if you treat me well, I’ll treat you well too.”
“We’ll have a good life together.”
They were two people who had been similarly abandoned, and few had ever truly loved them. So, when they had someone to love, they would treasure it deeply.
Xie Mingtu cherished her and treated her well, and she, in turn, would treasure him, protect him, and be by his side.
“Manman.” Xie Mingtu grinned foolishly, rubbing his forehead. Hearing Manman say she would treat him well made him incredibly happy, as if some strange energy had been injected into his body. He felt light as a feather, and at that moment, he believed he could run twenty laps around the village.
“Come here, lower your head.” Su Xiaoman beckoned him with her finger. Xie Mingtu obediently leaned forward, even lowering his head a bit more, expecting that she would gently ruffle his hair like last time.
But to his surprise, Su Xiaoman quickly pecked him on his left cheek, like a little bird pecking at rice. The cool sensation of her lips on his cheek was so electrifying that it sent a shiver down his spine.
Xie Mingtu instinctively covered his face, staring in bewilderment at the smiling girl in front of him.
His Manman, the woman he loved most, was looking at him with a smile. Her delicate, oval face and shiny black braid hung down her chest, and her beautiful eyes sparkled like autumn waters reflecting the sunset.
“Silly,” Su Xiaoman said, a little annoyed. She felt that Xie Mingtu really didn’t get it. It was as if their roles had reversed. With his hand still covering his face, Xie Mingtu looked as though he had just been teased by a bully, playing the part of a bashful maiden.
Forget it, this “bully” didn’t want to play anymore.
But the bashful “maiden” wasn’t letting her off the hook.
“Manman, can you kiss me again?” Xie Mingtu, having tasted sweetness, eagerly wanted to experience that feeling again.
“No,” Su Xiaoman rejected him outright.
“Manman, just one more kiss,” he persisted, sticking to her like a clingy puppy.
Su Xiaoman, feeling a bit embarrassed, kicked him lightly in the shin. “Go make the bed for me. I want to take a nap.”
Xie Mingtu immediately went to make the bed. As soon as Su Xiaoman lay down, she closed her eyes for three seconds before opening them again—only to see the puppy-eyed Xie Mingtu gazing at her longingly.
Su Xiaoman chuckled, pulling his hand over and intertwining their fingers, but still refusing to give him another kiss.
“Sleep.” With that, she closed her eyes to nap.
Xie Mingtu lay beside her, staring at their clasped hands, his eyes brimming with sweetness.
Su Xiaoman had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but soon after lying down, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
When she woke up, that silly puppy was still there, motionless, staring at her.
In the end, Su Xiaoman gave in and kissed him again. Afterward, they both went to the Yang family’s house to have dinner. The Yang and Zhou families had another banquet in the evening and invited the two of them to join.
After Zhou Xiaofeng and Yang Changgui’s wedding, Su Xiaoman and the others were ready to head back.
This trip had been fruitful for everyone. Besides gaining experience in farming and livestock management, Tang Jianqiang had become quite skilled at driving a tractor, and Xie Mingtu had made a lot of money from his transport work. Su Xiaoman hadn’t known how much he had earned at first, but later, Xie Mingtu voluntarily handed over his stash. After buying the red silk fabric, he still had 80 yuan left, along with a bunch of oil and grain coupons.
According to Xie Mingtu, he had hidden more money at home.
Su Xiaoman didn’t ask him how much. She figured she’d find out once they got back. And there was the added challenge of dealing with Xie’s difficult family. The fact that Xie Mingtu had managed to hide a secret stash under the sharp eyes of Sun Mei, the miser, meant he might be better at it than she was.
She left him 20 yuan for pocket money, and the two of them agreed to treat themselves to a meal at a state-owned restaurant once they got to the city.
Yes, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu were now officially dating. Over the past few days, Xie Mingtu had become less and less shy around her, constantly clinging to her side.
This made Zhou Xiaofeng a bit envious. She teased, “You two, an old married couple, are even clingier than we are as newlyweds.”
Even Yang Changgui wasn’t as fawning as Xie Mingtu. While Xie Mingtu constantly called “Manman” this and “Manman” that, Yang Changgui wasn’t constantly “Xiaofeng” this or “Xiaofeng” that.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was that Xiaoman’s husband, Xie Mingtu, was simply too good-looking. His eyes, his nose, his figure—many girls from their village, and even neighbouring villages, had come asking about him.
But Xie Mingtu only had eyes for Xiaoman, never even glancing at other women. It seemed he wanted to be by Xiaoman’s side every minute of the day.
Su Xiaoman sighed, “He’s like a piece of clingy plaster.”
Back when they kept a proper distance from each other, Xie Mingtu always respected boundaries and never crossed the line, so Su Xiaoman hadn’t noticed his clingy nature.
But now that she had agreed to date him, holding hands and kissing his face, Xie Mingtu had become as clingy as glue, acting like a dog marking his territory, declaring his ownership.
“How can brother Xie be clingy plaster? At the very least, he’s like snow cream—makes our Xiaoman even more beautiful,” Zhou Xiaofeng teased. In her eyes, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu were the most attractive couple she’d ever seen, the kind that people called a “golden couple.”
“And what about your brother Changgui?” Su Xiaoman asked.
Zhou Xiaofeng pouted. “He’s just a block of wood.”
“I’d say he’s a good block of wood. How else could he catch the eye of a little phoenix like you?”
Su Xiaoman and Zhou Xiaofeng went together to Sister Shun’s silkworm room. The last batch of silkworms had already spun their cocoons, and harvest time was always a joyful occasion.
The room was now silent, with the sound of silkworms munching on mulberry leaves replaced by the sight of neatly arranged grids. The well-fed silkworms had climbed onto the grids and were busy spinning their cocoons.
This batch of cocoons was of high quality—thick, snow-white, and beautiful, with very few yellowed ones. When it came time to sell them, they would surely fetch a good price.
Sister Shun was in high spirits these days. Knowing that Su Xiaoman would be leaving soon, she gifted her a batch of carefully cultivated silkworm eggs.
After leaving Sister Shun’s, Su Xiaoman and Zhou Xiaofeng went up the mountain to pick wild fruits. There was a kind of yellow fruit that was abundant in the autumn, and many people collected it as a snack for their children.
“Most of them are sour, but this kind is sweeter.”
Su Xiaoman picked half a basket of the fruits. On the way down the mountain, they ran into Jiang Yantang, who was holding a book and seemed hesitant, as if he had something to say to her privately.
Zhou Xiaofeng took the basket of fruits and headed back first.
Jiang Yantang and Su Xiaoman stood under a mulberry tree. Su Xiaoman was holding a basket, still unsure of what Jiang Yantang, the educated youth, wanted to say to her.
She didn’t think there was any special connection between them. After marrying Xie Mingtu, the two had hardly interacted and had barely exchanged a few words.
As the male protagonist of the original book, Jiang Yantang was indeed an excellent man. His looks were not as sharp and refined as Xie Mingtu’s, but he had a broad and handsome appearance, with a scholarly air about him when he lowered his head to read. It was no wonder the original Su Xiaoman had fallen for him.
While Su Xiaoman was observing him, Jiang Yantang was also looking at her. He noticed that she had become even more beautiful. Her lively eyes, and perhaps because she had just been active, her skin looked as smooth and soft as peeled lychee, with a tempting flush of red.
She had grown prettier, and she no longer clung to him like a shadow, calling him “Comrade Jiang,” with endless questions to ask.
The old Su Xiaoman would bring him anything fun or delicious she found, eagerly offering it to him.
Now, he had heard rumours that her relationship with Xie Mingtu was improving, and the two of them might become a true couple.
“Xiaoman,” Jiang Yantang called her. It was the first time he had addressed her like this—he used to call her by her full name. “Are you doing well now?”
His question confused Su Xiaoman, especially since there was a strange sense of guilt on his face as he spoke.
Jiang Yantang did feel a deep sense of guilt, particularly after seeing Zhou Xiaofeng at the wedding and learning that the beautiful dress she wore was made by Su Xiaoman’s own hands.
It reminded him of Su Xiaoman’s rushed and unfortunate marriage. She had been forced to marry Xie Mingtu.
Jiang Yantang knew why Su Xiaoman had fallen into the water that day—she had intentionally hoped he would save her. At the time, he hadn’t hesitated and was ready to rescue her, but someone else had acted first.
When he found out she had been saved, Jiang Yantang couldn’t deny that he had felt a sense of relief.
But later, when Su Xiaoman lost her reputation and was forced to marry Xie Mingtu, a part of him felt guilty.
Especially in recent days, as he saw her becoming more mature and outstanding, constantly learning and improving despite her struggles, his guilt deepened.
“I’m doing fine. It’s just life,” Su Xiaoman smiled. In fact, she felt great these days, with a clingy “plaster” stuck by her side that she couldn’t shake off even if she tried.
Jiang Yantang frowned, “Are you really planning to stay with Xie Mingtu and live like this? Are you okay with it?”
He had heard from other women in the village that Su Xiaoman had always dreamed of marrying a city man and moving to the city. Even if she didn’t marry him, they said she would surely find another man from the city.
Had she now given up on marrying a city man and resigned herself to being with a rural farmer?
“I don’t see why not. I’m already Xie Mingtu’s wife,” Su Xiaoman replied calmly. Then, she reminded him, “Comrade Jiang, why are you telling me this? Aren’t you afraid people will misunderstand?”
Jiang Yantang’s questions were baffling to her. He acted as if he was trying to stand up for her, but if that were truly his intention, he should have spoken up when she was being forced to marry Xie Mingtu.
Now, coming to her and asking if she was willing to stay with Xie Mingtu seemed fake and pointless.
Her Xie Mingtu might have been the villain in the story, while she was the side-character villainess. The two of them had little contact with the male and female leads, and now that they were together, the male and female leads seemed to be no closer than strangers.
It appeared Zhang Lili hadn’t been very effective; she hadn’t managed to make the male lead fall for her, and the main romance hadn’t even started yet.
Was it possible that without a side-character villainess causing trouble, the romance between the leads couldn’t be catalysed?
That would actually be a good thing—the further reality strayed from the original story, the better.
“What misunderstanding?”
Su Xiaoman sighed. “Just that we should keep our distance to avoid people getting the wrong idea about our relationship. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Don’t tie your shoes in a melon field or adjust your hat under a plum tree’? Have you studied that, Comrade Jiang?”
“In the future, don’t talk to me alone. My husband wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”
That jealous puppy had sharp ears; he was probably hiding nearby, eavesdropping on their conversation right now.
Su Xiaoman wanted him to drink a little less vinegar.
Just as Jiang Yantang had once refused to pay attention to Su Xiaoman, she now had no interest in engaging with him. If she had time to talk with him, she would rather go home and make clothes for Xie Mingtu and watch him dote on her like a puppy.
…
“What? Jiang Yantang talked to Su Xiaoman alone?”
When Zhang Lili heard the news, her eyes widened in disbelief. She muttered to herself, “That’s impossible.” Fear began to take hold of her as she recalled what she had seen in Jiang Yantang’s notebook. Her face grew increasingly pale.
Zhang Lili realized that she had already fallen for Jiang Yantang. He was such an excellent man, and perhaps she had liked him all along…
She knew that Jiang Yantang might not like her, but how could he possibly like Su Xiaoman? How could he even think of liking Su Xiaoman?
That was Su Xiaoman, the woman he used to despise the most! In their previous life, they had divorced, and Su Xiaoman had been mercilessly sent back to the village by the Jiang family!
Why had everything changed now?
Was it because of her rebirth?
After being reborn, she had managed to free herself from the entanglement of the scumbag He Liang, but instead, she had deepened the feelings between Su Xiaoman and Jiang Yantang!
In her previous life, Su Xiaoman had used her “falling into the water” trick to entangle Jiang Yantang, which only made him increasingly disgusted with her. But in this life, because Zhang Lili had interfered, Su Xiaoman’s plan didn’t succeed, and yet Jiang Yantang had started paying attention to her?
She had been too clever for her own good!
“No, this can’t be!”
Zhang Lili staggered back a few steps, her mind heavy with worry. Although Su Xiaoman was now married to Xie Mingtu, how could Xie Mingtu compare to Jiang Yantang, the city boy from a prestigious family? If Jiang Yantang expressed his feelings, who’s to say Su Xiaoman wouldn’t choose to be with him instead?
She couldn’t let them be together. Absolutely not.
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