Jackson stared at his wife, who had suddenly changed. Her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were fixed on their daughter.

"You rest, don’t move. I’ll bring our daughter over to you right away."

He quickly got out of bed, and in a few swift steps, he reached their daughter’s crib. He saw that she was awake and staring at him with her big eyes.

As soon as she saw him, she began waving her little arms and legs, wanting to be held.

Jackson's heart melted as he looked at his daughter. He bent down carefully and gently lifted her into his arms, holding her as if she were a precious treasure.

He walked back to the bed and handed her over to his wife.

Sophia took their daughter in her arms. Seeing that the little one was fine and even smiling, a huge weight lifted off her heart. Her tense nerves finally relaxed.

Her eyes reddened, and she almost cried, regretting how deeply she had slept the night before. If something had happened to their little one, how could she live with herself?

Jackson didn’t understand what was going on with his wife. She seemed so emotional, shifting between great joy and sadness.

He bent down and kissed her cheek, softly saying, “It’s okay, honey. You stay with Nellie for a bit, I’ll make breakfast.” Then, he picked up his discarded shorts from the floor, shook the dust off, and quickly put them on.

His wife was so exhausted, she had fallen asleep in his arms without eating. As he cleaned up, he cursed himself for being so careless and not showing more self-control.

Sophia checked the diaper under their daughter, and though it wasn’t perfectly in place, it was clean.

No wonder she hadn’t heard their daughter crying last night.

It turned out Jackson had been the one to take care of their daughter. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to care for her since she was born. Before, if their daughter had cried at night and woken him up, he wouldn’t help; instead, he’d scold her, complaining about the noise disturbing his sleep.

He had never liked their daughter, resenting her for being a financial burden, and he despised the fact that she had made his wife pregnant, keeping him from being able to do what he wanted…

So, had he really changed? Could she trust him again?

Sophia’s face heated as she recalled the events of last night. She felt soreness in her waist, but what they had shared last night, despite being the same actions as before, had felt completely different. Jackson had shown her tenderness that words could hardly describe.

Jackson was busy in the kitchen. When Sophia finally got up and came out with the baby, breakfast was ready—collard greens, stew, cereal, and cornbread.

He was shirtless, and as he took the baby from Sophia’s arms, he said, “Honey, go wash up.”

Sophia was a little worried, but when she saw him so carefully and awkwardly holding their baby, her worry faded. He was trying so hard, his veins standing out from the effort.

She couldn’t help but laugh, seeing how clumsy Jackson was with the baby, and gently guided him on how to hold her.

“Relax. This is your daughter, not a tiger. She won’t bite you, will she?”

Jackson was so focused on his daughter that he didn’t even hear Sophia teasing him.

His body was stiff as a board, afraid his rough hands would accidentally hurt her. This was their first child, a precious one.

He looked up at Sophia, unsure. “Is this really okay?” he asked, quickly glancing down at the baby in his arms.

Seeing their daughter waving her little hands and smiling, Jackson finally relaxed. He made silly faces to entertain her.

Sophia smiled and went to brush her teeth and wash her face.

At breakfast, Jackson said he wasn’t hungry and told Sophia to eat first.

Sophia could tell he was trying to avoid eating so that she could enjoy her meal without worrying about the baby.

She was starving, especially after the exhausting events of the night before.

She took the food outside and sat down at the table, eating slowly.

At that moment, Village Chief Blake arrived with the electrician, carrying a ladder.

When he entered the yard, he saw Jackson’s wife eating at the table, while Jackson, shirtless in his big shorts, was walking around with the baby in his arms.

Blake couldn’t help but marvel at Jackson’s youth and strength. He felt cold just wearing a jacket, while Jackson seemed unfazed.

He noticed a neat circle of bite marks on the inside of Jackson’s arm and smiled knowingly.

“Jackson, still not finished with breakfast?” Blake said, glancing at the food on the table.

A big bowl of stew, glistening with oil. It looked rich and delicious, making Blake’s mouth water.

He hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, but with no special occasion or celebration, no one could afford to eat meat. Seeing Jackson so generous made Blake a bit envious, but he still saved his appetite.

Jackson didn’t expect Blake to show up so early. He was worried that with a man around, Sophia might feel uncomfortable and not be able to eat properly.

So he took Blake and the electrician to the front gate, chatting idly until Sophia finished her meal and returned inside. Then, he handed the baby to her.

Jackson pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his loose shorts pocket and handed one to Blake, lighting one for himself as well.

Blake sniffed the cigarette in his hand but didn’t smoke it, instead sticking it behind his ear with a grin.

“You’re doing well for yourself now. A whole pack of these, huh? Smells different. You’re really splurging,” Blake joked.

The electrician, standing nearby, smiled in a silly way, hanging the cigarette behind his ear and carrying the ladder and wire as he headed around to the back of the house.

The work was well worth it. A buck a pack for cigarettes was something the electrician wouldn’t usually splurge on. Seeing how generous Jackson was, though, he couldn’t help but be a little impressed. But looking at their dilapidated house… well, that was a different story.

After Blake and the electrician finished their work, Jackson went back inside.

As soon as he walked in, a piece of clothing flew at him. Before he could react, he heard his wife’s voice.

“Put your shirt on! Walking around without it, what do you think you’re doing?”

Jackson was confused, but he quickly put the shirt on. Little did he know, his muscular back now had several scratch marks from last night.

Blake and the electrician had both seen them but didn’t say anything. They only smiled knowingly, admiring Jackson’s strength and his ability to tolerate the cold.