Jackson, unaware of everything, wandered around with his bare shoulders exposed.

Sophia felt so embarrassed that she wished she could just disappear into the ground. With someone else around, she couldn’t bring herself to remind him.

After putting on his clothes, Jackson planned to grab his gear and head up the mountain. However, seeing his wife facing away from him, bent over as she tidied the bed, stopped him in his tracks.

Her long, dark hair was simply tied up behind her, leaving her smooth, fair neck exposed. When she bent down, a faint kiss mark became visible. Jackson couldn’t help but feel a pang of desire as his heart raced.

He approached her, and from behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist. Only then did he notice her flushed cheeks.

“Honey, why is your face so red?” The warm breath from his words tickled her ear.

Sophia, feeling his touch, immediately became weak, trying to twist her body and pull his arms away.

“Stop it. It’s the middle of the day,” she scolded him, her voice a mix of shyness and irritation.

Jackson, with thick skin, was unfazed by her protests. Having lived several lifetimes, he had seen it all and didn’t think there was anything wrong with being affectionate with his wife at home.

He leaned closer, teasing her with a heavy breath. “What’s wrong with kissing my own wife? It’s not illegal.”

Sophia, startled by his sudden move, gasped in surprise. “What are you doing? Put me down!”

Her face burned with embarrassment, overwhelmed by the sheer shame of the situation.

“Honey, how about we try something different tonight?” Jackson whispered, not realizing how much his teasing was affecting her.

Sophia, panicked by the thought of someone walking in on them, urged him frantically. “Jackson Scott, put me down now!”

Hearing his full name made him stop. He gently placed her back on the bed and spoke softly, “Okay, I’ll stop. I’m going up the mountain. Don’t forget to send some of the meat from the kitchen to Mom.”

After he left, Sophia covered her heated cheeks, taking a moment to calm down. She then resumed taking apart the bed linens to wash them.

She moved her daughter’s small bed outside, placing the baby on it, and filled a basin with water to begin washing the bedding.

At that moment, her mother, Sariah South, arrived with a basket containing eggs and a small piece of meat.

Seeing her mother, Sophia quickly wiped her hands and stood up. “Mom, what are you doing here?”

Sariah carried the basket into the kitchen, eyeing her daughter with a subtle sadness. Her gaze lingered on the worn, ill-fitting clothes Sophia wore, and she quickly looked away, lifting her granddaughter from the small bed.

“I was just finishing up at home and thought I’d come check on you,” she said, looking around the shabby three-room adobe hut.

Her heart ached with regret. She wished she had never agreed to the marriage. She felt responsible for her daughter’s suffering.

When she first saw Jackson, he seemed like a decent guy who had even helped save her daughter, and although he came from a poor family, she thought they could work things out. But now, Jackson had become someone she could barely recognize—drinking, gambling, and getting into trouble.

Sariah clenched her teeth, as if making a decision. “Soph, I’ve thought it through. It was my mistake to stop you from divorcing him. If things aren’t working out, you should leave. You’re still young, and you deserve better. Don’t let your whole life be ruined by him.”

Sophia froze at her mother’s words, sitting in silence for a long time before speaking up.

That day, when Jackson had taken the money she borrowed from her family to buy cereal for their daughter and used it for alcohol, she had felt utterly hopeless. She had even considered taking her daughter and jumping into the reservoir.

But when Jackson sobered up, he had slapped himself repeatedly out of guilt and rushed out to buy cereal for their daughter.

Over the past few days, she had watched him, and he seemed to be changing. He hadn’t gone out drinking or gambling, and he was trying to do better.

Sariah, seeing her daughter deep in thought, assumed she was worried about the child and continued, “If you want to divorce, I can help you take care of the baby. But you know, remarrying with a child won’t be easy.”

At that time, divorce was still rare, and no matter how difficult life got, women had to endure.

Hearing her mother’s concern about her future after divorce, Sophia took her child from Sariah and said firmly, “Mom, I don’t want to divorce yet. He’s really trying to change.”

She tugged at the brand new outfit she had bought for her daughter. “This is the new clothes he bought for her, and he even bought me a set, but I haven’t worn it yet.”

Sariah looked at her daughter’s fresh, innocent face and saw a hint of color return to her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with hope. For a moment, she froze, lost in thought.

Yesterday, she had overheard Larry, a local troublemaker, mention that Jackson owed someone fifty bucks. With such a large debt and his current behavior, she wasn’t sure how he would manage to pay it back.

Still, seeing her daughter’s expression, she decided not to tell her. She didn’t want to cause more tension between them.

Sariah sighed, her voice filled with reassurance as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Well, if he really changes, I’ll be relieved.”

At this moment, Jackson, who had just reached the mountain, was chewing on a cornbread, mentally calculating how much it would cost to build a two-story house. Based on the current price of the dendrobium he could gather, after building the house, he'd still have a substantial amount of savings—a decent sum for this era, considering that there weren’t many people who had tens of thousands.

He figured he would likely be staying in the village for the next couple of years, so the priority was to improve the living conditions. Their current home, a dilapidated mudbrick house with three rooms, was so cramped that, when he walked in, his back felt like it was about to bend. The dust inside was unbearable, and the air was thick with soot and debris. It was hardly a place fit for people to live.

At this time, he had no idea that his mother-in-law and wife were discussing whether or not to divorce! If Jackson had known, he probably wouldn’t have been in the mood to go up the mountain to gather dendrobium. After all, having lived a second life, he knew that making money was important, but nothing came before his wife and child.

He had the methods to earn money from his past life, so he wasn’t in any rush.

It was getting close to noon, and Sariah hadn’t even had lunch yet. She hurried to head home, worried that if she ate another bite, her daughter would have to eat less. Sophia tried to stop her but ended up cutting a large chunk of meat from the kitchen and running after her mother.

"Mom, take this back for my brother and his wife to eat."

Sariah saw the large piece of meat and waved her hands, refusing it. She didn’t want Jackson to know she was supplementing her daughter’s household, fearing he might hurt her again. She also worried about Sophia not having enough to eat, suffering in silence.

"You keep it. We’re not lacking meat here. Look at you, you’re so thin. You need to eat more, or how will you have enough milk for the baby?" she said, but in the end, she didn’t take the meat and walked away with her basket, step by step.

Sophia stood at the door, watching her mother walk further away until she was out of sight. She then turned and entered the kitchen, carrying the meat.

Next door, London Childs, who was about the same age as Sophia and had married a year earlier, was perched on the wall, munching on a raw radish.

"Girl, you’ve been cooped up inside all day, and word has gotten out. Gemma got a beating from your second brother last night. People say the whole neighborhood heard her cries," London remarked casually.

Sophia, who had just stepped out of the kitchen, sat on a bench in the yard, washing the sheets. She gave London a distracted reply.

London, noticing her lack of enthusiasm, jumped over the wall, grabbed a stool, and sat next to her. She lowered her voice and whispered, "Let me tell you, everyone’s talking—your second brother’s Preston... He’s not actually your second brother’s..."

Sophia stopped her work, her hands frozen, as she looked up at London.

"It’s your oldest brother’s child," London said, seeing the confusion in Sophia’s eyes. She shoved the remaining radish into her pocket and continued gossiping in a low tone.

Sophia was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had always respected her oldest brother, thinking he was a kind, upright man who did things fairly. But hearing this now, she felt a sense of discomfort.

How could this happen?

London seemed pleased with the reaction. She patted the city girl’s back and said, "Alright, I’ve got to head home to cook for my man. I’ll leave you to it."

That night, Jackson returned late. He had been able to see the lights in their home from a distance and couldn’t help but marvel at how much brighter electric lights were compared to the old oil lamps.

When Sophia saw him come back, she hurriedly took the food off the stove, asking casually, "Why are you so late today?"

Noticing some dirt on his clothes, she set the food down and began brushing the mud off him.

Jackson stopped her and, after locking the door to the main room, pulled something out from his basket and carefully placed it on the table.

"I found something unexpected while digging for dendrobium," he said.

He didn’t tell her that he had slipped and fallen, only finding this item after much effort.

This thing wasn’t worth less than dendrobium, and it was sold by weight. It was a small fortune he had stumbled upon unexpectedly.

Jackson was planning to spend some intimate time with his wife tonight, and the next day, he would skip the mountain trip to handle the newfound goods.

Sophia looked at the black-brown object, which was shaped somewhat like ginger, lying on the table. She squinted in recognition, unsure, and asked, "Is this... knotweed?"

Her voice carried disbelief.