Chapter 23

"Mom, someone's here," David said warily, eyeing the gate.

A woman in a blue cotton dress stood at the entrance, her smile forced. Emily Johnson recognized her—Sophia Green, the village's unmarried educated youth in her thirties.

"Sophia?" Emily was surprised.

Tommy instinctively hid behind his mother. Every time this woman visited, his parents ended up arguing.

"I heard you fought with Mrs. Zhao today?" Sophia's eyes darted around, lingering on the children.

Emily frowned. "Her son bullied David, and she had the nerve to come here making trouble."

Sophia feigned concern with a sigh. "Emily, more and more educated youths are returning to the city these days."

David's head snapped up, his small fingers tightening around his mother's sleeve.

"My family wrote to me, urging me to go back," Sophia deliberately raised her voice. "The city is so lively now—movie theaters, department stores..."

Emily felt both children tense beside her. She glanced down to see David glaring at Sophia, his eyes full of distrust.

"David, Tommy, why don't you go to bed now?" Sophia said with false sweetness.

"No!" Tommy suddenly shouted, startling Emily.

Sophia's smile stiffened before she forced it back. "Emily, are you really content to be a farmer's wife in this backwater forever? The city is so much better..."

Then it clicked. This woman wasn't here out of goodwill.

"Return to the city?" Emily chuckled. "Without a job assignment, I'd just be an unregistered migrant. Sophia, did your family arrange work for you?"

Sophia's expression darkened.

"Besides," Emily pulled her children closer, "I'm married with children now. What would I do in the city? Unlike you—shouldn't you be thinking about settling down at your age?"

Sophia's face flushed crimson. She hated when people brought this up! If only Emily hadn't interfered back then...

"Mom's right!" David declared loudly. "Dad treats Mom really well!"

Shaking with rage, Sophia turned and stormed out, slamming the gate behind her.

Emily knelt to meet her children's eyes. "Tell me, did that woman visit often before?"

David bit his lip and nodded. "Every time she came, she'd talk about the city... Then you and Dad would fight..."

Emily's heart sank. So Sophia Green had been deliberately sowing discord all along.