Chapter 291

"My wife is the best!" Michael Stone exclaimed, his eyes shining with pride as he beamed at her.

Emily Johnson rolled her eyes. "Getting into fights is nothing to brag about."

"Are you hurt?" Michael asked anxiously, reaching out to check her over.

"Stop fussing." Emily swatted his hand away. "With my stick, no one could even get close."

Still, she knew this brawl would only add to her reputation in the village as the "fierce one."

"Let me see—"

"Too much free time?" Emily narrowed her eyes. "How about cleaning the house instead?"

Michael immediately withdrew his hand. "Actually, I just remembered there's work in the fields..."

Jessica River spent two days at the town clinic before being brought home. Emily carried a bag of malt extract and a packet of brown sugar, followed by her two little shadows, as she headed to Uncle Daniel's house.

"Aunt Martha..."

When Aunt Martha saw her niece-in-law arriving with gifts, she quickly waved them off. "You didn't need to bring anything just to visit Jessica."

"She needs to regain her strength." Emily held out the basket firmly.

Aunt Martha's eyes grew moist as she accepted it. "Come inside and sit."

"I'll go see Jessica first," Emily said softly. "Don't worry, Aunt Martha. I'll talk to her properly."

Aunt Martha wiped her eyes. "That child... Oh, thank you."

Inside the room, Jessica lay propped against the headboard, her face pale. Her real name was Jessica Xingxing, but the village head had thought "Xingxing" sounded too boyish when she was little, so it was changed to "Xingxing"—though everyone still called her Jessica.

"Emily..." Jessica's voice was weak. In her memory, this sister-in-law had always been delicate and spoiled by Michael. But her mother had told her that if not for Emily that day, Aunt Margaret and the others might have suffered worse.

"No need for thanks. We're family." Emily sat beside the bed. "You should have told us sooner. Infertility isn't always the woman's fault—men are often the problem."

Aunt Martha happened to walk in with a cup of water and immediately agreed. "Exactly! Christopher Garcia is the one who can't perform, yet he dared to hit you!"

Jessica's eyes reddened. All this time, she had blamed herself, enduring in silence...

"You're still young," Emily said gently. "Life is long. You have to look forward."

Aunt Martha set down the cup and quietly slipped out.

"Jessica, didn't you used to be great at needlework?" Emily suddenly asked.

Jessica blinked in surprise. Her sister-in-law had just said she was "still in the bloom of youth"...