She couldn't deny it—after all, the original Jewel really had gambled before. If you don't want people to know, the only way is to not do it in the first place.
Since Xavia brought it up, she probably already knew everything Jewel had done in the past. There was no point in hiding it, so Jewel could only admit it honestly and take the blame.
"Really?"
It was such an easy promise that Xavia couldn't help but doubt it. "You're not just saying this to make yourself look good, right? Saying it but not meaning it?"
"Then what should I do for you to believe me?"
Jewel admitted that just saying it wasn't very convincing.
"You don't have to make any promises to me. I'm not here to control your past. But now that you've married my brother, you can't treat him badly. If you don't live a proper life from now on, or bring shady people into the house and make him feel miserable, I'll take him back home. I won't let him suffer in the Jewel family.
Our Xavia family may not be rich or powerful, but we'll never let Xavi go hungry. Our boys know how to speak up—if someone wrongs them, they won't just swallow their pain."
Xavia's tone carried a warning at the end. "Xavi is my little brother. I've loved and protected him since he was small. Don't you dare hurt him, or I won't let you off."
"I really do love Xavi. He will always be my one and only husband."
Jewel answered sincerely, "I would never let him get hurt. You can trust me, sister."
"I'll remember your words. I hope you mean what you say."
Xavia looked at her seriously.
"Of course," Jewel replied with a soft smile.
"Well, I don't have anything more to say. Let's go inside and eat."
Xavia stood up from the stone and was about to walk away.
"Wait, sister. You've said your part, but I still have something to say."
Jewel gently grabbed her arm.
"What is it?" Xavia asked with a puzzled look.
She watched as Jewel took out a handkerchief-wrapped bundle from her sleeve.
"What's that?"
"My mother-in-law needs money for treatment. I can't help in many ways, but I brought some silver."
Jewel placed the silver in Xavia's hand. "When you have time, take her to a good doctor. Buy some good food too—help her build up her health."
Seeing Xavia about to refuse, Jewel quickly closed her hand around the money and said, "Don't turn it down. She's my mother too now. I really hope she gets better soon. Besides, this isn't a free gift. When you start making money later, you can pay me back. If you feel guilty, just treat me to a good meal sometime."
Xavia originally wanted to refuse, but she really did need the money.
Also, Jewel had kindly said it wasn't a free gift and that she could repay it later—saving her pride and not making her feel like she owed someone a favor she couldn't return.
When Xavia thought back to how she had questioned Jewel earlier, she realized that Jewel didn't show any annoyance. Instead, she had even shown her respect.
Now Xavia was starting to seriously doubt all those people who said Jewel was a lazy gambler. Were their heads messed up?
Who ever saw someone so thoughtful and generous, yet called them a troublemaker?
She even helped out by giving her own money to her in-law's family!
If someone like Jewel was called a bad woman, then how many good ones were even left in the world?
"This is... five taels?" Xavia weighed the money in her hand.
"Yes. If it's not enough, I still have more," Jewel replied.
She actually didn't think this was a big help, since just yesterday, she and Xavi had spent six or seven taels while shopping in town.
"You brought so much silver—what about your own family?"
Xavia was stunned. Did this Jewel even understand what she was saying? She even said there's more if it's not enough!
Xavia was worried that Jewel might be giving away too much from her family. Five taels of silver could cover living expenses for two years if spent carefully!
"You don't need to worry about my family, sister. I would never let Xavi suffer with me."
Jewel understood what Xavia was thinking. She was afraid Jewel was draining her family's savings. But even if Jewel wasn't working at the moment, she still had dozens of taels saved up. Plus, she had a few ginseng roots stored away. She wasn't struggling for money just yet, and she was also planning to start a small business soon.
"Then… I'll pay you back later. Thank you."
Xavia felt at ease around Jewel now. After saying that, she finally gave Jewel a smile.
"No rush on paying me back, sister. Just take your time. And don't tell Mother-in-law for now—I don't want her to feel uncomfortable about it," Jewel said with a cheerful grin.
Xavia nodded and agreed, but deep down, she still planned to tell her mother the truth. There was no way she could earn that much silver anytime soon, and she didn't want to hide Jewel's kindness from her family.
Jewel rubbed her stomach and said, "I'm getting hungry. Let's go inside."
"Alright."
Xavia smiled and nodded. She was really satisfied with her brother's wife. It seemed like Jewel was genuinely a good person—and now it made sense why her brother had defended her earlier.
Honestly, she was starting to like Jewel too.
From that moment on, Jewel and Xavia became close "besties."
Just as they stepped into the courtyard, a tired-looking, middle-aged man slowly made his way down the narrow alley toward the Xavia house.
That man—who else could it be but He-shi?
He-shi muttered angrily to himself as he walked, cursing Xavia, Xavi, and Jewel under his breath.
Each one of them, so rude and disrespectful! They made him furious!
Earlier, when they were working in the fields, Xavia had heard him say something and didn't even wait a moment before tossing the hoe at him and running off.
He wasn't ready for it—the hoe landed right on his foot!
He screamed in pain, holding his foot and jumping around. In the process, he scratched his leg on the sharp edge of the hoe!
He tried calling after Xavia, but she had already run far away. He was so mad he wanted to shout.
But in the end, He-shi had no choice but to slowly limp back home, thinking today was just a horribly unlucky day.
On the way, he kept cursing Xavia in his mind a thousand times over. But once he stepped into the Xavia house, he didn't show even a hint of anger on his face.
Why? Because first, he had to figure out what was going on at home. Then he'd figure out how to get his wife to scold Xavia for him.
...
Inside the Xa home, the dining table was already full of delicious, fragrant food. Mother Xa sat in the main seat of honor. Jewel and Xavia sat on either side of her. Xavi and Zhang-shi were still busy working in the kitchen.
Suddenly, Jewel remembered—men weren't allowed at the dining table!
That meant Xavi, in this household, also wasn't allowed to sit at the table!
Wait—what?
Jewel found it strange not having her little husband beside her at the meal.
"Mother-in-law," Jewel said carefully, "how about letting Father-in-law and Xavi join us at the table? That way we can have a full family meal together."
She was just making a suggestion—after all, this was Xavia's family, not hers. The real head of the house was Madam, not her.