Three years after 'her' marriage, 'her' younger brother also got married, and in the following three years, they had two little boys and a little girl. By then, 'her' parents were nearly 50 years old and began living a semi-retired life, enjoying the joys of grandchildren. 'Her' brother naturally inherited the family business, continuing to farm the dozens of acres of land, leading a life that was quite comfortable and content.
'She' had also wanted children, but after many years of marriage, 'her' womb remained uncooperative. 'He' told 'her' that having children was a matter of fate, and 'she' could treat 'her' brother's children as 'her' own, given the blood ties. 'She' had no choice but to transfer 'her' affection to 'her' nephews and niece, often buying them clothes and toys whenever 'she' had the chance. However, unbeknownst to 'her', 'he' had long used 'his' immense mental power and supernatural abilities to block the production of 'his' own gametes. 'He' had no intention of having children and didn't want to risk repeating past mistakes.
To outsiders, 'she' and 'he' seemed like a fairy-tale couple, living a wealthy and enviable life. But privately, 'she' often felt like 'she' was living with a "strange person" who defied common sense and transcended worldly understanding. Even though 'she' deeply loved 'him' and knew 'he' loved 'her' too, 'she' sensed that 'his' love for 'her' went beyond the simple affection between a man and a woman. 'His' many peculiar words and actions sometimes amazed 'her', occasionally even frightened 'her', but none of it diminished 'her' love for 'him'. For this, 'she' often found it incredible.
Time flew by like an arrow, and decades passed in the blink of an eye. By the time 'she' was in 'her' 40s, 'her' parents were already in their 60s and soon passed away one after another due to old age and illness. Given the medical and sanitary conditions of the time, living past 60 was considered a long life. 'She' grieved alongside 'him' as they bid farewell to 'her' parents, lamenting how swiftly time had passed.
In 'her' eyes, everything around 'her' was changing — except for 'him'. Over the years, 'his' appearance had barely aged, leaving neighbors and patients in awe, marveling at how well 'he' maintained 'himself'. Word spread, and gradually, people began visiting the clinic specifically seeking anti-aging prescriptions, some even traveling from the provincial capital.
Though 'he' had prescribed some pills to help 'her' maintain 'her' youth, slowing 'her' aging process so that 'she' looked younger than 'her' 40s, 'she' still couldn't help but feel self-conscious about appearing older than 'him'. Once, when 'he' accompanied 'her' to the market in town, a shopkeeper mistakenly thought 'she' was 'his' older sister. To make matters worse, 'he' jokingly called 'her' "sister" at the time. After that, 'she' refused to speak to 'him' for three whole days and later "sternly" warned 'him' never to joke about 'her' age again!