Seeing the probing, self-mocking look in Pei Huaiye’s eyes, Su Qingyue felt a sudden wave of panic.
Before she could speak, Shen Xunbao hurried over.
“Qingyue, are you alright?”
His tone was full of concern as he draped his coat over her shoulders.
Pei Huaiye said nothing. He turned and left, his lonely figure swallowed up by the crowd.
There were too many people around. Earlier, Pei Huaiye’s questioning had already made her elder brother and sister-in-law sense something was wrong. For the sake of her reputation, she didn’t dare explain anything to Pei Huaiye in public.
Originally, Su Qingyue had planned to talk things through with Pei Huaiye properly after breaking off her engagement with Shen Xunbao. She hadn’t expected so many messy things to happen instead.
The more she thought about it, the lower her mood sank.
She took the coat off and handed it back to Shen Xunbao.
“I don’t need it. Thank you.”
Being rejected in public made Shen Xunbao look awkward.
“Then I’ll walk you back.”
Su Qingyue did have something she wanted to say to him alone.
“Alright. Big Brother, Sister-in-law, you go back first. I’ll be home later.”
Su Qingwu stared at Shen Xunbao.
“No. When we get home, you two can talk at the door. For now, we go back together.”
Li Zilan echoed him. With no choice, Su Qingyue walked back with her sister-in-law.
The villagers of Shuangshui Village all perked up their ears, eager for gossip as they watched the Su family—but when no one said a word, they soon lost interest and dispersed.
Back home, Li Zilan reminded her at the door,
“Come back early.”
Su Qingyue nodded and turned to Shen Xunbao.
“Have you thought it through? I’m going to write a letter to cancel the engagement.”
“I don’t agree!”
“You don’t even like me. Why insist on marrying me?”
“But we have a childhood betrothal. Qingyue, I’m not used to rural life after being sent down. Lately I’ve neglected your feelings. I’ll treat you well from now on—can we not break off the engagement?”
As he spoke, Shen Xunbao reached for her hand. She was, after all, a woman, and the difference in strength meant she couldn’t pull free at once.
From the moment Pei Huaiye learned that Su Qingyue had a fiancé, it felt as though someone had twisted his heart violently. Numb, he walked toward the Su family home, wanting to ask her what he had been to her these past days.
Just as he reached the corner, he saw Shen Xunbao holding Su Qingyue’s hand.
Those pale, soft hands—hands that had once fumbled over him when she was drugged, that he had held while applying medicine to her injuries, that had clenched into fists and struck him in misunderstanding.
Now those slender white fingers were being held by another man.
And that man was her fiancé.
He wanted to rush over and beat that man senseless—but he had no standing to do so.
A deeply self-mocking smile tugged at Pei Huaiye’s lips as he turned and left.
As Su Qingyue struggled free, she hissed angrily in a low voice,
“Shen Xunbao, let go! I know you don’t like women at all!”
Boom!
Shen Xunbao released her hand, his face turning deathly pale.
He was so shocked that Su Qingyue knew the truth that he couldn’t refute her for a long moment.
Su Qingyue continued,
“I promise I won’t tell anyone. But you can’t sacrifice me and marry me just for yourself. That’s unfair to me.”
Shen Xunbao’s lips moved for a long time before he asked,
“Do your parents know?”
Su Qingyue swore to the heavens.
“I haven’t told anyone! Besides, if they knew, they’d never agree to this marriage.”
Shen Xunbao’s eyes narrowed behind his lenses.
“Breaking off the engagement rashly—Commander Shen and your parents in the capital won’t agree either.”
Su Qingyue turned her head aside.
“As long as you agree, I’ll tell them I already have someone I like, that we’re not compatible. You can say you don’t like me. Two people who don’t love each other getting married—that’s not what they want to see either.”
Shen Xunbao’s mind was in turmoil.
“Give me some time. I need to think about it.”
“Then please give me an answer as soon as possible.”
Su Qingyue returned home. Su Mingqiang, Su Qingwu, and Li Zilan were all waiting in the main room. Su Qingxi and Su Zhuangzhuang peeked out from the side room, their little heads sneaking into view.
Su Qingyue took a sip of water and cleared her throat.
“The childhood engagement with Educated Youth Shen was arranged by my foster parents. But we don’t like each other. We’ve discussed it, and we’ll break off the engagement.”
Li Zilan exchanged a look with Su Qingwu, then both turned to Su Mingqiang.
Su Mingqiang set down his enamel mug.
“Yue’er, your dad’s old and doesn’t have much ability. We saw that Educated Youth Shen is handsome and has a good family background. But since you don’t like him, then break it off. Since you came back to the village, there have been many proposals—you’ve turned them all down. You’ll be eighteen next month. It’s time to think about life’s big matters. If you have someone you like, Dad won’t stop you. There’s only one requirement—his character must be sound.”
Li Zilan spoke up,
“Dad, Qingyue’s still young. There’s no rush—we should take our time and choose carefully. The most urgent issue right now is Su Qianqian and Zhou Wenfang. Those two aren’t easy to deal with.”
Su Qingwu’s expression was grim.
“What Su Qianqian did was going too far!”
“If she really broke the law, then the police should handle it however they see fit. People must pay for their actions. We won’t interfere.”
As Su Mingqiang spoke, his eyes grew moist. No matter what, Su Qianqian had been a daughter they raised for seventeen years—there was still affection.
But ever since learning she was from the city, she had completely changed.
Now, out of jealousy toward Su Qingyue, she had even colluded with outsiders to deliberately harm his biological daughter. Emotionally and morally, Su Mingqiang couldn’t accept it.
Li Zilan said with lingering fear,
“If Pei Huaiye hadn’t arrived in time, I don’t dare imagine what would’ve happened to Qingyue…”
“Alright. Qingyue, go rest. From now on, after work, take the bus straight back to the village. I’ll go meet you at the entrance.”
After Su Qingwu spoke, Li Zilan smiled in relief. Both urged Su Qingyue to go back to her room and sleep.
When Su Qingyue closed her eyes, her dreams were filled with Pei Huaiye’s disbelieving, disappointed gaze.
……
So much had happened that day that Shen Xunbao couldn’t sleep at all.
He quietly got up and left the educated youth compound—only to see a man wearing a hat climbing over the wall.
Qiao Wang had been so tense he hadn’t dared move. When he saw it was Shen Xunbao, he immediately jumped down.
Cold sweat broke out on Shen Xunbao’s back.
“Are you crazy? Climbing walls like that!”
Qiao Wang pulled him into the fields and said angrily,
“You think this was easy for me?! I lost my letter of introduction and almost got arrested. You never went to the county town, so I had no choice but to come find you in the village.”
Shen Xunbao said,
“The brigade leader requires a hundred work points before approving a separate housing application. I want to move out of the men’s dormitory early, so I’ve been busy earning work points every day. I don’t have time to run around. Where are you now? What are you doing?”
“I sent a telegram to my dad. The letter of introduction’s been replaced. I rented a room and am writing articles for a newspaper to earn money.”
After speaking, Qiao Wang stuffed a slip of paper with an address written on it into Shen Xunbao’s shirt pocket.
“So, how have things been lately?”
Shen Xunbao briefly explained how Su Qianqian and Zhou Wenfang had framed Su Qingyue, then mentioned that Su Qingyue had already realized he didn’t like women and wanted to cancel the engagement.
Qiao Wang narrowed his eyes.
“It’s good that it’s broken off. She’s not even Staff Officer Su’s biological daughter—she won’t be of any use in the future.”
Shen Xunbao pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Su Qianqian is interested in me, but now that she’s in trouble, I’m afraid…”
Qiao Wang smiled inscrutably. The dark mole on his right ear was especially visible in the moonlight.
“Then don’t let anything happen to her.”
“You have a way?”
Qiao Wang held out his hand for money.
“I’ll handle Su Qianqian’s matter. Don’t interfere. Get ready—I’ll come replace you in a couple of days.”
Shen Xunbao handed over more than a dozen big-denomination bills and two hundred jin worth of grain coupons. Qiao Wang curled his lips in silent mockery—Young Master Shen truly lived a world apart from him.
Qiao Wang climbed back over the wall. Once inside his room, he immediately drafted a telegram.
Before dawn, he squatted at the door of the post and telecommunications office. The moment it opened, he rushed in to fill out a telegram form.
The clerk quoted the price.
“Seven fen per character. One hundred and twenty characters total, comrade. That’ll be eight yuan and four mao.”
Qiao Wang handed over the money.
“How long until it reaches the capital?”
“About four hours. Keep the receipt—your telegraph number is on it.”
Holding the receipt, Qiao Wang silently prayed that the telegram would reach the Su family in the capital as soon as possible.