How big could a village possibly be?
Su Nian’an walked along with Officer Wang for only a short while before they reached the cluster of adobe houses where the educated youth lived.
It was dinnertime for every household, and Su Nian’an could catch the faint scent of cooked rice.
She smelled no fragrance of dishes, though.
In the countryside, people were grateful just to have enough to fill their bellies—who would be willing to waste precious oil or salt? Su Nian’an guessed the food being cooked right now was far from tasty.
But that was none of her concern. She only needed to look after herself and the male lead’s family.
“The Gu family has a large household, so they’ve been given a separate adobe house, right at the very end,” Officer Wang explained to Su Nian’an.
“Understood.”
She was finally about to meet the male lead and his family. Truth be told, Su Nian’an felt quite nervous.
According to the novel, the male lead’s grandfather was once a figure at the rank of Deputy Commander. But after backing the wrong side and being framed by political rivals, he had been sent down to the countryside.
The Gu family were all decent, reasonable people who looked out for their own. As described in the story, the male lead’s mother came from a scholarly family—gentle, poised, and generous by nature. Su Nian’an believed that as long as they were good people at heart, she would get along with them just fine.
They met very few people along the way. When they did pass one or two educated youths, the strangers immediately greeted Officer Wang warmly.
Dusk had turned the sky gray, and there were no streetlamps to be seen. No one could make out Su Nian’an’s face clearly, so she went unnoticed.
At last, Officer Wang brought Su Nian’an before an adobe house.
The door was already shut. Officer Wang stepped forward and knocked twice. Several seconds later, a voice came from inside: “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Officer Wang. A young relative of yours has come to visit. It was getting dark, and I was worried she wouldn’t find her way here alone, so I escorted her.”
After another moment, the door swung slowly open.
Night had fully fallen, and candlelight glowed warmly inside. Though the light was dim, through the flickering glow, Su Nian’an recognized the tall man standing before her. It was the cold, handsome man who had stepped in to stop that rude woman from slapping her on the train earlier that very day!
Same train, same destination—how had she never guessed her future husband would be him?
According to what Su Aiguo had told her, the Gu family had set off for Red River Village long ago and had already been away from the capital for more than half a month. So why had Gu Qingyu been on that train?
Su Nian’an was puzzled, but she knew better than to ask such questions right now.
“You?” Gu Qingyu recognized her at once—the young woman who had stood up to that unreasonable woman on the train. He had only intervened to stop a slap; he could not understand why she had followed him all the way out here.
“I… I have a perfectly good reason for coming. I…” Su Nian’an spoke plainly, “I am your wife!”
Enough beating around the bush—this was something best said clearly. Why go in circles and make him guess?
“My wife? I have no wife!” Gu Qingyu frowned sharply, his gaze cold and assessing as he looked her over.
“My family name is Su!” Su Nian’an declared, staring back at him with wide, bright eyes.
Truth be told, a quiet thrill went through her when she saw the man who had opened the door. He was strikingly handsome—his face, his build—absolutely her ideal type.
At the same time, she wondered: with a personality like his, would she ever manage to coax that jade bracelet with its hidden space out of his hands?
Just as the novel described—an unyielding block of ice that would never melt. The female lead had seemingly chased him for ages with no progress at all; Gu Qingyu was notoriously difficult to win over.
Gu Qingyu studied her in turn. When he heard her family name was Su, he thought immediately of the Su family in the capital. He did have a fiancée from the Su family, yes—but this woman before him was certainly not her.
“I am unmarried. I have no wife,” Gu Qingyu insisted.
Su Nian’an was speechless. She had barely arrived at the Gu family’s door and already it looked like she wouldn’t be allowed inside. Had Su Aiguo lost his mind? Had he not told the Gu family that the bride had been replaced with her?
She had come all this way only to face this awkward standoff. Still—she had been brought from the countryside to the capital only days ago. It was likely Su Aiguo’s letter had not even arrived yet.
Just then, a voice called out from within.
“Is that Nian’an?”
Su Nian’an answered quickly, “Yes! It’s me!”
A woman stepped out to greet her. She wore simple, modest clothing suited to the times, yet it could not hide her grace and gentle refinement. Her skin was remarkably fair and smooth—testament to how well she had preserved her beauty, even without the fine skincare products of later years.
“Why—why, look at you… you’re absolutely lovely!”
Bai Yuyan walked straight up to Su Nian’an, took her hand warmly, and turned to Officer Wang. “Officer Wang, thank you so much for bringing my daughter-in-law home safely.”
Officer Wang stood there, confused. Gu Qingyu had just flatly denied that this young woman was his wife—so why was his mother accepting her so readily? Then again, this was family business, and no place for him to interfere.
“Think nothing of it. I’ve handed her over to you now. I’ll be on my way—I’ve yet to eat dinner,” Officer Wang murmured.
“Won’t you stay and join us?” Bai Yuyan invited him warmly.
“Oh no, thank you—dinner’s already waiting at home. Good evening!” At the mention of a meal, Officer Wang made a hasty retreat. In those times, every household lived on tight budgets, and it was considered impolite to drop in unannounced for dinner. Such invitations were almost always politely declined.
“Safe travels then, and thank you again for everything!” Bai Yuyan called after him with a warm smile.
Once Officer Wang was out of sight, Bai Yuyan took Su Nian’an’s hand once more and asked gently, “Your name is Nian’an, isn’t it? Su Nian’an?”
Su Nian’an breathed a quiet sigh of relief—so she did know who she was. It seemed Su Aiguo, fearing blame from the Gu family, had indeed sent word ahead. He had informed them that the Su family’s intended bride had been changed: Su Nian’an would marry into the Gu family in her sister’s place.
Gu Qingyu, however, clearly knew nothing of this arrangement—or if he did, he had simply paid it no mind.
“That’s right,” Su Nian’an confirmed. “I’m Su Nian’an. And it was Su Aiguo’s decision… that I should come here in Su Nianxi’s place and marry into the Gu family.”
Su Aiguo, she thought, was truly a despicable man—scheming against his own daughter and trying to pull a fast one on the Gu family. Su Nian’an was not one to suffer in silence. Barely had she set foot in this home than she began planting seeds of doubt, letting the Gu family understand exactly how they had been manipulated.
At her words, Gu Qingyu—who had stood leaning against the doorframe, arms folded, looking utterly indifferent—finally lifted his head and looked at her properly.