The wind in the alley carried a chill, sweeping away the last traces of gunpowder scent from Lu Zhanting’s body, but it could not smooth the creases in Su Wanqing’s heart.
She stood still, listening to the steady footsteps receding step by step until they completely vanished into the night.
Only then did she unclench her fists and start walking stiffly toward home.
The night was deep and heavy.
In the Su family’s small courtyard, a dim kerosene lamp burned weakly.
Her mother, Liu Lan, sat sewing under the light with meticulous stitches.
Her father, Su Weimin, squatted on the doorstep, puffing loudly on a dry tobacco pipe, the thick smoke shrouding his face.
Her sixteen-year-old younger brother, Su Weian, lay on a small table doing homework, but a few barks outside distracted him.
Creak—
The courtyard gate opened.
The family of three looked up simultaneously.
“Sis, you’re back,” Su Weian spoke first.
Liu Lan dropped her needle and thread and hurried over, grabbing her daughter’s hand.
It felt icy cold.
She looked closely at her daughter’s calm, expressionless face, and her heart that had been held tight suddenly fell, her voice trembling, “Wanqing, you… you and that Zhao Jianhe…”
“Mom, I broke off the engagement.”
Su Wanqing’s tone was as indifferent as if talking about someone else’s business.
Smack!
Su Weimin slammed his pipe hard on a stone block by his feet, then suddenly stood up, his face dark as iron.
“Good riddance! That ungrateful white-eyed wolf—once he climbed higher, he’s no longer human! I said from the start he was no good, but your mother insisted he was educated!”
Su Weimin was known in the village as a man of few words, and had never been this angry in his life.
He wasn’t angry that his daughter broke the engagement; he was angry that three years of grain and genuine kindness were fed to an ungrateful dog.
Liu Lan’s eyes instantly reddened. Ignoring her husband’s complaints, she held tightly onto Su Wanqing, tears rolling in her eyes.
“That may be true, but once you tore up the marriage contract, won’t the village gossips chew you up? A girl broken off from an engagement — what will happen to your reputation? What will you do in the future?”
This was the sharpest knife in those times.
When dirty water is splashed, no one cares whether you are innocent.
“Mom, reputation is what others say; life is what you live,” Su Wanqing grasped her mother’s cold hand, a faint warmth flowing through her fingertips, “It’s not worth ruining myself for an outsider.”
“Sis is right! Who cares about that kind of person!” Su Weian dropped his pen and angrily stood beside his sister.
Seeing her family’s faces, some angry, some worried, Su Wanqing felt a sharp ache in her chest.
She wasn’t afraid of being wronged herself, but feared her family would not be able to hold their heads high in the village because of her.
Lu Zhanting’s words echoed again in her mind:
“Marry me, and these problems won’t be problems anymore.”
That night, Su Wanqing lay in bed, sleepless.
She closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into a strange space.
It was the greatest secret she had after rebirth.
The space was not large—one mu in area—rich black soil gleaming with fertility. In one corner, a spring bubbled clear water, which could nurture all living things and heal the body.
The vegetable seeds she had casually planted before had now grown into a lush, vibrant green patch.
This was her confidence.
Her plan was that after breaking off the engagement, she would rely on the produce from this space to quietly improve her family’s food, nurture her parents’ health, and support her brother’s schooling.
But Lu Zhanting’s appearance was like a stone thrown into the spring, disturbing the peaceful water.
She sat cross-legged by the spring, cupping a handful of water, letting the cool drops slip through her fingers.
Two paths lay clearly before her.
The first: reject Lu Zhanting and stick to the original plan. The benefit was freedom, but the downside was an invisible shackle. The village’s spittle could drown a person. Her parents would live daily under the scrutiny of others. Someone like Zhao Jianhe, if his dream of returning to the city was shattered, might come back to bite and retaliate. And using the space would be like being a thief—always alert. If exposed, it would be a disaster beyond repair.
The second: marry Lu Zhanting.
Military marriages were protected by the state. The status of “military spouse” was the strongest talisman.
As soon as she became Lu Zhanting’s wife, all rumors would instantly stop. People like Zhao Jianhe wouldn’t dare come near her family.
The downside was she would be bound to a complete stranger and enter a strictly disciplined environment. Would her secret space be more likely to be exposed in that military compound known for eagle-eyed scrutiny?
Su Wanqing’s fingertips moved unconsciously on the moist black soil.
Lu Zhanting’s sharply defined face, those piercing eyes that seemed to see through a person’s heart, lingered in her mind.
He was dangerous, strong, like a dormant beast.
But what he proposed was a fair deal.
He needed a wife; she needed protection.
He exchanged power and status for her resilience and ability to manage a household.
Cold, but real.
A thought struck Su Wanqing like lightning.
She had worried that marrying Lu Zhanting would limit her use of the space, but on the contrary, having such a powerful umbrella might help her protect the secret better.
In the home of a commander whom no one dared to offend, doing some “out of line” things might be far safer than under the eyes of the entire village in Hongqi Commune.
This was not a choice.
It was the only way out.
At this moment, the scale completely tipped.
The next day, the news that the Su family’s daughter had been rejected by the educated youth spread throughout the entire Hongqi Commune.
Su Wanqing went to the well to fetch water, feeling as if her back was being pricked by countless needles along the way.
The usually warm and friendly aunts and middle-aged women now gathered in small groups at a distance, whispering behind her back, their eyes mixed with pity, contempt, and the excitement of watching a scandal unfold.
“Have you heard? That Su girl was dumped by Zhao, the educated youth.”
“Exactly. He climbed up to the county logistics chief’s daughter—Li Juan. Her future is limitless now!”
“Tsk tsk, her reputation is ruined. Who’d want her now?”
Su Wanqing’s face remained expressionless, her back straight as she walked steadily step by step.
She knew that any explanation was useless; it would only give them more juicy gossip to spread.
On her way home, she ran into Zhao Jianhe and Li Juan.
The two walked side by side; Li Juan wore the proud composure of a victor, while Zhao Jianhe looked smug, his eyes full of boastful revenge that almost overflowed.
He wanted Su Wanqing to see what happens when you reject him.
Su Wanqing’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment, cold as if looking at a stranger, then shifted away and walked straight past them.
Not a single unnecessary expression.
She could endure it, but her parents could not.
That night at home, her mother Liu Lan’s eyes were red and swollen; her father Su Weimin had stayed indoors all day, smoking alone in the courtyard, leaving a pile of ashes at his feet.
Her younger brother Su Weian had gotten into a fight at school and returned home silently.
The whole house was so quiet it was unsettling.
Su Wanqing knew she could not wait any longer.
The third day was the final deadline given by Lu Zhanting.
After breakfast, Su Wanqing gathered her parents and brother in the main room.
“Dad, Mom, Weian, I’ve made a decision.”
Her voice was calm but carried an unchallengeable determination.
Su Weimin and Liu Lan looked up, confusion in their eyes.
Su Wanqing spoke clearly, word by word, “I’ve decided to marry Lu Zhanting.”
Thud! Su Weian dropped his book to the floor.
Su Weimin stood up sharply, eyes wide with disbelief.
Liu Lan turned pale, grabbed her daughter’s hand tightly, her voice trembling, “Wanqing, what did you say? Which Lu Zhanting?”
“The commander of the Fierce Tiger Battalion, Commander Lu.”
“That living hellraiser?!” Liu Lan screamed in shock, trembling all over, “How… how could he… Daughter, tell me, did he force you? Don’t be afraid, Mom will fight with all her life so you won’t suffer this injustice!”
In the eyes of the villagers, Lu Zhanting was a fearsome figure, a mighty man they could only look up to and dare not face directly.
“It’s not like that, Mom.” Su Wanqing patted her mother’s hand and met her family’s frightened gazes. She revealed everything that had happened in the alley that day, only hiding her rebirth and the secret space.
She emphasized, “He said he needed a wife with a strong heart and admired how decisively I broke off the engagement. He said that if I married him, no one would dare to gossip about us or bully our family again.”
She paused, looking at her worried mother, her brother who looked wronged, and her father who tried to be strong but couldn’t hide his worry.
“Dad, Mom, you’ve seen what the village has been like these past two days. Spittle can drown a person. I’m not afraid alone, but I can’t let you and Weian be stabbed in the back with me.”
“Marrying Lu Zhanting is the only way I can think of to solve all these troubles.”
Her words plunged the Su family into a deathly silence.
Only Liu Lan’s suppressed gasps could be heard.
After a long pause, Su Weimin spoke hoarsely, “Daughter, have you really thought this through? That’s Lu Zhanting—we’re talking about a soldier now. What if… he has a bad temper, and you suffer? We won’t even be able to protect you.”
This honest farmer’s worry was never whether his daughter could marry up but whether she would suffer.
“Dad, I have thought it through,” Su Wanqing said, her eyes clear and resolute. “This is a deal. He offers protection for me and the family; I manage the household. That’s much clearer than living with someone like Zhao Jianhe, who was fake and insincere. His fierceness is aimed at enemies. He said he would protect me for life.”
“Sis…” Su Weian looked at his sister. This usually gentle sister seemed like a different person now—calm, decisive, filled with a strength he had never seen before. “As long as you don’t get bullied, marrying a hero is better than that ungrateful wolf.”
The boy’s words were simple but surprisingly convincing.
Liu Lan’s crying stopped.
She looked at her daughter’s unusually firm face and knew there was no changing this decision.
Choking back tears, she nodded, “Since you’ve made up your mind… then… go. When you’re in the army, live well…”
Su Weimin sighed deeply; his stooped back seemed to bend further. He walked to the corner, picked up his pipe, loaded tobacco, but took a long time before lighting it.
Finally, he put the pipe down, looked at his daughter, and his voice was as heavy as iron.
“Go. Your father only hopes you live well.”
With her family’s reluctant approval—even soaked with worry—Su Wanqing felt a sense of reassurance in her heart.
Without hesitation, she turned and went back to her room.
She changed into the cleanest blue cloth shirt and carefully combed her long hair.
When she stepped out again, all hesitation in her eyes had faded, replaced by resoluteness.
She was going to the county armed forces department—to attend a meeting that would change her fate.