The treasure she had always held in her hands was about to be married off just like that Mother Su felt a pang in her heart.
She had never expected her daughter to marry so soon.
But she knew what mattered most. No matter how much she doted on her daughter, this wasn’t something that could be delayed.
“Wait, Mom, what exactly did I miss?”
“How did the battalion commander suddenly decide to marry my little sister?”
“Could it be that Lu Xiao had his eye on her all along? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bragged about my sister in front of them.”
Su Huai’an muttered to himself.
It was simply unbelievable.
They had only met yesterday how had they already decided to get married today?
Mother Su shot her son a look and didn’t continue the topic.
She needed to go check on her daughter.
Pushing open the door and seeing her daughter sleeping soundly, she couldn’t help but feel distressed. She must be exhausted. Later, she would make something nourishing for her.
“Grandma, I’m hungry! What are we eating?” Dabao and Erbao ran over and hugged Mother Su’s legs.
“Shh!”
“Lower your voices. Your aunt is sleeping!” Mother Su quickly led her two grandsons out toward the kitchen.
“Sister-in-law, did you see? This morning, our little sister-in-law came out of that room.” The second daughter-in-law shot the eldest daughter-in-law a meaningful look.
When Su Wanwan had cried out earlier, the rest of the Su family had naturally heard it. Peeking through the window and seeing their mother-in-law’s dark expression, the two daughters-in-law had wisely stayed inside.
Sure enough, they saw their young sister-in-law come out of Battalion Commander Lu’s room.
“Don’t spread nonsense about this. If Mother hears, she won’t spare us,” the eldest daughter-in-law said, fully aware of the seriousness.
The second daughter-in-law pouted. Their mother-in-law had spoiled her sister-in-law rotten how could she dare do something like this?
If handled badly, the Su family’s reputation would be ruined.
“What are you two whispering about?” Mother Su’s eyes widened as she saw them murmuring.
“Nothing, Mother. We’re just chatting.”
Mother Su narrowed her eyes at them. “I’m telling you don’t go running your mouths everywhere.”
“Know what should be said and what shouldn’t.”
She guessed they had seen her youngest daughter coming out of Lu Xiao’s room.
“Mother, do you think these flatbreads are enough?” the eldest daughter-in-law quickly changed the subject.
The little sister-in-law was their mother-in-law’s precious gem. As daughters-in-law, they didn’t dare criticize her casually.
Mother Su glanced at them. Though both daughters-in-law had their own small thoughts, they weren’t foolish. A warning was enough.
“Steam some egg custard. Wanwan and the third son both need nourishment. The three children can have some too.”
“Alright, we’ll do it now.”
Though Mother Su favored Su Wanwan, she didn’t neglect the children in the family.
That was why, even if the daughters-in-law were somewhat displeased about her favoritism, they never made a big fuss.
Their mother-in-law wasn’t muddle-headed. She treated the children well boys and girls alike.
So there weren’t many conflicts between the two daughters-in-law either.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Su Wanwan felt as if she had entered a fog.
She struggled awake.
She realized she was no longer on the kang. Instead, she stood in a courtyard. In front of it stretched vast fields; behind it rose rolling green mountains, with a winding river encircling them.
In any era, having a place like this to oneself brought immense security.
It was like a pure land.
Su Wanwan’s eyes lit up.
Could this be her golden finger finally arriving?
Otherwise, how could she have suddenly come here while resting on the kang?
But she wasn’t wearing any jewelry or anything so where did it come from?
She thought, I want to go out.
Sure enough, she was lying on the kang again, the familiar newspaper coming into view.
I want to go in.
The figure on the kang disappeared once more.
She had a space!
“Ahhh!”
Su Wanwan shouted in exhilaration inside the space.
She was overjoyed.
In this era of scarcity, having such a place was incredible.
No more worrying about food.
Especially when she saw the well in the courtyard her eyes sparkled. She hurried over and drank a few mouthfuls. Sure enough, she felt much better. It was spiritual spring water.
Though not overwhelmingly miraculous, after drinking it, her body felt comfortable.
She walked into the house. Though small, it was fully equipped bedroom, kitchen, living room, study, storage room, and bathroom.
Before she could continue exploring its mysteries, noisy voices rose from the courtyard.
“Second son, I heard… you’ve got guests at home?” It was Old Master Su and Old Madam Su who had arrived.
Hearing her in-laws’ voices, Mother Su frowned.
What were the two elders here for again?
She didn’t bother responding and continued working in the kitchen.
“When we eat later, just give them some thin porridge. They’re old bad appetites, can’t handle dry food.”
“Add some pickled vegetables and sweet potatoes. Save the flatbreads for when you go work in the fields.”
After Mother Su spoke, how could the daughters-in-law not understand?
“Yes, Mother, we understand.”
It wasn’t that they were unfilial. The two elders were simply too troublesome whenever they saw something good in this household, they would take it to the eldest uncle’s or youngest uncle’s family.
Grain, especially, was too precious to let them get their hands on.
Meanwhile, Father Su had already gone out to greet them.
Truthfully, he didn’t look forward to his parents visiting either. Every time, it ended unpleasantly.
“Father, Mother, what brings you here?”
“Come inside.”
At that moment, Mother Su came out of the kitchen. “Oh, Father, Mother, you’re here. Have you eaten? If not, stay and eat a little.”
Old Madam Su was irritated by her second daughter-in-law’s fake politeness. Always pretending. If there was good food, she never thought to send any to the two elders.
She refused to believe that when the third son returned injured, they hadn’t cooked meat.
Yet they hadn’t even tasted a shred.
“Sure. We haven’t eaten yet anyway.”
Old Madam Su wasn’t polite at all. The old man glanced at her but said nothing and sat down at the table as well.
These days, few people could eat their fill. Most managed only half-full. The old couple usually restrained themselves, afraid that if they ate too much, their eldest son’s household would have less grain.
Mother Su curled her lips and pinched Father Su at the waist.
“Hiss!”
He sucked in a breath.
When the old couple saw the cornmeal porridge, sweet potatoes, and shredded pickles served up, their faces darkened in anger.
They knew full well the second son’s family’s conditions weren’t bad.
But this time they had come to ask for something, so they swallowed their displeasure.
Seeing that they didn’t explode, Mother Su was puzzled. What scheme were they holding back?
“How is Huai’an?”
“Oh? Why don’t I see that girl Wanwan?” the old lady asked, noticing neither Su Wanwan nor Su Huai’an was present.