They saw the girl elegantly pick up the crab claw, snap off the legs one by one, lightly tap the shell, and skillfully extract the tender white crab meat, placing it neatly onto a delicate small plate beside her.
Then she smoothly switched to the crab scissors, cutting along the edge of the shell. Using a small spoon, she scooped out the rich orange crab roe and slowly savored it in her mouth.
After swallowing, Su Wanyin lifted her eyes to meet the stunned and astonished gazes around the table. A faint smile curved her lips.
“Thank you, Uncle and Auntie. The crab is delicious.”
“As long as you like it. Eat more, don’t be shy.”
Watching her dismantle the crab several times more skillfully than he could, Fu Aiguo let out an awkward laugh and put down the crab he had just picked up. Better not embarrass himself further.
Qin E withdrew her surprised gaze and noticed her husband’s expression. She spoke in astonishment,
“Wanyin, you know how to eat crab? Why didn’t you say so? Your uncle and I ended up making fools of ourselves.”
Su Wanyin naturally noticed Fu Aiguo’s expression. She lowered her eyes委屈edly, bit her lip, and said guiltily,
“Auntie, I’m sorry. I did say so earlier, but Ya’er妹妹 didn’t seem to believe me, so I…”
She left the rest unsaid, but seeing the redness in the girl’s eyes and her pitiful little face, Fu Aiguo immediately recalled his younger daughter’s mocking tone earlier. His heart instantly softened with pity.
“It’s alright. Don’t blame yourself. We just didn’t ask clearly enough. Eat more.”
Fu Aiguo warmly placed several more crabs into her bowl, while Su Wanyin gratefully tried to decline.
Qin E watched the scene with a darkened expression, her perfect composure nearly cracking.
She had originally wanted Su Wanyin to embarrass herself so her husband could clearly see the sharp contrast between her and Zhishu, and stop stubbornly insisting that his son fulfill the engagement with this wild country girl.
Who would have thought the girl would be so difficult to deal with?
She must have done a lot of preparation before coming here!
With a clatter, Qin E turned and saw the crab scissors fall from Song Zhishu’s hand onto the table. Noticing her tightly furrowed brows, Qin E immediately patted her shoulder gently and comforted her softly,
“Don’t worry. Your Uncle Fu will soon realize who truly deserves to be his daughter-in-law.”
Song Zhishu withdrew her gaze from the sweetly obedient-looking girl across the table and nodded lightly.
She wasn’t worried at all. She simply hadn’t expected this country girl to carry herself so well.
She had thought this meal alone would make the girl feel ashamed and too embarrassed to continue entertaining unrealistic hopes. Unexpectedly, she had instead left Uncle Fu with a good impression.
Fu Ya also hadn’t expected Su Wanyin to genuinely know how to eat crab. Not only were her movements more elegant than Sister Song’s, but her speed far surpassed theirs despite them having eaten crab since childhood.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked,
“Does your village even have crabs to eat?”
The moment those words came out, Fu Aiguo’s expression subtly changed. His sharp eyes narrowed as he quietly observed Su Wanyin.
Before her arrival, he hadn’t believed a single word of the phone call his son had made.
But today, every move this girl made was nothing like that of a rustic village girl. Besides, in such a poor countryside place, where would seafood even come from?
Su Wanyin calmly met the suspicious gazes around the table. She let out a bitter little laugh, pressed her lips together, and said,
“My family was poor, and I’ve been in poor health since childhood, so I couldn’t do heavy labor. Occasionally, I helped out at a large restaurant in the county to lessen the burden on my family.”
“After watching customers eat crab often enough, I naturally learned.”
Her calm and composed demeanor looked nothing like someone lying. Her pale little face carried a bitter smile, yet her eyes remained clear and resolute, like a fragile white flower standing strong against the wind atop a cliff.
Even in difficult circumstances, she had never become self-conscious or given up. Instead, she constantly tried to improve her family’s life however she could.
Fu Aiguo’s heart instantly softened even more. Feeling both heartache and pity, he raised a hand and patted her shoulder.
“Child, you’ve suffered so much. Why didn’t you tell Uncle Fu earlier?”
It wasn’t as though the Fu family had never proposed it before. But Su Wanyin’s parents had always wanted to marry Su Baoli into the Fu family instead, so naturally they would never agree.
“Uncle Fu, I didn’t suffer. Helping my father more at home was good too.”
A fragile yet strong smile appeared on Su Wanyin’s lips.
At that moment, Fu Aiguo became extremely satisfied with the daughter-in-law the old master had chosen for his son.
However…
He still needed to observe her a little longer.
After lunch, Fu Aiguo headed to the military district.
Qin E suggested taking Su Wanyin out shopping for a few new clothes.
This was also something Fu Aiguo had instructed before leaving. Thinking of the patched clothes in her luggage, Su Wanyin did not refuse.
Besides, she also wanted to familiarize herself with the area and find an opportunity to sell the medicinal herbs that had already matured in her space.
Outside, a black sedan was waiting at the front gate.
Fu Ya and Song Zhishu each linked an arm with Qin E as they climbed into the back seat.
Unbothered, Su Wanyin opened the passenger door and sat in the front seat.
The driver was a young man. The moment he saw Su Wanyin’s pure and youthful face, he instantly blushed. Nervously gripping the steering wheel tighter, he stared straight ahead and no longer dared to glance at her.
Over the past few days, Su Wanyin had no longer been starving or eating leftovers like she had at the Su household. Her face had filled out slightly, and her complexion had improved considerably.
On top of that, she had been applying the Snowflake cream she bought from the black market every day, making her skin much better.
Throughout the drive, the car was filled with the relaxed laughter and conversation of the three women in the back seat. Hardly anyone spoke to Su Wanyin at all.
At one intersection, the young driver couldn’t help sneaking a glance at the passenger seat. He saw that she was calmly admiring the scenery outside the window, showing not the slightest trace of loneliness or awkwardness from being ignored.
He immediately found himself admiring the seemingly young girl.
Or perhaps she had simply grown used to it and no longer cared.
Su Wanyin paid no attention to the complicated emotions and sympathetic gaze from the person beside her. Her mind was focused solely on memorizing the route.
In her previous life, she hadn’t come to Beijing often. She had first built her fortune in Yunbei.
The climate there was diverse and rich in medicinal herb resources.
At that time, because the Cheng family had no money, she had personally climbed mountains to gather herbs and treat that bastard Cheng Jiawen’s illness. By chance, she discovered a huge patch of medicinal plants.
Afterward, she forcefully made Cheng Jiawen quit his dangerous illegal mining job. With his weak body, the money he earned wasn’t even enough to cover the cost of maintaining his health.
Later, she gradually expanded the herb business step by step.
Thinking of that rich field of medicinal herbs, she silently resolved to find an opportunity to go there.
Before long, the car stopped in front of the Friendship Store.
Without waiting for the driver to open the door for her, Su Wanyin got out herself.
The three women inside glanced at her and sneered disdainfully before gracefully stepping out only after the driver opened the door for them.
Then Fu Ya and Song Zhishu linked arms with Qin E and walked into the Friendship Store together.
Dressed in her faded white dress, Su Wanyin walked alone behind them, isolated and looking almost like a servant girl.
The salesclerks at the Friendship Store naturally assumed she was a maid. They warmly attended only to Qin E and the others, not even sparing Su Wanyin a glance.
“Madam, Misses, please take a look! These are all our newest arrivals!”
Fu Ya, still young, was instantly captivated by the colorful clothing and immediately entered full shopping mode.
As she browsed, she continuously asked Song Zhishu for styling advice. After all, the Song family was in the jewelry business, making them especially refined in fashion and presentation.
Both she and her mother often asked Song Zhishu to help them choose outfits.