“Necklace?”
Su Baoli thought for a moment before pulling a thin chain from her neck, hanging a pale green pendant.
She casually removed it and tossed it over like it was trash. Seeing Su Wanyin carefully hold it in her hands, she felt a surge of contempt.
How ignorant.
In her previous life, even when she was at her most desperate, she couldn’t sell this thing. Everyone said it was worthless.
In the end, she only used it to exchange for a few sweet potatoes from a rural girl just to fill her stomach.
“Alright then, it’s settled. I’ll return everything the Fu family sent you later. Tomorrow, you go meet the Fu family.”
Su Baoli glanced at her disdainfully. Only after seeing her nod did she leave to retrieve the items.
Su Wanyin carefully examined the pendant in her hands. For a moment, she thought she might be imagining it—the pendant seemed darker in color than when it had been on Su Baoli’s neck.
She drew a ladle of water from the vat and carefully washed it. Only then did she put it on.
Feeling the cold pendant against her skin, it was as if she could sense a trace of her mother’s presence.
Although the necklace looked ordinary, it was the only thing her mother had left her.
……
That evening during dinner, Su Baoli returned from outside in high spirits.
She glanced at the food on the table, rolled her eyes in disdain, and tossed a paper-wrapped package onto the table.
“Dad, Mom, Jiawen asked me to bring this back for you to try.”
She opened the paper wrapper. Inside were a few pieces of roughly made pastries, but she proudly turned to Su Wanyin with a provocative smile.
“Sister, you probably haven’t tasted anything this good before. Hurry up and try it.”
Otherwise, you’ll never get to eat anything this good in your life.
Su Wanyin almost broke her composure at the smug expression. Her lips twitched upward as she struggled to hold back laughter.
Seeing her reaction, Su Baoli became even more pleased and added sarcastically, “Oh right, I forgot. When you marry into the Fu family later, you’ll definitely have plenty to eat.”
The table fell silent.
Su’s mother frowned, glancing at it. She was irritated by her daughter’s short-sightedness and still didn’t understand why she insisted on returning such a good engagement.
And her father had surprisingly agreed earlier during lunch.
“Am I starving you or something? You’re being bribed away by this little thing?”
Su’s mother looked at the expensive pastries and felt it was unfair, still thinking her daughter was losing out.
Su Baoli argued confidently, “Mom, Jiawen will treat me well now, and once he has money, he’ll treat me even better. He’s not tricking me!”
“Look at his family situation—poor, with only his mother left. Apart from his face, what else does he have?”
Su’s mother was furious at her daughter’s foolishness.
At that moment, Su’s father interrupted with a dark, wrinkled face, “Enough. Since Baoli is willing, just let her be.”
“Thank you, Dad! You’re the best!”
Su Baoli happily pushed the pastries toward him, but Su’s father didn’t move. Instead, he looked across at his obedient elder daughter and coldly ordered:
“Your sister is giving you such a good marriage. You must be grateful and take good care of her in the future.”
Su Wanyin lifted her head from her chipped bowl and met her father’s indifferent gaze. Hearing his twisted logic, she almost laughed in anger.
But her heart turned completely cold.
In her previous life, she thought her father treated her this way because of Su Baoli’s lies.
Now it seemed clear—he had never had another daughter in his heart but Su Baoli alone.
Seeing her cold, clear eyes fixed on him, Su Da was uncomfortable and frowned angrily.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Aren’t you happy to get such a good marriage?”
Su Wanyin withdrew her gaze coldly and was about to speak when Su Baoli interrupted, pretending to be considerate:
“I don’t need sister’s gratitude. I just hope she lives well.”
“But if she doesn’t live well later, she can’t blame me.”
Su Wanyin met her undisguised malice and sneered inwardly.
How foolish.
Did she really think marrying into that family meant instant success?
In her previous life, without Su Wanyin carefully managing relationships and working hard to support him, Cheng Jiawen—just a useless mama’s boy—would have ended up begging on the streets.
Not to mention his harsh, calculating mother and difficult extended family, which alone would be enough to torment Su Baoli.
That was also why Su Wanyin had died young from overwork in her previous life.
……
After dinner, Su Baoli went to Su Wanyin’s room.
She glanced at the cramped, dilapidated room that was less than half the size of her own and disdainfully tossed a bundle onto a few broken wooden planks serving as a bed.
“Here. This is all I could find.”
Su Wanyin walked over from the window and opened the bundle. Inside were mostly clothes and books sent from the city.
The food was gone, of course—anything sent by the Fu family was usually meat or other valuable goods.
The clothes Su Baoli had worn were disgusting to her, but they could be sold for money. The books, however, were all new and untouched—clearly never even opened.
Coincidentally, the college entrance exams would be reinstated in a couple of years. She could use them to prepare early.
With Cheng Jiawen gone dragging her down in this life, she would definitely get into a better university.
Seeing her calmly sorting through everything, Su Baoli rolled her eyes and sneered.
“Look at you, acting like you’ve never seen the world. Jiawen took me to the city today and bought me new clothes and shoes. I wouldn’t want your junk anyway.”
She deliberately lifted her new leather shoes and spun around in her floral dress.
Like a clown.
Su Wanyin suppressed her mockery, forcing down a laugh.
Su Baoli stared at her fair, beautiful face, seeing no envy or jealousy at all. Her fists clenched as frustration and anger surged inside her.
In her previous life, if she hadn’t taken Su Wanyin’s suffering for her, how could she have ever enjoyed such wealth?
Suddenly, she thought of something, and her anger faded into a knowing smile.
Right now, Su Wanyin had no idea she was about to suffer—she probably still thought she was marrying into a wealthy official family.
Thinking this, Su Baoli put on a kind expression and told her the meeting place for tomorrow with Fu Shimò.
Imagining Su Wanyin meeting a tall, rough, “black bull-like” man, she couldn’t help but lean in and “kindly” advise:
“Fu Shimò is the son of a commander. Even if you don’t like him tomorrow, don’t show it. Otherwise, your life afterward might be difficult.”
After saying this, she felt almost virtuous.
At least with this reminder, Su Wanyin might not get beaten too badly by that man in the future.