Having made up her mind, Shen Jiaojiao followed Shen Qingqing and casually said, “Sis, I was thinking, maybe we should have Mom and Dad send some more things as soon as possible. Otherwise, look at me—I’m going to marry into my husband’s family without bringing anything. I’m afraid they’ll be unhappy with me.”
As she spoke, she deliberately emphasized, “If Mom and Dad find out about this, they definitely won’t just ignore it. They might even send me more than they gave me for my dowry before…”
Before Shen Jiaojiao could finish, Shen Qingqing yawned and quietly quickened her pace.
“Ah, Jiaojiao, we’ve been running around all morning. I’m exhausted. Let’s hurry back and get some rest. Once we get off the train, we’ll still have to continue traveling.”
With that, she quickly walked away, leaving Shen Jiaojiao struggling to keep up. She could only watch Shen Qingqing’s figure get farther and farther away.
Shen Jiaojiao stomped her foot angrily and cursed inwardly.
Damn Shen Qingqing! She actually pretended not to hear me. How hateful!
But Shen Qingqing wasn’t stupid.
What was Shen Jiaojiao scheming? Maybe other people couldn’t tell, but how could she not know?
She was bringing up having their parents send more dowry now, so the next thing she would definitely do was set her sights on Shen Qingqing’s dowry.
Did Shen Jiaojiao really think she was an idiot?
Why would she foolishly stay there and let Shen Jiaojiao plot against her belongings?
Shen Qingqing walked quickly and soon left Shen Jiaojiao behind. Once she reached their sleeper compartment, she hurriedly put the luggage she had brought into her space while Shen Jiaojiao was still catching up.
Shen Jiaojiao came over angrily. Before she could even enter the compartment, she suddenly heard Shen Qingqing crying inside.
“My dowry! My dowry is gone!”
“Waaah…”
Shen Jiaojiao immediately perked up and hurried inside.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
She looked at Shen Qingqing with concern, but there was an unmistakable excitement hidden in her voice.
Did I hear that correctly? Shen Qingqing’s dowry is gone too?
Shen Qingqing slowly turned around and sobbed miserably.
“What am I going to do, Jiaojiao? My dowry is gone too! Waaah… I shouldn’t have left my luggage here just now. I should have carried it with me. What am I going to do now? Waaah…”
Shen Jiaojiao happily savored the look on Shen Qingqing’s face.
She had originally been thinking about how to get Shen Qingqing’s dowry for herself, but now that Shen Qingqing’s things had disappeared too, she didn’t need to bother anymore.
Shen Jiaojiao plopped down on the bunk and mocked her gleefully.
“Oh, look at what happened! Sis, you really let your guard down. I just lost my dowry, and then yours disappeared right after. Why didn’t you learn to be more careful?”
This was great!
Neither of them had a dowry now. Even if people on the island pointed fingers at them, they would be criticizing both sisters together.
That was much better than being the only one getting mocked.
Shen Jiaojiao was extremely pleased with herself.
It was just a pity about her face.
She touched her still-slightly-painful cheek. The medicine had made the wound feel much better, but she still didn’t know whether it would leave a scar.
What if it did?
How was she supposed to live the rest of her life?
How would she ever face people again?
If she had known Shen Qingqing’s things would disappear too, why had she gone to all that trouble?
In the end, Shen Qingqing hadn’t been hurt at all, while her own face had been injured.
Shen Jiaojiao felt like crying.
Inside, she silently prayed: Please, please don’t let it scar.
Once they got off the train, she would immediately find a doctor and have it examined properly.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing continued sobbing and wiping away her tears.
“Waaah… It’s all my fault. I was too careless. How could I have lost my dowry? If I’d kept my luggage with me, this definitely wouldn’t have happened. Waaah… It’s all my fault!”
Seeing how heartbroken Shen Qingqing looked, all of Shen Jiaojiao’s earlier frustration disappeared.
As long as you’re miserable, I’m happy!
Shen Jiaojiao consoled her in an exaggeratedly sympathetic tone.
“Sis, don’t be too upset. You didn’t do it on purpose. Just write to Mom and Dad and tell them what happened. Maybe they’ll send you another dowry.”
As she spoke, she could barely hide the smile on her face.
Although those were her words, both sisters knew very well that Shen Luanfeng and Bai Nianyun would never give Shen Qingqing another dowry.
Not only would they refuse to make up for the loss, but they would probably scold her for being careless.
Shen Jiaojiao was different.
Her mother would definitely send her more things.
After all, Shen Qingqing’s mother had died young. A mother would naturally worry about her own daughter. Who would bother taking care of someone else’s daughter?
Shen Jiaojiao thought smugly that once her face healed and her parents sent her another dowry, she wanted to see how Shen Qingqing could possibly compare with her.
A woman with no dowry, whose husband would soon die and leave her a widow…
Perhaps Shen Qingqing would end up living an even more miserable life than she herself had in her previous life!
The train continued traveling for another day.
By dawn on the third day, Shen Qingqing and Shen Jiaojiao finally arrived at their destination—Haicheng.
The moment Shen Qingqing stepped off the train, she could smell the salty, damp sea breeze in the air.
But this still wasn’t their final destination.
They had to take a bus from here to the pier, then take a boat from the pier to the island.
Shen Qingqing had originally planned to find someone and ask for directions.
Unexpectedly, Shen Jiaojiao didn’t even bother pretending anymore. She directly led Shen Qingqing to the station and bought tickets for the bus to the pier.
Shen Qingqing stared at Shen Jiaojiao in disbelief as she watched her effortlessly find the station.
This Shen Jiaojiao really doesn’t have a brain.
It was her first time here. How could she possibly find the way so smoothly?
Even if she had been reborn, she shouldn’t be making it this obvious!
Then again, if Shen Jiaojiao hadn’t acted so blatantly, Shen Qingqing wouldn’t have discovered so early that she had been reborn.
So Shen Qingqing wisely remained silent and didn’t expose her.
Fortunately, before the two of them left, they had both sewn some money into their clothes.
Otherwise, with both of their pieces of luggage gone, they wouldn’t even know how they were supposed to get to the island.
The bus rattled along for about an hour before finally reaching Haicheng’s pier.
Looking out, there was nothing but an endless expanse of seawater. Ships of all sizes were docked at the pier, while people came and went everywhere.
This place was practically at the easternmost edge of the country.
A small boat was docked at the pier, a flag fluttering high above it. The navy-blue color of its hull stood out particularly clearly.
The two women walked toward it.
As they got closer, they saw that two soldiers dressed in navy-blue uniforms were standing at the boarding entrance.
And they weren’t the only ones heading aboard. Other military wives and children were also carrying large and small bags onto the boat.
Among all these people, Shen Qingqing and Shen Jiaojiao stood out particularly conspicuously.
After all, the two of them were the only ones without a single piece of luggage, their hands completely empty.
One of the soldiers stopped them.
“Comrades, are you also going to the island to join your husbands? If so, please show me your letter of introduction.”
Shen Jiaojiao had just been about to board when she stopped in her tracks.
“Letter of introduction? What letter of introduction?”
Having been reborn, Shen Jiaojiao had long forgotten that this era wasn’t nearly as convenient as later generations.
In those days, traveling, staying at hotels, and even taking transportation often required an official letter of introduction issued by one’s work unit or other government organization.
The short-distance bus that had brought them here hadn’t required one because it hadn’t left the city.