When Xu Qingning woke up, it was already evening.
The living room was filled with red washbasins, red thermos flasks, and other items that Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative—clearly intended for Tang Wenya’s wedding.
In the original story, the Male Lead and Female Lead had gotten married before taking the college entrance exams, deeply in love, and even had a son during the winter break.
Meanwhile, Xu Qingning was still toiling away in the countryside, doing farm work and being ridiculed by others.
Jiang Yumei was cooking in the hallway, with Xu Jianguo assisting by her side. Both wore joyful expressions, chatting happily as they worked, a picture of harmony and affection.
Jiang Yumei felt both guilty and excited: “I was thinking we’d wait until Yaya graduated from college before discussing marriage. Who knew Xiao Tingshen would want to marry before starting university? It shows he’s truly sincere about our Yaya.”
Her guilt stemmed from hiding Tang Wenya’s pregnancy from Xu Jianguo, while her excitement came from her daughter’s impending marriage.
And she was marrying Xiao Tingshen, whom they both liked.
“Yes, Xiao Tingshen comes from a good family and treats Yaya very well. Since he wants to marry, we can’t refuse,” Xu Jianguo was also surprised by Tang Wenya and Xiao Tingshen’s decision to marry, but he had no reason to oppose tying their family to the Xiao household. “As long as Yaya is willing, we won’t make things difficult for Xiao Tingshen. As for the bride price, a token gesture will suffice.”
Thinking of Xu Qingning, another wave of anger surged within him.
If she had been as sensible as Yaya, studying diligently or even dating and marrying properly, he wouldn’t have sent her to the countryside. That wretched girl not only got pregnant before marriage but didn’t even know who the father was…
“I feel the same way,” Jiang Yumei nodded repeatedly. Though she appeared calm on the surface, she was more anxious than anyone inside. “We’re marrying off our daughter, not selling her. As long as the Xiao family shows their sincerity, that’s enough.”
Xiao Tingshen had said that aside from the three major items—a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a wristwatch—the bride price would follow the highest customs of Jiaodong City: sixty yuan in cash and a pig’s leg.
This brought Jiang Yumei great comfort.
After discussing Tang Wenya’s matters, Jiang Yumei wiped her hands on her apron and hesitantly brought up another topic: “What about Qingning… I heard from Wenya that Qingning came back this afternoon. It seems she didn’t go for the abortion.”
Xu Jianguo frowned. “Don’t worry about Qingning’s affairs. Let her handle them herself.”
He had already given Xu Qingning the money to settle the matter as soon as possible. Even if she dared not go, he would force her to have the abortion.
He had already informed the educated youth office, arranging for Xu Qingning to leave for the countryside in two months.
“I also bear some responsibility for what happened to Qingning,” Jiang Yumei said with a guilty expression. “I had no idea at all…”
“It’s not your fault. She’s twenty years old, an adult,” Xu Jianguo was angry, but he knew anger wouldn’t solve anything. “Tomorrow, I’ll ask Liang Yufeng to accompany her to the clinic. Even if rumors spread, she can just go to the countryside to avoid them. After some time, when she returns, it’ll all blow over.”
Liang Yufeng was Xu Qingning’s biological aunt, who also worked at the Third State Cotton Mill. She didn’t live in the tube-shaped apartment building but stayed with her Mother-in-law’s family in an old house in a nearby urban village.
Emotionally, Xu Qingning felt closer to her.
“That’s a good idea,” Jiang Yumei nodded, unable to resist mentioning the incident at noon, feeling somewhat wronged. “You saw it too. Qingning doesn’t trust me. It’s better for her aunt to accompany her.”
“Then it’s settled.” Seeing Jiang Yumei’s agreement, Xu Jianguo’s mood improved somewhat. He patted her shoulder gently and said in a warm tone, “I was also at fault for what happened at noon. I won’t be so impulsive in the future. When Liang Yufeng arrives, let Qingning speak with her. We won’t need to intervene.”
“Alright, let’s do it that way.” Jiang Yumei was quite satisfied with Xu Jianguo’s arrangement and repeatedly reminded him, “Speak to her calmly. She only acted this way because she was momentarily confused.”
Dinner consisted of stir-fried bean sprouts, pickled vegetables, corn porridge, and a plate of sweet potatoes—about seven or eight of them.
Xu Qingning picked up a bowl of corn porridge and sipped slowly. She had little appetite; even though she hadn’t eaten at noon, she didn’t feel hungry.
But for the sake of the child in her womb, she had to eat.
Tang Wenya kept glancing at Xu Qingning, this unknown character. Could she also have a System by her side?
The System proactively explained, “No, she does not. This System is the only one in this book, serving only the Female Lead.”
“Qingning, tomorrow your aunt will accompany you to the health center for the procedure. You can rest at home for a while before going to the countryside. There’s no rush,” Xu Jianguo said as he ate, trying to remain calm. “Once you’re in the countryside, focus on your work and don’t cause any more trouble.”
“At most six months, your father will find a way to bring you back,” Jiang Yumei added. “Tomorrow, I’ll buy a chicken to make you some nourishing soup. To outsiders, we’ll say I was the one who was ill…”
“Understood,” Xu Qingning replied dismissively, unwilling to continue discussing such trivial matters. After finishing her meal, she stood up and returned to her room, locking the door before starting to pack her belongings.
Whether Zhao Jingyu acknowledged her or not no longer mattered.
She now had fifty yuan in hand, enough to cover rent, furniture, and living expenses for two or three months without any issues.
Perhaps because she had taken a nap in the afternoon, Xu Qingning found herself lying in bed, unable to sleep after finishing her packing. She tossed and turned, thinking about her current predicament. Since the unbelievable event of transmigrating into a book had already happened, wallowing in self-pity was useless.
The right approach was to secure as many resources as possible for herself.
As the saying goes, “a poor home but a rich journey.” Since she planned to move out, she had to prepare to start from scratch.
With this thought, she quietly sat up and climbed out of bed. This time, she intended to move out for good and had no plans to return. The autumn and winter clothes in the wardrobe also needed to be packed. The lower bunk was empty—Tang Wenya hadn’t returned to the room and must have already fallen asleep in Jiang Yumei’s room.
Whenever Xu Jianguo was on duty, Tang Wenya would go to sleep with Jiang Yumei. The mother and daughter had endless things to talk about. Having a mother truly was a blessing.
Xu Qingning’s autumn and winter clothes were pitifully few: two sets of faded blue coarse cloth square-collar outfits for autumn, and for winter, just one indigo-blue cotton-padded jacket, a pair of checkered cotton trousers, and a pair of black cotton shoes—all bought for her by her biological mother, Liang Yuling, when she was still alive.
After that mother and daughter pair married into the family, Xu Jianguo’s favoritism shifted. Whenever Xu Qingning had anything nice, Xu Jianguo would insist that Tang Wenya had suffered since childhood and force Xu Qingning to give it to her…
Xu Qingning’s thoughts raced. She quietly opened Tang Wenya’s wardrobe. Was it too much for her to take back what Tang Wenya had taken from the original owner on behalf of the original owner?
In less than half an hour, she had packed all her belongings.
Against the wall stood a Butterfly brand sewing machine—a keepsake left by her mother, Liang Yuling. Once she settled down, she would find a way to take it with her.
That night, her dreams were chaotic.
One moment she dreamed of giving an acceptance speech at an international fashion new product launch, where she was a glamorous fashion icon, the center of attention. The next moment, she dreamed of being pinned down on an operating table, struggling desperately, yet ignored by everyone.
She woke up drenched in sweat.
The sky was already bright.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Jiang Yumei got up to make breakfast—corn porridge, steamed cornbread, and pickled radish.
Xu Jianguo had been on duty last night and returned relatively early. He exchanged a few casual words with Jiang Yumei, went into the room to change into his work clothes, and took a newspaper from his bag to read.
As soon as he sat down, Liang Yufeng arrived. She ignored Jiang Yumei, pushed the door open, and entered the room with an expressionless face. “Brother-in-law, how is Qingning?”
Since Xu Jianguo remarried, Liang Yufeng had never visited their home. If it weren’t for her niece, she wouldn’t have come at all.
Her sister had passed away less than a year before Xu Jianguo hastily married Jiang Yumei. Hah, men!
“She hasn’t gotten up yet…” Xu Jianguo found it difficult to speak, awkwardly pointing to the bedroom door. “You can ask her yourself.”
Liang Yufeng had a fiery temper.
If she found out Xu Qingning was pregnant, she would likely curse both him and Jiang Yumei. Since his remarriage, Liang Yufeng had never given him a friendly look.
Xu Qingning hadn’t expected Liang Yufeng to arrive so early. She invited her aunt to sit down. “Auntie, I just have a bit of a headache. It’s not that serious.”
Liang Yufeng actually cared for Xu Qingning, but with three children of her own to raise and a tight budget, she couldn’t spare much attention for her niece.
The original host had only a lukewarm relationship with her and rarely interacted.
But Xu Qingning didn’t see it that way. Holding the script of a Female Supporting Character, having someone who loved and protected her like this was too rare!
She would strive to win over all relatives who showed her kindness. As the saying goes, “A hero needs three helpers,” and having more relatives meant more paths forward!
Liang Yufeng finally relaxed. “Your dad said you were sick. I couldn’t sleep all night. Yesterday, I asked my supervisor for half a day off. Let’s go to the clinic for a checkup this morning.”
Xu Qingning smiled. “Alright, let me wash my face, and we’ll go right away.”
Once she confessed to her aunt later, although her aunt might scold her a bit, she wouldn’t disregard her wishes.
After finding a place to live, she would figure out how to earn money and support herself and the child.
As the two of them reached the ground floor, a dark green Liberation truck rumbled to a stop at the building entrance. The truck carried a pig and a sheep, with a large red silk flower tied to the front, festive and eye-catching.
A crowd of curious onlookers followed behind the truck.
Everyone eagerly followed along, wondering if such a grand display meant Xiao Tingshen had come to deliver the betrothal gifts.
Xiao Tingshen and Tang Wenya were inseparable, their relationship as close as could be.
The truck door opened, and Zhao Jingyu was the first to jump down from the driver’s seat. Seeing Xu Qingning, he took a step forward, looking at her thoughtfully. “Were you waiting for me?”
Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to believe it, so there was no need to go look at a house. Xu Qingning secretly rejoiced but kept her expression neutral. “What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted me to marry you?” Zhao Jingyu held a red and gold gift box in his hand, looking at her with a half-smile. “I’ve come to propose!”
Two young men also jumped down from the passenger side. One of them asked, “Boss, which floor should we carry this to?”
“Second floor, Xu Jianguo’s house.” Zhao Jingyu had been here twice before, so he knew the way.
“Zhao Jingyu, are you sure you’ve got the right place?” Liang Yufeng was a bit annoyed. She knew Zhao Jingyu—he was a small-time troublemaker from the Ocean Shipping Company. She hadn’t heard anything about him and Xu Qingning being involved, so why was he delivering a betrothal gift?
“No mistake, I made sure of it.” Zhao Jingyu’s words carried a double meaning. Without even glancing at Xu Qingning, he waved his hand grandly. “Come on, boys, put your backs into it and carry everything up.”
What was going on? Was Zhao Jingyu here to deliver a betrothal gift for Xu Qingning?
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Didn’t Jiang Yumei say that Xu Qingning was going to the countryside in a couple of months? How come she was suddenly getting married?