Qu Chuning was completely unaware of Lin Dongguo's schemes. Her days were now filled with constant activity—competing with Shi Zhenzhen, studying, working—while her life with Xi Muzhou grew increasingly warm. Their relationship was gradually transforming, and she felt deeply content with her present circumstances.
About half a month later, just after Qu Chuning received a reply from the newspaper office and was planning to visit town to wire money at the earliest opportunity, she encountered someone who had shared her daily life for years upon returning from work that day.
"Chuning!"
The elderly woman standing opposite wore a grim expression, showing no hint of joy at seeing Qu Chuning. She was dressed in the same patched, dark blue garment she had worn when Qu Chuning left, her hair streaked with white, cheekbones prominent, and eyes sunken deep in their sockets. She spoke in their hometown dialect, her demeanor unfriendly.
Seeing Duan Chunping, Lin Dongguo's mother, again made Qu Chuning tense for a moment. So accustomed to the woman's harshness and hypocrisy, her heart clenched instinctively at the sound of that voice.
In her previous life, Duan Chunping had never left their hometown. Lin Dongguo had married Qu Chuning precisely because his mother was in poor health, there was endless housework, and he had a younger brother and three sisters—the eldest sister being only eighteen this year.
Duan Chunping was a profoundly contradictory figure. While she clearly favored her youngest son, her actions always gave the impression she valued Lin Dongguo most. Thus, in the past life, Lin Dongguo's monthly allowance was sent directly to her. She used the money to build a house, arrange a marriage for her youngest son, and constantly subsidize him—yet she never failed to claim it was all for Lin Dongguo's benefit.
This complicated old woman, who had never once visited the county town in her entire life, had now traveled all the way to the Garrison from afar. It seemed Lin Dongguo had summoned his reinforcement.
Qu Chuning stared at Duan Chunping without speaking.
After a hesitant pause, Duan Chunping said, "You foolish child, coming to Dongguo without even telling me! Do you know we thought you'd gone missing? The whole village searched for you for five days straight, yet you left no trace. Your family came and caused several scenes over this… Chuning, I never imagined your heart could be so cruel!"
Even now, Duan Chunping habitually shifted all blame onto Qu Chuning—accusing her of cruelty, of leaving without a word to her family.
At this thought, Qu Chuning couldn't help but let out a scornful laugh.
Duan Chunping could see that Qu Chuning was truly different now. Back when she selected a wife for Lin Dongguo, she had chosen Qu Chuning precisely for her docility, timidity, and lack of assertiveness. But the Qu Chuning before her now seemed to harbor a volcano in her eyes, ready to erupt at any moment. This loss of control made Duan Chunping frown involuntarily.
"You're still so fond of avoiding the main issue. I came to find Lin Dongguo – why would I come looking for him? Others might not know the reason, but how could you not? I originally thought that after three years – three years of working like a dog for your Lin family, taking care of you for three years – I believed there was at least some affection between us. Who would have thought that in your eyes, I, Qu Chuning, must be a fool?"
Qu Chuning curled her lips, her eyes icy cold. From the moment she was reborn, she had wished for wings to settle things once and for all with Lin Dongguo.
And this old woman before her – she knew everything clearly, yet had never told her. Even until her death in her previous life, until her last breath, she had chosen not to reveal the truth.
"How many years has it been since the founding of our nation? I never imagined there would still be people dreaming of having multiple partners, completely disregarding national laws and lacking even a shred of morality. With such an immoral person, I want nothing to do with him in this lifetime, the next, or the one after!"
"Chuning, you shouldn't speak like that!" Duan Chunping couldn't help but scold as soon as Qu Chuning finished speaking. "At that time, he was going off to war. Who knew whether he would live or die? If that day really came, I didn't want my son to be alone. That's why I took charge and arranged his marriage to you. Besides, your Qu family was willing back then – I'm not wrong about that, am I?"
Indeed, as expected from three years of dealing with Duan Chunping. The more familiar you are with someone, the better you know where they hurt most, and the more painful it is to poke there.
The reason Qu Chuning had married Lin Dongguo back then was because her younger brother needed her bride price money for school fees and building a house. Two hundred yuan in bride price money was all it took to marry her off to the Lin family.
"Dongguo's actions were indeed improper. But Chuning, I must say, hasn't our Lin family treated you well these past few years? Food, clothing, shelter – in what way have we wronged you? You've even spent the salary and allowances Dongguo sends back every month. But I never expected you to be so heartless – coming directly to confront Dongguo like this, you're trying to ruin him!"
At this point, Duan Chunping looked utterly distraught: "Even if there's no marital affection between you and Dongguo, at least don't destroy him. Chuning, whatever issues we have, we can discuss and resolve them. Why must it come to mutual destruction?"
Hearing this, Qu Chuning suddenly understood why Lin Dongguo had brought Duan Chunping here.
"Auntie, your words don't sit well with me. What do you mean by mutual destruction? I haven't done anything wrong – why should I be destroyed? Why should anything be broken? Since Lin Dongguo dared to do this, he must have considered the consequences. I'm only seeking justice for myself!"
After saying all this and seeing Qu Chuning remained as defiant as ever, Duan Chunping resorted to harsh words: "Fine, very well! I never realized how capable you were before, Qu Chuning. I wonder how your maternal family will react when they learn how disgraceful you're being – whether your mother might die from anger!"
Only then did Qu Chuning's expression change.
Duan Chunping was quite satisfied. The Qu family didn't care about the fate of a daughter at all—they had plenty of daughters. Who Qu Chuning married or how she lived meant nothing to the Qu family. However, Qu Chuning and Lin Dongguo were separating, and Qu Chuning had lived with the Lin family for three years. Now that they were parting ways, Qu Chuning's reputation was ruined. She still had unmarried brothers, and given her parents' temperament, how could they tolerate her tarnishing the Qu family's name?
"I've long been like spilled water—what does it matter to me if they're furious or not?"
Qu Chuning spoke defiantly, which was also why, even after she and Xi Muzhou had registered their marriage, she had never mentioned her maternal family. It was only at this moment that Qu Chuning realized Xi Muzhou hadn't brought up his family either—she still didn't know who was in the Xi family, where they lived, or how many members there were.
"You've really hardened your heart after being away! Chuning, considering all the years you've spent with our Lin family, that newspaper notice hasn't been published yet, right? Let it be. When I return to our hometown, I'll tell everyone you're Dongguo's sworn sister. That way, your reputation…"
Before Duan Chunping could finish, she noticed someone approaching behind Qu Chuning. He was still in uniform, with a tall frame and stern expression. Duan Chunping instinctively fell silent.
"Why aren't you home yet?"