Su Wanqing said resolutely, “Yes!”
This startled Su Daqiang. If Lu Changfeng were to pursue the matter from back then, he could end up in prison.
Su Daqiang immediately responded, “Changfeng, that’s not how you should put it. Look, you and Wanqing already have three children together. Let’s just drop this matter.”
Su Wanqing quickly seized the opportunity: “We can drop it, but you must return the three thousand yuan to me within two days. If you don’t repay it, I’ll have Lu Changfeng hold you accountable, and not a single one of you will get away.”
Lu Changfeng chimed in from the side, “That’s right. We’ll do as Su Wanqing says. If you don’t pay, I won’t let you off.” Su Wanqing had finally awakened, and he felt a bit excited.
Su Daqiang was so frightened that cold sweat broke out all over him. He fled in a panic with his wife and son.
After Su Daqiang and the others had left, Lu Changfeng sent the children into the house and asked Su Wanqing, “Do you actually have evidence of what happened back then?”
Su Wanqing thought to herself, What evidence do I have? If I had any, would I be wasting my breath with them? I’d have reported it to the authorities long ago.
The book didn’t mention where Su Daqiang’s family had obtained the medicine, and she had no memory of that period, so she couldn’t recall anything.
She sighed, “I don’t have any. If I did, I certainly wouldn’t settle for just demanding money. Now that you’re home, I’m taking this chance to get the money back. Once you leave, they’ll definitely shamelessly refuse to pay.
If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter much, but with the children at home, I’m afraid they might target them.”
Su Wanqing had been so fierce and imposing earlier that he thought she had evidence. It turned out she didn’t, or perhaps she didn’t want to produce it. Still, her attitude toward her family had changed, which was a good start.
They no longer needed to support that bottomless pit of a family.
Lu Changfeng felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and he relaxed completely.
“They won’t return the money willingly. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take some people to get the money back for you.”
“For me?” Su Wanqing wondered if she had misheard.
Lu Changfeng glanced at her and said, “It was your money to begin with. Just don’t give them any more in the future.”
Su Wanqing clapped her hands happily. “That’s great! Thank you!”
Lu Changfeng fell silent, feeling that Su Wanqing was very different now.
Su Wanqing continued, “There’s hot water in the thermos. Go take a bath—I bought soap. I’ll wash the children’s faces and feet. You don’t need to wash the clothes; I’ll do them tomorrow morning.”
To lose weight, you need to eat less and move more. Su Wanqing was determined to do more household chores to increase her calorie expenditure and achieve her weight loss goal sooner.
This was the first time in all the years since their marriage that Su Wanqing had shown concern for him when he returned home. A warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart.
He felt a bit strange. Why is this happening? Without dwelling on it, he went to take a bath.
After washing the three children’s faces, she called the two boys over to wash their feet.
She and Lu Tiantian went to the inner bathroom to wash their private areas. In the past, Lu Tiantian had never washed there, and sometimes when it itched or hurt, the original host didn’t care. Zhang Cuifen couldn’t bear to see it and would wash Lu Tiantian for her.
Afterward, the two of them fetched a fresh basin of water to wash their feet. The two boys looked on enviously, wanting to wash their feet with their mother too.
Su Wanqing said, “Boys wash with boys, and girls wash with girls. You two can wash with your dad tomorrow night.”
In her previous life, she had never washed her feet with boys, not even from childhood. Although An An and Pingping were her sons, she just couldn’t get used to it.
When Lu Changfeng came out after his bath, Su Wanqing thought the man looked even more handsome—refreshed and sharp.
Unfortunately, in her current state, she was in no position to aim high. It was better to just be a good sugar daddy.
Lu Changfeng asked her, “Why have you changed so suddenly?”
Su Wanqing had already prepared her explanation and said earnestly, “I had postpartum depression before and never took medication for it. The longer I delayed, the worse it got.
Last night, I had a dream where I died suddenly. After I died, the children suffered even more. I realized that at just twenty-two years old, I couldn’t keep living in a drunken stupor anymore. So, I decided to pull myself together.
Besides, I’ve neglected the children and you all these years, and I’m truly sorry.”
Lu Changfeng suddenly felt a pang of guilt. It was her family who had made mistakes, yet he had been cold and distant toward her all along, causing her depression to persist for years.
“I’m sorry. If you’re willing to change, I’ll make an effort to live well with you from now on.”
“Okay, thank you!” She hadn’t expected Lu Changfeng to be so understanding, nor did he seem to mind that she was a 180-pound overweight woman.
Su Wanqing’s eyes welled up with tears. Coming to this unfamiliar world, she had actually encountered a man with such good character. Luck was still on her side. Whether or not she would stay with him in the future, at least for now, she could rely on him.
Her original plan was to find a job first, stabilize her life, and then accumulate capital to venture into the chemical industry. In this era of rebuilding society, any endeavor was a good opportunity.
After the original host got married, Su Daqiang had used connections to transfer her job to Su Jianjun, forcing her to stay home and take care of the children.
Not having a job made Su Wanqing anxious. She also didn’t know how long Lu Changfeng’s promise would last. It’s better to rely on oneself than on others—a woman must have her own career.
Once she received the three thousand yuan, she would have her first pot of gold. She could use that money to start a business.
Seeing her eyes redden, Lu Changfeng felt even more guilty. He comforted her, “It’s okay. We’re husband and wife.”
“Mhm!” Divorce wasn’t necessarily the only option. However, Su Wanqing remembered that in the book, the female lead seemed to appear after some time and ended up with Lu Changfeng.
Back then, she didn’t know whether Lu Changfeng would still choose his family so firmly. After all, she was just the cannon-fodder ex-wife.
Matters of the heart were too complicated for her to sort out, and she was too lazy to dwell on them. She would deal with it later.
There were only two rooms in the house. Su Wanqing let the boys sleep with Lu Changfeng while she took Lu Tiantian to bed with her.
Before going to sleep, Su Wanqing thought for a moment and said to Lu Changfeng, “Could you tell the security office not to let Su Daqiang and his family come upstairs anymore? Otherwise, they’ll come and cause trouble when you’re not home.”
Lu Changfeng asked Lu An’an, “Did they often come and cause trouble before?”
Lu An’an nodded. “Yes, they either took money or things, like bandits.” The original host was as soft as dough, letting them push her around however they pleased.
Lu Changfeng said, “Alright, I’ll tell the security office tomorrow morning.” He held considerable influence at the Research Institute.
Lu An’an and Lu Pingping hadn’t slept with their father in a long time and clung to him, begging for a story.
In this era, there were no bedtime storybooks, and the family didn’t have any comic books either. Lu Changfeng adapted the story of “The Empty Fort Strategy” from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which he had read, and told it to them.
The boys listened with great interest, especially Lu An’an, who thought his father was very knowledgeable.
By the time the story ended, Lu Pingping was already fast asleep, snoring softly.
Lu An’an was too excited to sleep and asked his father, “Dad, can you tell me stories every time you’re on leave from now on?”
“No problem!” Lu Changfeng hugged his son tightly, feeling for the first time that spending his leave at home with the children was actually quite nice.
Lu Tiantian slept soundly while holding onto Su Wanqing. Exhausted from the day, Su Wanqing quickly fell asleep as well.
The next morning when she got up to brush her teeth and wash her face, Lu Changfeng was already awake.
Before going to bed last night, Su Wanqing had sealed the coal stove, leaving a low flame to keep a pot of warm water heated.
Su Wanqing poured water for Lu Changfeng to wash his face. Lu Changfeng said, “You don’t need to be so attentive. I can handle these things myself.”
In her heart, Su Wanqing was screaming: You’re my sugar daddy! If I’m not attentive enough, you might not give me back that three thousand.
But with a smile on her face, she said, “You work hard to support us. In the past, I was foolish—I wasted your money and didn’t take care of you all. From now on, I’ll manage the household well so you won’t have to worry.”
Lu Changfeng replied, “Good. Let’s work together to build a better home.”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t moved, but Su Wanqing was worried that the appearance of the female lead might unsettle Lu Changfeng’s heart.
So she pushed down the feeling.
After washing up, Su Wanqing went to make breakfast. She cooked plain rice porridge and fried a few meat pancakes, using the leftover filling from last night’s wontons mixed into the batter.
As soon as the children woke up, they smelled the food and were so excited they nearly cried.
Good days had come so suddenly.
After breakfast, Lu Changfeng took the children out to the yard to bask in the sun. Lu An’an and Lu Pingping played marbles in the yard, while Lu Tiantian followed her brothers closely, never leaving their side.
Su Wanqing stayed home to wash clothes and bedding. Washing the quilts was exhausting—no less strenuous than running five kilometers in a gym.
Though it was hard work, Su Wanqing felt she needed to treat her current life like a wilderness survival challenge: eat less, move more, and shed the excess fat.
After washing everything, she took the laundry out to the yard to dry. The neighbors stared at her as if she were a monster.
This lazy woman was actually washing quilts? In the past, her husband had to wash them himself when he came home.
Seeing Su Wanqing like this, Zhang Cuifen clicked her tongue in amazement. “You’ve changed so much!”
Su Wanqing smiled and said, “Ah, I used to be foolish, but now I’ve come to my senses. I want to live a good life.”
“By the way, could you teach me how to knit sweaters later? I want to make some for the children.”
Zhang Cuifen replied cheerfully, “Sure thing! Let me tell you, learning to knit can save you a lot of money, and you can even earn a little extra on the side.”
Su Wanqing said, “Really? That’s great.” What she didn’t know was that earning money from knitting was especially grueling work.
As the two were chatting and laughing, Lu Changfeng walked over with the children.
“The Research Institute called the security office and asked me to go to the Red Star Machinery Factory.”
Su Wanqing was taken aback—that was the factory where he had gone to repair equipment years ago.
He was probably worried about running into Su Daqiang and getting entangled. Su Wanqing tactfully asked, “Would you like me to go with you?”