There was no train station in the county, so Second Brother Li sent her to the city to board the train.
"Xiù'er, don't sleep too soundly on the train—watch out for pickpockets. Be diligent when you get to your eldest brother's place, don't let your sister-in-law look down on you. If you recover from your illness, or if your eldest brother doesn't need you anymore, come back…"
Second Brother Li rambled on with many instructions. Li Qingxiu stared expressionlessly at the two scratch marks on his face, listening as he displayed the last bit of sibling affection.
The train departed. Li Qingxiu sat alone on the green-skinned train, two large burlap sacks placed at her feet. In March, the train wasn't particularly crowded—most migrant workers had already left earlier. Only half the seats in the entire carriage were occupied.
No one sat next to Li Qingxiu. She hugged her arms and gazed out the window, sorting through the original plot in her mind.
The original female lead was named Su Qingyun, the quintessential tragic heroine. Born into a scholarly family, she was beautiful, well-educated, and refined. Although her mother passed away early, her father and brother doted on her. She should have lived a smooth and fortunate life, but she was born in the wrong era—this special period.
Her father was reported by someone, had his property confiscated, and was sent down to a remote rural area. Her brother was also implicated and sent to work in a cowshed.
To protect her, her father used her name to publish a notice in the newspaper severing ties with her, then entrusted her to her aunt in Suzhou. It was this aunt who set her on the path to a miserable life.
Throughout her life, the female lead was manipulated by her aunt, who constantly demanded repayment for her "kindness." First, she reluctantly married Li Weiguo, the deputy director of the cotton mill and the original body's eldest brother. Then, she was pressured to continuously subsidize her maternal family, becoming a brother-supporting demon—specifically supporting her aunt's son, her cousin.
If it were just about money, it might have been tolerable. Later, she was even forced to ask Li Weiguo to arrange a job for her cousin. Worse still, after her cousin got into trouble, she begged Li Weiguo to use his connections to bail him out. This incident directly led to Li Weiguo's reputation being ruined and him being dismissed from his job. Later, while trying to earn money, he was hit and killed during a trucking trip.
During this time, the female lead gave birth to two children. The first child died shortly after birth. At the time, Li Weiguo was away on a business trip, and rumors spread that he had traveled with the factory beauty. This deepened the female lead's resentment toward Li Weiguo and made her even more susceptible to her aunt's influence.
Later, the misunderstanding was cleared up. The female lead finally became pregnant again and decided to cut ties with her aunt's family to focus on building her own small family. Unfortunately, the child was born prematurely and was often sick.
After enduring countless hardships, the child finally grew a little older and became healthier. But then, her aunt reappeared. She knelt and begged the female lead for help. Unable to bear seeing his wife in distress, Li Weiguo intervened once more—and then disaster struck…
What followed was the story of the female lead and two other men. It was equally tragic. When she read it back then, it made her so angry she couldn't sleep.
Li Qingxiu sighed, mourning her early-departed, white moonlight eldest brother.
The train from the city didn't go directly to Suzhou; she had to transfer in Beijing. After eating a warm meal, Li Qingxiu boarded the train, carrying a large burlap sack in each hand.
The train clattered along for two days and one night. During the journey, she didn't dare drink much water, afraid that her belongings would be stolen if she went to the bathroom. Only when the train attendant came around on patrol would she ask them to keep an eye on her things before daring to use the restroom.
Although there was nothing particularly valuable in the burlap sacks, these two bags of mountain goods were something she had fought hard to obtain. They would last her a while in Suzhou, and any leftovers could be used as gifts or to build relationships.
The weather in Suzhou was already quite warm. Li Qingxiu took off her padded jacket and stuffed it into a burlap sack, then carried two large sacks as she got off the train.
She had originally planned to find a pedicab or something after leaving the station, but she didn’t expect to hear someone calling her.
"Xiù'er! Li Qingxiu! Over here!"
Li Qingxiu looked toward the voice. A man with sharp, striking features was supporting a particularly beautiful pregnant woman and waving at her.
Li Qingxiu’s eyes lit up—this was the female lead! That pure, innocent aura was absolutely unbeatable!
"What are you spacing out for?" Li Weiguo took the large burlap sacks from Li Qingxiu’s hands and led the way forward.
Perhaps it was blood ties at work, but Li Qingxiu felt a natural closeness to the man before her. Moreover, he looked so much like her—almost as if he had been born to her irresponsible parents themselves.
"Big brother, how did you know I’d arrive today?"
The telegram from the Li family had only mentioned the departure time of the train from the city, not the specific time of her transfer. How did Li Weiguo know she would arrive today?
Li Weiguo gave her a look that was hard to describe. "Are you silly? I can check, can’t I? There are only two trains from Beijing each day, both in the afternoon. If I didn’t find you today, I’d just come again tomorrow."
Before Li Qingxiu could feel moved by this, they had already reached Su Qingyun.
"Qingxiu, long time no see." Su Qingyun smiled faintly, her attitude not particularly warm.
Although her husband had repeatedly analyzed the pros and cons for her, saying that his younger sister was cleaner than their mother-in-law, knew how to cook, and was easier to talk to, she still felt a bit uneasy.
She hadn’t forgotten how domineering her sister-in-law had been last year when she returned to their hometown and insisted that Su Qingyun change her name.
Up close, Su Qingyun’s beauty was even more astonishing. She was a classic example of a delicate, understated beauty—with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, a refined and petite nose and mouth, and skin so smooth it was almost poreless. She just looked a bit pale, wearing a camel-colored wool coat, which made even Li Qingxiu, a woman herself, feel an overwhelming urge to protect her.
Li Qingxiu flashed an especially bright smile. "Hello, sister-in-law. You’re so far along in your pregnancy—why did big brother let you come out and jostle around? I could’ve found my own way by car."
If Su Qingyun was the pure, innocent type, then Li Qingxiu was the vibrant, striking kind. With thick eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, a tall and straight nose, and a height of nearly 1.7 meters, paired with a long, dark braid, even though she was a bit too thin and a little tanned now, it was still clear she was a beauty in the making.
Seeing her sister-in-law’s friendly attitude, Su Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "I actually wanted to buy a few things too. Let’s go shopping together."
"Alright."
Li Weiguo carried the two large burlap sacks, while Li Qingxiu took the initiative to link arms with her sister-in-law. The three of them walked out of the station.
Li Weiguo had driven the factory’s car out. He knew how to drive himself, so he tied the sacks to the roof, and Li Qingxiu and Su Qingyun sat in the back seat.
Having slept poorly on the train these past few days, Li Qingxiu began to doze off as soon as she got in the car. Su Qingyun watched her curiously.
Her sister-in-law seemed much more easygoing than before. Could it really be, as her husband had said, that she had a hard time at home because people gossiped about her marriage?
And she didn’t seem the least bit curious about the car, as if it were something she was used to. She hadn’t reacted at all when she got in.
Li Qingxiu had no idea what she was thinking. If she had known, she would have secretly complained: this bus smells awful and is so bumpy—it’s worse than taking a pedicab, which at least is open-air.
The bus went directly to the city’s largest Supply and Marketing Cooperative. The cooperative was huge, and at this time, there weren’t many people. Li Qingxiu looked at the wide variety of goods inside and finally showed a hint of curiosity.
Su Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she liked it, she could be coaxed.
She picked out a full set of clothes for Li Qingxiu from head to toe: a Dacron shirt, army-green pants, and Warrior brand white sneakers. She also bought daily necessities like an enamel washbasin and a mug. When it came time to pay, the total was over forty yuan. Su Qingyun quickly paid with cash and various ration coupons.
Today, she was here to buy things for her sister-in-law and earn some goodwill.
Li Qingxiu curled the corner of her mouth. She had never intended to pay anyway. Rather than giving the money to her leech of an aunt, it was better to spend it on herself.
Compared to Su Qingyun’s polite distance, Li Qingxiu was quite familiar with Su Qingyun. She had read the book once and listened to the radio drama twice. Each time, she felt angry, scolded the characters, and ached for them—yet she still wanted to experience it again.
For Su Qingyun, she felt frustration at her lack of resolve and sorrow for her misfortune.
Li Qingxiu sighed inwardly. This was probably the unique love a reader had for the protagonist!
After leaving the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Li Weiguo went to the market to buy some rice, flour, and meat. Then, he wanted to take Li Qingxiu to eat at a state-run restaurant.
“Big brother! Did you get your paycheck?” Li Qingxiu resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Got so much money you can’t spend it all?” This was just putting on a brave face despite being broke.
The original book mentioned that Li Weiguo divided his salary into three parts: one sent back to his hometown, one saved, and the last for household expenses.
Su Qingyun was a teacher at the cotton mill’s elementary school, earning over thirty yuan a month. However, most of it went to subsidize her aunt’s family. She even took a portion from the household expenses to support her aunt, which was why she became so weak during her pregnancy.
Fortunately, Su Qingyun hadn’t completely lost her head. She knew to set aside some money, likely for her child. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to so readily take out forty yuan to buy clothes for her today.
Li Weiguo awkwardly rubbed his nose. “Then let’s eat at home. I’ll stew a chicken for you.”