After walking through two streets, a dust-covered signboard came into view. The words “Ruan Family Medical Hall” were barely legible.
The lock on the door had already been opened.
As soon as Ruan Wen reached the doorway, she ran straight into Ruan Yuzan, who was coming out from inside.
“Dad.”
“Ruan Wen?”
The next second, Ruan Wen was pulled into the house. Ruan Yuzan glanced outside to make sure no one had seen them before shutting the door.
“Dad?”
“Ruan Wen, take this.”
“Although all of our family property has been confiscated, I managed to hide a little. Take this box. Life in the countryside won’t be easy, so take good care of yourself.”
The wooden box was so heavy that Ruan Wen almost dropped it on her foot.
In her previous life, she had never received any wooden box. Most likely, Liu Shufen had taken it and given it to Sun Lanlan.
“Dad, divorce Mom.”
Ruan Wen’s words were shocking.
The idea had suddenly occurred to her.
Ruan Yuzan had always been healthy. How could he possibly die after spending only a year in the Northwest?
She suspected Liu Shufen had something to do with it.
“What?”
“Dad, Mom is only suffering because of us. Otherwise, why would a farmer’s daughter have to go through all this?”
Seeing the pain in Ruan Yuzan’s eyes, Ruan Wen added fuel to the fire.
“Dad, the Northwest is such a harsh place. How can Mom endure it? And Dad, can you bear to see her weather-beaten and bent over from heavy farm work?”
He couldn’t.
“Dad, get a divorce. Once you do, Mom won’t have to suffer in the Northwest.”
“Alright.”
Even after writing the divorce papers and publishing a newspaper announcement, Ruan Yuzan still felt dazed. How had he ended up divorcing Shufen after simply coming out for a trip?
But Ruan Wen was right.
He and his daughter were family and could never escape their fate.
Shufen was different.
Although he felt reluctant, he could not bear the thought of Liu Shufen suffering alongside him in the Northwest.
Looking at the announcement in the newspaper, Ruan Wen felt fortunate that marriage certificates were not yet required at this time. Divorce was surprisingly easy.
“Dad.”
Ruan Yuzan turned his head and met Ruan Wen’s apologetic gaze. Before he lost consciousness, he heard her whisper:
“I’m sorry.”
Then his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
…
Clack-clack. Clack-clack.
Two green trains rattled along the tracks. At a junction, one headed west while the other continued north.
Inside the carriage, waves of sweat, chicken droppings, and foot odor filled the air. Passengers were packed together like sardines, and luggage was piled everywhere.
Most people wore blue or black clothing. The men all had short crew cuts, while the women either wore thick braids or neat short hair. Yet without exception, they all looked energetic and healthy.
Sitting in the same hard-seat position as in her previous life, Ruan Wen looked dazed.
This life was completely different.
Her father had been sent to the Northwest early after she bribed a neighborhood office worker.
As for Liu Shufen and her daughter with all their schemes—
A cold smile curved Ruan Wen’s lips.
…
“Lanlan, here’s five hundred yuan. Keep it safe.”
Liu Shufen pulled a thick stack of cash from a fashionable handbag that Ruan Yuzan had paid a high price to obtain for her.
“Only five hundred?” Sun Lanlan pouted. “That little?”
In her previous life, her monthly allowance alone had been three hundred yuan.
And there had also been a wooden box.
Inside were two thousand yuan in cash, over a dozen property deeds, and half a box of gold and silver jewelry.
Liu Shufen thought ten yuan was too much to give Ruan Wen, but when Sun Lanlan complained about five hundred yuan, she instead felt guilty for not giving her enough.
The problem was that everything had happened so suddenly, and she had always spent money freely without saving much.
Liu Shufen comforted her.
“Don’t worry, Lanlan. When your uncle-in-law comes back, I’ll ask him for more.”
Given how much Ruan Yuzan adored that little brat Ruan Wen, he must have left something behind.
Otherwise, he never would have agreed so easily to marry Ruan Wen off to a country bumpkin like Huo Guoan.
At least now it could serve as compensation for her Lanlan.
Satisfied, Sun Lanlan could already picture the wooden box in her hands.
Clutching the money, she sweetly said:
“Thanks, Mom. I knew you loved me the most.”
Liu Shufen pulled her into a hug and smiled.
“Silly child.”
Bang!
The heartwarming moment was shattered when the door was kicked open.
Several men wearing armbands stormed in.
Liu Shufen instinctively shielded Sun Lanlan behind her.
“Who are you? How dare you break into a private residence?”
“We received a report from a concerned citizen. Liu Shufen, former wife of Ruan Yuzan.”
“Former wife?” Liu Shufen’s eyes widened. Her voice became shrill.
“Impossible! You’ve got it wrong! Ruan Yuzan and I are not divorced!”
She had already arranged everything with her true love, Wang Ran.
Once they reached the Northwest, she would trick Ruan Yuzan into revealing his family’s secret medical formula. Wang Ran would then find a way to bring her back, and the two of them would marry.
That was why she had never agreed to divorce.
Because of that, Ruan Yuzan had been deeply moved. Liu Shufen had been certain that after reaching the Northwest, she would soon get the information she wanted from him.
“Stop shouting!”
One of the men threw a newspaper announcement into her face.
“After being divorced by Ruan Yuzan, Liu Shufen refused to leave the Ruan residence because she could not bear giving up a capitalist lifestyle. Her ideological conduct is seriously problematic. By unanimous decision, she will be made an example of and publicly paraded.”
“Take them away.”
“I want to see your director!” Liu Shufen screamed.
No one paid attention to her.
At the same time, Sun Lanlan shrieked:
“Why are you arresting me? I’m not Liu Shufen! She’s Liu Shufen! I have nothing to do with her!”
Those words chilled Liu Shufen to the bone.
“We know. You’re Sun Lanlan. Your family registered you for the sent-down youth program. Since the Ruan residence has been sealed today, you’ll stay at the Youth Office tonight and board the train tomorrow morning.”
“What? I never agreed to that!” Sun Lanlan screamed.
Liu Shufen shouted anxiously:
“There’s been a mistake! Lanlan is getting married! She’s not going to the countryside!”
Finding them too noisy, the officials stuffed cloth into their mouths and dragged them away.
During the struggle, the five hundred yuan fell out. The men exchanged knowing glances, made a few self-righteous remarks, and pocketed the money among themselves.
Looking away from the Ruan residence, Ruan Wen frowned.
The Lu family.
Military district, Political Commissar’s Office.
A middle-aged man in military uniform slammed his hand on the desk and stood up, glaring at the young man lounging across from him with one leg crossed over the other.
The young man’s muscles nearly burst through his short-sleeved shirt, radiating overwhelming masculinity.
A closer look revealed that they shared five or six parts of the same features.
Clearly, they were father and son.
“Lu Jingheng!”
“Present!”
The young man lowered his leg and snapped into a perfect military stance.
Standing up, he turned out to be half a head taller than Lu Yongjie, who was already six feet tall.
Instantly, much of Lu Yongjie’s intimidating aura vanished.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he sat back down.
“Her grandfather saved your grandfather’s life. It was your grandfather who arranged this marriage. Now that their family has fallen on hard times and she’s come seeking help, you must marry her and take responsibility!”
“Whoever agreed can marry her.”
“Lu Jingheng!”
Lu Yongjie’s eyelids twitched violently.
The brat dared challenge his father, but he certainly couldn’t challenge his own mother.
“Stop giving me trouble. If you’ve got guts, go argue with your grandfather.”
“Fine.”
“The train arrives at five this afternoon. Go pick—”
Halfway through, Lu Yongjie suddenly realized something was wrong.
“What did you just say?”
“I won’t marry her.”
“And I definitely won’t pick her up.”
“Tonight, I’m going back to the old family residence.”
After dropping those three blunt statements, Lu Jingheng picked up the green military cap he had left on the desk, put it on, opened the door, and turned to leave.
“Commander Lu.”
The door had barely opened before he was greeted by Liu Qiang’s wide grin.
The next moment, Lu Yongjie’s furious roar echoed from behind.
“Stop right there!”
“Lu Jingheng, are you trying to force your grandfather to death?!”
Bang!
The office door slammed shut.
This time it was closed tightly, muffling the voices inside. Liu Qiang missed the chance to eavesdrop.
Five minutes later, Lu Jingheng emerged looking thoroughly annoyed.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to, Commander Lu?”
“The train station.”
Liu Qiang brightened immediately.
“Commander Lu, are we going to pick up your wife?”
“Shut up and drive.”
The green train slowly pulled into the station as a sharp whistle pierced the sky.
Ruan Wen opened her eyes.
Although she had appeared to be sleeping, she had actually been practicing medicine inside her special space.
Grabbing her luggage, she prepared to get off the train.
She didn’t dare delay.
Beijing wasn’t the final stop. If she missed her chance, she wouldn’t be able to get off.
As soon as the train stopped, she clutched her bundle and struggled through the crowd toward the exit.
By the time she emerged, her beautiful plaid dress was wrinkled and misshapen, and her thick braids had become messy.
Yet her exceptionally fair face added a touch of disheveled beauty to her appearance.
Scanning the area, she failed to spot anyone holding a sign with her name.
Her heart sank.
Before boarding the train, she had called Lu Jingheng’s father using the phone number Ruan Yuzan had given her. He had promised to send someone to pick her up.
Were they delayed?
Or was this an intentional slight—a warning shot?
Lost in thought, she hugged the bundle containing a few plain shirts she had bought at the department store before leaving and slowly followed the crowd toward the station exit.
Meanwhile, Lu Jingheng and Liu Qiang had just parked outside the station.
After staying quiet the entire trip, Liu Qiang finally couldn’t hold it in.
“Commander Lu, what does your wife look like? Is she pretty?”
“One nose. Two eyes.”
“Commander Lu, sure, everyone talks about free love nowadays, but arranged marriages aren’t always bad. Remember Old Zhang? He swore he wouldn’t marry, then went home once and came back bragging every day about how beautiful and wonderful his wife was.”
The two men were tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in eye-catching military uniforms.
Ruan Wen, who had been scanning the crowd, spotted them immediately.
Although they weren’t holding a sign, her instincts told her they were the ones.
She walked toward them.
When she was still several meters away, she heard the taller man speak.
He was around six foot four, with wheat-colored skin, sharp brows, bright eyes, and handsome chiseled features. He looked fierce, but undeniably attractive.
Ruan Wen stopped and did not move closer.
Not because she intended to eavesdrop.
The man wasn’t even trying to lower his voice.
But there was something wrong with his tone.
“So what if she’s pretty? Can beauty be eaten? How shallow.”
“I, Lu Jingheng, am not the kind of man who can be swayed by looks. If I don’t like someone, then even if she’s a fairy from heaven, she’s no better than a pile of dog crap in my eyes.”
And besides, a capitalist’s daughter…
No matter how beautiful she was, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was spoiled and pampered—a parasite on society.
If not for his grandfather…