Outside the gate, Wu Hao’s wife, Wang Xiulan, arrived at the Shen family’s courtyard with Chu Yunli, both carrying engagement gifts. Just as they reached the entrance, they heard the sharp crash of something breaking inside the house, mixed with a woman’s shrill cries and a man’s furious shouting.
Frowning, Wang Xiulan caught Chu Yunli’s hand just as he was about to knock.
“Wait, let’s listen first.”
The thin wooden door could not block Shen Zhouzhou’s clear yet icy voice, and the two of them heard the entire confrontation from beginning to end.
Standing outside the courtyard, Chu Yunli listened quietly as Shen Zhouzhou confronted Shen Yong and the rest of his family. The sternness in his handsome features gradually softened with warmth.
He had originally thought Shen Zhouzhou was simply a victim who had been drugged, a delicate young woman in need of protection. Yet now, watching her stand up against the oppression of her own family, she reminded him of a wild blade of grass forcing its way through cracks in stone. She possessed the ruthlessness to declare, “Either gather the money or I’ll make this known at the factory,” and the decisiveness to insist, “Sign the severance agreement, and we’ll have nothing more to do with each other.”
She was a woman with her own convictions, one who clearly understood right from wrong.
He recalled the sly way she had hooked his collar and kissed him the previous night. He remembered how confidently she had admitted, “I don’t know how to do anything,” without the slightest embarrassment. Now he was seeing another side of her, the fierce determination with which she defended her own rights.
She was no delicate vine clinging to others for support.
She was a rose covered in thorns, boldly beautiful and fully aware of her own worth.
Originally, he had only wanted to give her someone she could rely on out of a sense of responsibility. But now, he genuinely felt that marrying a woman with such strength, character, and courage to love and hate openly would be his greatest blessing.
Wang Xiulan listened through the crack in the door for quite some time, her thoughts racing.
When Chu Yunli’s mother had previously asked her to make inquiries, the neighbors had described the Shen family’s daughter as timid and pitiful, tormented by her vicious stepmother until she barely resembled a person anymore. She had worried that Chu Yunli was about to marry someone too weak to stand up for herself. The family had opposed the marriage from the start, but Chu Yunli had stubbornly insisted, leaving everyone else with no choice.
But after what she had just heard…
What weak little lamb?
This girl was clearly a young tigress fresh out of the mountains.
She admired the fact that Shen Zhouzhou was not someone to be bullied.
These days, good people rarely survive by simply enduring everything.
The more Wang Xiulan listened, the more satisfied she became. Tugging on Chu Yunli’s arm, she whispered,
“I already like this girl just from hearing her voice. She’s much better than those dainty little flowers. Once she follows you to the army, no one will ever dare bully her.”
“Auntie, don’t worry. She’s far more outstanding than you can imagine. I’ve already made up my mind. She’s the only woman I’ll marry.”
Chu Yunli spoke with absolute certainty.
When the commotion inside finally quieted down, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Shen Zhouzhou had just been about to return to her room to rest. Hearing the knock, she immediately guessed that Chu Yunli had arrived. Straightening her clothes, she walked over and opened the door.
As she lifted the latch, the morning sunlight streamed through the opening, illuminating the insignia on Chu Yunli’s crisp military uniform. His army green jacket stretched tightly over his well-built muscles, emphasizing his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long, straight legs.
Every part of this man perfectly matched her ideal type.
In his left hand, he carried a net bag containing apples, two boxes of pastries, and two bottles of malted milk. In his right hand, he held an army green canvas bag printed with the words “Serve the People.” Behind him stood Wang Xiulan in a floral blouse, her hair neatly combed without a single strand out of place.
The moment Chu Yunli stepped inside, his gaze settled directly on Shen Zhouzhou. Seeing that she was safe and unharmed, the heavy weight hanging over his heart finally disappeared.
They had only been apart for a single day, yet it had felt much longer.
“Auntie, Yunli, please come in and have a seat. The house is rather messy, so please excuse the mess.”
Shen Zhouzhou warmly welcomed them inside. She turned and went to the kitchen, returning with two clean ceramic mugs filled with diluted spiritual spring water.
“Please, have some water.”
“You’re Zhouzhou, aren’t you? Come, sit here and chat with Auntie.”
Wang Xiulan pulled her down beside her while quietly studying her.
With just one glance, she found herself captivated by Shen Zhouzhou’s face.
Her palm-sized face was exquisitely delicate. Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled egg, as flawless as the finest white jade. Bathed in the slanting sunlight streaming through the window, it even seemed to glow with a soft radiance.
Her slightly upturned phoenix eyes were especially striking. They sparkled brilliantly as they moved, carrying both a hint of lazy cunning and an unyielding sharpness.
Though she wore old clothes covered in patches, her slender back remained perfectly straight. Standing there, she was every bit a natural beauty, breathtakingly gorgeous yet filled with quiet resilience.
“W… What is this…”
Shen Yong had only just struggled to his feet when he caught sight of the lieutenant colonel rank insignia on Chu Yunli’s collar. His tobacco pipe clattered onto the floor.
Rubbing his eyes and confirming the stars on Chu Yunli’s shoulders, he immediately broke into a broad smile, the wrinkles on his face bunching together. Without even stopping to put on his shoes, he hurried over.
“Comrade from the People’s Liberation Army! Please, have some water, have some water.”
Wang Xiulan first swept her eyes across the room’s chaotic state, her gaze lingering for half a second on Shen Fangfang’s swollen face before turning to Shen Yong.
“Brother Shen, I’m Wang Xiulan, Yunli’s aunt. This is my nephew, Chu Yunli. We’ve come today to formally propose marriage to Zhouzhou.”
She placed the gifts on the table. Two apples rolled out, standing out vividly among the shattered porcelain pieces.
“A marriage proposal?”
The smile on Shen Yong’s face stiffened. Rubbing his hands together awkwardly, he forced a smile.
“A proposal is certainly a good thing, but… well…”
His face remained plastered with a fake smile while his fingers rubbed nervously against his thigh. His eyes, however, kept drifting toward the stars on Chu Yunli’s shoulders as calculations raced through his mind.
“Comrade, it’s not that I, as her father, want to stop this. The truth is, Zhouzhou just severed ties with me the other day. According to old customs, she has nothing to do with the Shen family anymore. How could I possibly make decisions about such an important matter as her marriage? If word got out, people would think I was selling my own daughter.”
He deliberately paused, took a sip of cold tea from the enamel mug, then continued,
“Besides, after what happened the other day, all the neighbors know about it. Zhouzhou’s… reputation has been affected to some extent. You’re a dignified lieutenant colonel. Marrying someone…”
He deliberately left the sentence unfinished while secretly watching Chu Yunli’s reaction.
Since she’s already cut ties with the family, why should such a good opportunity fall into Shen Zhouzhou’s lap? If only Fangfang were the one getting married instead.
Shen Yong kept smiling politely while those thoughts ran through his mind.
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present changed expressions.
None of the people standing there were fools.
Everyone immediately understood exactly what he was implying.
How could Shen Zhouzhou not understand?
Since Shen Yong could no longer control her, he had decided to ruin her reputation instead.
Everyone knew that in this era, a person’s reputation was considered even more important than life itself. He was deliberately leaving her with no path forward.
Unfortunately for him, she was no longer the original Shen Zhouzhou.
Her reputation meant nothing to her.
It certainly could not fill her stomach.
Before Shen Zhouzhou could react, however, she was startled by Chu Yunli’s aunt.
Wang Xiulan slammed her enamel mug onto the table with a loud bang and rolled up the sleeves of her floral blouse to her elbows.
“Brother Shen, I don’t like hearing that one bit! The severance agreement only ends the relationship of upbringing. Her household registration is still under the Shen family! As for her reputation, it was your second wife who poisoned her. The Public Security Bureau has already opened a case. Yunli is a soldier in the People’s Liberation Army. He’s marrying a perfectly respectable young woman. Who are you to sit here and slander her?”