Today was Su Xiaoyong’s seventh-day funeral ceremony. Early in the morning, the entire village had come to help. Su Hongshan stood in the center of the courtyard overseeing arrangements, while Zhao Lanzhi was called to assist in the kitchen.
Liu Xiaoyan and Huang Cuicui also went to lend a hand, but Su Qingran did not join them. Firstly, such wedding and funeral banquets were typically handled by married women. Secondly, she had recently suffered a head injury, and everyone knew she was still recuperating.
Today, the village children had been instructed by their families to forage for wild vegetables. Her nieces and nephews had all gone along, leaving Su Qingran alone at home. She was quite content with the solitude, as it gave her the perfect opportunity to cook the hawthorn she had picked yesterday.
Making jam was relatively straightforward. She washed and mashed the fruit pulp, added white sugar, and poured it into a pot to simmer over low heat. While simmering, she had to stir continuously to prevent it from burning.
During the process, foam rose to the surface, which she skimmed off little by little with a spatula. She wasn’t sure how long she had been stirring, but when the pulp thickened into a paste and the sauce clung to the spatula without dripping easily, it was just about done.
Su Qingran hadn’t bought proper glass jars yet, so she used cleaned empty cans from home, tearing off the labels. The crimson hawthorn jam looked quite appealing in the transparent glass containers.
Unsure of the taste, she had only made a small batch. After trying it herself, she found it pleasantly sweet and tangy—quite delicious, in fact.
As for pricing, Su Qingran had given it some thought. The ingredients were costly, especially the expensive sugar, so she couldn’t set the price too low. However, pricing it too high might deter potential buyers.
After much deliberation, she decided to aim for a higher price.
In these times, only those with money to spare would buy such non-essential items, much like the white fungus. Even if she sold it to Zhao Lanzhi and others for one yuan per piece, they wouldn’t purchase it.
But that man had bought five pieces at once—clearly, he was someone with no shortage of funds. Su Qingran’s target customers were precisely such people.
She positioned the hawthorn jam as a premium, small-batch product. Therefore, these canned jars wouldn’t do. She planned to ask her second brother later if he could source smaller glass jars, ideally three to four times smaller than the canned ones.
…
At half-past eleven, Su Qingran headed to Su Xiaoyong’s house. The road was quiet, but as she approached Su Xiaoyong’s courtyard, the noise grew louder.
The neighboring yards had also been borrowed for the occasion, and nearly everyone from Su Family Village had gathered.
By then, everyone was already seated. As soon as Su Qingran arrived, Su Junze spotted her immediately. “Little sister, why are you here so early?”
“Is it early?” She hadn’t attended a wedding or funeral in many years and had forgotten the appropriate timing.
“Yeah, if we start eating by noon, that’s considered early.” Su Junze pointed to the neighboring courtyard. “Little sister, you’ll eat over there. That side is for the female comrades.”
“Alright.” Su Qingran nodded.
“Hey, Comrade Su is here.” Xie Jin’an, seated in Su Xiaoyong’s courtyard, nudged Shi Yunxiao with his elbow.
Shi Yunxiao glanced up but only caught a glimpse of her back. Unconsciously, his gaze softened. The next moment, he suddenly sensed a hostile stare. He looked over indifferently but paid it no mind.
Xie Jin’an, however, snorted coldly and spoke with a sarcastic smile. “Xiao Lu, why are you staring at Shi Yingzhang like that?”
Lu Jingxuan choked back his irritation. Every time Xie Jin’an called him “Little Lu,” it grated on him. They were practically the same age, yet just because Xie Jin’an came from a privileged background and outranked him, he had to endure this humiliating address.
It wasn’t fair. If he had the same kind of backing, he might already be a battalion commander himself.
“No, it was an accident. I didn’t notice the battalion commander sitting here.”
Xie Jin’an curled his lip. What kind of person was this?
…
Just as Su Qingran reached the neighboring doorway, she overheard people discussing her and Lu Jingxuan.
“Is it true? Did Lu Jingxuan really get involved with Qiao Manxue?”
“How could it be false? If there wasn’t something going on between them, why would Lu Jingxuan ignore Su Qingran and run to hold that Qiao woman? Don’t tell me it was because Qiao Manxue was emotionally unstable and threatening suicide. That excuse only fools gullible people.”
The speaker wore a smug, “I’m the only one who sees the truth” expression, crossing her arms as she laid out the story with vivid detail.
“I always thought it was strange. Lu Jingxuan and Su Qingran were engaged! If we’re talking about closeness, how could Su Qingran compare less than some newly arrived capitalist’s daughter? Besides, Qingran is such a lovely girl—not one bit inferior to that young mistress! In fact, she’s even prettier!”
“You’re right. But speaking of it, Su Qingran is really pitiful. That scoundrel Lu Jingxuan is utterly despicable.”
“Absolutely! If I were her, I’d have broken it off with him too!”
“Stop talking nonsense! Brother Lu isn’t that kind of person! It’s only because Su Qingran was embraced by another man that he didn’t want her anymore!”
“Su Shuiqin, that’s bullshit! Qingran was saved by a soldier! If you keep spouting lies, Aunt Zhao will tear your filthy mouth apart!”
“Su Zhiqiu, you’re the one spouting bullshit! I’m only telling the truth! Everyone in Su Family Village knows she was held by a man!”
“If that’s how you see it, then I suppose if you ever have an accident, no one should rescue you either? They should just stand by and watch you die, right?” Su Qingran’s voice cut in from behind them.
The women who had just been discussing her froze, embarrassment flashing across their faces at being caught.
“Qingran, you’re here!” Su Zhiqiu greeted her with a smile.
“Mm.”
“I’ve been at my grandmother’s house these past few days. I only found out about your head injury after I returned. Are you alright now?”
“I’m fine.”
Childhood friends—Su Qingran’s memories of them had long faded—but seeing the genuine concern on Su Zhiqiu’s face warmed her heart.
Sitting across from Su Zhiqiu was Su Shuiqin. She had delicate features, a wheat-complexion dotted with faint freckles, a slender nose, and a thin frame.
When Su Shuiqin saw Su Qingran, a flicker of discomfort crossed her face, but she quickly snorted and turned her head away.
“Qingran, come sit. There’s a spot free here.”
Su Qingran sat to Su Zhiqiu’s left. The moment she settled, someone craned her neck to peer at her. “Hey, Qingran, did you really break up with Lu Jingxuan?”
Su Zhiqiu shot the speaker a sharp look. “Su Dayan, shut your foul mouth! How could something as serious as calling off an engagement be fake?”
Su Dayan pursed her lips. “I just found it hard to believe.”
Who didn’t know how Su Qingran used to chase after Lu Jingxuan?
“It’s over.”
“Just as well. I always thought Lu Jingxuan wasn’t good enough for you anyway.”
Su Zhiqiu was speaking earnestly. She thought Su Qingran was beautiful, came from a good family, and most importantly had a pleasant personality. There was never any shortage of young men trying to win her favor in daily life.
As for Lu Jingxuan, apart from being a soldier and having a handsome face, he had nothing else going for him. His temper was terrible – he often lost his temper with Qingran and always listened to his mother. No one knew how Qingran could tolerate him.
Su Dayan’s expression shifted several times before she finally couldn’t resist gossiping, “Is it true about Lu Jingxuan and that Qiao Manxue? Why exactly didn’t Lu Jingxuan save you?”
Su Qingran lowered her eyelashes, a trace of sorrow flashing across her face. She gently bit her lower lip, “I… I don’t know…”
Seeing her like this, everyone present exchanged knowing glances and immediately understood.
“Bah!”
“That bastard Lu Jingxuan!”
“And that Qiao Manxue is a shameless woman too, clearly knowing you were engaged yet still throwing herself at him…”
“Su Qingran, what nonsense are you talking? How could Brother Lu be that kind of person? It must be because Brother Lu didn’t want you anymore that you’re deliberately slandering him!”
Su Shuiqin couldn’t sit still when she saw everyone disparaging Lu Jingxuan.
Su Qingran looked at her innocently, “I don’t think I said anything just now—”
“Qingran, don’t mind her. She’s just jealous of your beauty!”
“Exactly! Su Shuiqin, you’re the one who loves kissing up to Lu Jingxuan. Don’t assume everyone is like you. A bug like Lu Jingxuan isn’t worthy of our Qingran at all!” Su Zhiqiu snorted coldly.
Su Dayan also looked at her disdainfully, “You’re no different from that Qiao Manxue. Knowing full well that Qingran and Lu Jingxuan are engaged, yet still chasing after him. How shameless!”