If it weren’t for that adulterous couple in her past life, her family wouldn’t have died tragically and unjustly!
Ultimately, it was her fault for misjudging people. She shouldn’t have stubbornly married Lu Jingxuan against her family’s advice!
She deserved her own miserable death, but her family members were all innocent!
Fortunately, heaven had given her another chance. This time, she would definitely make those two scumbags pay!
“Ranran, don’t cry. Later, Mother will make that Lu boy apologize to you and let you vent your anger properly.” Zhao Lanzhi felt heartache seeing her cry so pitifully.
Su Qingran held Zhao Lanzhi tightly, feeling her warm body, and her originally panicked heart gradually calmed down.
“Good Ranran.” A pair of rough hands landed on Su Qingran’s head. “You’ve been wronged.”
“Little sister, are you feeling unwell now?”
Hearing her family’s concerned words, Su Qingran’s eyes filled with tears. “Father, Eldest Brother, Second Brother…”
Su Hongshan’s gaze was full of concern. “Ranran, does your head still hurt?”
“Father, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Auntie, you’re finally awake!” Several nieces and nephews rushed in like a whirlwind. Si Ya tightly hugged her neck,
“Yaya will blow on it for Auntie. Blowing on it will make it stop hurting.”
A look of relief flashed across Zhao Lanzhi’s face as she hesitantly said, “Ranran, Mother thinks that Lu boy isn’t a good match. Maybe we should call off this engagement. What do you think?”
“That’s right, little sister! Lu Jingxuan is nothing but a beast. He’s completely unworthy of you!”
“Okay.”
“If you’re unwilling, it’s fine. Mother—huh?” Zhao Lanzhi belatedly realized. “Ranran, you agree?”
All the Su family members stared at her in unison, their faces showing surprise.
“Yes, I want to break off the engagement with him!” Su Qingran buried her head in Zhao Lanzhi’s embrace, her voice somewhat muffled.
Seeing this, Zhao Lanzhi thought she still couldn’t let go and sighed. “As someone who’s been through it, I can see clearly. That Lu boy doesn’t care about you at all. I don’t want you to suffer after marrying him.”
Su Qingran fiercely wiped her tears and declared solemnly, “Mother, I truly don’t like him anymore this time.”
“That’s good!” Although unclear why her daughter had suddenly changed her mind, it was ultimately a good thing!
“It’s great that little sister has come to her senses! That Lu Jingxuan didn’t rescue you but instead comforted another woman. A man like that is useless!”
Su Qingran sneered. She had exactly been reborn on the very day Qiao Manxue attempted to jump off a cliff.
A few days earlier, news of Qiao Manxue’s capitalist family background had spread like wildfire through the village. Although she had publicly severed ties with her family in the newspaper, she couldn’t escape the pointing fingers and gossip from those around her. Heartbroken, she decided to end her life by jumping off a cliff.
Su Qingran happened to witness this while gathering mushrooms in the mountains. She rushed forward and grabbed Qiao Manxue, refusing to let her jump no matter what.
But Qiao Manxue reacted violently and pushed Su Qingran onto a nearby rock.
At that moment, Lu Jingxuan, who had just returned from the military, happened to pass by. Astonishingly, instead of rescuing his unconscious fiancée, he held the ‘stranger’ capitalist daughter in his arms, comforting her softly.
His expression and gaze were so intimate that anyone who didn’t know would think the woman in his arms was his real fiancée!
If it weren’t for the soldier accompanying Lu Jingxuan who took Su Qingran to the medical clinic, she would likely have died.
In her previous life, she had nearly broken off the engagement with Lu Jingxuan over this incident. If not for Lu Jingxuan later humbly apologizing, explaining that the situation was urgent—Qiao Manxue was determined to die, and as a soldier, he was desperate to save her, thus failing to notice that she had fainted.
The elders of the Lu family also came to plead on Lu Jingxuan’s behalf, asking her to forgive him for the sake of their childhood friendship.
Before joining the army, Lu Jingxuan had indeed treated her well, so in a moment of soft-heartedness, she forgave him.
She never stopped to wonder why she had suddenly witnessed Qiao Manxue attempting to jump off a cliff, or why Lu Jingxuan had “accidentally” stumbled upon that scene.
It was only later, when Qiao Manxue came to the hospital to flaunt her victory and inadvertently let slip the truth, that she realized she had been nothing but a stepping stone for their illicit affair from start to finish.
Recalling her past foolishness, Su Qingran wished she could slap herself to death.
“That Lu Jingxuan is nothing but a beast. With my little sister’s qualities, what kind of match couldn’t she find?” Her second brother, Su Junze, chuckled. “My little sister is the renowned beauty of the entire region! If she hadn’t been engaged to the Lu family early on, our doorstep would have been worn out by suitors long ago!”
“Exactly, exactly.” Zhao Lanzhi felt a wave of relief. “Second Brother is right. We’ll go and break off the engagement later! Once it’s done, Mother will find you a young man even more handsome than Lu Jingxuan. I won’t let our Ranran suffer any injustice!”
“Okay.” Tears welled up in Su Qingran’s eyes.
Beside her, Si Ya clung tightly to Su Qingran’s neck. “Can’t Auntie just not get married? When Si Ya grows up, I’ll earn money to take care of Auntie.”
Hearing her innocent words, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
Since being admitted to the hospital, Su Qingran hadn’t heard her family’s voices until now. The joy of regaining what was lost stirred an urge to cry in her.
Before long, Zhao Lanzhi brought over a bowl of brown sugar and eggs.
She smiled warmly. “Weren’t you clamoring for this yesterday? Today, I cooked two eggs for you. Eat them quickly before they get cold and lose their flavor.”
“Thank you, Mother!”
Zhao Lanzhi gently stroked her cheek. “Silly child, why be so polite with your mother?”
Su Qingran took small, careful bites of the eggs. Halfway through, a commotion arose outside.
“Who’s come to our house?”
Zhao Lanzhi listened intently for a moment, and her face darkened considerably.
“Mother, who is it?” Su Qingran asked, though she already knew the answer.
“The Lu family.” Zhao Lanzhi’s expression was grim. “Dahu, Erhu, go to the fields and call everyone back. Tell them the Lu family has come.”
It was currently work hours. Her father and siblings had gone to the fields after seeing she was awake, leaving only Zhao Lanzhi and a few nieces and nephews at home with her.
Su Dahu nodded. “Understood, Grandma!”
Dahu, Erhu, and San Ya hurried off. Si Ya, being too young to run fast, stayed behind.
“In-laws! In-laws, are you home?”
“We just heard Qingran hit her head, so we dropped everything to come see her!”
The sight of them turned Zhao Lanzhi’s stomach, but thinking of the need to break off the engagement, she steeled herself and opened the door.
Each member of the Lu family carried something—a few eggs, a bag of mixed flour, and a packet of brown sugar.
Su Qingran glanced over and immediately spotted the most conspicuous figure. A flash of hatred crossed her eyes.
At twenty, Lu Jingxuan was far more youthful and inexperienced than the forty-year-old version of himself. He was merely a young man in his early twenties, lacking the steadiness of Commander Lu.
Su Qingran’s hands were clenched tightly together. She wished she could rush forward right now and cut Lu Jingxuan down with her own hands to vent the hatred in her heart!
She tried to take deep breaths, struggling to calm the intense resentment filling her chest.
Lu Jingxuan glanced at her in confusion. Why did he feel Su Qingran seemed different today?
In the past, whenever he appeared, she would eagerly approach him, tugging at his sleeves while chattering endlessly.
As soon as Lu’s mother Li Lan saw Su Qingran, she rushed over to hold her hand, her face full of concern. “Xiao Ran, you’re still bandaged! What did the doctor say? Are there any lasting effects?”Lu Jingxuan’s younger sister Lu Yunxi also came closer, sitting concernedly on the edge of her bed.” “Sister Qingran, how are you feeling now?”
Her eyes drifted to the unfinished egg in the bowl, and she unconsciously swallowed.
Seeing these familiar faces, Su Qingran’s hatred spread through her chest like spilled ink, rapidly consuming her entire being.
Although the Lu family might not have initially known about Qiao Manxue and Lu Jingxuan’s illicit affair and their child Lu Qin, their attitude toward Lu Qin changed dramatically in his second year living with them. Not only did they find various ways to nourish him daily, but Mother Lu even coddled him like a treasure—clearly, they had discovered the truth by then!
Yet no one had ever told her the truth!
Moreover, after Lu Jingxuan achieved success and prosperity, they completely changed their tune. Her once-kind mother-in-law became excessively critical, and Lu Yunxi, whom she had considered as close as a sister, revealed her true colors. In her previous life, she had truly experienced the fickleness of human relationships.
Su Qingran subtly withdrew her hand from Li Lan’s grasp. “I’m fine now.”
Li Lan’s smile stiffened, and she forced out two dry laughs. “That’s good, that’s good.”
“You bullied my aunt! You’re not a good person!” Si Ya suddenly jumped down from the stool, ran up to Lu Jingxuan, and began pounding his thigh with her small fists.
“Si Ya, what are you doing? Come here!” Zhao Lanzhi said this, but inwardly she was overjoyed.
This little girl Si Ya—Qingran really hadn’t doted on her in vain. She already knew how to stand up for her aunt.