Lu Jingxuan was startled by Su Qingran’s gaze, but when he looked again, her expression had returned to normal. He thought he must have imagined it and curled his lips into a confident smile. “Qingran, I came to apologize.”
As he spoke, he pulled out the jade bracelet from his pocket. Su Qingran accepted it expressionlessly, though a closer look would reveal her slightly tense lips and shoulders trembling with suppressed emotion.
Seeing her take the bracelet, Lu Jingxuan unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was indeed wrong yesterday, but the situation was urgent. I thought you could hold on a bit longer, so I planned to check on you after calming down the agitated Comrade Qiao first. I truly didn’t think it through.”
“I know you’re angry, but our marriage isn’t a joke. How could you tell people our engagement is off?”
Su Qingran stuffed the bracelet into her pocket, turned around without a word, and fetched the freshly swept chicken droppings. Right in front of Lu Jingxuan, she added a ladle of water and stirred the mixture with a tree branch.
Lu Jingxuan’s face changed dramatically at the sight. He had a bad feeling but still believed Su Qingran wouldn’t actually go through with it. He stood his ground. “Qingran, you—”
“Splash—”
Su Qingran lifted the basin and threw its contents directly at Lu Jingxuan’s face. Chicken droppings mixed with filthy water poured into his mouth, drenching him completely in a “shower of chicken waste.”
Lu Jingxuan never expected Su Qingran to follow through. Leaning against the locust tree, he gagged repeatedly, trying to vomit out the chicken droppings he had inadvertently swallowed.
Now reeking from head to toe, Lu Jingxuan was so furious that veins bulged on his temples. “Su Qingran! Have you lost your mind?”
“Get out! Our engagement is off. We have nothing to do with each other now. If you ever come to my house again, I’ll splash you every time I see you! If you enjoy drinking it, I’ll come to your place daily and douse you with chicken droppings!”
“Su Qingran!!!”
Su Qingran then hurled the broom, dustpan, and everything else within reach at him. Erhu even passed her more items to throw. Pelted relentlessly, Lu Jingxuan cut a pathetic figure. Seething with anger but unable to retaliate, he could only slink away in disgrace.
“Erhu, well done!”
Shi Yunxiao and Xie Jin’an were returning to Su Xiaoyong’s house with meat freshly bought from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative when they happened to encounter Lu Jingxuan emerging disheveled from the Su family courtyard.
Shi Yunxiao instinctively glanced into the yard, catching only a glimpse of Su Qingran’s back as she entered the house.
“Shi Yingzhang, Xie Fu Yingzhang.” Lu Jingxuan’s expression was complicated upon seeing Shi Yunxiao. On one hand, he was grateful that Shi Yunxiao had saved Su Qingran’s life—the situation had been critical, and he truly hadn’t had time to act.
On the other hand, as Su Qingran’s fiancé, knowing that Shi Yunxiao had held her in his arms stirred a subtle sense of hostility.
Of course, this wasn’t to say he loved Su Qingran. But since she was destined to marry him, even if he had resolved to remain chaste for Xiaoxue and never touch her, she was still his woman. How improper was it for another man to have held her?
In Shi Yunxiao’s eyes, he probably seemed like a cuckold, didn’t he?
With these thoughts, Lu Jingxuan unconsciously stopped. “Shi Yingzhang, you saved Qingran. I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”
“Once spring arrives next year and Qingran and I marry, we’ll definitely invite you to the wedding banquet.”
“Polite.” Shi Yunxiao nodded faintly, his expression unreadable.
Xie Jin’an, standing nearby, spoke up instead: “Why did I hear from Aunt Zhao that Comrade Su’s engagement with you has been called off? Also, young Lu, those stains on your clothes… were they splashed by Comrade Su?”
Lu Jingxuan didn’t appear the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he curled his lips into a smile. “Qingran just enjoys throwing little tantrums. I made her angry this time, so it’s only right she vents at me. But our bond won’t break over something so trivial.”
“Is that so?” Xie Jin’an chuckled. “I actually think Comrade Su is quite furious this time. Young Lu, you really need to be more attentive. If you had saved Comrade Su yesterday and left Comrade Qiao for us to rescue, wouldn’t everything be fine?”
“Speaking of which, I find it rather strange. Why did you choose to save Comrade Qiao first back then?”
Lu Jingxuan’s face stiffened. “Qingran grew up in the countryside, not as delicate as Educated Youth Qiao. I thought… I thought she could hold on a bit longer.”
“So that’s how it is. Young Lu, you truly have a kind heart, risking your fiancée’s safety for someone you barely know.”
Lu Jingxuan’s expression turned unpleasant, but since both men before him were technically his superiors, he couldn’t afford to offend them. Muttering that he had matters to attend to, he hurried away.
“I thought he had more backbone than that. A few words and he can’t take it.” Xie Jin’an smirked in satisfaction.
“Why bother engaging with him like that?” Shi Yunxiao picked up his things and continued walking ahead.
“Wasn’t he the one being sarcastic first? Don’t tell me you didn’t sense his hostility toward you?” Xie Jin’an scoffed. “Hey, you don’t think he sees you as a love rival, do you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Shi Yunxiao paused briefly, uttering three soft words.
“How am I talking nonsense? Weren’t Lu Jingxuan’s words just now obvious enough? But do you think what he said is true? Will Comrade Su really forgive him?”
“Probably not. Someone like that…” Xie Jin’an hesitated, recalling what he’d overheard in the woods near Zhiqing Point last night. “Should we warn Comrade Su? What if she really gets deceived by Lu Jingxuan? That scoundrel’s face is somewhat decent, and isn’t that what these young women care about?”
Shi Yunxiao’s lips twitched slightly. “If you’re worried, you can remind her.”
“Hey, what do you mean ‘if I’m worried’?” Watching Shi Yunxiao’s retreating figure, Xie Jin’an muttered, “Why does this guy seem so strange…”
Whatever. He’d observe for now. After all, Su Xiaoyong’s funeral hadn’t been held yet, and they’d be staying in Su Family Village for a few more days. If Comrade Su truly fell for Lu Jingxuan’s deception, he’d definitely step in to help. Wasn’t he, after all, a good person always ready to assist others?
Night fell.
Qiao Manxue returned to Zhiqing Point with a grim expression. Although Su Qingran and Lu Jingxuan’s engagement was off, Lu Jingxuan still hadn’t agreed to marry her.
She didn’t want to take care of the Lu family’s elders and children, but if she could endure until Lu Jingxuan got promoted to battalion commander, she could join him as a military dependent. What could the Lu family do to her then?
She was the eldest daughter of the Qiao family—how could she be content being the other woman?
“Where did you just go?”
Lost in her thoughts, she was startled by someone speaking to her.
She glanced up, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. “Zhang Zhiqing, where I go is none of your business.”
Zhang Ping sneered coldly, “I saw you—just now in the woods behind Zhiqing Point…”
“Shut up!” Qiao Manxue was horrified and quickly retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting? I’m warning you, don’t slander me! I’ll report you if you’re not careful!”
“I haven’t even said anything yet, so why are you so worked up?” Zhang Ping scoffed derisively. “Could it be you have some shameful secret?”
Only then did Qiao Manxue realize that Zhang Ping was bluffing. She might have actually seen her coming out of the woods but hadn’t spotted her with Lu Jingxuan. Thinking this, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“What secret could I possibly have? You know I usually go to the woods to gather branches. Don’t forget, all the dry branches we use for firewood at Zhiqing Point are collected by me.” This was an excuse she had used before.
“Is that so?” Zhang Ping seemed somewhat skeptical, but Qiao Manxue was too clever, and she couldn’t pry out any more information.
“Of course.”
It seemed she would have to find a different place to meet Jingxuan from now on.
“Zhang Ping, why are you talking to her? You might catch capitalist tendencies, and that wouldn’t be good.”
At the doorway, a female Educated Youth winked at Zhang Ping and said, “Hurry over here.”
Zhang Ping cast a contemptuous glance at Qiao Manxue. “Got it, Sister Jiani. I have nothing to do with this capitalist young lady.”
Watching the other Educated Youth in Zhiqing Point—some mocking, some disdainful, some just watching for amusement—Qiao Manxue dug her nails fiercely into her palm. She felt a sharp pain, yet a faint smile appeared on her face. So what if she was a capitalist young lady?
One day, I’ll make all you lowly people kneel and apologize to me!
Su Residence.
Su Qingran, clutching the jade bracelet, hurried to the drawer and sat down. She took out a small knife and pricked her index finger.
A crimson bead of blood welled up and dripped onto the jade bracelet. The wound seemed inexplicably drawn to the bracelet, as a continuous stream of blood flowed toward it, creating a somewhat eerie sight.