After passing through two streets, a dust-covered signboard came into view. The words “Su Family Medical Hall” on it had long since faded.
The lock on the door had already been opened.
Su Wantang had barely reached the doorstep when she ran head-on into Su Zhichen, who was coming out from inside.
“Dad.”
“Tangtang?”
The next second, Su Wantang was pulled into the house. Su Zhichen glanced around outside, confirmed no one had seen them, and then closed the door.
“Dad?”
“Tangtang, this is for you.”
“Even though our family’s property has been confiscated, we still have some private savings. Take this box and keep it safe. Life in the countryside won’t be easy—take good care of yourself.”
The wooden box was heavy. Su Wantang nearly dropped it and crushed her foot.
In her previous life, she had never received any wooden box. She figured Song Wanying must have taken it and given it to Liu Cuicui.
“Dad, divorce Mom.” Su Wantang’s words were shocking.
This was an idea Su Wantang had suddenly thought of.
Su Zhichen had always been in good health—how could he possibly die a miserable death after just one year in the Northwest?
She guessed it was probably related to that woman, Song Wanying.
“What?”
“Dad, Mom is only suffering because of us. Otherwise, why would a farmer’s daughter have to endure all this hardship?”
Seeing the pain flicker in Su Zhichen’s eyes, Su Wantang added more fuel to the fire.
“Dad, the environment in the Northwest is so harsh. How could Mom endure it? Besides, Dad, are you willing to let Mom be exposed to wind and sun, exhausted by heavy farm work until she can’t straighten her back?”
He wasn’t willing.
“Dad, get a divorce. Once you divorce, Mom won’t have to go to the Northwest and suffer.”
“Alright.”
Even after Su Zhichen wrote the letter of divorce and issued the newspaper announcement, he was still a bit dazed—how had he come out for one trip and ended up divorced from Wanying?
But Tangtang was right. They were father and daughter, destined to be inseparable from this fate, while Wanying was not…
Though Su Zhichen’s heart ached, he ultimately couldn’t bear to let Song Wanying follow him to the Northwest to suffer.
Looking at the newspaper announcement, Su Wantang felt somewhat relieved. The marriage certificate system hadn’t been implemented yet, so getting divorced was this easy.
“Dad.”
Su Zhichen turned his head and met Su Wantang’s apologetic gaze. Before he closed his eyes, he heard a “I’m sorry.”
Clang… clang…
Two green passenger trains swayed forward on the tracks. At the turning point, one veered west, the other headed north.
Inside the carriage, a wave of heat mixed with the smell of sweat, chicken droppings, and smelly feet rushed over. People were packed like sardines in the aisle, with large and small luggage piled up everywhere. Most wore blue-black clothes—the men all had short buzz cuts, and the women either had two thick braids or neat ear-length hair. But without exception, they all looked spirited and full of vitality.
Su Wantang sat in the same hard seat as in her previous life, her expression somewhat dazed.
In this life, everything was different.
Dad had been sent to the Northwest ahead of schedule, thanks to her bribing the staff at the street office.
And as for Song Wanying and her daughter, who had their own schemes…
A cold smile curled at the corner of Su Wantang’s lips.
“Cuicui, here’s 500 yuan. Keep it safe.”
Song Wanying pulled a stack of bills from the Hermès bag that Su Zhichen had gone to great lengths to buy for her.
“500 yuan?” Liu Cuicui pouted. “That’s so little?”
Previously, her monthly allowance alone was 300 yuan.
Moreover, in her previous life, there had been a wooden box.
It contained 2,000 yuan in cash, over a dozen land deeds, and half a box of gold, silver, and jewelry.
Song Wanying would have thought even 10 yuan too much to give Su Wantang, but 500 yuan being looked down upon by Liu Cuicui made her feel like she was shortchanging her daughter.
But things had happened suddenly, and she was used to spending lavishly—she hadn’t saved any money.
Song Wanying comforted her: “Cuicui, don’t worry. Once your aunt’s husband comes back, I’ll ask him for more.”
Given how much Su Zhichen doted on that little wretch Su Wantang, he must have kept something in reserve.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have so easily agreed to let that little wretch Su Wantang marry a mud-footed peasant like Huo Jun.
But now… her poor Cuicui was the one suffering.
She would just use this to compensate Cuicui.
Liu Cuicui was satisfied, as if she could already see the wooden box in her hands.
She clutched the money and said sweetly, “Thanks, Mom. I knew you loved me the most.”
Song Wanying pulled her into a hug and chided affectionately, “Silly child.”
Bang.
The tender moment was rudely interrupted by a door kicked open.
Seeing five or six men with armbands rushing in, the two were startled.
Song Wanying instinctively shielded Liu Cuicui behind her.
“Who are you? How dare you break into someone’s home?”
“We received a report from concerned citizens. Song Wanying, former wife of Su Zhichen—”
“Former wife?” Song Wanying’s eyes widened, her voice shrill and piercing.
“Impossible! You must have made a mistake! Su Zhichen and I are not divorced!”
She had agreed with Wang Meng that once she went to the Northwest and tricked Su Zhichen into revealing his ancestral medicinal formula, Wang Meng would find a way to get her back, and then the two of them would marry.
That was also the reason Song Wanying hadn’t divorced.
Because of this, Su Zhichen had been deeply moved. Song Wanying believed that once they reached the Northwest, it wouldn’t take long before she could coax the information out of Su Zhichen.
“What’s all the noise about?” the newcomer bellowed, slapping a newspaper announcement into Song Wanying’s face.
“After being divorced, Song Wanying refused to give up the comfortable life of a capitalist, insisting on staying at the Su residence. Her thinking and conduct have serious problems. It has been decided at the higher levels that she will be paraded through the streets as a public example.”
“Men, take her away.”
Song Wanying shrieked in panic: “I want to see your director!”
But no one paid her any mind.
Liu Cuicui suddenly screamed: “Why are you grabbing me? I’m not Song Wanying—she is! I have nothing to do with Song Wanying!”
Three sentences that struck ice into Song Wanying’s heart.
“We know. You’re Liu Cuicui. Your family signed you up for the Educated Youth program to go to the countryside. The Su residence is sealed as of today. You’ll come with us, spend the night at the Educated Youth office, and board the train tomorrow morning.”
“What? I didn’t sign up for that!” Liu Cuicui shrieked.
Song Wanying said, “Wrong, wrong—our Cuicui is getting married. She hasn’t signed up for anything.”
The officers, annoyed by their racket, simply gagged them and dragged them away.
In the struggle, the five hundred yuan fell out. The men exchanged glances, said a few sanctimonious words, then pocketed the money and split it among themselves.
Withdrawing her gaze from the Su residence, Su Wantang furrowed her brows.
The Lu family…
Military district, Political Commissar’s office.
A middle-aged man in uniform slammed the table and stood up, glaring at the young man sitting across from him—legs crossed, muscles straining against his short sleeves, practically radiating testosterone.
Looking closely, their features bore a five or six out of ten resemblance. Judging by age, they were clearly father and son.
“Lu Huaian!”
“Here!”
The young man uncrossed his legs, stood up, and snapped into a perfect military stance.
Standing, he was actually half a head taller than Lu Yuanyang, who was already 1.8 meters. The fierce momentum Lu Yuanyang had been building instantly deflated.
His mouth twitched uncontrollably as he plopped back down onto the stool.
“Her grandfather saved your grandfather’s life. It was also your grandfather who requested this engagement. Now that her family has fallen on hard times and she’s come to us, you must marry her and take responsibility for her!”
“Whoever agreed to it can marry her!”
“Lu Huaian!” Lu Yuanyang’s eyelids twitched violently.
This brat dared to switch grandmothers, but he wouldn’t dare switch his own mother.
“Don’t give me any of your nonsense. If you’ve got the guts, go talk to the old man yourself.”
“Fine!”
“The train arrives at five this afternoon. Go pick her up—” Mid-sentence, Lu Yuanyang belatedly realized something was off. “What did you say?”
“I won’t marry her!”
“And I won’t go pick her up!”
“I’m going back to the old residence tonight!”
Leaving those three sentences crisply behind, Lu Huaian picked up the green military cap he’d placed on the desk when he came in, put it on, pulled open the door handle, and turned to leave.
“Battalion Commander Lu.” The door had barely cracked open when he came face to face with Liu Hu, grinning ear to ear.
The next second, Lu Yuanyang’s roar came from behind.
“Stop right there!”
“Lu Huaian, are you trying to kill your grandfather?!”
Bang.
The door slammed shut with a loud thud.
This time it closed properly, muffling the voices inside. Liu Hu couldn’t eavesdrop this time.
Five minutes later, Lu Huaian walked out looking thoroughly displeased.
“Let’s go.”
“Battalion Commander Lu, where to?”
“The train station.”
Liu Hu said excitedly: “Battalion Commander Lu, are we picking up the sister-in-law?”
“Shut up and drive.”
The green passenger train slowly pulled into the platform, its sharp whistle piercing the sky.
Su Wantang, who had appeared to have her eyes closed but was actually inside the Spatial Dimension consolidating her medical skills, opened her eyes. She grabbed the luggage on her lap, ready to get off.
She didn’t dare wait. The capital wasn’t the terminal station—if she was too late, 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 door.
By the time she got out, her pretty floral dress had been squeezed out of shape, and her two thick braids had become frizzy. But her excessively pale face lent her a kind of disheveled beauty amid the disarray.
Su Wantang scanned her surroundings, but didn’t see any sign with her name on it.
Her heart sank.
Before boarding the train, she’d used the phone number Su Zhichen had given her to call Lu Huaian’s father. He’d said he would send someone to pick her up.
Had they been delayed on the way? Or were they deliberately snubbing her, trying to intimidate her?
Su Wantang pondered this, clutching a bundle wrapped in old cloth containing a few unremarkable dacron shirts she’d bought at the department store before leaving. She slowly made her way out with the crowd.
Meanwhile, Lu Huaian and Liu Hu had just parked at the station entrance.
Having been silent the whole ride, Liu Hu couldn’t hold it in the moment he got out of the car.
“Battalion Commander Lu, what does the sister-in-law look like? Is she pretty?”
“One nose, two eyes.”
Hearing this, Liu Hu finally sensed something was off.
“Battalion Commander Lu, I know free love is all the rage now, but arranged marriages aren’t necessarily bad. Old Zhang—before he went home, he was dead set against marrying, but after one trip back, he’s in the dorm every day bragging about how beautiful his wife is, how great she is in every way.”
The two men, tall and imposing in their eye-catching green uniforms, caught Su Wantang’s attention the moment she looked around.
Though there was no sign with her name, her intuition told her they were the ones.
She slowly walked toward them.
When she was still two or three meters away from them, she looked at the man who was about one meter ninety-something tall, with wheat-colored skin, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, chiseled features, looking somewhat fierce, yet possessing a very handsome face, as he spoke.