“What?!”
Liu Wanwan suddenly stood up.
“My parents aren’t here, but I’m already carrying Heshan’s child. Isn’t it unfair for you to treat me like this?”
She looked at Zhou Heshan pitifully.
“Heshan, if people find out there’s no bride price, they’ll laugh at me!”
But Zhou Heshan didn’t say a word.
Yang Su glanced at her and calmly said while eating,
“Many military wives who move here don’t receive a bride price. You can go ask around.”
Then she added coldly,
“You’re already pregnant. If you still insist on a bride price, then marry someone else—not my son.”
She already disliked Liu Wanwan. After all, her actions had gotten her son suspended. And now she still had the nerve to demand money.
Liu Wanwan started crying and grabbed Zhou Heshan’s sleeve.
“Heshan, without a bride price, it’s like I’m giving myself away for free! And your mother is being so harsh. The baby I’m carrying is yours—you know that!”
Of course Zhou Heshan knew—but he couldn’t say that out loud.
Yang Su snorted. Zhou Zhenhai stayed silent.
After a long pause, Zhou Heshan finally said,
“We’re lucky enough to be together already, right?”
“Whether the money is with my parents or with us, it’s all the same—we’re family.”
“Stop making a scene. If you keep this up, the house will be in chaos again tonight.”
Liu Wanwan had no comeback. She swallowed her frustration.
Fine… no bride price then.
As long as she married him first, she could control his salary later.
She also comforted herself—Liu Qingyue’s marriage was rushed too, so she probably wouldn’t be valued much by her in-laws either.
Thinking this way made her feel a little better.
Yang Su finished eating and said coldly,
“Stop causing trouble. Letting you two get married is already my biggest concession. Just focus on having the baby.”
Then she walked off. Zhou Zhenhai followed.
Zhou Heshan sat quietly. Liu Wanwan cleaned up in silence.
Later in their room, she wanted to talk, but Zhou Heshan had already gone to bed after washing up.
They slept together that night—after all, they already had a child.
Liu Wanwan felt wronged, but she stayed rational.
Until they were officially married, nothing was guaranteed. If something happened to the baby, the marriage could fall apart.
She placed a hand on her stomach and thought:
Get the marriage certificate first.
Once that’s done, she could deal with her difficult mother-in-law later.
She had always thought an educated mother-in-law would be kind.
Now she knew better.
Meanwhile…
The next morning, Liu Qingyue woke up early.
She took out the bride price money from under her pillow and counted it again and again, just to be sure.
Then she held the envelope close to her chest.
Even after getting a second chance at life, Lu Fengting’s parents were still so kind to her.
Not only did they give her money, they also gave her family heirlooms—like bracelets—and planned to buy her more things like a sewing machine, furniture, and a watch.
In that era, a proper marriage often included money plus items like appliances and valuables.
She had wanted to refuse, but Xu Yunjie held her hand and said:
“My son isn’t just taking responsibility—he must like you too. I hope you two grow old together.”
“Accept these things as security for your future.”
Those words stayed in Liu Qingyue’s mind for a long time.
After thinking it through, she finally accepted everything and stepped out of her space.
For the past couple of days, Liu Qingyue had been sleeping inside her private space.
In the mornings, she would open the door to air out the house and let the smell fade.
The room didn’t smell much anymore, but since they were by the sea, the ocean breeze made everything feel fresh and cool.
She was starting to enjoy this kind of life.
Not long after she woke up, three military wives she had just met came to call for her.
Their names were:
Yang Hong
Zhao Yumei
Li Cui – the oldest
All three had already been living on the island for a while and were used to life there.
Yang Hong had the best life. She was educated, had finished high school, and used to work before moving here. Now she taught children on the island.
Li Cui had the hardest life. She had four kids back home, argued badly with her mother-in-law, and came here with her husband—but their relationship wasn’t good.
Zhao Yumei had a more average life, with two children and a job at the canteen.
The three women invited Liu Qingyue to go buy vegetables.
On the way, Li Cui said with a smile:
“Vegetables are freshest on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—because they’re shipped in by boat.”
Liu Qingyue praised her,
“Cui, you really know a lot!”
But Li Cui sighed.
“What’s the use of knowing this? My relationship with my husband is still bad… unlike them, I don’t even have a job.”
She was overwhelmed with raising four kids, especially with one still a toddler.
Liu Qingyue comforted her:
“Taking care of four kids is already amazing. You cook, clean, and take care of everything—that’s a huge contribution.”
Then she added thoughtfully:
“You should still take care of yourself too. Dress up a bit, be more confident. Your whole life doesn’t have to revolve around your husband.”
Li Cui didn’t fully understand at first, so Liu Qingyue explained, and the group chatted happily as they reached the market.
After buying fresh vegetables and heading back, they ran into Liu Wanwan again.
Wanwan had come with Wang Guihua.
As soon as Wang Guihua saw the fresh produce, she ran off, leaving Wanwan behind.
Wanwan was already annoyed—earlier, Wang Guihua had kept asking about her bride price, and she had no good answer.
When Wanwan looked up, she saw Liu Qingyue with the three women.
Her expression immediately darkened.
She still remembered how these same women had exposed her pregnancy before.
She blamed them for everything.
Yang Hong rolled her eyes and said:
“Look, it’s your ‘dear sister’ again. She’s not even two months pregnant—why is she already walking around like that?”
Liu Qingyue didn’t even want to engage. She turned to leave with the others.
But Wanwan suddenly blocked her path.
She lifted her chin proudly and said:
“Heshan and I are getting our marriage certificate in a few days.”
Then she leaned in and whispered near Liu Qingyue’s ear:
“You must feel terrible, right? Like I stole something from you?”
“Sister, nothing belongs to you. I can take anything from you.”
She smiled smugly after saying that.
Liu Qingyue clenched her fists in anger. She really wanted to hit her.
But Wanwan kept going:
“Don’t regret it. Even if you don’t like that deputy commander, at least he has money. That’s why you agreed to marry him, right?”
She kept talking nonstop.
Liu Qingyue took a deep breath… but her fists tightened even more.
Wanwan pushed further:
“Oh, so it’s about money? That deputy commander—”
Before she could finish—
SLAP!
Liu Qingyue slapped her hard across the face, then grabbed her clothes to stop her from falling and making a scene.