Meng Li stood in place, the smile still hanging on her face, temporarily failing to react.
Before coming over, she had completely never expected Ji Yunshu to have this kind of attitude. The Ji Yunshu in the original book had liked He Jianjun so much, throwing tantrums and rolling on the ground refusing to divorce no matter what, making the entire compound know what kind of clingy piece of trash Ji Yunshu was, despised by everyone. Hearing her words, Ji Yunshu would certainly have argued with her; she had even thought out how to handle it—how to cry, how to express her grievances—going through every single sentence in her mind several times.
Yet Ji Yunshu had actually said “sure.”
Just standing there, her tone completely flat and calm, as if what she yielded was not a man, but something Ji Yunshu didn’t care about in the slightest.
Was this still that troublesome female supporting character Ji Yunshu from the original book who clung relentlessly to the male lead, He Jianjun?
The smile on Meng Li’s face could no longer hold up. She stared at Ji Yunshu for a few seconds, squeezing out a sentence from between her teeth: “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.” Ji Yunshu didn’t look at her, lowering her head to continue folding clothes, her voice very calm. “I will go find He Jianjun tomorrow to break off the engagement. If you want to marry him, you marry him; it has nothing to do with me.”
Meng Li’s chest felt stifled and uncomfortable. Opening her mouth to say some harsh words, her lips trembled twice, only managing to squeeze out one sentence: “Don’t you regret it.”
Ji Yunshu didn’t raise her head, nor did she respond.
Meng Li turned around and left. Her hand gripped the doorknob and yanked hard; the door panel struck the doorframe with a dull thud.
Returning to her own room—the guest room He Qiuxia had cleaned up for her—she closed the door and leaned her back against the door panel, her chest still heaving violently.
Why did Ji Yunshu have this kind of reaction?
She had originally thought Ji Yunshu would cry, throw a fit, and say she was shameless for stealing someone else’s fiancé. That way, she could naturally burst into tears and say aggrievedly, “I just want back what belongs to me,” letting He Qiuxia see how Ji Yunshu bullied her.
Yet Ji Yunshu had said nothing and simply agreed, as if He Jianjun was some worthless object thrown away at will.
Meng Li gritted her teeth tightly, her nails digging into her palms.
Fine. You’re acting tough now; wait until later when you’ll get what’s coming to you.
The Meng family in the original book didn’t have an easy time, and anyway, Ji Yunshu was now nominally a capitalist’s young lady. Once the Great Movement begins, without the protection of the He family, just you wait!
Meng Li took a deep breath, walked to the bedside to sit down, the fire in her heart still surging up wave after wave.
She recalled the events of a few days ago again.
The first time Wang Wanru met Ji Yunshu, she had stuffed a lot of money into her hand. That purse was something Wang Wanru always kept on her person; she didn’t know how much money was inside, but that purse was bulging, easily amounting to several dozen yuan.
Giving her so much money at the very first meeting—the Meng family was indeed generous. When she wanted to come to Beijing, they insisted on following, as if afraid she would run away, and even talked about dividing the family property equally among the three children? How truly laughable! Who didn’t know that when the eldest Meng brother got married he took away many good things, and what remained in the Meng family now were just useless porcelain and hanging paintings? When the Great Movement arrives, all those porcelain items will be smashed to pieces; what bloody use is keeping them?
The money Wang Wanru gave Ji Yunshu in one go was probably enough for her to spend half a month in Suzhou; Meng Li’s teeth itch with hatred. If Ji Yunshu returned to the Meng family, who knew how much money Wang Wanru would give her? Was the Meng family’s property not ultimately decided by Wang Wanru and Meng Guangze? Talking about equal division, she hadn’t seen them give her much gold or silver jewelry, had she? Yet the gold and silver given to the eldest Meng brother’s wife were plenty!
Lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, Meng Li’s eyes felt terribly sore.
No, she couldn’t think like this. She was about to return to the Ji family soon; the Ji family had a good family background, Ji Haiguo was a major general, and He Qiuxia was a chief’s wife—a hundred times better than the Meng family’s capitalist background. Once she married He Jianjun, He Jianjun was going to become a high-ranking official in the future, and she would be an official’s wife; what was Ji Yunshu? A capitalist’s young lady, dragged out for struggle sessions sooner or later.
She rolled over, pulled the quilt over her head, and forced herself to stop thinking.
Early the next morning, when Ji Yunshu woke up, He Qiuxia was already busy in the kitchen.
After washing up, Ji Yunshu walked into the kitchen and stood behind He Qiuxia, calculating in her mind how she should speak to He Qiuxia.
He Qiuxia looked back at her: “What’s wrong?”
“Mom,” Ji Yunshu felt it was better to be direct, “I want to break off the engagement with He Jianjun.”
The spoon in He Qiuxia’s hand fell into the pot, splashing out a few drops of rice soup. She hastily turned off the stove and turned around to look at Ji Yunshu, “What did you say?”
“I don’t intend to marry He Jianjun.” Ji Yunshu leaned against the doorframe, her tone quite calm. “I want freedom of choice in love, and don’t want to be bound by an engagement.”
He Qiuxia gestured to pull her closer: “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious,” Ji Yunshu said. “He Jianjun’s mom doesn’t like me; you also heard it yesterday. Marrying over there definitely won’t bring anything good, being disdained by people every day—what am I after?”
He Qiuxia was left temporarily speechless by her words.
Ji Yunshu added: “Besides, this engagement wasn’t originally mine to begin with. Yesterday evening Meng Li came to find me, saying she is the real biological daughter of the Ji family, and the person He Jianjun should marry ought to be her.”
He Qiuxia’s expression changed instantly. Wiping her hands, she walked out of the kitchen and knocked on Meng Li’s room door, “Li’er, come out for a moment.”
Meng Li came out very quickly, her hair already combed, neatly dressed, with a obedient smile on her face: “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Looking at her, He Qiuxia’s voice was relatively peaceful: “Did you go find Yunshu yesterday evening? What did you say to her?”
Meng Li froze for a moment, the smile on her face stiffening for a second. She took a swift glance at Ji Yunshu, her eye sockets suddenly turning red.
“Mom, I… I did say a few words to Sister, but I didn’t mean that…” Her voice began to tremble, tears welling up in her eyes, “I just feel that I am the Ji family’s daughter, and the person He Jianjun should marry ought to be the Ji family’s daughter—this is a very normal thing, right? I talked to Sister, and she also said okay, saying she would yield the engagement to me… Mom, I really didn’t force Sister, I just felt this was more suitable…”
As Meng Li spoke, her tears fell down, her voice growing smaller and smaller: “How could Sister think of me like this… I never thought about stealing her things…”
Watching her cry, He Qiuxia’s brows furrowed, but she didn’t speak.
Ji Yunting had stood at the top of the stairs at some unknown point, listening to most of the conversation just now. He walked over, leaned against the doorframe, and shoved both hands into his trousers pockets.
“I raise both hands and feet in approval,” Ji Yunting said leisurely. “That mother of He Jianjun’s clearly isn’t easy to get along with; it’d be a miracle if Yunshu didn’t suffer grievances after marrying over there.”
He Qiuxia glared at him: “You say less.”
“I’m telling the truth,” Ji Yunting refused to back down. “Mom, think about it: the words she spoke the day before yesterday were probing you. If you relented, who knows how she would mistreat Yunshu after the marriage? Don’t you think that makes sense?”
Told this by him, He Qiuxia’s expression became even more unsightly. She fell silent for a moment, then turned her head to look at Ji Yunshu, “Yunshu, tell Mom the truth: do you like He Jianjun or not?”
Ji Yunshu froze for a moment, not expecting He Qiuxia to ask this.
“Or, do you have someone you like?” He Qiuxia pulled her hand, her tone softening down, “It would be great if you could stay in the compound; finding someone whose background is thoroughly known would give Mom peace of mind too. If you really are unwilling to be with He Jianjun, Mom won’t force you, but Mom has to worry about your lifelong event.”
Ji Yunshu had zero hesitation: “I want to break off the engagement. Little Sister is right—this engagement wasn’t mine to begin with, and I don’t like He Jianjun either. I want to find someone I like.”
“Alright, then Mom will take you to break off the engagement this afternoon.” He Qiuxia let out a sigh and asked no further.
In the afternoon, He Qiuxia took Ji Yunshu to the He family home.
Mother He opened the door, still smiling upon seeing Ji Yunshu; once He Qiuxia stated their purpose, her face instantly fell.
“Break off the engagement?” Mother He’s voice raised an octave. “Sister He, what do you mean by this? How does our family’s Jianjun fail to measure up to your family’s Yunshu?”
He Qiuxia exercised patience and said: “Sister Liu, it’s not a matter of measuring up or not. In matters regarding the children, let them make their own decisions. Nowadays the country doesn’t advocate arranged marriages anymore; Yunshu wants freedom of choice in love, and we as adults shouldn’t block it either.”
Mother He was so angry her face turned red, but with He Qiuxia putting it in these terms, it wasn’t easy for her to act throwing tantrums either. In the end, she turned her face away and squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth: “Fine, break it off then. Our Jianjun has no shortage of finding good ones.”
He Qiuxia left taking Ji Yunshu along.
Slamming the door, Mother He stood behind the door fuming for quite a long time. The more she thought, the angrier she got: how outstanding her son was—the most promising among the younger generation in the compound—yet he actually got his engagement broken off? Was this not slapping her in the face?
That very evening, Mother He went out. She first went to sit at Auntie Li’s house next door for a while, then went to Grandma Wang’s house across the street, and early the next morning went to Big Sister Zhao’s house at the entrance of the alley.
The words she spoke reached Ji Yunshu’s ears in round-about ways.
“That Ji Yunshu—her biological parents are capitalists in Suzhou, with a very bad family background. Her biological parents didn’t even dare to show their faces in our compound; the moment they show their faces they’d be driven out!”
“The Ji family’s real daughter has come knocking on the door, yet she still clings to the Ji family refusing to leave—what thick skin.”
“Our family’s Jianjun broke off the engagement with her. That’s not us disdaining her; it’s her being unworthy of our Jianjun. A capitalist’s young lady wanting to marry into a genuine military family? Keep dreaming.”
“Occupying the position of the Ji family’s daughter for nineteen years, occupying the Ji family daughter’s engagement—now that the real daughter is back, she still hogs it without letting go. What is this called? This is called occupying the latrine without taking a dump.”
These words spread very quickly in the courtyard.
Walking on the road, those gazes on Ji Yunshu changed again. Before it was curiosity and scrutiny; now a few degrees of contempt and an intention of watching a joke were added.
People were whispering behind her back, their voices neither loud nor small, just enough for her to hear.
“Is that her? The capitalist’s young lady.”
“Isn’t it just her? Occupied the real daughter’s position for nineteen years—how truly shameless.”
“I heard her engagement was broken off too; serves her right.”
“With a family background like hers, who would dare to marry her in the future! Just watch; she surely won’t stay in the Ji family clinging shamelessly for a lifetime!”
Ji Yunshu knew who had spread these words. With Mother He’s petty, vindictive character, it would be a wonder if she really did nothing.
She also knew those few people discussing her—they were nothing more than useless trash who previously had worse grades than her during high school, and developed hatred after wanting to marry her and being rejected by her.
“Nowadays the country advocates freedom of choice in love, and arranged marriages were banned long ago. My taking the initiative to break off the engagement aligns with national policies; what, do you think national policies are wrong?” Ji Yunshu was not the kind of person who would endure and yield. Turning her head, she glared at those few gossiping men and women, just about to go up and argue with them.
Before she had the chance to walk over in front of those few people, a burst of steady footsteps suddenly resounded from behind her.
“You few are quite free, aren’t you?” A familiar voice sounded behind her, not loud in volume, but carrying an indescribable chilliness. Those few people raised their eyes to look, and their expressions all changed.
Pei Yufeng wore a white naval military uniform, the military ranks on his shoulders reflecting light under the sun; by the looks of it, he had just returned from running an errand outside. Standing there with no expression on his face, his cold, sharp gaze swept across the faces of those few people one by one.
“The military compound is not a vegetable market. What words can’t be spoken face to face that you must gossip behind people’s backs?” Pei Yufeng called out the names of these people one by one, “Li Jiu, Wang Jianshe, Zhang Feng… You are smearing the names of your outstanding military parents! When did the military compound become a place for fabricating rumors and starting trouble?”
Having spent years at sea and participating in major battles multiple times, Pei Yufeng’s character had long been tempered like steel scorched repeatedly by fierce fire, possessing a steadiness that made people dare not look directly.
The Pei family was the least to be provoked in the military compound. Everyone knew the Pei family was full of loyal martyrs, but even so, the Pei family’s old lady and only son remained low-key, never having disputes with anyone. So if anyone made Pei Yufeng angry, that was insulting the orphan of martyrs, subject to being spurned by the entire compound.
Seeing Pei Yufeng standing up for Ji Yunshu, those few people shrank their necks. A young man who had been gossiping most enthusiastically just now spoke stammeringly: “Brother Pei, we were just chatting casually…”
“Chatting casually?” Pei Yufeng took two steps forward. Being tall, standing right there pressed down on people. “The words you spoke—if spread out, what’s affected is the Ji family’s reputation, the military’s reputation. Who gave you the courage to pull this stuff in the compound?”
The several people looked at each other, none daring to utter a sound.
“Apologize.” Pei Yufeng raised his hand. “Do I still need to teach you?”
“Sorry, Sister Yunshu, our mouths didn’t have a lid…”
“Yes, yes, yes, we didn’t do it on purpose, it was all that old woman from the He family spreading it everywhere…”
“Definitely won’t happen next time…”
“I don’t accept it!” Ji Yunshu let out a cold laugh. “If you have anything to say, go repent to your parents. They never taught you to gossip behind people’s backs.”
Looking at Ji Yunshu holding her head high like a proud swan, Pei Yufeng truly couldn’t move his eyes away. But very quickly, feeling that this gaze was too offensive, he gently shifted his sight away slightly.
“Brother Pei, thank you. Let’s go.” Ji Yunshu turned around, giving him a bright, radiant smile.
Pei Yufeng only felt his breathing almost stop. Lowering his voice, he coaxed softly: “Grandma said she missed you and asked you to come sit at home.”