When the shiny, aromatic braised pork and the hefty, fatty braised pork hock were placed in front of Ruan An’an, she felt as if her soul was being lured away by the smell of the meat.
She swallowed hard, struggling to calm the stirrings in her throat, and her large, uneasy eyes turned to ***. “Commissar… this… this is far too extravagant, I… I really can’t…”
“Extravagant?” *** waved his hand dismissively, his military bearing leaving no room for argument. “Eat! You must finish it all! Your health is the foundation of the revolution!”
Ruan An’an’s heart leapt with joy. “Then… I won’t hold back!”
She never expected that the idle chatter from the neighborhood women while picking vegetables would lead to her enjoying such a precious treat in this era—a huge, pure meat pork hock!
In the 1970s, real meat like this was rare—many families wouldn’t even dare to prepare this much for the New Year. Meat rations were worth more than gold.
The women’s gossip wasn’t entirely without reason.
Ever since Xu Yancheng’s younger brother, Xu Yanli, got involved with Ruan An’an, Xu’s mother, Li Ying, had her nose in the air, openly and subtly looking down on the old neighborhood folks as “bumpkins” and “lowly people.”
Luo Guifen, who had built the pigpen behind her house, had some sense of petty revenge in mind.
As Mrs. Liu bluntly put it: “Hmph, all peasants by birth, dressing up in durable cloth and acting like immortals? Stop showing off!”
The neighbors hated people who forgot their roots and strutted around every day, and Xu’s mother naturally became the target of their scorn.
After a day of feasting like kings in the military district, *** brought news: a response from Nansha Island.
Ruan An’an ran over eagerly—and saw it was… a marriage application receipt???
She knew Xu Yancheng was alive, so she had peace of mind.
But receiving this document left her completely baffled.
Hadn’t the original Ruan An’an sent a telegram to cancel the engagement?
Even if Xu Yancheng, out of old feelings, didn’t hold her “pretend military wife” accountable, this reaction seemed unexpected.
Had the telegram not been received?
Or… was Su Qingyue an accident, and the original An’an actually his true love?
No, the book clearly stated that ten years after the original An’an’s death, Xu Yancheng risked his life to save Su Qingyue!
Someone willing to stake their life—could they really have no feelings?
But if he really had feelings, what did sending this marriage application mean?
Could it be… to anger Su Qingyue, to punish her for scheming with Xu Yanli, by using me as a pawn? A form of revenge?
If that were the case… Ruan An’an’s heart thumped nervously. Should she still go with the military? Going could be like walking into a firing squad.
“Comrade Ruan An’an, congratulations! You’re now officially a military spouse!”
***’s face was glowing with joy, happier than if he were getting married himself. “Get ready, we’re going to demand justice!”
“Demand justice?” Ruan An’an blinked her innocent, wide eyes, her beautiful face showing a perfectly balanced mix of confusion.
“You’ll see when we get there!” *** picked up a fountain pen and signed a document in bold, sweeping strokes. Ruan An’an obediently followed him out, her peripheral vision catching the header of the document—[Public Security and Militia Assisted Arrest Notice]!
Her heart leapt, and her steps grew lighter.
Arrest them! Xu family mother and son—your comeuppance has arrived!
Ruan An’an didn’t really have any belongings at the guesthouse, just some ration tickets, fabric coupons, oil tickets, and…
Two large pork hocks she hadn’t finished, wrapped in oil paper!
Holding the paper-wrapped meat, she planned that before leaving Haishi, she would use the dozen jars of “Lingquan pickles” in her space to properly repay the kind neighbors.
She hoped that these slightly magical pickles could help them get through the hard years ahead.
……
Early in the morning, Mrs. Liu and Luo Guifen received word and put on their best outfits from the bottom of the wardrobe, standing by the street with straight backs, unable to hide their excitement and sense of vindication—
Especially Luo Guifen, her chin lifted so high it could poke the sky.
The “big shot” from two days ago sent a message through someone, and today they were expected to “testify.” The last time, each witness earned ten yuan! Ten yuan! She, an old widow, couldn’t have saved that much in a year!
But the “big shot” didn’t show up—what they saw first were the three Xu family members just released from scrutiny.
And at this moment, their appearance was worse than beggars!
Xu’s mother, Li Ying, wore the “Durable Cloth” shirt she had been so proud of, now wrinkled like dried pickles. Her hair was messy and gray, as if she had aged ten years overnight. The most shocking detail was her earlobes—one had a jagged cut, black scabs, and the gold earrings she always flaunted were missing.
She looked as if her bones had been removed, supported only by the people beside her.
Supporting her was Su Qingyue.
Her once-smooth, youthful face was now sallow and haggard, streaked with tears, her eye sockets sunken. She looked twenty years older, with not a trace of her former charm.
Following behind was Xu Yanli.
One lens of his pretentious gold-rimmed glasses was broken, the frame crooked and hanging awkwardly on his nose.
The cultural pride and superiority he used to display were gone, replaced with total dejection and disgrace.
The three of them staggered forward, completely out of place in the springtime streets of the old Western-style houses.
Su Qingyue felt the two old women’s piercing glares like knives, burning on her face.
She clenched her hands tightly, forcing out a few tears, and let her body collapse against her mother-in-law. Her voice trembled like leaves in the wind: “Mom… my… my stomach hurts so badly…”
Her expression of grievance looked as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
Upon hearing her precious daughter-in-law complain of pain, Li Ying lost it.
She scrambled forward, fingers nearly poking Mrs. Liu and Luo Guifen in the nose. “Two old barren hens, and you dare laugh at our Xu family behind our backs? No matter what, we’re a hundred times better than you dead-enders!”
Spitting and stabbing with her words, she went for the jugular: “Mrs. Liu, your son has been married for half a year? His belly’s as flat as a washboard! What’s wrong with his thing? Just a useless snack!”
“I’ll tear your mouth to shreds!”
Luo Guifen was so angry her lungs ached. Before Mrs. Liu could react, she planted her hands on her hips and shouted, “Responding late to the state’s call to delay childbirth—do you understand? That’s high ideological awareness! Unlike your family, with the little brother climbing over the sister-in-law’s bed—that’s true shame! Even the ancestral tombs would smoke black!”
Her words were like poisoned needles, stabbing Su Qingyue’s chest.
She couldn’t understand how things had turned out this way.
In the previous life, Ruan An’an had been ruined by crippled Wang, held like dough in her hands, unable to move east or west—
This life, things were reversed.
Ruan An’an was innocent, and now she was the one condemned.
What kind of magic did that woman use?
Overwhelmed by panic and the role reversal, Su Qingyue’s body wavered.
Xu Yanli, seeing his beloved faltering, felt unbearably distressed. He shot Luo Guifen a fierce glare, quickly wrapped his arm around Su Qingyue’s shoulder, and whispered soothingly: “Qingyue, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
In his heart, he was both annoyed and angry.
All this chaos was caused by Ruan An’an!
She used to be so obedient—how dare she treat Qingyue this way now?
Wasn’t it just to get his attention, playing on his lingering feelings?