The village entrance was crowded, but after turning onto a small path, the crowd thinned out.
This was a field overgrown with weeds, covered in thorns and swarming with mosquitoes. The villagers despised taking this route, yet were too lazy to clear it, allowing the weeds and thorns to run wild, leaving only a narrow path to tread on.
Normally, they wouldn’t take this path home, preferring the main road, but today Su Ying had other plans.
Along the path grew many Five-Petal Cloud weeds, whose sap was slightly toxic. Though not highly poisonous, contact with broken skin was unpleasant. Su Ying took out the clothes she had gotten from Bai Lan, crushed the roots of the Five-Petal Cloud to release the milky sap, and smeared it on the inner lining of the dress, especially around the collar.
After finishing this, she inserted a sharp, thin stick into the collar, then folded the dress and pulled the stunned Su Juan to head back.
Su Juan was about to ask what she was doing when Su Ying spotted Su Miao approaching and immediately exclaimed loudly,
“Sister, the dress you bought me is so beautiful! You must have saved up for a long time. Thank you, big sister!”
Su Juan was bewildered, but when she turned and saw Su Miao storming toward them, she understood.
“What are you two doing here?”
Su Miao had come specifically to see Su Ying’s face, only to search for a long time and find them in this place.
Seeing that Su Ying’s face had indeed healed considerably, with scars now reduced by half and the new skin smooth and delicate—even better than before—Su Miao was consumed with jealousy.
“How did your face heal?”
Unable to contain her resentment, Su Miao demanded harshly.
Su Ying hid the dress behind her back and stammered as she pulled out the cheap ointment she had bought, saying, “I… I used this ointment to heal it!”
Su Miao glanced at it, her jealousy intensifying. How could a cheap ointment heal her face? Could her Destiny truly be this fortunate?
Noticing one of Su Ying’s hands hidden behind her back, she snapped, “What are you hiding? Hand it over!”
Reluctantly, Su Ying brought out the dress, and Su Miao immediately snatched it away.
Others might not recognize it, but she did—the fabric was the latest trend in the capital, the style was exquisite, and it cost no less than ten taels of silver. She owned a few such dresses herself but dared not wear them openly to avoid gossip, only wearing them secretly at home.
“Where did you steal this dress?” Su Miao questioned confidently, certain that their family had never given them any silver, so they shouldn’t have the means to buy such fine material.
“My… my sister bought this for me at the Butterfly Clothing Shop. If you don’t believe me, ask the shopkeeper. We even have a receipt. Our uncle recently told us that his family would be hosting esteemed guests in a few days and asked us to dress nicely when we visit. The money for this dress was given by our uncle!”
Su Miao paid no attention to verifying where the dress came from or whether her story was true. The moment she heard about visiting their uncle’s house to meet esteemed guests, her eyes turned red with envy.
Esteemed guests? What esteemed guests!
Could they be the kind of guests who would improve this little wretch’s Destiny?
How could she be so fortunate!
She must not have her way!
Su Miao stepped forward and snatched the dress from her hands. She initially intended to destroy it, but upon seeing such a fine garment, a thought crossed her mind, and she tucked it into her embrace.
She would wear these clothes first, and when she grew tired of them, she would deliberately damage them before giving them away in front of others. This way, she wouldn’t have to lift a finger and could still earn a good reputation—killing two birds with one stone!
“I’ll give you the clothes in a few days!”
Su Miao curled her lips and turned to leave.
Su Ying breathed a long sigh of relief. She had thought Su Miao might throw the clothes away, but it turned out her greedy nature remained unchanged deep down.
Still, it was just as well. Su Miao didn’t know the origin of the dress, nor was she aware that their eldest sister was actually on good terms with Bai Lan.
That was enough. Once trouble arose, it would be the moment of Su Miao’s downfall.
Originally, Su Ying hadn’t intended to harm anyone like this, but those who endured bullying without fighting back would eventually be devoured without a trace. This was simply self-preservation.
Besides, it wasn’t really her harming Su Miao—it was Su Miao’s own greed that would be her undoing.
As Su Miao walked away, Su Ying took Su Juan’s hand to head back. But after only a few steps, someone stumbled out from behind a large tree.
Du Chenyu climbed up from the ground with an awkward expression, then straightened his clothes and prepared to walk away calmly.
Seeing this, Su Ying immediately called out anxiously, “Sis… sister’s husband!”
Du Chenyu froze in place and turned to look at her.
Su Juan hadn’t expected her second sister to address Du Chenyu as “sister’s husband.” In her panic, she pinched the flesh at Su Ying’s waist, making Su Ying jump away.
“What is it?”
Du Chenyu took a few steps forward and asked Su Ying.
“Sister’s husband, are you… going to the Pleasure House?”
Hearing this question, Du Chenyu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He looked at her speechlessly and was about to leave.
He was a scholar—how could he possibly go to such a place?
“Sister’s husband, I need your help with something. Could you deliver these items to the girls in the Pleasure House?”
Su Ying quickly took out some sachets and pouches.
Du Chenyu was baffled and stared at her. “Why?”
“Because someone is trying to harm me, and I’m doing this to protect myself. Please help me, sister’s husband!”
Du Chenyu glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, then reached out to take the items from her hand. He gave a soft “Mm” and quickly walked away.
Of course, before leaving, he glanced at Su Juan once more.
With today’s task accomplished, Su Ying finally relaxed. But Su Juan was displeased and glared at her. “Why did you call him sister’s husband?”
Su Ying blinked innocently. “Because calling him sister’s husband makes things easier!”
“You! Would you call anyone else like that?” Su Juan retorted, her face flushed with anger.
“Then I probably wouldn’t!” Su Ying replied innocently.
“Hmph! You’d better not!”
Su Juan tossed out these words and stomped ahead angrily, though in a place no one could see, she couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
Su Ying followed behind, also secretly smiling.
Ah, with such mutual affection and a perfect match made in heaven, it would be a crime against nature if they didn’t end up together!
Moreover, she knew that Du Chenyu would one day rise to an exalted position. Having him as her sister’s husband would be extremely beneficial for the three siblings.
She needed to think about how to bring them together openly and properly.
Turning the matter over in her mind, Su Ying followed her eldest sister all the way home.
Half of the preparations were now complete. Su Ying knew that since He Changchun had obtained her Token, he would inevitably reveal their affair. Once this matter came to light, it would certainly draw the attention of the Su family. Given the Su family’s character, they would spare no effort to crush her into the mud, ensuring she could never rise again—all to prevent her from having any influence on Su Yin’s Destiny.
Thus, this situation presented a perfect opportunity for her to kill two birds with one stone by dealing with both parties, and she couldn’t afford to be careless in the slightest.
Upon returning home, she began searching for foods that could cause bloating—sweet potatoes, potatoes, and the like—stuffing herself until she was round and plump, her belly visibly distended before she finally stopped.
The next day, Su Ying’s stomach was noticeably swollen, so much so that even Su Juan was startled upon seeing her and immediately prepared to fetch a doctor.
Su Ying pulled her aside and whispered a few words in her ear. Su Juan looked at her in disbelief, then gave her a thumbs-up in admiration.
Su Juan went about her usual household chores, while Su Ying left the courtyard and deliberately gathered firewood nearby. Whenever someone approached, she would pretend to feel nauseous and retch a couple of times.
Passersby glanced over curiously, and upon noticing her significantly enlarged belly, they couldn’t resist pulling aside acquaintances to gossip.
Soon enough, the news reached both the He and Su families.