The boat docked.
The journey had been so rough it felt like it could shake the bile out of a person.
Su Ci held onto the rust-covered railing, her stomach still churning.
She looked up, sizing up the place she would be living from now on—Seagull Island.
What kind of island paradise was this?
It was nothing more than a desolate wasteland forgotten by civilization.
The dock was just a few broken wooden planks pieced together, soaked black by seawater. It creaked loudly underfoot, as if it might snap at any moment.
The wind was strong.
It carried a heavy, salty fishy smell, mixed with dried seaweed and rotting seafood.
It hit straight to the head.
Su Ci instinctively held her breath, her delicate face turning even paler.
For someone with severe cleanliness issues like her, this environment was nothing short of torture.
“Careful, sister-in-law!”
The one sent to receive her was a guard named Xiao Zhang.
His skin was as dark as charcoal from the sun, though his teeth were bright white.
Seeing Su Ci’s unsteady posture, his face flushed red like a monkey’s backside.
He awkwardly wanted to help her but didn’t dare touch her.
This new sister-in-law… she was too beautiful.
So pale, like the face cream he’d seen at the supply store—completely out of place on this dull, dusty island.
“Sister-in-law, let me carry your luggage! That bag looks really heavy!”
Xiao Zhang reached out to take the large canvas bag from her.
Su Ci subtly pulled her wrist back, avoiding him.
“No need.”
Her voice was soft and weak, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness—but there was an unquestionable firmness beneath it.
“I can carry it myself.”
What a joke.
This bag didn’t contain clothes—it held all her assets: over five hundred yuan she’d just taken from a pickpocket, along with a stack of valuable ration coupons.
Never expose your wealth.
That was the first rule of survival in any era.
Xiao Zhang looked at her thin arms and legs, feeling doubtful.
Wasn’t she being too stubborn?
Could this delicate city girl really endure life on the island?
“Then… sister-in-law, follow me closely. Commander Lu’s house is at the very back of the family quarters.”
Su Ci nodded, carrying the bag that was actually light as air (most of the weight stored in her space), stepping forward in ill-fitting cloth shoes.
The road conditions were terrible.
All mud—uneven and full of pits.
Occasionally, skinny stray dogs darted out, barking wildly at her.
On both sides of the road were the homes of military families.
Calling them houses was generous—they were more like mud huts.
The walls were peeling, exposing uneven stones underneath. The roof tiles were broken, with weeds growing through the cracks.
When the wind blew, the grass swayed on the rooftops, giving off a desolate, unsettling feeling.
Every household had ropes strung outside.
Hanging on them were patch-covered clothes, yellowed diapers, and split-open salted fish drying in the sun.
Flies buzzed everywhere.
Forget quality of life—there was barely any dignity in survival here.
Su Ci’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes narrowed into slits.
Disgust.
Deep disgust.
In her mind, she gave Lu Ye a huge cross mark.
This was the待遇 of a regiment commander?
What a miserable situation.
After walking for about ten minutes, Xiao Zhang stopped in front of the most remote courtyard.
He looked a bit embarrassed, scratching the back of his head.
“Sister-in-law… we’re here. This is the commander’s home.”
Su Ci looked up.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the sight still hit her hard.
If the houses they passed were slums—
Then this one was ruins within the slums.
A corner of the courtyard wall had collapsed, with a few dead branches piled haphazardly in the gap.
The wooden doors, once painted red, were now so weathered their original color was unrecognizable.
The hinges were rusted stiff, and one door hung crookedly, like a broken limb.
Through the crack, she could see the yard overgrown with weeds.
The grass was taller than her knees.
The only path was a bare strip of dirt trampled through the middle.
This wasn’t a home.
Even the haunted temple from ghost stories wouldn’t be this shabby.
Even a ghost would find this place too miserable to live in.
Su Ci felt her temples throbbing.
Before even stepping inside, she was already missing her 21st-century mattress and automatic toilet.
“Sister-in-law?”
Seeing her expression, Xiao Zhang hurried to explain, thinking she was shocked.
“The commander is usually busy, and there’s no woman to take care of things. The three kids are still young… please don’t mind it. Once it’s cleaned up, it’ll be fine.”
Cleaned up?
This place needed to be bulldozed and rebuilt.
Su Ci sneered inwardly but showed nothing on her face.
She took out a White Rabbit candy from her pocket and placed it in Xiao Zhang’s hand.
“Thank you, comrade. I’ve arrived, so no need to trouble you further. I’ll go in myself.”
A polite dismissal.
What came next probably wasn’t suitable for outsiders.
After all, taming beasts was best done behind closed doors.
Xiao Zhang, holding the warm, fragrant candy, blushed even more, stammered a salute, and ran off faster than a rabbit.
At that moment—
The yard was eerily silent.
Not even insects could be heard.
Only an indescribable smell drifted out with the sea breeze.
Like half-fermented leftover food, mixed with unwashed sweat and a hint of sea rot.
It was unbearable.
Su Ci frowned, taking out a handkerchief embroidered with orchids and covering her nose and mouth tightly.
She walked to the broken door.
Raised a finger.
Gently pressed it against the wooden panel.
Just as she was about to push—
Her ears twitched sharply.
A faint creaking sound came from above.
The sound of a rope tightening.
Then—the rush of something heavy about to fall.
An ambush?
A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes.
Her body reacted faster than her thoughts.
Instead of panicking or freezing—
She pushed off the ground, her body darting forward like a nimble cat!
In one step, she crossed the threshold and slipped behind the wall inside the door.
Her movement was smooth and swift, leaving only an afterimage.
The next second—
Crash!!!
A loud explosion.
Right above where she had been standing—
A broken wooden bucket full of slop came crashing down!
Bang!
The bucket shattered instantly.
The yellow-green liquid inside splashed everywhere like an exploding bomb.
Rotten leftovers, vegetable scraps, even dead fish and shrimp—
It burst into a foul “firework” at the doorway.
Mud and filth splashed half a meter high.
If Su Ci had been even 0.1 seconds slower—
Her clean shirt and proud face would now be covered in garbage.
Disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting.
Leaning against the wall, Su Ci looked at the bubbling filth at her feet, her eyes turning ice-cold.
This wasn’t a prank.
It was outright humiliation.
She slowly raised her head.
Her gaze cut through the messy yard, past the waist-high weeds, locking precisely onto the doorway of the main house.
There—
Stood three “little beggars.”
The oldest boy, around thirteen or fourteen, wore an oversized old military uniform, sleeves rolled up multiple times, revealing arms thin as sticks.
His skin was dark, his features not yet fully grown—but his eyes…
Carried a ferocity far beyond his age.
Like a wolf cub surviving alone in the wild, ready to bite the throat of any intruder.
In his hand was half a broken rope.
Clearly, he had set the trap.
Behind him—
A thin little girl hid, with dry yellow braids, her eyes timid yet carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
And an even younger boy leaned against the doorframe, looking sickly, breathing heavily, his gaze cold like an adult’s.
The three Lu siblings.
Lu Xiangbei, Lu Xiangnan, Lu Xiangdong.
Living up to their reputation as “little devils.”
Seeing that Su Ci stood there completely unharmed—not even a speck of dirt on her—
Lu Xiangbei froze.
How was that possible?
He had practiced this trap several times—it never failed!
All the women who had tried to become their stepmother before had been drenched and fled crying.
This woman… was she a cat?
After the brief shock, his pride flared up.
He threw the rope to the ground and stepped forward like an angry hedgehog, roaring:
“Get out!”
His voice, mid-puberty, was rough and grating.
“This is my brother’s home! Not a place for you!”
“We don’t need a stepmother! Especially not a delicate parasite like you!”
“Go back to your city!”
Spit flew as he shouted.
The hatred in his voice was as if Su Ci had killed his entire family.
Anyone weaker would’ve been reduced to tears.
But Su Ci?
When she dealt with old foxes in business, this kid hadn’t even grown out of diapers.
Not only was she not angry—
She calmly took out her scented sachet filled with Jo Malone perfume.
Held it under her nose and lightly fanned the air.
As if to disperse the foul smell—
And the boy’s noise.
Then—
She put on her sunglasses, hiding the amusement in her eyes.
Stepping carefully around the filth in her military boots, she walked toward the three children.
Step by step.
“Tap, tap.”
Each footstep echoed sharply on the hard ground—like stepping on their nerves.
Lu Xiangbei instinctively wanted to step back but forced himself to stand firm.
Damn it.
Why did this woman smell so good?
Not that cheap greasy cream scent—but something cool, refined, like a forest after rain.
It made his head spin.
Su Ci stopped one meter in front of him.
Looking down from above.
She lowered her sunglasses slightly, revealing cold, lazy eyes.
There was no fear.
No flattery.
Not even anger.
Only—
Blatant disdain.
Like she was looking at a pile of unrecyclable trash.
“This smell…”
Her red lips parted, her voice soft and sweet—yet hooked with something dangerous.