Su Hongxia’s shout was sharp and piercing, startling the three people in the room.
Li Xiulian was the first to react. Her face darkened with embarrassment and anger, and she raised her hand to strike Su Hongxia.“Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating! You worthless girl—I’ll beat you to death!”
But before the slap could land, her wrist was caught by a thin, bony hand that was surprisingly strong.
“Mom, I’m hungry.” Su Hongxia repeated the same words, staring straight at her. Her eyes were calm and empty of emotion, just fixed on Li Xiulian. The look made Li Xiulian’s scalp tingle with unease.
What’s wrong with this girl today? Her eyes aren’t right, and her strength is strange too!
Matchmaker Wang hurried forward to smooth things over.“Oh, come on, sister-in-law, why get angry with a child? The girl is probably starving. Give her something to eat first.”
“She still has to meet the Lu family’s boy tomorrow. If she looks half-dead from hunger, people will think we’re abusing her!”
That reminder brought Li Xiulian back to her senses. The two hundred yuan and the job quota were what really mattered.
She glared fiercely at Su Hongxia, dug out half a dark, rough corn bun from her pocket, and stuffed it into Su Hongxia’s hand as if tossing scraps to a beggar.
“Eat! And behave yourself after you’re done!”
Su Hongxia took the bun without complaint and swallowed it in a few quick bites.
The bun was dry and hard, scratching painfully down her throat, but at least it put something in her stomach.
She sneered inwardly. Abuse? Wasn’t this abuse? But now wasn’t the time to argue about that.
Seeing her finish eating, Matchmaker Wang quickly urged the others, afraid something else might happen.
“Big brother, sister-in-law, shall we go to the Lu family early tomorrow morning and settle the matter?”
“Settle it! We’ll go tomorrow!” Li Xiulian decided firmly.
..
Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Li Xiulian dragged Su Hongxia off the kang bed and made her change into a patched but relatively clean set of clothes.
Her younger sister, Su Hongmei, also got up. She was going to the commune today and planned to watch the excitement along the way.
Su Hongmei looked Su Hongxia up and down with clear dissatisfaction.
“Mom, with how stupid she looks, do you really think the Lu family will want her? What if everything falls apart and we lose the job quota too?”
“Shut your crow mouth!” Li Xiulian spat while combing Su Hongxia’s messy hair.“Her face still looks decent, and her hips are wide—she’ll definitely bear sons! That’s enough!”
Following Matchmaker Wang, the group trudged toward the neighboring village.
Lu Huaizhou’s home was at the east end of the village, in a courtyard for military families. The blue-brick tiled house was worlds apart from the Su family’s mud house.
Even before entering the courtyard, they could hear people gossiping.
“Did you hear? Captain Lu is getting married—to that fool from the Su family!”
“Really? Captain Lu is such a good man. How did it come to this…”
“Well, his leg’s crippled now. What decent girl would marry him? Such a pity.”
Each word stabbed like a needle into Su Hongmei’s heart. Feeling embarrassed, she moved several steps away from Su Hongxia, afraid people would realize they were sisters.
Su Hongxia, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing and straightened her back.
Laugh all you want, she thought. When you start drooling over the smell of meat from my house, you’ll be the ones crying.
Matchmaker Wang led them into the Lu family’s courtyard.
The yard wasn’t large, but it was neat and tidy. A man sat under the eaves in a wheelchair, holding a book.
He wore a faded old military uniform. Even sitting down, his broad shoulders and upright posture were obvious.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, illuminating the sharp lines of his profile—high nose bridge, thin lips pressed into a cold straight line.
This was Lu Huaizhou.
Hearing the commotion, he raised his head and looked over.
What kind of eyes were those? Calm, sharp, with the scrutiny and pressure unique to a soldier—eyes that seemed able to see straight through people.
Su Hongmei shuddered under his gaze and instinctively stepped back.
Li Xiulian and Su Jianguo wore flattering smiles but didn’t dare say a word.
Lu Huaizhou ignored them. His gaze landed on Su Hongxia.
So this was the fool he was supposed to marry? She did look a bit dull—messy hair, vacant eyes.
Irritation and resistance surged in his heart. Just so he could recover in peace, his family had come up with such a ridiculous plan.
He was about to refuse outright when the “fool” did something completely unexpected.
Su Hongxia didn’t dodge like her sister or shrink back like her parents.
Instead, she met his gaze and walked straight toward him.
Stopping three steps away, she tilted her head and looked him up and down carefully.
This man looked pretty good.
Excellent bone structure, broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs… Though one leg was crippled now, his foundation was outstanding.
And that cold, untouchable aura—interesting.
Inside, Su Hongxia’s calculations clicked rapidly.Looks like this, a body like that, plus his military allowance… This deal is worth it.
Lu Huaizhou felt uncomfortable under her gaze.
That was not the look of a fool. There was no stupidity or fear—rather… a kind of assessment.
His frown deepened.
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Matchmaker Wang hurried forward with a laugh.
“Ah, Huaizhou, this is Hongxia. Look at her—such a bright, pretty girl!”
Lu Huaizhou didn’t respond. Coldly, he said two words:
“No.”
He did not agree to this marriage.
Li Xiulian panicked immediately—the two hundred yuan was about to vanish! She was just about to start making a scene when Su Hongmei tugged at her sleeve, wearing a look that clearly said, See? I told you so.
The air in the courtyard froze.
Just then, Su Hongxia suddenly crouched down.
Under everyone’s shocked gaze, she stretched out her hand and deliberately pressed it toward Lu Huaizhou’s injured left leg.
“What are you doing!” Lu Huaizhou shouted sharply, trying to pull back—but it was already too late.
Her fingers landed precisely on an acupoint below his knee and pressed gently.
Then she looked up at him and said clearly, word by word:
“The meridians here are blocked, and your blood circulation isn’t flowing. Barefoot Doctor Li from the east end of the village said you need acupuncture and medicinal baths to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.”
“Otherwise… this leg will really be useless.”