When Su Manman arrived in town with the three children, it was already nearly dark.
They were so hungry that their stomachs felt like they were pressed against their backs.
If it weren’t for the spiritual spring water, they probably would have collapsed long ago.
Seeing a noodle shop ahead, they went straight in.
“Boss, four bowls of beef noodles.”
Su Manman sat down and boldly ordered four bowls.
The shop owner, seeing a big customer come in just before closing, was naturally very enthusiastic.
Xiao Manman, although hungry, thought beef noodles were too expensive.
“Sister, I’ll just have plain noodles.”
Da Bao, ever sensible, said, “Mother, my sister and I will share one bowl, no beef.”
Seeing how thoughtful the children were—especially Da Bao, at the age when he was just learning to control his bodily functions, already trying to save money—Su Manman felt touched.
Well then, if they were so considerate, she would accommodate them.
“Boss, one bowl of beef noodles and two bowls of plain noodles.”
The shop owner was shocked—not because the order was reduced, but because he had never seen a mother actually eat the meat herself while letting the children have the soup.
“Boss, is there a problem?”
Su Manman called out, noticing the owner staring without doing anything.
The owner quickly nodded—of course there wasn’t a problem. Money talks.
Soon, three bowls of noodles were ready.
Su Manman ate one bowl of beef noodles herself. Xiao Manman ate one bowl of plain noodles, and Da Bao and Xiao Bao shared one bowl.
Su Manman picked up her chopsticks and slurped the noodles hungrily.
She was starving.
The little ones didn’t need her guidance and began eating on their own.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao were a bit clumsy, spilling some noodles onto the table, but they didn’t mind—they used their hands to scoop them up and eat.
Su Manman glanced at their blackened hands and comforted herself: If you don’t see it, it’s fine; eating like this won’t make them sick.
Then she bent her head and continued eating.
The noodle shop owner watched in amazement, thinking, Could this be a stepmother?
After finishing the last sip of soup, Su Manman sighed, feeling revived.
“Boss, I have a question for you.”
“Sure, what would you like to ask, miss?” the owner responded warmly.
Su Manman’s expression darkened. Miss?
Damn it, she was only twenty years old, and he called her “miss.” Did she look that old?
And Gu Lao’er (Gu Tianye’s second brother) wanted to take advantage of her—wasn’t she supposed to be a young, beautiful woman?
“How old are you, to call me ‘miss’?” Su Manman demanded sharply.
The owner was intimidated by her fierce tone. She was dressed in rags and had three children, yet he was only eighteen—wasn’t it appropriate to call her “miss”?
“Eighteen,” the owner admitted.
Su Manman choked… Eighteen! She looked far too mature for her age. Saying thirty wouldn’t have been unbelievable.
“Fine, fine, I won’t argue. Just don’t call me ‘miss’ again, okay?”
The noodle shop owner was flustered, glancing at Su Manman’s pale, thin face, thinking: How dare you call yourself beautiful?
Su Manman, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. If she did, she would have proudly reminded him just how stunning she really was.
“I want to ask if there’s a courier company in town that can escort us on a long journey.”
“There’s a Sifang Escort Company in the center of town. You can go ask them,” he replied.
Su Manman got the location of Sifang Escort Company and led the children there directly.
When they arrived, the escort agency hadn’t closed yet.
The escort master heard they wanted to go to Lu Zhou—a very long trip. Normally, a full escort would cost at least 200 taels of silver.
Su Manman heard “200 taels” and nearly lost it. That was more expensive than a plane ticket. Did they look like they could afford 200 taels?
Seeing they weren’t wealthy, the escort master suggested a compromise: they could ride with a transport caravan going to Qingzhou. They would provide a horse carriage, but the family had to cover their own meals and lodging. Four people for five taels of silver—the best deal they could offer.
Su Manman thought it over—there was no better option. With their current means, she couldn’t take the children directly on the long journey. First Qingzhou, then figure out how to get to Lu Zhou. The trip would cross several regions anyway.
They agreed to depart early the next morning.
Su Manman decided to stay at the escort agency’s firewood storage room overnight. They had brought bedding, so they could make do.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay at an inn—it was just that she knew this fifty taels of silver was precious. The trip to Qingzhou alone would cost five taels in transport. And there was still a long way to go.
Su Manman refused to work as a laborer to earn money. Every penny had to be saved. A little shame wouldn’t matter.
The escort company agreed, somewhat reluctantly. Su Manman smugly admired her own charm—it had worked again.
The escort master, seeing a woman alone with three children, eventually decided to help, thinking of it as a good deed.
..
Lying in the firewood room, Xiao Man, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao had already fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Su Manman was tired as well but couldn’t sleep.
Since waking up, she hadn’t had a moment to truly reflect on the fact that she had crossed into this book world.
Before, she had thought it was just a story, with characters like paper figures. Now, she realized this wasn’t fiction—every person here had blood and flesh, real human beings.
Su Manman—the name from the original book, existing in memory—was now alive, suffering the hardships she was supposed to endure.
Even though she had taken over the original character’s body, living out the original miserable life was out of the question.
They expected her to be cannon fodder. Ha! She would be a tool that could shake the world.
Anyone making her life miserable would have their own lives made miserable.
Su Manman resolved to find the male protagonist. If he wanted a divorce, she would agree—but not without alimony and compensation.
After all, she had borne his children. He wouldn’t be short on money. Generous men like him would not hesitate.
With her alimony, she could live comfortably for the rest of her life. No men, just money—and she would remain beautiful.
Her crossing into this world wouldn’t be in vain.
Hahaha…
Su Manman smiled to herself. The resentment from the difficult start had completely vanished. She fell asleep peacefully, dreaming of a bright future.