After breakfast, Su Luowan helped tidy up the kitchen before getting ready to head to town.
Su Luonian looked at her sister with longing eyes and said,
“Big sister, I want to go too!”
Before Su Luowan could respond, Lin Yuzhen scolded Su Luonian,
“What are you getting into? You need to go collect firewood this morning, understand?”
Seeing her little brother’s pitiful expression, Su Luowan couldn’t help but soften a little.
However, she had other things to take care of in the morning and couldn’t let Xiao Nian know.
Su Luonian, realizing she couldn’t go to town, simply waved at her sister.
Su Luowan’s lips curved slightly. She really liked the atmosphere at home—so warm!
A gentle yet strong mother, a mischievous yet sensible little brother—it was wonderful.
Su Luowan slung a basket over her back and left the house, following the route she remembered toward the town.
As she neared the entrance to the “sent-down youth” area, she looked up and saw Qin Chengyi walking side by side with Xu Xiuqin.
Su Luowan muttered a silent “bad luck” and tried to walk past them as if nothing had happened.
“Luowan, where are you off to?”
Xu Xiuqin’s soft, delicate voice floated over.
Su Luowan cast her a cold glance, said nothing, and tried to keep walking.
Qin Chengyi, seeing this, grew annoyed:
“Su Luowan, what about manners? Don’t you see Xiuqin is speaking to you?”
Su Luowan stopped, slowly turned, and looked Qin Chengyi in the eye with full disdain:
“My courtesy has always been reserved for those who deserve it. And you and her…”
She gave them a half-smile, half-sneer, then spat out two cold words:
“Undeserving!”
“You—!”
Qin Chengyi’s face turned red with anger, veins standing out on his forehead.
“Su Luowan, who do you think you are? Don’t think a little beauty gives you the right to look down on everyone!”
At the right moment, Xu Xiuqin stepped forward, took Qin Chengyi’s arm, and spoke gently:
“Chengyi, don’t be like this. Maybe Luowan is just unhappy because she broke off the engagement with you.”
Xu Xiuqin put on a graceful smile and said,
“Luowan, Chengyi and I are getting engaged today. I had actually hoped to invite you to join, but I guess now it wouldn’t be appropriate.”
She acted understanding and sweet, but her eyes betrayed a faint, subtle smugness.
Tilting her head slightly, lips curved in a seemingly innocent smile, she fixed her gaze on Su Luowan, waiting for a response.
Su Luowan immediately saw through Xu Xiuqin’s little scheme—so they were already engaged!
Still, these two—the scumbag man and the shameless woman—were truly suited for each other. She hoped they would stay tied together forever.
Su Luowan smirked inwardly but changed her outward expression, offering a dazzling smile.
The smile was so bright it even caused Qin Chengyi to momentarily lose focus.
“Well, congratulations to both of you! Truly a match made in heaven. I hope you marry soon!”
She thought to herself that it would be best if these two never parted.
Then Su Luowan looked at Xu Xiuqin again and said coldly:
“And one more thing—I have no older sister, so stop trying to latch onto me. Don’t act all sweet in front of me; I won’t fall for it.”
As she spoke, she looked over Xu Xiuqin’s face again. For some reason, she couldn’t see Xu Xiuqin’s past experiences as a sent-down youth. Strange.
Not dwelling on it, she turned and continued toward town.
Xu Xiuqin’s eyes flickered with suspicion at Su Luowan’s words.
She had expected Luowan to make a scene—she still remembered the kick Luowan had given her at Qin Chengyi’s house.
Today, Xu Xiuqin deliberately mentioned the engagement to provoke Luowan and let Qin Chengyi see her fiery side again.
But now, seeing Luowan calm and unbothered, her plan had failed.
She looked at Qin Chengyi and saw him staring at Su Luowan, momentarily distracted.
Xu Xiuqin felt a surge of panic. She tugged his arm and pretended to be gentle:
“Chengyi, let’s hurry over; we don’t want to keep everyone waiting too long!”
The tug snapped Qin Chengyi back to reality. He nodded, hiding the trace of admiration he had just felt, and followed Xu Xiuqin home.
Both had thoughts weighing on them and said nothing along the way.
Qin Chengyi kept thinking about the confidence and beauty Su Luowan had just displayed—a side he had never seen before.
She had always been pretty, but with a hint of naivety and frailty.
The Su Luowan he had just seen radiated self-assurance and composure, drawing his gaze.
He shook his head, as if to shake off the fleeting regret.
He wouldn’t regret it—beautiful or not, Su Luowan was still just a rural girl, useless for his future ambitions.
Thinking this, he looked at Xu Xiuqin and held her hand, as if to affirm that his choice was right.
Xu Xiuqin, surprised, turned to look at him.
Seeing Qin Chengyi dazed by Su Luowan had given her a sense of threat.
Su Luowan’s beauty was far beyond hers, but she would not let Qin Chengyi go.
She didn’t want a repeat of the past; this time, she wanted to be on top.
Qin Chengyi would soon become a regiment commander, and she would be the commander’s wife.
The thought alone made her heart swell.
She squeezed Qin Chengyi’s hand in return.
No matter what, Qin Chengyi would soon be hers.
They set the engagement first, and next time Qin Chengyi returned, she would urge him to get the marriage certificate.
Once they had it, no one could take him from her.
After all, a military marriage was protected by the state, wasn’t it?
Meanwhile, Su Luowan, focused on walking, didn’t care about their schemes.
The path to town was easy to find—a single winding mountain road.
After an hour, she felt a little fatigued. She really needed to strengthen her stamina. She used to climb mountains all day without tiring.
Upon reaching town, she saw a market with a nostalgic feel, something she had only seen on TV before.
The “town” was just a few intersecting streets, mostly residential.
The real shopping areas were limited: department stores and state-run supply shops.
Su Luowan planned to try her luck at the seed station first. The town wasn’t large, and she quickly arrived at her destination.