The more Lin Yuzhen thought about it, the angrier she became. As she spoke, she strode toward the door.
“I’m going to find them! The Qin family has gone too far bullying us!”
Lin Yuzhen had originally been gentle and soft by nature, but ever since her husband left, she had forced herself to grow strong.
She could endure hardship—but she would never allow her children to suffer even the slightest harm.
Seeing this, Su Luowan hurriedly stood up and gently held her back. Looking at Lin Yuzhen’s furious expression, she quickly tried to persuade her:
“Mom, don’t rush—listen to me first!”
As she spoke, she caught sight of Su Luonian out of the corner of her eye. He had already run behind the main hall door and grabbed the door bar.
Quick as lightning, she reached out and pulled him back as well.
“Both of you, listen to me first!”
Only thirteen years old, Su Luonian was already about the same height as Su Luowan. His face was flushed red, his eyes blazing with anger, his voice trembling slightly:
“I’m going to find Qin Chengyi! What gives him the right to treat you like this?!”
Su Luowan held tightly onto his arm, feeling the muscles tense from anger. She took a deep breath and looked at both Lin Yuzhen and Su Luonian.
“Mom, Xiao Nian!”
When she saw their emotions calm slightly, she continued:
“The fact that I can see Qin Chengyi’s true scumbag nature now is better than discovering it after marriage, right?
Honestly, I should even thank that female educated youth. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have realized just how despicable Qin Chengyi is!”
Lin Yuzhen understood the reasoning, but Qin Chengyi’s actions were truly disgraceful.
Back then, although Wanwan had liked him, it was Qin Chengyi who had taken the initiative to propose the engagement.
Who would have thought that after only a short time in the army, he would come back and do something like this?
Thinking of it, Lin Yuzhen said angrily:
“That boy has no conscience at all! Back then he swore he’d treat you well, and now he does something so shameless!
Break it off—this engagement must be canceled!”
With that, she turned and rushed into the room, digging out a silver bracelet from the bottom of a chest.
This bracelet was the engagement token given by the Qin family when Su Luowan and Qin Chengyi were betrothed.
Holding the bracelet, Lin Yuzhen hurried out and said:
“Wanwan, I’ll go to their house and call off the engagement. You stay here!”
She was worried that seeing Qin Chengyi’s face again would only make her daughter heartbroken.
But how could Su Luowan let her go alone? She stepped forward and linked arms with her.
“Mom, I’ll go with you. This is my matter—I have to face it!”
Su Luonian quickly followed as well.
“I’m going too. Let’s see who dares to bully you!”
He felt that, as the only man in the family now, it was his responsibility to protect his mother and sister.
Unable to refuse them, Lin Yuzhen nodded.
The three had just walked a short distance from home when someone called out:
“Yuzhen! Where are you three rushing off to like that?”
They turned to see Zhang Xiulan carrying a manure basket.
“Xiulan, we’re heading to the Qin family to break off the engagement,” Lin Yuzhen said.
She knew this matter couldn’t be hidden, and since they were in the right, there was no need to conceal anything.
Zhang Xiulan’s eyes widened in shock.
Back then, everyone in the village had thought highly of the match between Qin Chengyi and Su Luowan. They were considered a perfect pair—talented and beautiful, well-matched in every way.
Qin Chengyi had just returned from the army, and villagers had even been guessing whether he had come back to discuss marriage with Wanwan.
Who would have thought the Su family would be the ones to cancel the engagement?
Coming back to her senses, Zhang Xiulan asked in surprise:
“Yuzhen, what happened? Why suddenly call off the engagement?”
After a moment’s thought, Lin Yuzhen quietly explained the reason.
She knew Zhang Xiulan wasn’t a bad person—just a bit fond of gossip.
But she wanted the whole village to know what a shameless thing Qin Chengyi had done.
Otherwise, if the engagement were quietly broken off, who knew what stories the Qin family might spread about her Wanwan?
After hearing everything, Zhang Xiulan’s mouth fell open. It took her a while to recover before she slapped her thigh:
“Oh my, that Qin Chengyi is really something else! He’s a soldier, yet he can do something so shameless!”
After a moment’s hesitation, she looked at the three of them with concern.
“Yuzhen, Qin Second’s family only has Chengyi in the army—that’s manageable. But Qin Eldest’s side…
If you go over like this, won’t you anger the Qin family?”
Qin Chengyi’s grandfather had only two sons. In Linwan Village, where most people shared the surname Lin, Qin Chengyi’s eldest uncle had somehow become the village production team leader.
Everyone knew the Qin family had connections in the town.
That was how Qin Eldest had secured his position so easily.
What Zhang Xiulan feared was that if Lin Yuzhen and her children went to cancel the engagement so abruptly, the Qin family might target them afterward.
Lin Yuzhen naturally understood her concern. She looked at Zhang Xiulan with determination:
“Xiulan, I know what you’re worried about. But this can’t just be let go.
So what if they have a team leader backing them? We’re in the right—I won’t let Wanwan swallow this humiliation!”
Hearing this, Su Luowan mentally gave her mother a big thumbs-up.
She nodded firmly and added:
“Aunt Xiulan, I’m not afraid of them targeting me. If I can’t even face something like this, how will I live in the village in the future?”
Xiao Nian chimed in:
“Exactly! If they dare bully my mom and sister, I’ll fight them!”
Seeing how resolute the family was, Zhang Xiulan sighed helplessly.
“Alright, since you’ve made up your minds, I won’t try to stop you. But be careful—if anything happens, call for help immediately.
They may have the team leader backing them, but our Lin family is large. We won’t just let them bully you!”
Then she added:
“Yuzhen, you go ahead first. I’ll put this away at home and come after you—I can help keep watch and pass along messages!”
With that, Zhang Xiulan didn’t wait for a reply. Carrying her basket, she jogged back home.
Watching her brisk, energetic figure, Lin Yuzhen shook her head, then led her children toward the Qin family.