Chapter 52

Su Qianqian strode forward with the kitchen knife and swung it toward Su Youdi’s neck. He was so terrified that he dropped to his knees with a thud, while their mother screamed in shock and fainted.

“Look at you, such a coward!” Su Qianqian sneered, kicking Su Youdi before dragging Su Fangfang out of the house. She still held the knife, ready to defend herself if they dared to chase after them.

After walking a good distance and confirming no one was following, she finally relaxed. “Sister, I’ll take you home. If you can avoid coming back to our family, just don’t.”

Noticing Su Fangfang staring at her in silence, Su Qianqian quickly put the knife away. “Did I scare you? You have to be tough with them. Otherwise, who knows what they might do.”

Wanting to detain them? They were simply out of control!

“Wow, you’ve changed so much. I remember you…” Su Fangfang was at a loss for words, as if she no longer recognized her younger sister.

“After they smashed my head and treated me like that—and even tried to marry me off randomly for the sake of Su Youdi’s wedding, taking the bride price without even asking my opinion—I was completely disheartened,” Su Qianqian explained. These incidents were well known, and given the original owner’s sacrifices for the family, no one could fault her for feeling this way.

“Second Sister, be careful. If they can’t get money from me, they’ll target you.”

Su Fangfang nodded. “I know, don’t worry. My in-laws treat me well and will support me.”

Her husband had insisted on marrying her back then, even though her family had demanded an exorbitant bride price. She thought it was hopeless, but her husband managed to gather the money, and her mother-in-law didn’t object. Since then, she had told herself that the bride price was a repayment for her parents raising her.

The sisters went their separate ways. By the time Su Qianqian got home, it was already late.

“How was it? Is your mom okay?” Zhu Tianfang asked.

“She’s fine—just faking illness. She found out I came back and wanted me to bring money and stuff,” Su Qianqian replied bluntly.

Cheng Youmin frowned. “Then why did they let you leave? Knowing their usual behavior, they wouldn’t have let you go so easily.” The Su family was notoriously domineering.

Su Qianqian scratched her head with an embarrassed laugh. “I scared them with a kitchen knife. They were afraid I’d lose control, so they let me go.”

Zhu Tianfang and Wu Yuexiang gasped. “Good heavens! Why did you use a kitchen knife?”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Just ignore them if they come again. They’re always causing trouble,” Su Qianqian said, having seen through her family’s manipulative ways. Apart from Su Fangfang, there wasn’t a decent person among them.

If Su Youdi’s slap had landed, she might have lost a tooth or suffered a ruptured eardrum. There was no room for leniency.

As children, Su Youdi and their elder brother often beat her and Su Fangfang for no reason. Every time, Su Fangfang would protect her. Now, it was her turn to protect Su Fangfang.

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The next morning, Su Qianqian went out to earn money.

On the way, she ran into Su Yinhua and her husband, Cheng Dajiang. Cheng Dajiang was riding a bicycle with Su Yinhua on the back seat.

“Who’s that? She looks unfamiliar,” Cheng Dajiang asked Su Yinhua.

Su Yinhua glanced ahead and also thought the person looked unfamiliar. “I don’t know. She’s not from our village, is she?”

“Coming out so early, she must be. Let’s go ask.” Cheng Dajiang pedaled faster and caught up to Su Qianqian.

“Excuse me, miss—”

When Su Qianqian turned around, Su Yinhua let out a startled scream. “Su Qianqian?”

Cheng Dajiang was astonished upon hearing the name. “Cheng Yue’s wife?”

How… how did she become so beautiful? His wife, Su Yinhua, was already considered attractive, but now seeing Su Qianqian was like comparing heaven and earth.

“Where are you headed?” Su Qianqian asked with a smile.

“We’re just running some errands,” Cheng Dajiang replied.

“Alright, you’d better hurry so you don’t get delayed.”

Cheng Dajiang nodded and pedaled away, but Su Yinhua was still in shock. Even after riding a distance, she turned back to look at Su Qianqian.

“How did she get so good-looking?” she muttered under her breath.

Cheng Dajiang overheard and added, “I almost didn’t recognize her. The difference is huge. If you hadn’t called her name, I wouldn’t have known it was her.”

“Do you think she’s pretty?” Su Yinhua asked, her face darkening.

Cheng Dajiang froze. This was a dangerous question.

“Answer me!” She pinched his waist.

“I’ll just say she’s changed a lot—gotten much fairer than before,” Cheng Dajiang replied.

“Prettier than me?”

Cheng Dajiang wobbled on the bike, nearly losing control. Why was she pressing him like this?

“Of course not! My wife is the prettiest!”

Satisfied, Su Yinhua let it go, but she still felt uneasy. That night, she hadn’t seen clearly, but now, in daylight, Su Qianqian looked as refined and beautiful as a city girl, with none of her former rustic demeanor.

“Dajiang, what if the hospital says I still can’t conceive?” she asked. Watching others have children while she remained childless weighed heavily on her. They had both been checked before, and neither had any issues—it was baffling.

In the first year, her in-laws were patient. But as years passed without a child, they began to complain.

“Let’s not think too much yet. Let’s see what the doctor says first,” Cheng Dajiang replied, equally troubled. He loved Su Yinhua, but the inability to have a child was a significant stressor.

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When Su Qianqian arrived in town, she found it bustling with people.

These days, buying and selling goods had become much freer.

She still prepared some free samples to attract customers.

“Have a taste—these are pickled chilies I made myself. Sampling is free; if you like it, you can buy some.”

Free samples were quite enticing, and soon several people came to try them. The spiciness was moderate, within the range most people could handle.

“How much for a jar?”

“Two yuan.”

“That expensive?”

Su Qianqian smiled and replied, “Trust me, it’s worth it. Once you taste it, you’ll want more.”

People hesitated. While living conditions had improved somewhat, spending two yuan on a jar of pickled chilies still felt extravagant to many.

At that moment, a delighted voice called out, “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Su Qianqian recognized her immediately—it was a young girl who had previously bought her pickled cucumbers. She had been very straightforward in her purchase then.

“Where have you been? I thought you weren’t coming back! I’ve missed your pickled cucumbers so much!” The girl quickly pulled out her money. “I’ll take all of these, and the chilies too.”

“There’s a lot here. Could you help me carry them to my house?”

“Sure!” Su Qianqian hadn’t expected to meet such a big customer right after returning. This young girl was clearly well-off, making her an ideal customer.

The onlookers were stunned. Was someone really spending so much money on these things? Even if money wasn’t an issue, wasn’t this a bit overboard? Pickled cucumbers and chilies weren’t exactly rare commodities. But as they recalled the taste of her sample, they had to admit it was uniquely good.

With no time to ponder further, they watched as the young girl bought everything and left with Su Qianqian.

“My name’s Chen Rong. What’s yours?”

“Su Qianqian.”

“My whole family loves your pickles. When I first brought them home, they weren’t impressed, but later everyone was fighting over them. Even my grandfather, who struggles with digestion, says your pickled cucumbers have helped. I’m so glad you’re back!”

Chen Rong chattered on during the walk, her lively and cheerful tone leaving a good impression on Su Qianqian.

When they arrived at Chen Rong’s home, it turned out to be a large household with many family members.

Hearing she was the pickle seller, they all became extraordinarily welcoming.

They even invited her to stay for a meal, but she declined repeatedly, citing the busy farmwork at home. Only then did they let her go.

“My family’s address is easy to find. Bring anything good you make straight here,” Chen Rong said warmly.

Su Qianqian handed her a small jar of homemade face cream. “Here’s something I made myself. Try it out, and if you like it, let me know.”

Surprised, Chen Rong sniffed the cream. It smelled just like the store-bought version. Smiling, she accepted it and even gave Su Qianqian some ration tickets in return.

After leaving Chen Rong’s house, Su Qianqian bought a bicycle. A while back, Cheng Yue had given her a bicycle ticket, and she was tired of walking everywhere. Riding a bike would be much more comfortable. She thought, Once I earn enough, I’ll buy a car!

Her goal was to become the first millionaire in Tianshui Village!

When she returned riding her new “Phoenix” bicycle, she immediately attracted attention.

“Who’s that? Riding a bicycle?”

“Looks like Su Qianqian. No one else in the village has skin that fair.”

“Cheng Yue must really be earning a lot. She bought a bicycle as soon as she came back!”

“So, they’re not getting divorced after all? If they were, why would he give her money for a bike?”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t come back. Living in the city has to be better than this.”

Most villagers still believed Cheng Yue would eventually abandon Su Qianqian. After all, he was now a successful official, and marrying someone from the countryside like her had never been out of genuine affection. They thought he had been pressured into it and would leave her the first chance he got.

When Su Qianqian returned home, no one was there as everyone was busy working. She cooked something to eat and brought it to the fields.

“Wow, a Phoenix bike! Where did you get it?” Zhu Tianfang exclaimed in shock. Back then, owning a bicycle not only required money but also a scarce ticket.

“I bought it. Cheng Yue gave me the ticket earlier. With so many people in the family, we needed a bike. Now Dad, Big Brother, and Sister-in-law can all use it too.”

“Did you use your own money?”

“Yes. I sold everything I brought today and combined it with what I had saved earlier. It was enough.”

Zhu Tianfang didn’t know what to say. She thought to herself, This woman spends money like water! But since Su Qianqian had earned it herself, she couldn’t say much.

Cheng Youmin and Cheng Song, on the other hand, were thrilled by the shiny new bike. Like most men, they were excited about anything with wheels, even if it was just a bicycle.

“Big Sister-in-law, do you know how to ride? If not, I can teach you,” Cheng Song offered.

Wu Yuexiang felt shy but nodded. She used to find Su Qianqian troublesome, but now she was beginning to appreciate how Su Qianqian was helping the Cheng family achieve a better life.

The news of Su Qianqian’s bicycle purchase quickly spread, but most people assumed Cheng Yue had paid for it. Everyone wondered just how successful Cheng Yue had become.

That evening, Cheng family’s second daughter, Cheng Xiuxiu, came by to confront Su Qianqian.

“Su Qianqian, did you steal my brother’s money and sneak back here?” She accused directly, pointing a finger at Su Qianqian’s nose.