Chapter 4

Although she was quite displeased with her current appearance, Xue Miaoyun knew better than to make any changes right now.

The most pressing matter at the moment was, naturally, breaking off the engagement.

Following the original owner’s memories, she rummaged through a hidden compartment in the inner room and dug out an extremely ugly silver bracelet. When the Song and Xue families had arranged the engagement, this bracelet had been the token from the Song family.

She curled her lip in disgust, grabbed the bracelet, and walked out.

Bang bang bang…

“Who is it? So early in the morning!”

“It’s you!” Li Dacui’s face twisted with anger the moment she saw Xue Miaoyun. “You’re only just getting up now? Lazy woman, hurry up and make breakfast!”

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Xue Miaoyun.

Xue Miaoyun immediately caught Li Dacui’s hand and twisted it upward.

“Aaaah—!”

“What’s going on? Mother!” A man in his thirties rushed out of the house. Seeing the scene in front of him, he panicked.

“Sister Xue, what are you doing? Let go, quick, let go!”

This was Song Aidang, the eldest son of the Song family. According to the original owner’s memories, he was honest and obedient, especially when it came to Li Dacui—he followed her every word.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

Before Xue Miaoyun could speak, another person came running out. It was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Song family, Lin Erniu.

The moment Lin Erniu saw what was happening, a gleam flashed in her eyes. If she had known this was going on, she would’ve come out later.

“Xue Miaoyun, what are you doing? You even dare to hit my mother-in-law? You’ve grown some guts, huh? Today, I, your sister-in-law, will teach you what filial piety really means!”

Eyes blazing, Lin Erniu raised her hand and charged at Xue Miaoyun.

She had gone back to her parents’ house yesterday and had only just returned, so she wasn’t aware of what had happened the night before. Which meant she had no idea that Xue Miaoyun was no longer the same pushover she used to be.

As Lin Erniu rushed toward her, Xue Miaoyun’s eyes glinted. Without hesitation, she stretched out her leg.

“Ah!”

Thud!

Song Aidang only saw a dark blur rushing forward, then flying backward.

“Erniu!” He nearly had a heart attack. The look he gave Xue Miaoyun was filled with fear and shock.

His mother was on one side, his wife on the other. Song Aidang spun around in a panic. But he didn’t dare to touch Xue Miaoyun—previously out of respect for gender propriety, now out of fear that she’d kick him too.

Listening to the groans of the two vicious women, Xue Miaoyun felt very pleased.

“Old woman, have you already forgotten what you said last night?” Xue Miaoyun raised an eyebrow as she looked at Li Dacui. “What, you’re not planning to break off the engagement anymore?”

“If you’ve changed your mind, that’s fine too. I knew it—Brother Dazhuang would never abandon me. It was you, always sowing discord between us. I used to think that if I was filial enough, you’d come to like me. But clearly, I was overthinking it. A vicious mother-in-law like you isn’t worth trying to please. I’ll go to the army myself and talk to Brother Dazhuang.”

Li Dacui was about to curse when she heard Xue Miaoyun mention going to her son’s unit. She immediately panicked. Her son had specifically said that no one in the army should know about his engagement. If they did, his marriage to the commander’s daughter would be ruined.

“No, you can’t go. Zhuanguo doesn’t want you anymore. You’re not worthy of him. You promised me last night—you said you would break the engagement.”

“That’s impossible. Brother Dazhuang won’t abandon me. It’s you, you’re the one stirring things up, right?” Xue Miaoyun’s expression was almost crazed as she tightened her grip.

“Ahhh, it hurts, it hurts! Let go!” Li Dacui grimaced in pain and tried to hit Xue Miaoyun with her other hand, only to have both hands pinned by Xue Miaoyun. The pain doubled.

“Ahhh! Let go, let go! I’ll show you Zhuanguo’s letter. If you see it, you’ll know—it was him who wanted to break off the engagement!”

Xue Miaoyun’s lips curled into a smirk. “Impossible, impossible. I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it!”

Li Dacui, seeing Xue Miaoyun’s devastated expression, felt a deep sense of satisfaction. “Hmph, I didn’t lie to you. Just look at yourself. You’ve got a hard life, killing your own parents. How could you compare to the commander’s daughter?”

“Impossible! I don’t believe it! It’s you, you evil old woman, lying to me!” Although Xue Miaoyun had planned this, hearing Li Dacui’s words still made her furious. The original owner had grown increasingly insecure and self-hating because of the rumors about her hard life and how she “killed” her parents. Most of these rumors had been spread by Li Dacui.

So, naturally, she tightened her grip even more.

“Ahhh! Let go! I’m not lying! I have the letter! I have the letter from Zhuanguo. If you look at it, you’ll understand!”

Xue Miaoyun’s lips curled into a sneer. “No, no way. It’s impossible. Go get it. I want to see it.”

Finally, her hand was released. Li Dacui gritted her teeth and shook her hand.

She wanted to curse, but remembering the strength Xue Miaoyun had just displayed, she swallowed the words.

Hmph, let her see the letter from her son. Then she’d know how miserable it was going to be.

Li Dacui felt a rush of satisfaction as she imagined how heartbroken and despairing Xue Miaoyun would be after reading her son’s letter. With a quick motion, she went inside to grab the letter.

“Here, take a look. Make sure to read it carefully.”

Xue Miaoyun took the letter and glanced at its contents. A cold sneer crept into her heart. An arranged marriage, huh? Heh. Back then, Song Zhuanguo had never hesitated to be sweet on the original owner.

And now, the letter—saying the regiment commander wanted to introduce his niece and urging the family to break off the engagement—was dripping with disdain. He even blamed the original owner’s mother’s background for potentially ruining his future. There was even a subtle suggestion for Li Dacui to hurry and find someone else for the original host to marry.

Xue Miaoyun’s face grew darker and darker. This scumbag, this dog of a man, if he were in front of her now, she would definitely slap him across the face.

“So, how is it? Zhuanguo doesn’t want you anymore, right? Just give up. You’re not worthy of my son. Be honest, I’ll find you a good family. I guarantee you won’t suffer…”

“Get lost!” Xue Miaoyun exploded with anger, immediately tearing the letter to shreds. She threw it into the nearby water bucket.

“You!” Li Dacui saw Xue Miaoyun tear up the letter and was infuriated. But seeing Xue Miaoyun’s enraged expression, she hesitated, afraid to say anything further.

Xue Miaoyun didn’t care about that. She grabbed Li Dacui by the collar and said, “Let’s go. We’re going to the village secretary to break off this engagement.”

“Ah, let go of me, wait! Ah, ah, let go…”

Along the way, Li Dacui’s shrill screams attracted a crowd of onlookers.

But Xue Miaoyun didn’t care. Anyway, in about two years, the college entrance exams would be reinstated. She planned to pass and leave Shuize Village for good. What the people here thought of her didn’t matter at all.

“Secretary, you have to take my side!” Xue Miaoyun arrived at the village secretary’s home and immediately started crying. The secretary should know what had happened last night, but she still told the whole story, stumbling over her words but still speaking clearly.

“Secretary, you and the other uncles and aunts in the village know how filial I’ve been to Li Dacui all these years. My father was born and raised here, and you saw him grow up. When my mother chose to come back here, it was to seek the protection of the elders in the clan.”

“Back then, my mother and I must have been blind to agree to a marriage with a family so ungrateful and greedy for status. Fortunately, we never made it to the wedding. Secretary, I want to break off the engagement. This is the token the Song family gave us—I’m returning it. I also ask the Song family to return the token my mother gave them. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways. I won’t stand in the way of Song Zhuanguo’s bright future either.”