Chapter 5

The village secretary, Xue Zhongshan, set down the tobacco pipe in his hand and glanced at Xue Miaoyun.

He was somewhat surprised by his niece’s eloquence today. In the past, she had always given him the impression of being quiet and taciturn, someone who only knew how to work hard and endure without complaint.

He had originally pitied this niece who had no parents and had wanted to look after her more. But unfortunately, she had never been able to assert herself, and Li Dacui was her future mother-in-law. Even though he was the village secretary, it wasn’t his place to interfere in others’ family affairs.

Could it be that the breakup of the engagement had hit her too hard?

Xue Zhongshan was deeply puzzled, but now wasn’t the time to think about such things. Miaoyun had made a good point—her father, Xue Jianguo, had grown up under his watch. Jianguo was one of the rare few in the Xue family who had shown real promise. It was a pity his fate had been so cruel…

They were of the same family, after all. The Song family had truly gone too far. If not for Song Zhuanguo…

“You’re really going to break off the engagement? Are you sure? You won’t regret it? If you’re unwilling, I can…”

“I want to break off the engagement!” Xue Miaoyun said decisively. “Grandpa, I want to break off the engagement. It’s me who doesn’t want him anymore. A daughter of the Xue family is not someone to be humiliated at will.”

“Good!” Xue Zhongshan nodded in approval. “Now that’s more like Jianguo’s daughter. Indeed, arranged marriages are no longer popular these days. Since neither family wants to continue with this marriage, it’s best to break it off. You’re only seventeen, no need to rush.”

Xue Zhongshan turned to Li Dacui. “Old Song family, since you’re not happy with this marriage, then just break it off. Miaoyun has returned the token, and the token that her mother gave to your family should be returned as well.”

He had once been quite optimistic about this marriage. Song Zhuanguo was much smarter than the other young men in the village. Unfortunately, being smart didn’t equate to good character. People’s hearts could change.

Li Dacui was also considered a tough character in the village, but she certainly didn’t dare act tough in front of Xue Zhongshan.

“Well, the token isn’t at home. It’s… it’s with Zhuanguo.”

Xue Zhongshan frowned, growing more dissatisfied with Song Zhuanguo. If they were going to break off the engagement, why hadn’t the token been returned? Was he trying to break the engagement and still keep the token?

“Hmph, I don’t care what you’re scheming. Write to Zhuanguo and have him return the token. Otherwise, I’ll call his unit leader and ask if they’ll take care of matters like this.”

“No, no,” Li Dacui panicked. “Our Song family is going to rely on the second son from now on. I’ll write to Zhuanguo, I’ll write when I get home.”

“Alright then. I’ll write up an official letter of dissolution. You both sign and stamp it with your fingerprints. That way, there’ll be no confusion in the future.”

Normally, this wouldn’t be necessary, but Xue Zhongshan had a very poor impression of the Song family and Song Zhuanguo. Miaoyun, being a girl, would always be at a disadvantage. An extra procedure provided more security.

After some thought, he had some other village officials called over to act as witnesses.

Though everyone thought it was a bit too formal, no one dared to say anything with Xue Zhongshan present.

Xue Miaoyun looked at the three copies of the letter of dissolution, each bearing signatures and thumbprints, and found the situation somewhat odd. It didn’t feel like canceling an engagement—it felt more like participating in some kind of underground operation…

Cough…

She took her own copy of the letter and thanked Xue Zhongshan with a grateful expression.

The reason she had previously schemed to obtain the letter Song Zhuanguo had written to Li Dacui was precisely to keep evidence.

“Miaoyun, there are still many days ahead. Take care, and don’t let your parents in the afterlife worry about you.” Xue Zhongshan said seriously.

“Grandpa, I understand. I was just confused before. But now I’ve come to my senses. I’ve realized that relying on others will always end in disappointment. Only by becoming strong myself can I avoid being mistreated.”

“Good, good. You understand this principle, and I won’t have to worry about letting down your father’s trust.” Xue Zhongshan said with relief. After all, she was still one of the Xue family’s children.

Xue Miaoyun recalled from the original owner’s memories that this elder had indeed helped her many times. Unfortunately, the original owner had never been able to stand on her own. In the end, it had led to such a miserable fate.

Thinking of this, the bitterness she had always felt on the original owner’s behalf began to ease a little.

Xue Miaoyun bowed to Xue Zhongshan before returning to her own home.

As soon as she entered, she realized that the original owner’s house could really be described as a bare, empty shell.

Xue Miaoyun’s lips twitched. According to the memories of the original owner, many of the household items had already been taken by Li Dacui to their home.

Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, Xue Miaoyun felt a deep sense of exhaustion. The original owner was truly a tragic figure.

Although with her current strength, she could easily march over to the Song family’s house and take everything back, the thought of those items being used by the Song family made her feel quite disgusted.

Knock knock!

“Who is it?” Xue Miaoyun opened the door.

“It’s Wanli,” came the voice of Xue Zhongshan’s second grandson.

“Grandpa asked me to bring you some food. The autumn harvest is coming soon, and we’ll have fresh grain then,” said Xue Wanli, scratching his head with a simple and honest smile.

“Please thank Grandpa for me, and thank you too, Cousin Wanli,” Xue Miaoyun responded gratefully. While she had food in her space, she couldn’t take it out carelessly. Almost everyone in the village knew that the original owner didn’t cook at home. Last night, many people had come to check on the house, and the kitchen was completely empty, with not a single grain of rice.

“No need to thank me, we’re family,” Xue Wanli said, his tone warm. “Let me help you bring it to the kitchen.”

“No, no, I can do it myself.” If it had been in her previous life, she would have genuinely needed help, but now, it was no big deal.

Xue Wanli was surprised to see Xue Miaoyun effortlessly pick up a large bag of grain, but he didn’t say anything further.

“Cousin Wanli, come in and have some water,” she offered.

“No, there’s still work to do at home. If you need anything, just come find us. Don’t be afraid—no one in Shuize Village will bully you,” Xue Wanli said, knowing that this cousin had been dumped by the Song family and was now alone at home. He felt a bit sorry for her.

Xue Miaoyun was touched. Perhaps this was the reason why the original owner’s mother had given up her city life and returned to Shuize Village.

“Alright, I will. Thank you, Second Brother.”

Hearing her call him Second Brother, Xue Wanli felt a bit embarrassed. Having a sister felt nice.

After sending off Xue Wanli, Xue Miaoyun took the grain to the kitchen. She opened the bag and saw that it was rice—fine grain, which was quite precious. In rural areas at this time, it was rare for families to be able to eat fine rice regularly. Most people had to make do with coarse grain. Even if a family had fine grain, they would usually have to trade it for coarse grain at the market.

Xue Miaoyun was deeply touched. This wasn’t just an emergency measure; she began thinking of going to the town soon and bringing something from her space to send to Grandpa Xue’s family. That way, they would know that she didn’t have nothing on hand. The original owner’s mother was a capitalist’s daughter, so it was normal for her to have some family assets to pass on.

According to the original owner’s memories, Xue Miaoyun quickly began preparing a meal. Fortunately, the original owner was already skilled at cooking, otherwise she really wouldn’t have been able to handle the stove.

Xue Miaoyun didn’t cook much. She mostly ate buns from her space, but she wanted to make sure that people saw smoke rising from her kitchen.