“What did you say?”  

“Get married???”  

Xu Shu froze completely.  

In his mind, Zhou Qiqi, his child bride, was a meek and submissive girl who always deferred to him, constantly felt she wasn’t good enough, and apologized for everything. She had no opinions of her own and wasn’t very bright.  

In his plan, Zhou Qiqi wasn’t supposed to argue at all. Instead, she should have been heartbroken, believing she was no longer worthy of him.  

There was no way she would shamelessly insist on marrying him after what happened.  

“Qiqi, are you still half-asleep? Don’t you remember? Last night, you and that Shen Huaichuan, you two…”  

He gestured an intimate embrace, trying to remind her to stick to the script.  

“I know!”  

To his surprise, Zhou Qiqi nodded.  

“But Brother Xu Shu, didn’t you say you didn’t mind and wouldn’t look down on me? How does this affect our marriage?”  

She blinked her big, innocent eyes, looking utterly clueless.  

Xu Shu gulped, his face full of disbelief.  

“But so many people at the hotel saw it! Shen Huaichuan’s childhood fiancée witnessed it too. Their engagement’s been called off, and Shen Huai’an already agreed to marry you. It’s settled!”  

“How is it settled? My marriage was decided without my consent? That’s not right, is it?”  

Before Xu Shu could finish, Zhou Qiqi cut him off.  

“I don’t agree!”  

“I’m Brother Xu Shu’s child bride. My parents sent me here to marry you—that’s only natural! If Shen Huaichuan wants to take responsibility, let him take responsibility for his own fiancée!”  

She paused, then added matter-of-factly,  

“As for last night, let’s just pretend it never happened!”  

Xu Shu panicked and blurted out,  

“That won’t work! Many of Yaoyao’s coworkers were at the hotel last night. If she marries into that family now, she’ll be laughed at for the rest of her life! Besides, Yaoyao, she—”  

Halfway through, he realized he’d slipped up and quickly shut his mouth.  

Zhou Qiqi had already caught the inconsistency but didn’t interrupt him. Instead, she watched him with a faint, knowing smile before speaking coolly.  

“Yaoyao? You’re calling her so affectionately. What, Brother Xu Shu, do you know Shen Huaichuan’s fiancée?”  

“N-No, I don’t! I just exchanged a few words with her after what happened last night and learned her name is Lin Yao…”  

Xu Shu denied it hastily, licking his lips nervously.  

“Oh? Really?”  

“I thought maybe Brother Xu Shu and Lin Yao—two people already engaged to others—got involved with each other but didn’t want to be scorned, so you set me up with Shen Huaichuan to swap marriages openly?”  

Cornered, Xu Shu broke out in a cold sweat, trembling as he pointed at Zhou Qiqi and shouted,  

“You—you—you’re talking nonsense! That’s slander! Defamation!”  

“Let me tell you! I already gave your household register to Shen Huaichuan last night. By now, his marriage application has probably been submitted. It’s too late for you to back out! Don’t even think about ruining this!”  

“Don’t be so worked up, Brother Xu Shu. I was just throwing out a guess. Why so defensive?”  

Zhou Qiqi had already figured all this out and wasn’t the least bit flustered.  

She lowered her head, her long lashes fluttering as she thought for a moment before speaking.  

“I’m not trying to ruin your plans. If you want me to marry Shen Huaichuan… It’s not impossible…”

…..

A few hours later, Zhou Qiqi had already arrived at the train station.  

The platform was packed with passengers carrying burlap sacks. The crowd surged toward the train doors like a tidal wave, luggage scattering everywhere as people shouted and struggled to board.  

Zhou Qiqi was grateful she had brought nothing but a small bundle.  

She nimbly weaved through the crowd and found her seat without trouble.  

Soon, the train started moving. The compartment reeked of sweat and coal smoke, making her queasy. Since she had bought her ticket late, she only managed to get an aisle seat and had to endure it.  

People shuffled back and forth in the aisle, and many standing passengers eyed the seats greedily. She had to keep a close watch on her little bundle—inside was a small fortune of 100 yuan and 50 fen!  

Before leaving, Xu’s mother, Li Guixiang, had given her three yuan for the trip. After buying the train ticket, only 50 fen remained.  

The other 100 yuan?  

That was the “dowry money” she had just extorted from Xu Shu.  

Earlier, when confronting him, she had been weighing her options.  

It was clear Xu Shu didn’t want to marry her anymore.  

And she had no interest in that greasy, two-faced scoundrel either.  

That left her with two choices: return to Xu Village or stay in the city.  

The first option was absolutely out of the question.  

The original Zhou Qiqi had suffered for fourteen years in the Xu household, treated worse than livestock—and that was when they still saw her as a future daughter-in-law.  

Now that the engagement was off, the Xu family wouldn’t take her back. Even if they did, they’d only see her as a cash cow, marrying her off to some rich man for a hefty bride price.  

Last year, an old widower in the village paid ten yuan just for a betrothal gift. Li Guixiang had been green with envy and even considered selling off the original Zhou Qiqi.  

Only Xu Tiesheng’s insistence on honoring the engagement had stopped her.  

Going back to the Xu family? Never.

The Zhou family’s old house was still there, but her family was gone. As a transmigrator who knew nothing about farming, returning to the village meant certain starvation.  

Staying in the city to make a living was the smarter choice.  

But under current policies, drifters weren’t allowed in cities. Without a city hukou (household registration), she’d have nowhere to live and no way to find work.  

Her only option was to go to the military base and find Shen Huaichuan.  

Her household register was in his hands, and as Xu Shu said, the marriage application had likely already been submitted.  

Technically, she was already a military wife.  

In this era, disrupting a military marriage was a serious crime—she couldn’t afford that!  

Might as well make do. They’d just gotten married—it wasn’t like they could divorce immediately!  

There was also one small, insignificant reason: Shen Huaichuan himself.  

They’d already been intimate—was he a good man? She could tell!

Marrying him was ten thousand times better than marrying Xu Shu!  

But this also meant Xu Shu would get exactly what he wanted.  

He had killed the original Zhou Qiqi, and she wasn’t about to let him off easy.  

Xu Shu had never been bright, the type who’d drool even if cured of stupidity.  

After some psychological pressure, she **extorted 100 yuan from him—twenty times the original 5-yuan dowry he had planned to give her.  

That was a whole year’s salary for Xu Shu. The look on his face when he handed it over? Priceless.

Just thinking about it now made Zhou Qiqi grin with satisfaction.  

…

“Comrade, stop grinning like an idiot—move your feet!”

Lost in her glee, she was abruptly scolded by a passing train attendant.  

“Sorry!”

She stuck out her tongue and quickly pulled her feet back.  

The attendant pushed a cart past her, neatly lined with aluminum lunchboxes, the aroma of freshly cooked food wafting through the air.  

Train meals in this era weren’t pre-packaged junk—they were made on board by real chefs, many of whom were master cooks from top restaurants.  

The only downside? They were expensive.

– Rice: 10 fen per bowl  

– Vegetable dishes: 35 fen

– Meat dishes: At least 50 fen 

Considering the average worker’s monthly wage was only 30-40 yuan, few could afford such luxuries.  

But Zhou Qiqi? She believed in living for the moment.

Money could always be earned later—regrets couldn’t be undone. 

Without hesitation, she forked over 1.25 yuan for a bowl of rice, spicy chicken, and tomato scrambled eggs, enjoying a hearty meal.  

Not long after eating, she drifted off to sleep.  

…

“Girl! Wake up! Your bundle’s been stolen!” 

Someone shook her violently.  

(Don’t worry—our heroine won’t suffer losses!)