Chapter 7 – Song Qinian Comes to Propose

Wang Xiuqin came storming over with a wooden stick in her hand, her eyes burning with hatred—not the look a mother should have toward her own daughter, but rather one you’d give an enemy.

“Su Mujin, you’ve grown bold, haven’t you?! You think just because Chen Fengmei is backing you up, you can act tough now? You really believe I won’t beat you to death today?!”

As she spoke, she swung the wooden stick hard—straight toward Su Mujin’s head.

But ever since Su Mujin had gained her space, and anticipating a future apocalypse, she hadn’t only been stockpiling supplies. She’d also thrown herself into learning survival skills and self-defense techniques.

Though she had only trained for three months, her progress had been remarkably fast.

What’s more, with her frequent use of spiritual spring water, her physical body had grown much stronger, her soul tougher, and her reflexes and comprehension were far beyond that of ordinary people.

Even though she hadn’t time-traveled into a new body, the instinctive muscle memory remained deeply imprinted in her soul. So when the stick swung toward her, Su Mujin immediately reached out and grabbed it with precision.

Wang Xiuqin didn’t even see how Su Mujin had made her move—by the time she registered what was happening, the stick had already been snatched right out of her hands.

Su Mujin gripped the stick and slammed it down hard on the sofa.

Crack!

The stick snapped in half instantly.

Su Mujin tossed the broken pieces to the floor and looked at Wang Xiuqin with icy eyes.
“If you don’t provoke me, I won’t bother with you. After all, I’m getting married and leaving soon. But if you still want to bully me like before—don’t blame me for not being polite.”

As she finished, she shot a cold glance at Su Moli before walking off toward her room.

The house was a small three-bedroom unit. Wang Xiuqin and Su Dafu occupied the master bedroom, Su Tianci had the second-largest room, and Su Mujin shared a room with Su Moli.

Their room wasn’t big—besides a bunk bed, there was only one desk under the window.

Naturally, the desk was entirely claimed by Su Moli, while all of the original host’s belongings were crammed up on the top bunk.

Su Mujin briefly looked through them—just a few well-preserved books and some clothes that had been mended over and over.

Su Moli, on the other hand, had a private wardrobe full of clothes and shoes.

Su Mujin climbed down from the bunk, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out a large pair of scissors.

Then, one by one, she cut Su Moli’s clothes into shreds.

Many of these clothes had been bought with the original host’s wages and fabric coupons. Su Moli had even flaunted them repeatedly, telling the original Su Mujin that she was nothing more than a handmaid, only good for working and earning money for her.

Su Mujin didn’t care for Su Moli’s clothes—she wouldn’t wear them, and she certainly wasn’t about to leave them for Su Moli to enjoy.

Shredding them was the only proper ending for those things.

After finishing, she climbed back to the top bunk and pulled out a glass of spiritual spring water from her space, drinking it down in one go.

This body had worked hard and eaten poorly for years, suffering from severe malnutrition—her arms, legs, and face were all dangerously thin.

But with daily spring water and proper meals, she’d recover soon enough.

Despite being thin, her natural figure was still curvy, with a narrow waist and prominent shape—clearly blessed.

Su Mujin ran her hands over her body and thought, Damn, still got it!

It was already quite close to the figure she’d had before.

With that thought, she pulled out a mirror and studied her face carefully.

This was actually the first time Su Mujin had looked at herself in a mirror since coming to this world.

The face in the reflection, aside from being a bit too skinny, was identical to the one she used to have.

The exact same name.
The exact same face.
Could this be the reason she ended up in this body?

Just as Su Mujin was deep in thought, she heard voices from outside.

Judging by the sound, Su Dafu and Su Tianci had returned.

Sure enough, just moments later, Su Tianci kicked open the door and began yelling at her.

“Su Mujin, get down here right now! Hand over the money and the ration tickets, then go kneel before Mom and Sister and apologize!”

Su Tianci was nineteen this year. Thanks to years of good food and plenty of nutrition, he was tall and strong.

His voice was thunderous, booming like a clap of thunder.

But Su Mujin wasn’t afraid of him.

Though Su Tianci had the build, if it really came to a fight, he might not even be a match for her.

Out of consideration for social norms and “filial piety,” Su Mujin wouldn’t lay a hand on Wang Xiuqin.

But Su Tianci? She had no such concerns.

As an older sister, disciplining an unruly younger brother was entirely acceptable.

Just as Su Mujin was about to speak, there was a sudden knock at the door from outside.

Then came a familiar voice:
“Is this the home of Su Mujin, the comrade who saved someone? We’ve come to thank her—and to propose marriage!”

That voice… sounded like Song Qinian’s father!

But didn’t Song Qinian say he’d come tomorrow?

Why was he here already?

Su Tianci also looked over in confusion, only to see a well-dressed middle-aged couple pushing a young man in a wheelchair through the front gate. Behind them, two orderlies followed, their hands full of large packages.

The Song family trio all had exceptional looks and an air of refinement.

Even though Su Dafu and Wang Xiuqin didn’t yet know who they were, they still plastered fake smiles on their faces.

Wang Xiuqin nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, this is Mujin’s home. We’re Mujin’s parents. And you are?”

Song Huai’an responded with a warm smile, “Hello there! I’m Song Huai’an. This is my wife, Chen Yuehua, and this is my son, Song Qinian. Qinian accidentally fell into the river earlier today, and was rescued by your daughter, Su Mujin.”

“Because of that incident, her reputation and engagement were affected. So our son Qinian would like to marry her. We’ve come today specifically to propose marriage.”

Chen Yuehua quickly added, “Although Qinian’s legs are injured, the doctors say it’s not hopeless. If Mujin marries into our family, we will treat her like our very own daughter. We absolutely will not let her suffer in any way!”

Su Dafu frowned instinctively, “Your surname is Song too? Are you related to Liancheng?”

Song Huai’an looked a bit embarrassed. “Liancheng is my nephew—my younger brother’s son. This whole thing… was just a big misunderstanding…”

But Wang Xiuqin’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Oh, I see! Well, in that case, let Mujin marry your son, and my eldest daughter Moli can marry Liancheng. That way, no outsiders will have anything to gossip about! Don’t you think that’s perfect?”

Song Huai’an didn’t quite know how to respond.
“I may be Liancheng’s uncle, but I can’t make decisions about his marriage. That’s something his parents have to discuss.”

Wang Xiuqin thought about it and decided to put that matter aside for now.

“So, you want to marry Su Mujin. How much bride price are you offering? Do you have the ‘three rounds and one sound’?”

Looking at the family—well-dressed, escorted by military orderlies, and even related to Song Liancheng—they clearly had money and status.

Wang Xiuqin figured she could ask for more—not just to “make up” for what the family had “lost” before, but also to get the famous dowry set (bicycle, sewing machine, wristwatch, and radio) for her own son’s future marriage without spending another dime.