CHAPTER 1:  Origins

“Hey, did you hear? The Su family’s little daughter isn’t their real child! The biological one’s shown up now. No wonder Su Yuan hasn’t been favored at home all these years!”

“Exactly. I heard the real daughter looks just like the Su family — you don’t even need a blood test to see she’s one of them. What’s Su Yuan going to do now? Will the Su family even keep her?”

“I doubt it. This morning, the Sus bought a big rooster, saying it’s to welcome their real flesh and blood home. As for Su Yuan… life’s only going to get harder for her from here on.”

“Oh, come on, stop worrying about other people’s business. She’s such a pretty girl — plenty of young men in our compound are thinking about her. No matter who she marries, she’ll live a good life. If it were me, I’d hurry up and find a good husband. That’s the only way to change her situation.”

“You’re right. Before, she was out of reach. But now… she’s just a girl with an unclear background — anything’s possible~”

“Hahaha, true enough… though with an unknown background, a man might think twice before marrying her.”

At this moment, under the big locust tree in the military family compound, a few middle-aged women were sitting together chatting, gossiping about the scandal of the Su family’s baby mix-up.

Eighteen years of raising the wrong child — now the whole compound was in an uproar!

And the “Su Yuan” they kept mentioning was, at that very moment, standing in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, blocked from leaving.

Her cherry lips were pressed together, and in those almond-shaped eyes like autumn water was a trace of impatience. Even without a smile, her presence was striking — breathtakingly beautiful.

Xiao Qi stared at her for a moment before finally speaking. “Su Yuan, have you thought it over these past few days? As long as you marry me, no one will dare bully you.”

At his words, Su Yuan’s fine brows knit together, her face growing even colder. “I don’t need your protection, and I will never marry you. Please step aside.”

She was known throughout the compound as a cold beauty. Xiao Qi had liked her for years and had already expected she wouldn’t agree easily, so he was in no hurry. But his pride got in the way, and his tone turned unpleasant. His manner slipped back into his usual lazy, rogue-like air.

Those peach blossom eyes were filled with disdain. “Don’t need my protection? Hah! Then whose protection do you need? Fu Mobai’s? Don’t kid yourself. If he really cared about you, he wouldn’t have gone south to join the army! I heard he’s close with a female soldier from the arts troupe — probably about to get engaged. You should cut your losses now. And with your background in question, any man would have to think twice before marrying you. Marrying me is your best option.”

The moment he mentioned that name, Su Yuan’s last shred of patience was gone. She raised her arm and shoved him hard, glaring coldly as she warned, “If you keep pestering me, I’ll scream that you’re harassing me. And when your father beats your butt black and blue, don’t blame me.”

Caught off guard, Xiao Qi staggered back. Thinking she was only treating him this way because of Fu Mobai made his eyes burn with fury, his pride taking a severe hit.

“Fine, you’ve got guts! But don’t think threatening me with my father will make me back down!”

With that, he turned to leave — but not before shouting, “I’m going home right now to tell them I’m going to marry you! Just wait to be my wife!”

He thought she would stop him, maybe even beg him. But after waiting a while, there was still no movement from her. Unable to resist, Xiao Qi glanced back — only to find the area in front of the cooperative completely empty.

That only made him angrier!

Meanwhile—

Su Yuan shook off her irritation and carried the things she’d bought home. As soon as she stepped inside, she nearly bumped into her mother, Zhang Lanjun, who was hurrying about.

In her forties or fifties, Zhang Lanjun was dressed in a white blouse and black pants made of real Dacron fabric. Her skin was fair and smooth, clearly well maintained.

Su Yuan was long used to her mother’s scatterbrained ways. Calmly stepping back, she asked, “Mom, where are you going in such a hurry?”

Seeing her was like spotting the family’s backbone. Zhang Lanjun quickly took the things from Su Yuan’s hands and, looking flustered, pleaded, “Yuan Yuan, our big rooster is missing! Help Mom find it!”

The Su family lived in a two-story house with its own yard. It wasn’t as grand as the homes of high-ranking officials, but within the compound, it was still a place many envied. The only drawback was that the courtyard wall was too low.

If the rooster wasn’t tied up tightly enough, it could easily fly over.

Su Yuan sighed silently. She had no choice but to help look for it. It was midsummer, the noon sun blazing — not only did people hate the heat, chickens did too.

Keeping that in mind, it didn’t take her long to find the drooping, listless rooster hiding in a pile of junk in the corner of the yard.

Zhang Lanjun had been following right behind her. The moment she spotted the chicken, her eyes lit up. “You’re amazing! You’re the smartest in the whole family!”

From childhood to now, Su Yuan had heard compliments like that countless times. At first, they had made her happy, but later, as the chores assigned to her grew more and more, she came to understand what “the capable are burdened with more work” really meant.

She fetched some coarse hemp rope and tied the rooster’s legs again. Before Zhang Lanjun could speak, she made it clear in advance: “I can’t do the chicken slaughtering. You’ll have to wait for someone else to come back and handle it.”

Zhang Lanjun pursed her lips, swallowing whatever she had been about to say. Her expression was a little sour. “Mom wasn’t going to ask you to do that. After all, you’re a girl — how could I let you kill a chicken?”

Su Yuan only smiled faintly in reply, saying nothing.

Inwardly, she thought: chickens were expensive, so they didn’t buy them often — but fish? She’d killed plenty of those.

By rights, with three older brothers, rough chores like slaughtering chickens and gutting fish shouldn’t have been her responsibility. But in the Su household, they believed in equality between men and women, raising daughters as they did sons. Clearing snow from the roof, mixing mud to repair walls, hauling water, planting vegetables — she’d done it all since she was little. She was long used to it.

Especially since every time Zhang Lanjun praised her, there was always a chore waiting right after.

Su Yuan carried the rooster back to the kitchen, then she and her mother went into the main hall.

Today was the grand occasion of the Su family’s real daughter moving back home. The place had been scrubbed spotless inside and out.

On the main hall table were plates of fruit and sunflower seeds, the setup no less meticulous than if a visiting leader were being hosted.

Noticing Su Yuan’s gaze linger there, Zhang Lanjun touched her nose and explained, “Xiao Xue grew up in the countryside and hasn’t had many nice things to eat. I took five of the liquor-filled chocolates from your room — just five. You… won’t be mad, will you?”

Those liquor chocolates had been sent from the south by Fu Mobai, and Su Yuan had been saving them, reluctant to eat even one.

Right now, she felt her blood surge, something indescribable about to burst out.

But then she thought of the family’s years of raising her, and the fire in her chest quickly died down.

“Mom, could you at least let me know in advance next time you take my things?”

Seeing she wasn’t going to make a fuss, Zhang Lanjun’s smile bloomed, and she nodded quickly. “I’ll be more careful next time! When your eldest brother goes south on a work trip, I’ll have him buy you a whole box to make it up to you.”

It was just an empty promise, and Su Yuan didn’t take it to heart.

Just as she was about to head back to her room to rest, Zhang Lanjun suddenly took her hand, speaking softly, “Your brothers are all busy — no telling when they’ll get home. Since it’s Xiao Xue’s first day moving in, why don’t you come with me to pick her up? If even you don’t go, I’m afraid she might overthink things.”

Su Yuan paused, instinctively asking, “Overthink what?”

“She might… she…”

After stammering for a while, Zhang Lanjun finally answered slowly, “She grew up in the countryside, suffered a lot back then. She’s actually quite sensitive and insecure, and needs more care from her family. My poor daughter… we… we all owe her.”

As she spoke, her eyes turned red, tears threatening to fall.

A faint ache swept through Su Yuan’s chest. This was the first time she’d seen her mother cry for her children — and it wasn’t for her.

After thinking it over, she felt there was something that needed to be said clearly.

Taking a deep breath, she said seriously, “Mom, what you just said is wrong. I don’t owe her anything — I’m a victim too. Only Aunt knows the truth of what happened back then. When is she coming back to the capital?”

Zhang Lanjun froze, looking flustered. In the past, Su Yuan had been cool and reserved but never forceful — now she seemed a little different, almost unfamiliar.

Normally, all the big and small matters at home, including decisions about the children’s upbringing, were decided by her husband.

But a few days ago, he had gone to the Northeast and wasn’t home, so now, faced with a tricky question, she was at a loss.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Your father went to find your aunt. I think they’ll be back soon. When they do, everything will be made clear. What I said just now wasn’t right — don’t dwell on it. No matter what happens in the future, you’ll always be my daughter. That will never change.”

The more she spoke, the more urgent her tone became, her gaze filled with emotion. Su Yuan was touched for a moment, but deep down, she knew — there would be no place for her in this home much longer.

Perhaps out of guilt, in the end, Zhang Lanjun didn’t insist that Su Yuan accompany her to the station.

It would take two hours round trip by bus from the compound to the train station.

During that time, Su Yuan wrote a long letter, planning to mail it the next day.

Afterward, she sat by the bed, staring out the window in a daze…

In just the past half month, her life had been turned upside down.

She had learned she wasn’t the premature baby who had caused her mother to hemorrhage, but a girl with no blood ties to this family — a cuckoo in another bird’s nest.

At that thought, beyond the sadness, there was a flicker of relief. Relief that she hadn’t been the reason her mother had nearly died giving birth.

After all, for years, every time relatives or family friends saw her, they would bring up that story again and again, reminding her to be sensible, to be filial, to live in a way worthy of her mother’s sacrifice.

This had been a heavy stone pressing on her heart, and now, that lingering guilt could finally fade away.

Time slipped by unnoticed, her drifting thoughts interrupted by laughter outside the window. Looking out, Su Yuan saw Zhang Lanjun returning with her biological daughter.

Her smile was radiant, one hand carrying a bag while the other was linked affectionately through the girl’s arm — utterly intimate.

It was a warmth Su Yuan had never experienced.

In that moment, she finally understood — blood ties were a strange thing. It wasn’t that her mother didn’t know how to express love; she had simply been unwilling to give that love to her.