On the night of the second day of the Chinese New Year, Su Qingliu stayed at Lu’s house to accompany her.

The two sisters and Yaya lay on the same bed and talked all night, talking about the shop, Madam Ma, and their husbands, whose lives were unknown.

“My meifu has been gone for half a year. Do you miss him?”

“I think so. We are husband and wife, and I hope he can live. Even if his arms and legs are broken and his body is incomplete, I still hope he can live.”

“Yes, being alive is better than being dead. My meifu is still a little bit skilled and knows a few martial arts, but Yaya’s father has nothing but a lot of strength… It’s been almost three years, and I don’t know if he’s dead or alive…”

Su Qingyu fell silent after hearing this.

The battlefield had always been cruel. In the era of cold weapons, the tactics of human waves were used, and the battlefield was filled with heads. Behind every victory, there were countless piles of dead bones.

“Jie, do you still remember Jiefu?”

“Of course, I remember. Although your jiefu is dull, he is a very good person and protected me at home. His shūshū and shěnshen didn’t like him, so he often told me that he and I were the only family and that we should live a good life together. Even when his shūshū and shěnshen scolded me, he always protected me… He left before Yaya was born. I don’t know if they will be able to meet in the future”.

“If you think you can, then you can. If you keep thinking about it, there will be a response. Jie, as long as you believe firmly, jiefu will definitely come back.”

“If you keep thinking about it, there will be a response…” Su Qingliu murmured this sentence and nodded heavily in the darkness.

The next day, after Yaya woke up, the two sisters took Yaya to Yangwei Martial Arts School again.

Madam Ma was very happy to see Yaya. She played with Yaya for a long time and fed her personally. Her every move showed her tenderness and love. If someone who didn’t know the situation saw it, they would definitely think they were a mother and daughter.

In the afternoon, Su Dahu also returned to the town and brought two large cages of old hens for Su Qingyu.

The three of them sat and chatted in the shop for a while, and then Su Qingliu sent her back to Lu’s house. Lu Shengcai and his family came back, and Su Qingliu took Yaya to sleep in the shop.

“Your grandparents keep praising you, saying that you are sensible.”

Lu Shengcai sat on a chair in the main room, watching Wu Shi pack up the local specialties she brought back home while talking to Su Qingyu with a smile on his face.

“Is everything alright at home? Are grandpa and grandma in good health?”

“They are fine. They are in good health, so you don’t have to worry about them. Your grandparents wore the clothes you made for them during the New Year, and they praised their new granddaughter-in-law for being sensible. Many people in the village praised you, saying that you bought their fruits, vegetables, eggs, chickens, ducks, etc. last year, and every family is much richer than in previous years. When I left, they stuffed a lot of local specialities for me to bring back to you.”

“The villagers are so polite. This is a mutually beneficial thing.”

“That’s right. People who don’t know the truth would think that they have received a great favor from you.” Lu Yuzhu said with a sullen face and a pout.

Su Qingyu glanced at her after hearing that. As soon as she came in, she saw that she looked unhappy. If someone didn’t know the truth, they would think that she had suffered a lot in her hometown during the New Year.

“Lu Yuzhu, are you unable to learn how to speak or what? Why are you talking to your family in this tone? How old are you? You are sixteen this year. Look at you like this. Who would dare to come to your house to propose marriage?”

Lu Shengcai frowned tightly.

Su Qingyu turned her gaze away indifferently, not taking it to heart at all.

A long time ago, she gave up the extravagant hope of being respected as the eldest sister-in-law by Wu Shi’s children. She treated people the way they treated her and avoided them if she could, but if she couldn’t avoid them, she would just treat them as venting their anger.

Lu Yuzhu was still very afraid of Lu Shengcai. When she saw Lu Shengcai scolding her, she turned around and said to Wu Shi, “Mom, go and boil some water. I want to take a bath. I have to go play with Yueru later.”

As she said this, she pulled her sleeve and sniffed it, with a look of disgust on her face.

Lu Shengcai frowned so hard that a fly could be pinched to death: “Lu Yuzhu, you think it’s unfair for you to go back to your hometown? Your roots are there! Your old father will be buried there in the future! Are you too disgusted to burn paper for me?”
Lu Yuzhu opened her mouth and then closed it again.
Mrs. Wu glared at him and said, “It’s New Year’s Day; why are you arguing with the child? She’s used to sleeping in her bed, so what’s wrong with her complaining? The food at home doesn’t suit her taste, so she can’t even mention it?”
“Our family has provided us with meat and fish for every meal, and the table is full of dishes. How come you can’t eat anymore?” Lu Shengcai was provoked by Wu Shi and was about to stand up and slam the table.

Wu Shi quickly winked at Lu Yuzhu, who got the hint and ran out in a flash.

Lu Shengcai was very angry: “Look at her like this, which matchmaker would dare to come to her house to propose marriage!”

“If that pockmarked guy from North Street, who doesn’t even eat all year round, can get married, how can Yuzhu not get married? When Bozu becomes famous in the future, many people will come to propose marriage to him”. Wu Shi was not worried about Lu Yuzhu’s marriage at all.

Ever since Lü Bozu introduced a high-ranking marriage to Wu Shi, she straightened her back and visited more often, holding her head high, enjoying everyone’s compliments with great delight.

Lü Shengcai was so angry that he stormed out. Lü Bozu and Lü Bozong also ran away, while Su Qingyu was stopped by Wu Shi and took the local produce from the countryside to the kitchen to put away.

Wu Shi also asked her to boil some hot water for Lu Yuzhu.

On the fourth day of the New Year, Su Qingyu did not go out, Su Dahu ran to the countryside, and Su Qingliu cleaned up the shop.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, after welcoming the God of Wealth, Su Qingyu set off a string of firecrackers at the door of the shop and opened her convenience store for business.

Granny Zhou and her grandchildren also arrived at the store early and helped put fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and eggs on the shelves.

There were not many customers today, and they were all residents of the town. Although there were few people, since only Su Qingyu’s store was open among the three stores, business was still good.

Old man Xie came early in the morning with his old servant and Xie Qiyou, and the two sides exchanged New Year greetings. Old man Xie teased Su Qingyu as usual, complaining that there were not enough people in the store, and asked her to work hard and not fall behind in paying his rent.

Xie Qiyou played with Yaya for a while but soon lost interest when he saw that Qingxing and Qingyang had not returned. The grandparents and grandson followed the old servant who had selected the vegetables and went back together.

Because it was still the first month of the lunar year, all business came only from the town, demand was not great, and there were not many people in the store. It was not until after the Lantern Festival, when the private school started, that Father Su brought Qingyang and Qingxing to the town.

As soon as the two little ones returned to the town, they jumped for joy just like Yaya, holding onto Su Qingyu and refusing to let go. Though they had only been separated for half a month, it seemed like they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

The two little ones were afraid of being scolded in the countryside, and the eldest room was an honest family, so they all kept a low profile in their lives. Only when they arrived in town did the two little ones become lively like children.

Father Su started to run to the countryside. Qingyang started to go to school early and come back late, while Qingxing took Yaya with her and helped out in the store. When school was over every day, Qingxing would run to the gate of the private school to wait for her two brothers. The three of them would play together until sunset before going home.

On days when she was not attending private school, the three of them would take Yaya to Yangwei Martial Arts Hall to accompany Madam Ma and watch the disciples practice martial arts in the hall.

The days passed by like this until the end of the first month of the year, when bad news came.

(End of this chapter)