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After speaking, she turned and left.
In this backward rural era, reputation was crucial—especially since Lu Zheng served in the military, where any scandal could have serious implications.
Lin Shuqiao knew she was in the wrong. This time, she wanted to make amends for the mistakes of her past life.
No matter what, she couldn’t let Lu Zheng be gossiped about as a cuckold.
But this Jiang He… Even in this second life, Lin Shuqiao still didn’t understand why he was so eager to sacrifice his own reputation just to break up her marriage with Lu Zheng.
Wait!
Did she forget to tell Lu Zheng she was pregnant?
Lin Shuqiao hesitated.
She was probably still in the early stages; the pregnancy wouldn’t show on any tests yet. If Lu Zheng took her for an examination and nothing came up, he might think she lied—that’d be a problem.
Forget it.
They were getting divorced anyway—baby or no baby didn’t matter. She could deal with it later.
As she walked through the door, Lu Zheng remained standing outside, unmoving.
He was still puzzled by her attitude toward Jiang He.
That slap she gave him was definitely real, and she didn’t seem to be pretending.
And the way she looked at him… calmer, more detached, maybe even a hint of guilt and pity?
Normally, the way Lin Shuqiao looked at him was full of impatience and disgust, always with that mocking tone:
“Lu Zheng, wow, how nice of you. Always leaving your son with me, the stepmom, while you run off on missions. You never care about this home. Marrying you is no different from being a widow!”
“Look at Jiang He—he’s gentle, considerate, way more patient than you!”
“So many soldiers in your unit, but of course all the missions just have to fall on you, right?”
…
Remembering all her complaints, Lu Zheng’s expression darkened again.
He left the cold house and walked over to Military Doctor Meng’s home nearby.
“Captain Lu, you’re here,” Meng An’an greeted him gently. “It’s just about dinnertime. I made extra food—you’re just in time.”
“No need. I’m just here to check on Ziqi.”
Lu Ziqi was the orphaned son of Lu Zheng’s fallen comrade, now four years old.
He was also Lin Shuqiao’s most resented stepson, who she constantly complained about—being so young and forced to be a stepmom.
A few days ago, Lin Shuqiao had left Lu Ziqi home alone and forgot there was water boiling in the kitchen.
The water evaporated, the boiler started smoking, and Ziqi tried to extinguish the coals—getting burned in the process.
Meng An’an offered to let him stay with her for a while to recover, and Lu Zheng agreed.
The little boy was so skinny his face could barely hold any flesh, but his big round eyes, like grapes, stared at him unblinkingly.
Lu Zheng’s cold gaze softened. He reached out and gently wiped a grain of rice off the boy’s mouth.
Still, he couldn’t ignore the ugly burn scars visible on the boy’s arm.
Even after days of careful care at Meng An’an’s, the wounds still hadn’t faded.
It was like a glaring reminder—of who had caused them.
Damn Lin Shuqiao!
“Ziqi’s doing much better now,” Meng An’an said guiltily. “But the scars may remain.”
Lu Zheng’s expression turned cold at her words.
“Scars don’t matter. As long as he’s healed.”
He handed over Ziqi’s food rations to Meng An’an and turned to leave.
As he was walking away, her voice called out behind him, “You haven’t even eaten yet—where are you rushing off to, Captain Lu?”
Without turning his head, he threw out one cold word:
“Divorce.”
At the military administrative office, Commander Kong received Lu Zheng’s resignation request and frowned deeply.
“You’re sure about this? You have to get a divorce?”
He adjusted his glasses and looked away from the document, focusing on the man before him.
“Yes.”
Lu Zheng answered firmly and without hesitation.
Commander Kong sighed multiple times, knowing Lu Zheng’s stubbornness.
“You’ve had an outstanding few years—your military achievements have earned you multiple promotions. And now, right at this critical point, you want a divorce? Do you know how much that’ll affect your career?”
He had watched Lu Zheng grow through the ranks and couldn’t bear to see him fall now.
“You’ve only been married for two months. Military marriages are serious business—this isn’t child’s play!”
“I understand.”
Lu Zheng stood tall and straight, meeting his eyes with unwavering calm.
“Even if you understand, that’s not enough!” Kong slapped the request back onto the table. “Commander Wu is away on a mission. Without his approval and signature, the divorce can’t go through.”
“Go back for now. Come again later.”
Seeing that Lu Zheng still stood there like a block of wood, Kong waved him off.
Lu Zheng frowned as he looked at the rejected paperwork. He saluted and turned to leave.
Denied at the worst possible time.
But he knew—if not this time, then next.
Back at home, Lin Shuqiao had already packed up.
In this house, she didn’t own much. Most things were bought by Lu Zheng after they got married.
She had no intention of taking what wasn’t hers.
Still, looking at her pitiful belongings, she sighed quietly.
All her assets added up to 14.71 yuan—and that was money Lu Zheng had given her.
He gave her nearly his full salary each month, but she’d squandered it all.
Thinking about how she’d used Lu Zheng’s money to buy things for Jiang He, Lin Shuqiao wanted to slap her past self.
Looking at the scattered bills, her frown eased.
With the experience from her past life, she wasn’t afraid of starting from scratch.
Still, starting a pig farm with no money wasn’t easy.
Just then, a vivid image flashed in her mind—a modern ecological farming space, fully automated, like a hidden paradise.
A spring trickled with glowing golden water, labeled:
¥0.01
The pig sheds were filled with breeds: Bamei pigs, Large White pigs, Huai pigs, Meishan pigs, Jinhua pigs, even rare native breeds…
At this time, many of these breeds hadn’t even been developed yet.
What shocked her most was that a Large White breeding pig was listed at ¥10.
The prices for pigs (for breeding or slaughter) were unbelievably cheap.
There were also some poultry species, equally affordable.
This was just like the spiritual spring spaces in novels!
But hers came with a whole ranch.
Wait—was the currency used her real-life cash?
Lin Shuqiao focused her thoughts.
In the next moment, a ceramic bowl appeared in her hand, filled with what looked like ordinary water.
She had just mentally purchased spiritual spring water.
She counted her money again—14.70.
She was missing one cent!
So it really did deduct her money—and the space was real!
She drank the water—it was sweet and smooth, clearing her mind and washing away fatigue. She felt much more relaxed.
Good stuff.
After finishing the water, Lin Shuqiao stepped out of the room and saw a small figure standing outside the door, peeking at her with just one eye and a bit of his head showing.
Lu Ziqi?
She froze.
In her past life, after she became successful, she’d learned that Lu Ziqi had died in a fire at age five.
Though she had little emotional connection to him, the news had moved her.
At age two, he had lost both parents. A year of drifting later, Lu Zheng adopted him.
Doctors said the trauma left him mute—or perhaps he just didn’t want to speak.
Lu Zheng was always busy with duties and had little time for daily care.
Before Lin Shuqiao married Lu Zheng, neighbors had helped take care of the boy. After the marriage, he was mostly left with her.
But she had been too busy flirting with Jiang He to care for him—worse, she found him annoying.
Now that she thought about it, it was around this time that he’d been injured.
Though she hadn’t caused his death, she had returned to this time.
Looking at the frail, lonely little boy, a wave of guilt washed over her.
How could she have resented a fallen comrade’s orphan?
She was truly terrible.
“Ziqi, come sit down,” she said with a warm smile.
Lu Ziqi looked up—his eyes like black gems—but filled with fear.
“…?”
Was she that scary?
The boy turned and ran off in a panic, only to bump into someone.
Lu Zheng looked down at the little guy, his hard expression softening. “Why are you back?”
Ziqi lowered his head but didn’t leave.
Lu Zheng didn’t understand kids and assumed he simply wanted to come home.
“Fine. If you want to come home, then come home.”
It wasn’t appropriate to have the boy living at a single woman’s place anyway.
Then he saw the packed luggage behind Lin Shuqiao and spoke in a cooler tone:
“The approval didn’t go through yet. You can’t leave.”
Lin Shuqiao thought about it and nodded.
“Alright. Just let me know when it’s finalized, and I’ll leave immediately.”
She agreed without hesitation, knowing how much public opinion mattered.
“The unit hasn’t reassigned me yet. I’ll be staying here for around a month.”
Lu Zheng locked his sharp eyes on her.
“Until the divorce is finalized, I don’t want any more rumors in the compound.”
Just two months into marriage and the entire compound was buzzing about her—it gave him a headache.