Chapter 20

“No… we’re not… it’s not like that…”

Chen Guo’an wanted to say he wasn’t really courting Wang Aihua—that he was only fooling around. But when the words reached his lips, he suddenly realized his situation. If he denied having a relationship with her, he could easily be charged as a hooligan. He was already on the verge of returning to the city—he couldn’t afford any trouble now.

“Brother Guo’an, didn’t you say you would marry me? You weren’t lying to me, were you…?”

Seeing that Chen Guo’an was about to deny their relationship, Wang Aihua quickly edged closer and whispered to him. She had no way out now. Marrying Chen Guo’an was her only option.

“No… we really are planning to get married.”

Realizing his own predicament, Chen Guo’an had no choice but to grit his teeth and admit they were engaged. Better to marry than end up in jail.

Hearing this, the village chief finally breathed a sigh of relief. If they were going to be husband and wife, then what happened could be explained as a moment of lost control. At least it wouldn’t become a scandal too big to contain.

Just as the commotion was about to settle down, the chief started leading the two back to the production brigade office to issue a certificate for their marriage registration. No one noticed Xu Yongwang suddenly charging out of the crowd, hurling himself at Chen Guo’an with fists and kicks.

“Stealing my fiancée—you beast! You worthless pretty boy!”

Wang Aihua tried to intervene, but her strength was no match. Only with the effort of the chief and several men were they finally pulled apart and dragged off to the brigade office. The rest of the onlookers soon dispersed.

“Let’s go.”

Cheng Xiaoying had no interest in this sort of gossip, but Shu Yue had kept hold of her hand the whole time, leaving her no choice but to wait until the crowd broke up before they could continue collecting firewood.

Shu Yue answered softly, ready to head up the mountain. Passing by Sun Qing, she couldn’t help letting out a faint laugh. Seeing Sun Qing angry always made her happy. This woman was no saint—across her previous and current life, Shu Yue had suffered plenty because of her. Back when they lived together at the educated youth station, Sun Qing was especially good at rallying others to isolate Shu Yue—just because of her political background.

Now, watching Sun Qing burn with anger yet unable to vent it, Shu Yue felt nothing but delight. She was already plotting. Since Chen Guo’an had publicly agreed to marry Wang Aihua, the marriage certificate would definitely be issued. Whether he wanted it or not, the Chen family would certainly find a way to bring the couple back to the city together.

And once Wang Aihua left, Sun Qing would be all alone. Shu Yue decided she’d make sure Sun Qing wouldn’t stay lonely—she’d send her another “good sister.” And who better than Gu Ziru?

If she hadn’t lived her life a second time, Shu Yue would have nearly forgotten her own biological father, Gu Cheng’an. This so-called father had married into the Shu family, yet betrayed her mother while she was pregnant. Shu Yue’s mother had been sharp and sensitive; she discovered the affair early but kept her pain buried in her heart. That unspoken grief became a knot she never untied—and on the day of childbirth, she didn’t survive.

Gu Ziru, Shu Yue’s half-sister, was less than a year younger than her—proof enough of what kind of man their father really was.

After Shu Yue’s mother died, Gu Cheng’an quickly moved out. On the surface, he didn’t take anything from the Shu family, but in truth his job came through their connections, and his housing was approved by factory leaders as a favor to Shu Yue’s grandfather. He’d received countless benefits from the Shu family, yet remarried in a hurry and showed no concern for Shu Yue.

If Grandfather Shu hadn’t insisted on taking her back to the Shu household, Shu Yue doubted she would have even survived childhood in the Gu household.

Judging from the shady errands Gu Ziru assigned to Sun Qing, her hostility toward Shu Yue was obvious—even though they’d barely met and had hardly exchanged a few words in their lives.

Since that was the case, Shu Yue thought with a sly smile, why not let Gu Ziru come to the countryside and enjoy village life? Sun Qing wouldn’t have to be lonely, and Shu Yue would be doing a “kind and beautiful” good deed.

Later, Shu Yue and Cheng Xiaoying carried bundles of firewood home. Old Madam Cheng had already prepared lunch. The baby was sleeping soundly. For herself and her daughter, Old Madam Cheng made coarse grain porridge with wild greens. For Shu Yue, she prepared steamed egg, rice mixed with a little sweet potato (mostly white rice), and a plate of tender greens—a meal far better than the others, especially in contrast to their plain porridge.

“Grandmother, Aunt, there’s no need to make something separate for me. Let’s all eat the same food. Either I’ll eat what you eat, or you eat what I eat. I’m not short on food, truly—you can trust me.”

Looking at the obvious difference in the meals, Shu Yue voiced her thoughts. She really had no shortage of rations—her space contained everything she needed—but she had to think up excuses to take things out. Since they were living together, there was no need for special treatment. Back at the Cheng household, she’d survived just fine on coarse grains and wild vegetables. She knew Old Madam Cheng prepared extra because she was in confinement after childbirth, but thanks to the spiritual spring in her space, her health was perfectly fine. In fact, the two older women were thin and sallow; what they really needed was better nourishment. Shu Yue was already thinking she should add a little spiritual spring to their drinking water to improve their health.

“You’re still in confinement—you need to eat better,” Old Madam Cheng said firmly. “We’re used to these coarse grains. Even if we have grain, we have to save it. Winter’s coming soon, and every household must store food to get through the cold months. This afternoon you stay home with the baby. I’ll go up the mountain to find more wild vegetables. Winter is no small matter—we have to prepare in advance.”

Mentioning the coming winter made deep worry cloud Old Madam Cheng’s face. For now, they could still scrape by: Cheng Xiaoying went to work each day, and she herself could forage in the mountains. But once winter came—when there was no work, and nothing left to gather—even with all three of them eating just two meals a day, their rations might still run out.