Meanwhile.

Gu Xiaoxi was sitting in the kitchen, holding a brand-new bowl and grinning foolishly.

She never expected that the bowl she had accidentally broken would somehow end up in the “Old Goods Storage” inside the jade pendant’s mysterious space.

Then, she saw the “Old Goods Storage” and the “New Products Exhibition Hall” suddenly connect in a flash of white light, transforming into a massive balance scale.

The tray holding the broken bowl tilted and slid to the right tray.

With this shift, the broken bowl instantly turned into a new one.

As the white light faded, the new bowl appeared in the “New Products Exhibition Hall.” She reached out, and the bowl was in her hands.

It was… simply magical!

Had she become the chosen one?

She was… so excited!

A single new bowl looked a bit odd, so she decided to throw all the bowls, plates, and chopsticks in the house into the “Old Goods Storage.”

When she took them out again, the tableware in the house had been completely renewed, so clean and shiny that it could almost reflect her image.

It looked even smoother and of better quality than when it was first bought!

After looking around, she replaced the slightly dull knife on the cutting board with a new one.

Next, she replaced the large iron pot that had been used for over twenty years, the thermos for holding water, the tattered kitchen rags, and the old, hard-to-clean carved cabinet.

After replacing these items, the kitchen looked as good as new.

But she didn’t dare to change anything else!

She cooked a bowl of noodles, brought it to the living room, and ate it slowly.

Suddenly, there was a loud clanging sound outside, followed by shouts.

“Fire! Fire! Old Lady Gu’s house is on fire…”

Gu Xiaoxi paused mid-bite.

Old Lady Gu? Wasn’t that her grandparents’ house?

According to the events of her previous two lives, this fire wasn’t supposed to happen until three days later.

And it was her third uncle who had started it.

Because he had asked Grandma for money, and she had refused.

Why had it happened earlier this time?

In her previous two lives, she had gone out to see the fire. The house hadn’t burned much—only half of the room where her grandparents lived was damaged.

The biggest loss was that the wardrobe where Grandma hid her money had burned down, and decades of savings had gone up in flames. Her grandparents had been heartbroken for a long time.

But this time, she wasn’t going to join the commotion. She continued eating her noodles!

After all, her grandparents favored her third uncle and her eldest uncle’s family. They didn’t like her mother or her, and if she went, she’d only be scolded as a punching bag.

Just as she finished her noodles, her mother returned, carrying bags of groceries.

“Xiaoxi, put these vegetables in the kitchen. I’ll go check on your grandma’s situation and be back soon.”

But Gu Xiaoxi stopped her, “Mom, don’t go. If you do, Grandma will just find fault with you. She’ll say that since you married into this family, bad luck has followed. She’ll blame you for being at the hospital, saying that if there had been one more person at home, the fire wouldn’t have happened.”

Jiang Xiuqing stared at her daughter in shock, “Why would you say that? Did you hear them scolding someone?”

Gu Xiaoxi nodded calmly, “Yes, I overheard them when the fire started. I came back after hearing a bit. Let’s not do things that only bring us trouble. Grandma has never been happy about you taking care of Grandpa at the hospital.”

Jiang Xiuqing’s heart sank, and she sighed, “Then forget it. I won’t go.”

She was an only child. Her mother had passed away a few years ago, and now her father was the only family she had left. She couldn’t possibly ignore him.

Especially since her father had suffered so much and was injured this time.

She turned around and carried the groceries into the kitchen.

Compared to dealing with her in-laws, she was more concerned about the meeting between the two families tonight.

No matter what, she had to prepare a good meal to show their sincerity!

Just as she put the groceries down, Director Wang’s voice came from outside.

“Xiuqing, are you home?”

Jiang Xiuqing and Gu Xiaoxi walked out almost simultaneously.

Gu Xiaoxi immediately noticed Lu Jiansen standing outside the courtyard gate.

He was tall and imposing in his military uniform, handsome and striking, impossible to ignore.

Beside Lu Jiansen stood a middle-aged couple—the man scholarly, the woman elegant and gentle.

Director Wang, standing at the front, had already pushed the gate open and was introducing Jiang Xiuqing.

Lu Jiansen was also looking at the girl he had made cry last night. In the daylight, she looked even more delicate, more refined, and younger!

As he stepped closer, he noticed the red marks near her ear, deliberately hidden by her hair.

Her white shirt was buttoned tightly at the top, and she seemed to be wearing a thin scarf around her neck. He quickly realized she was trying to hide something.

His ears turned slightly red, and he felt a pang of guilt for his recklessness last night.

Wei Mingyu, seeing her nephew unable to take his eyes off the girl and completely ignoring the conversation with her mother, smiled and nudged Jiang Xiuqing.

“Xiuqing, don’t they look like a perfect match?”

Jiang Xiuqing was a bit taken aback by Wei Mingyu’s familiar tone, but the young man, Lu Jiansen, was indeed handsome and seemed like a good match.

He also seemed to have a good impression of her daughter!

Thinking this, she politely smiled and said, “Please come inside and sit. I’ll go call Xiaoxi’s father.”

Director Wang immediately volunteered, “You stay and entertain the guests. I’ll go call him!”

Jiang Xiuqing felt a bit helpless. She had actually wanted to talk to her husband first and get a sense of his thoughts.

But since Director Wang was so eager, she had no choice but to let her handle it while she entertained the guests.

Wei Mingyu noticed her nephew staring at the girl without saying a word. Before entering the house, she deliberately said, “Xiao Sen, aren’t you going to say something?”

Lu Jiansen snapped out of his daze and, standing at attention in a military posture, spoke with utmost seriousness, “My name is Lu Jiansen. I’m twenty-five years old. I serve in the Northern Military District, holding the rank of battalion commander. I have no bad habits, and my monthly allowance is 70 yuan. I can hand over my salary and savings to you for management…”

Gu Xiaoxi stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

Jiang Xiuqing, who was pouring tea, paused in surprise.

Was this Battalion Commander Lu already so taken with Xiaoxi that he was eager to make his intentions clear?

Wei Mingyu couldn’t help but chuckle.

She had never expected her usually reserved nephew, who usually avoided women like the plague, to act so awkwardly when he met a girl he liked.

Yan Xueqi, standing beside her, coughed lightly and gave his wife a reproachful look before turning to Jiang Xiuqing. “Jiansen is an upright, responsible, and capable young man. His family has always been worried about his marriage, but he’s never shown interest in anyone. This is the first time he’s taken a liking to a girl. His parents are in Beijing and couldn’t make it in time, so my wife and I came instead.”

“Jiansen’s father is also a soldier, and his mother works in the cultural bureau. He has two younger brothers—one is in the military, and the other is a doctor.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xiuqing couldn’t help but feel that this family was extraordinary!

It seemed their family was the one benefiting from this match!

She worked at a state-owned restaurant, and Xiaoxi’s father was an ordinary worker at a machinery factory. They were just an average working-class family.

But in her eyes, her daughter was smart, well-behaved, beautiful, and filial—perfect in every way. There was no question of her not being good enough!

When Gu Yimin returned, he found that his wife was already discussing the engagement with Yan Xueqi and Wei Mingyu.

Feeling left out, he quickly joined the conversation!

Half an hour later, he reluctantly agreed to let the two children get engaged first.

Just as the four elders were discussing an auspicious date for the engagement, Lu Jiansen immediately raised an objection.

“Uncle, Aunt, my suggestion is to have the engagement tomorrow. Once my marriage application is approved, we can get married right away, and Xiaoxi can come with me to the military base. I only have seven days left of my leave, and I don’t know when my next leave will be.”

He didn’t want to delay any longer!

The girl was already his, and he needed to resolve this as quickly as possible.

“This… this is so rushed!” Jiang Xiuqing felt conflicted.