Chapter 29: The Miserable Contrast of Eras  

Xu Chunxiang’s jealousy burned so intensely that her eyes turned red. She could no longer stand watching!

She turned around and left.  

After returning home, she slammed the door with loud bangs.  

Her stomach was full of anger, yet she had nowhere to vent it.  

As soon as Zhou Xiaohua heard Xu Chunxiang slamming the door, she curled up into a tiny ball, the light in her eyes fading away.  

She appeared dull and lifeless, only her pupils trembled slightly.  

Her small mouth moved as if she were trying to say something, but no sound came out.  

It was an eerie sight.  

Compared to the lively and adorable girl she was in front of Jiang Rou, it was as if she had become a completely different child.  

This was the “special” thing about her.  

Zhou Xiaochuan held Zhou Xiaohua tightly in his arms, both of them pressing themselves into the farthest corner of the room.  

As if doing so could somehow provide them with a little more sense of security.  

Taking advantage of Xu Chunxiang’s tantrum while she wasn’t paying attention to them, Zhou Xiaochuan secretly pulled out a piece of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.  

It was the candy Jiang Rou had given them.  

Zhou Xiaohua had already finished the two pieces that belonged to her.  

Zhou Xiaochuan, on the other hand, had been reluctant to eat his, saving it for his little sister all this time.  

Now, he carefully unwrapped the candy, revealing its milky fragrance.  

Without hesitation, he popped it into Zhou Xiaohua’s mouth.  

He even covered her lips with his hand, waiting for the sweet milky flavor to spread inside her mouth.  

After tasting the candy, Zhou Xiaohua’s dull expression finally softened a little.  

She blinked her eyes and looked at Zhou Xiaochuan in a daze.  

Brother… there’s candy…  

Zhou Xiaochuan lowered his head and put a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to stay quiet. Then, he smiled gently at her.  

Seeing his smile, Zhou Xiaohua also smiled faintly.  

She sucked on the candy, her tiny hands clutching onto Zhou Xiaochuan as she curled up quietly.  

Zhou Xiaochuan, seeing this, felt a little relieved.  

But at the same time, a cold sweat slowly dripped from his forehead.  

The young boy furrowed his brows, as if he was enduring something.  

Just when everything seemed to be getting better, Xu Chunxiang’s furious roar suddenly echoed through the house.

That woman, whose jealousy burned intensely, was not satisfied with venting her anger alone. At that moment, she directed her fury toward the two children hiding in the corner.

“Zhou Xiaochuan, Zhou Xiaohua, do you know what I saw when I went to the dock just now? I saw that stepmother of yours again! That shameless woman who refuses to leave!”

“She was buying pork at the dock! I saw it clearly—she bought a full three jin of pork! Three jin! That’s enough for my family to eat for a whole year!”

“Just you wait! That woman will never share the pork with you, not even a single piece! This is what stepmothers are like! You both better remember this—stepmothers exist to torment orphans like you who have no father and no mother!”

Xu Chunxiang judged others by her own standards.

Since she herself abused children and refused to give them even the slightest bit of good food, she naturally assumed Jiang Rou was the same kind of person.

She forced these venomous words upon the two children, making them hear and remember every bit of it.

Zhou Xiaochuan reached out and quietly covered Zhou Xiaohua’s ears, not wanting her to hear Xu Chunxiang’s piercing voice.

But in his heart, he thought—

Pork…

Would she share it with them?

…

Meanwhile.

At the dock.

The lively scene continued.

Jiang Rou had finished shopping, carrying several large and small bags, and stood to the side, waiting.

Next in line were Zhao Guifen and Lin Yulan.

During this brief moment,

Jiang Rou noticed a strange figure among the crowd.

Unlike everyone else, that person neither joined in the chatter nor stood in line with the other women.

Instead, she stood alone at a slight distance, gazing into the distance.

Her eyes were fixed on the busiest and most crowded place—the supply and marketing cooperative.

It was obvious that she had come to buy goods as well. However, her pride and aloofness prevented her from pushing and shoving like the others just for a few supplies.

At the first glance at this woman, a name immediately flashed through Jiang Rou’s mind.

—Song Qingqian.

In the world of the original story, she was an extremely important female supporting character.

It was not because Jiang Rou knew her personally, but because Song Qingqian’s attire was simply too recognizable.

She wore a pair of brown lambskin block-heeled shoes, a light blue dress, and a beige knitted cardigan. Her long black hair had a slight wave, and even among the strands, there was a delicate pearl hair clip.

Her elegant outfit, paired with her noble and stunning face, made her appear exceptionally exquisite and beautiful.

However, such refinement and beauty were entirely out of place on this impoverished and backward seaside island.

Yet these things… were Song Qingqian’s persistence and solace.

If Jiang Rou was a false heiress, a capitalist’s daughter in name only—

Then Song Qingqian’s background was that of a true capitalist heiress, the very definition of a rich and privileged woman.

She came from the renowned city of Hu.

Her family once owned a department store, two restaurants, three grand hotels… and countless other businesses, large and small.

Song Qingqian had been pampered and raised in a life of luxury.

However—

No one could escape the tides of the era.

Everything changed.

The family suffered a great upheaval, and their grand empire crumbled.

Everyone’s fate was as insignificant as that of ants—unworthy of mention, yet inescapable.

Song Qingqian’s grandfather had always adored his granddaughter.

He could not bear to see her suffer.

Thus, at the final moment, Grandpa Song exhausted all possible means to arrange a marriage for Song Qingqian.

Her intended fiancé was named He Donglai.

Like Zhou Zhongshan, He Donglai was also born into a farming family, a rough and unrefined man.

Through countless life-or-death battles on the frontlines, he earned military achievements and gained an illustrious reputation.

He was a man of unwavering integrity and strength.

This kind of man, upon meeting the radiant and stunning Song Qingqian during their arranged marriage meeting, fell in love with her at first sight.

Thus, the two were engaged, followed by marriage and her joining the military life as a soldier’s wife.

For Song Qingqian, however, this marriage to He Donglai was nothing more than a compromise in the face of her family’s downfall. It was her grandfather’s final wish, leaving her with no choice but to agree.

She held no fondness whatsoever for the rugged, rough-mannered man.

Even after marriage, she never developed any feelings for him.

Their vastly different personalities, their completely opposite ways of life, and the unshaken pride that Song Qingqian had never abandoned deep in her bones—

All these factors combined, and in the end, Song Qingqian lived a life without children, passing away in depression before she even turned thirty-five.

Her tragic fate served as the perfect contrast to the original novel’s reborn female protagonist.

The reborn protagonist, like Song Qingqian, was also a privileged young lady from a military compound. However, after marrying an older man, she not only cast aside her aristocratic arrogance but also worked hard to integrate into island life, ultimately achieving a fulfilling life with both children and happiness.

In comparison, Song Qingqian’s fate seemed all the more pitiful, sorrowful, and bleak.

When Jiang Rou had first read the original novel, Song Qingqian had left a deep impression on her.

From the bottom of her heart, she pitied the woman’s tragic experiences.

And at the same time, she deeply admired Song Qingqian’s unwavering pride—her refusal to let her brilliance be buried, even after falling into the dust.

On this small island, where countless eyes were always watching, Song Qingqian never wavered. She wore whatever she wanted, did whatever she pleased.

Wasn’t this a form of incredible courage?

Moreover, her marriage with He Donglai was also filled with regrets.

After falling for Song Qingqian at first sight, He Donglai paid a steep price just to marry her.

He even submitted a request to resign from the military. If his superiors refused to approve his marriage, he was willing to return home and become a farmer instead.

The organization valued talented individuals and wanted to keep He Donglai, so they reluctantly agreed to his marriage with Song Qingqian.

However, as a corresponding punishment…

He Donglai’s promotion was canceled.

Originally, he, like Zhou Chongshan, could have become a regiment commander. However, instead of rising in rank, he was demoted. Now, he was merely a Company Commander and had been assigned to the island.

During his days on the island, this man had silently guarded Song Qingqian.

He used everything he had to protect his wife.

Otherwise, given what Song Qingqian had done, she would have suffered the same fate as Jiang Rou a few days ago and would have been expelled from the island long ago.

Yet, everything He Donglai did—

Song Qingqian never knew.

One was a silent, wooden-headed man, too deep in love to know how to express it; the other was proud and reserved, unwilling to lower her stance.

Thus, the two of them spent their entire lives together in a state of superficial harmony, yet with hearts distant from each other.

It was a truly lamentable and sorrowful fate.