Chapter 2

Su Qianqian couldn’t bear to see such a small child kneeling on the ground. She quickly squatted down and picked up Sanya.  

Seeing this, Tian Guihua assumed Su Qianqian was handing the child over and reached out to take her.  

Sanya instantly stopped crying, staring blankly at Su Qianqian, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.  

From the child’s eyes, Su Qianqian saw resignation and despair, which pierced her heart. How could the original owner of this body have treated her own child like this?  

“Erbao’s mom…” Su Qianqian’s mother-in-law, Zhu Tianfang, couldn’t help but speak up.  

Daya and Erbao chimed in immediately, “Mom, please don’t send our little sister away. We’ll eat less, work harder, and won’t make you angry!”  

Tian Guihua tried to reassure them, “Sanya will have a better life at our house. You kids shouldn’t misunderstand.”  

Sanya stayed silent, her head hanging low, her lips bitten so hard they bore teeth marks.  

“Tian Guihua, I’m sorry, but you’ve made this trip for nothing. I can’t bear to part with Sanya,” Su Qianqian said firmly, holding the child tightly in her arms. She gently patted Sanya’s back. “Don’t cry anymore. You’re not going anywhere. You’ll stay here at home.”  

Sanya, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head in disbelief, her eyes lighting up with hope.  

“Sanya is so good; how could Mom bear to let her go?” Su Qianqian said, wiping away the child’s tears. “Daya, Erbao, stop crying too. Take your little sister and go wash your faces.”  

Tian Guihua was stunned. Everything had been agreed upon beforehand! “Sanya’s mom, we already settled this, and you even urged me to come quickly. How can you back out now?”  

“Yes, I’ve changed my mind,” Su Qianqian said with unwavering resolve.  

Tian Guihua’s expression darkened. “Is it because you think the things I brought aren’t enough? Are you holding out for more in exchange for Sanya?” She knew Su Qianqian’s reputation for being greedy and confrontational. Turning to Zhu Tianfang, she added, “Sanya’s grandma, speak up! Did I not bring enough? I brought plenty! Sanya might not live better anywhere else, but at my house, I guarantee she’ll be well taken care of.”  

The three children, who had started to leave, froze at these words. Their small faces showed a mix of unease and resignation. It seemed reasonable to them that if the compensation wasn’t enough, Sanya wouldn’t be sent away. After all, they had grown up knowing their mother didn’t like Sanya.  

Su Qianqian, already nursing a headache, felt even worse. Everyone’s poor impression of the original owner made it difficult to change their minds quickly.  

“It’s not about the amount. After getting hit on the head this time, I’ve had time to reflect on the mistakes I’ve made in the past,” Su Qianqian said, using her injury as an excuse to explain her sudden change of heart. “I’ve come to my senses. I’m telling everyone now: whether now or in the future, I will not give Sanya away. You can all be my witnesses.”  

The onlookers were stunned, including her mother-in-law, Zhu Tianfang. Was this still the same reckless, foul-mouthed daughter-in-law? In the past, she would curse at the drop of a hat. Since when did she speak with such clarity and conviction?  

Did hitting her head actually knock some sense into her?  

Turning back to the three children, Su Qianqian smiled warmly. “Go wash your faces. When you’re done, I’ll make something delicious for you.”  

Finally reassured, the three children obediently went to wash up.  

Tian Guihua, frustrated but left with no choice, packed up her things and left. After all, these were Su Qianqian’s children. If she refused to hand over Sanya, there was nothing anyone could do. Besides, everyone knew Su Qianqian had a sharp tongue and was as clingy as sticky rice when provoked. It wasn’t worth the trouble to press her further.  

The crowd slowly dispersed, though their suspicions lingered.  

“Can Su Qianqian really change her ways? Impossible. She must have some ulterior motive. There’s definitely more drama to come.”  

“Wasn’t she injured at her parents’ house? She’s always giving to them, yet they didn’t even bother to treat her injury. If she hadn’t been found unconscious on the road, she might’ve died there.”  

“Well, you know her family’s nature. They only take, never give. Treat Su Qianqian’s injury? In their dreams! That would cost money. They’d probably prefer her dead, maybe even hope to get some compensation for it.”  

The women shook their heads and sighed. “Those poor kids.”  

Su Qianqian felt a bit dizzy from standing too long. The injury on her head was quite severe; otherwise, the original host wouldn’t have died from it. Still, she needed to make something for the three children to eat and take this chance to show some maternal love, bridging the gap between her and the kids.  

Since she had ended up here, she could only try to live her best life in this place.  

Fortunately, her life skills were decent.  

“Mom, I’d like to use some white flour to make noodles for the kids,” she said to her mother-in-law, Zhu Tianfang. In this household, Zhu Tianfang managed everything, and in such a time of scarce resources, Su Qianqian felt it was necessary to inform her.  

Zhu Tianfang was startled. *This troublemaker is actually asking for my opinion?* Usually, she’d just take whatever she wanted, and if refused, she’d start a fight. Worse yet, the flour wasn’t even for her own children but for her family back home, which had led to countless arguments in the past.  

*Something’s wrong. Very wrong. What is she up to now?*  

“Go ahead,” Zhu Tianfang replied cautiously. *Let’s see where this is going.*  

Su Qianqian noticed her mother-in-law’s suspicious gaze. She couldn’t behave like the original host, even if she tried. Well, if she couldn’t act like the original, so be it. The original host hadn’t acted like a decent person anyway, and she intended to.  

She mixed the dough, kneaded it, rolled it out, and cut it into noodles, each step done in one smooth motion.  

Cooking shredded meat wasn’t practical, so she took two eggs, fried them with scallions, sliced them into strips, and infused the dish with their aroma using hot water. Once the broth boiled, she added the noodles.  

The three little ones stood to the side, swallowing hard as the smell wafted over. *It smells so good!*  

“It’s ready. Be careful; it’s hot,” Su Qianqian said, dividing the noodles into three small bowls. Each bowl had noodles, egg, and some wild greens for a touch of color.  

However, the three children didn’t move. Their faces showed unease. This kind of meal was beyond their imagination. The original host had favored her brothers and nephews back home, not her own children. Even Erbao, as a boy, had only been treated slightly better than his sisters.  

“Eat,” Su Qianqian said, intentionally putting on a stern face.  

It worked like a charm. The three immediately dug in, their eyes lighting up after the first bite. They had never eaten white noodles this delicious. A few slurps later, the bowls were empty. Rural kids in this era grew up tough, learned to work early, and were sensible beyond their years.  

“Mom, there’s some left in the pot. You should try it,” one of them said.  

The words startled Zhu Tianfang so much that she nearly dropped the broom she was holding. Was there poison in the noodles? Otherwise, why would Su Qianqian offer her some? Anything remotely good was always sent to her family, never shared with her mother-in-law.  

*Did hitting her head really change her?*  

Su Qianqian scooped out some noodles and handed them to her. “Try it.”  

Looking at Su Qianqian’s gentle expression, so different from her usual fierce demeanor, Zhu Tianfang cautiously accepted the bowl. She took a couple of bites. The noodles were indeed delicious, light, and clean—nothing like the messes her younger daughter-in-law usually made.  

*It’s probably not poisoned.*  

“Erbao’s mom, you…” Zhu Tianfang began, but her words were interrupted by loud shouting from the doorway.  

“Su Qianqian, get out here! How can you, a grown adult, bully my son? Have you no shame? Pay up!”  

Several adults barged in, dragging a fierce-looking ten-year-old boy behind them.