Chapter 3

Su Qianqian and Zhu Tianfang walked over. Based on the original host’s memories, Su Qianqian recognized the woman in front of her as Zhou Cuiqin, a notorious tough woman from her family’s village. It was Zhou Cuiqin’s son, Tiedan, who had thrown the stone that caused her head injury.

When the original host visited her family, she happened to witness a fight between her nephew and Tiedan. After helping, Tiedan, angered, picked up a stone and struck her head. The family then urged her to leave quickly, which led to her fainting in the middle of the road.

“Zhou Cuiqin, have some decency! It was your son, Tiedan, who cracked my head open. I didn’t ask for compensation, and now you’re coming to find me?” Su Qianqian said coldly.  

“No, I didn’t hit her!” Tiedan quickly denied.  

“Did you hear that? Tiedan says he didn’t hit you, so stop blaming everything on my son!” Zhou Cuiqin gave Su Qianqian a disdainful look, then sneered, “Su Qianqian, were you messing around with some wild man and got your head cracked open?”  

She spat on the ground in disgust.  

“You shameless thing! Even if your husband is dead, you shouldn’t behave like this. It’s disgraceful!”  

Spreading such rumors was a serious offense in any era, but especially in this one—it could destroy someone’s life.  

Zhu Tianfang took a step forward, her voice filled with anger. “How dare you curse my son? My son is not dead!”  

“He’s been missing for five years. If he hadn’t died, why would we have heard nothing for so long?”  

In Tianshui Village, it was an accepted fact that Su Qianqian’s husband, Cheng Yue, was dead. How could a soldier be away for five years without any news?

Su Qianqian’s headache worsened. She had almost forgotten about her husband’s uncertain fate.  

Actually, it might be better if he were dead. Otherwise, she would still have to live with a stranger as a husband. The thought made her feel awkward.  

Seeing Zhu Tianfang’s aggressive stance, Su Qianqian couldn’t hold back her frustration. She wasn’t going to let things slide. If they wanted to argue, she was more than ready to bring out her social anxiety—when that triggered, it could be very effective.  

Taking a deep breath and rolling up her sleeves, Su Qianqian launched into a tirade.  

“Zhou Cuiqin, what nerve you have to come here demanding compensation! You know exactly what kind of son you raised. He’s strong but brainless. Even an old ox wouldn’t want to partner with him! All he does is stir up trouble! Why don’t you tell everyone that you were sneaking around, and your son caught you, which caused you to fall?”  

“Tiedan’s dad, I don’t think Tiedan looks much like you. Are you sure he’s your son?”  

The crowd went silent, exchanging glances. Everyone started looking at Tiedan and his father. Su Qianqian wasn’t wrong—there was a slight resemblance, but not enough to be certain.  

Su Qianqian lifted her chin and sneered at Zhou Cuiqin. Never get caught defending yourself—always shift the blame onto someone else. That’s the key to winning an argument!  

Zhou Cuiqin was livid. She yelled, “Su Qianqian, I’ll tear your mouth apart!” She lunged at Su Qianqian to hit her.  

Su Qianqian took the opportunity to fall to the ground, hitting her head again. Blood immediately seeped from the wound, and she began to twitch and roll her eyes in a dramatic display.  

“Mom!” The three kids were terrified. Daya and Sanya rushed to her side, crying, while Erbao ran to confront Zhou Cuiqin, shouting, “Don’t hit my mom!”  

He gathered all his strength to strike her. His small face turned bright red with effort, his expression fierce.  

Though only four years old, he worked hard every day and had some strength. Zhou Cuiqin, caught by surprise, pushed him away, and Erbao fell hard onto the ground. It hurt, but he didn’t cry. He immediately got up and tried to hit Zhou Cuiqin again.  

At this moment, the men returned. Cheng Youmin and their eldest son, Cheng Song, saw the scene and immediately stepped forward to protect Su Qianqian and the children.  

“Go get the village chief,” Cheng Song told his wife.  

Su Qianqian, exhausted from her performance, decided to rest for a moment.  

It wasn’t long before the village chief arrived.  

As soon as Su Qianqian heard the village chief was there, she began to twitch again, pretending to be on the verge of death. She stubbornly refused to get up from the ground.

She deeply despised herself for resorting to such a fake stunt, but she couldn’t deny that it had worked.

After all the commotion, not only did Zhou Cuiqin and her group not get any benefit from Su Qianqian, but they also ended up losing a dollar. They were told they would have to bring two pounds of cornmeal and five eggs as compensation the next day, and they left angrily.

“Let’s first take Erbao’s mom to the clinic for a check-up,” Zhu Tianfang said, worried that Su Qianqian might be seriously hurt.

In order to make her staged act less obvious, Su Qianqian went to the clinic, where her wound was re-dressed and she was given some medication. The visit cost her two yuan.

She couldn’t help but think how valuable money was in this era. Just the basic registration fee at the clinic was ten yuan.

After she was done, she realized Daya was missing. She quickly searched for her. Originally, all three kids were supposed to come along, but in the end, she only brought Daya with her, as she couldn’t take care of all of them at once.

Around a corner, she heard Daya’s innocent voice.

“Heaven, please, don’t let my mom die. Me, Erbao, and Sanya don’t have a dad anymore. If mom dies…” Daya began crying, her voice trembling. “Heaven, please don’t let mom die. Please.”

Su Qianqian hurried over and saw Daya kneeling on the ground, bowing her head.

The sight immediately brought tears to her eyes. It felt like her heart was being gripped tightly by a giant hand, making it hard to breathe.

She rushed over and picked Daya up. “Don’t worry, Daya. Mommy is fine. It’s just a wound. I’ll get better soon,” she reassured, holding her close.

Although she had never had children of her own, at that moment, she felt a deep surge of maternal love.

Daya cried in her arms and then suddenly looked up, her face filled with fear and unease. “Mom, no, it wasn’t on purpose, I…I made it dirty.” Daya’s tears and snot had stained Su Qianqian’s clothes.

“It’s okay. We’ll wash it off when we get home,” Su Qianqian comforted her. “Let’s go back now.” She took Daya to join her sister-in-law, who then took Daya into her arms.

They rode back home on a cart.

By the time they arrived, dinner was already ready. Because Su Qianqian had been injured, Zhu Tianfang had made a special meal—no more of the usual cornbread and pickled vegetables or sweet potato porridge.

“Erbao’s mom, you should rest after eating. Don’t do any work for the next few days,” Zhu Tianfang said.

“Okay,” Su Qianqian replied. She didn’t want to overexert herself. She needed to recover first, then think about ways to earn money and improve their living conditions.

In the past, the original host hadn’t slept with the three kids. They slept in a small, separate room with a bed just big enough for all of them.

Su Qianqian took her medicine and fell into a heavy sleep.

Half awake and half asleep, she saw a small puddle, about the size of a bowl. The water was clear, and it seemed to have an inexplicable attraction, drawing her closer.

On a whim, she dipped her hand into the water and drank a little. Instantly, she felt an incredibly pleasant sensation, and even the pain in her forehead seemed to subside.

When she opened her eyes, it was already daylight.

It had all been a dream, and she felt a bit disappointed.

Looking at her right palm, she wished it wasn’t just a dream. To her surprise, water appeared in the palm of her hand. She trembled and almost spilled it, quickly using her left hand to steady her right.

Was it real? It wasn’t a dream!