Chapter 2 Marrying a Living Yama, Terrifying the Ungrateful Child!
The wind in the alley carried a chill, sweeping away the last trace of gunpowder on Lu Zhanting, but it couldn't smooth the wrinkles in Su Wanqing's heart.
She stood there, listening to the steady footsteps recede into the distance until they disappeared completely into the night.
She then loosened her clenched fists, straightened her stiff legs, and walked towards home.
The night was deep.
In the Su family's courtyard, a dim kerosene lamp was lit, its light faint.
Liu Lan, the mother, was mending clothes under the lamp, her stitches fine and dense.
Father Su Weimin squatted on the doorstep, puffing on his pipe, the thick smoke obscuring his face.
Sixteen-year-old Su Weian was doing his homework at a small table when a few barks from dogs outside the yard distracted him.
"Squeak—"
The courtyard gate was pushed open.
The family of three looked up at the same time.
"Sister, you're back." Su Weian was the first to speak.
Liu Lan dropped her needlework, rushed over, and grabbed her daughter's hand.
It felt icy cold to the touch.
When she saw her daughter's calm and composed face, her heart sank, and her voice trembled: "Wanqing, you...you and that Zhao Jianhe..."
"Mom, the engagement is called off."
Su Wanqing spoke in a detached tone, as if she were talking about someone else's business.
"Smack!"
Su Weimin slammed his pipe down on the stone block at his feet, then stood up abruptly, his face ashen.
"Good riddance! That ungrateful wretch, he's no longer human once he climbs the social ladder! I told you from the start he was no good, but your mother insisted he was educated!"
Su Weimin was known in the village as a man of few words, and he had never lost his temper like this in his entire life.
He wasn't angry that his daughter broke off the engagement; he was angry that his family had fed three years' worth of food and sincerity to an ungrateful dog.
Liu Lan's eyes instantly reddened. Ignoring her husband's complaints, she clung tightly to Su Wanqing, tears welling up in her eyes.
"That's true, but if the marriage certificate is torn up, won't those gossipy women in the village chew you up? A young girl, having her engagement broken off, what will become of her reputation...?"
This is the sharpest knife of our time.
When dirty water is thrown at you, no one cares whether you are innocent or not.
“Mom, reputation is what others say, but life is what you live.” Su Wanqing took her mother’s cold hand in return, feeling a warmth at her fingertips. “It’s not worth humiliating yourself for an outsider.”
“Sister is right! Who wants someone like that!” Su Weian threw down his pen and stood angrily next to his sister.
Looking at the angry or worried faces of her family members, Su Wanqing felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She wasn't afraid of being wronged herself, but she was afraid that her family would be unable to hold their heads high in the village because of her.
Lu Zhanting's words echoed in her mind again.
"Marry me, and none of these problems will be problems anymore."
That night, Su Wanqing lay in bed, unable to sleep.
She closed her eyes, and her consciousness sank into a strange space.
This is the biggest secret she gained after her rebirth.
The space is small, about an acre in size, with glossy, fertile black soil. In one corner, a spring gurgles forth clear water, its essence capable of nurturing all things and nourishing the body.
The vegetable seeds she had casually planted earlier are now lush and green, full of vitality.
This was her source of confidence.
After announcing the engagement, she planned to use the resources she generated in her online space to quietly improve her family's meals, help her parents recover, and support her younger brother's schooling.
But Lu Zhanting's appearance was like a pebble that disturbed her tranquil spring.
She sat cross-legged by the spring, scooped up a handful of water, and let the cool droplets slip through her fingers.
Two paths lay clearly before us.
The first rule is to reject Lu Zhanting and stick to the original plan. The advantage is freedom, but the disadvantage is an invisible shackle. The gossip in the village can be deadly, and her parents will live under the constant scrutiny of others. A despicable person like Zhao Jianhe, once his dream of returning to the city is shattered, might turn around and seek revenge. And if she wants to use her spatial abilities, she can only do so like a thief, constantly on guard; once exposed, it will be utterly devastating.
The second condition is to marry Lu Zhanting.
Military marriages are protected by the state, and the status of "military dependents" is the strongest shield.
Once she becomes Lu Zhanting's wife, all the rumors will instantly shut up, and people like Zhao Jianhe won't even dare to approach her house.
The downside is that she will be tied to a complete stranger and placed in a strictly disciplined environment. Will her secret location be more easily exposed in that supposedly vigilant military compound?
Su Wanqing's fingertips unconsciously traced patterns on the damp black soil.
Lu Zhanting's sharply defined face and his piercing eyes, which seemed to see right through people, lingered in her mind.
He is dangerous, powerful, like a lurking beast.
But what he proposed was a fair trade.
He needs a wife, and she needs shelter.
He used his power and status to win her resilience and ability to manage the household.
Cold, but real.
A thought struck Su Wanqing like a flash of lightning.
She was always worried that marrying Lu Zhanting would restrict her life, but on the other hand, wouldn't having a powerful protector actually help her better safeguard this secret?
Would it be far safer for her to do some "outrageous" things in the home of a battalion commander whom no one dared to mess with, than in the Red Flag Commune under the watchful eyes of the entire village?
This is not a multiple-choice question at all.
This is the only way out.
The scales tipped completely at that moment.
The next day, the news that Su's daughter had been jilted by the educated youth spread throughout the entire Red Flag Commune.
Su Wanqing went to the well to fetch water, and along the way, her back felt like it was being pricked by countless needles.
The usually warm-hearted aunties and grandmas were now gathered in small groups at a distance, whispering among themselves as they watched her retreating figure, their eyes filled with a mixture of sympathy, disdain, and the excitement of watching a spectacle unfold.
"Have you heard? The Su family's daughter got dumped by Zhao, the educated youth."
"That's right, he's hooked up with the daughter of the county section chief, he has a bright future ahead of him!"
"Tsk tsk, their reputation is completely ruined now. Let's see who would dare to hire them in the future."
Su Wanqing remained calm, her back ramrod straight, and she walked with remarkable stability.
She knew that any explanation would be futile and would only become more interesting fodder for their gossip.
On her way home, she bumped into Zhao Jianhe and Li Juan.
The two walked side by side. Li Juan had the composure of a victor, while Zhao Jianhe looked smug, his eyes practically overflowing with pride and vengeance.
He just wanted to show Su Wanqing what the consequences would be for rejecting him.
Su Wanqing's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, as indifferent as if she were looking at a stranger, before she looked away and walked straight past them.
Not a single superfluous expression was present.
She could handle it, but her parents couldn't.
When I got home that evening, my mother Liu Lan's eyes were red and swollen, and my father Su Weimin hadn't left the house all day. He had spent half the day smoking in the yard, leaving a pile of cigarette ash at his feet.
My younger brother, Su Weian, got into a fight at school and stayed silent when he got home.
The whole house was eerily quiet.
Su Wanqing knew she couldn't wait any longer.
The third day was the final deadline given by Lu Zhanting.
After breakfast, Su Wanqing called her parents and younger brother to the main room.
"Dad, Mom, Wei'an, there's something I've decided."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable decisiveness.
Su Weimin and Liu Lan looked up, their eyes full of confusion.
Su Wanqing spoke each word clearly: "I have decided to marry Lu Zhanting."
"Clang!" The book in Su Weian's hand fell to the ground.
Su Weimin suddenly stood up, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief.
Liu Lan was so frightened that she lost all color in her face. She grabbed her daughter's hand, her voice trembling, "Wanqing, what did you say? Which Lu Zhanting?"
"Commander Lu from the Fierce Tiger Battalion."
"That living devil?!" Liu Lan screamed, trembling all over. "He...how could he...Daughter, tell Mom, did he force you? Don't be afraid, Mom will risk her old life to prevent you from suffering this injustice!"
In the eyes of the villagers, the name Lu Zhanting was a fearsome figure, a big shot they could only look up to and dared not even look directly at.
"No, Mom." Su Wanqing patted her mother's hand, met her family's horrified gazes, and told them everything that happened in the alley that day, only omitting the rebirth and the space.
She emphasized, "He said he needed a wife with a strong will and was impressed by my decisiveness in breaking off the engagement. He said that if I married him, no one would dare to talk about our family anymore, and no one would dare to bully us anymore."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over her worried mother, her frustrated younger brother, and her father, who was trying to maintain his composure but couldn't hide his anxiety.
“Dad, Mom, you’ve seen what the village is like these past few days. People are talking about it so much they can drown you. I’m not afraid on my own, but I can’t let you and Wei’an be gossiped about behind my back with me.”
"Marrying Lu Zhanting is the only way I can think of to solve all the problems."
Her words plunged the Su family into a deathly silence.
Inside the room, only Liu Lan's suppressed gasps could be heard.
After a long silence, Su Weimin spoke in a hoarse voice: "Daughter, have you thought this through? That's Lu Zhanting. If you marry him, you'll be part of the military. What if... he has a bad temper, and you suffer any injustice? We won't even be able to stand up for you."
This honest farmer was never worried about whether his daughter could marry into a wealthy family, but rather whether she would suffer.
“Dad, I’ve thought this through.” Su Wanqing’s eyes were clear and firm. “This is a deal. He’ll provide protection for me and our family, and I’ll take care of things at home for him. This is much clearer than living with someone as hypocritical as Zhao Jianhe. His ruthlessness is directed at his enemies. He said he would protect me for the rest of his life.”
“Sister…” Su Weian looked at his sister. This usually gentle sister seemed like a different person at this moment. She was calm, decisive, and had a strength he had never seen before. “As long as she is not bullied, marrying a great hero is better than that ingrate.”
The boy's words were simple and direct, yet surprisingly persuasive.
Liu Lan stopped crying.
Looking at her daughter's unusually determined face, she knew there was no way to change the situation.
She nodded, her voice choked with emotion: "Since you've made up your mind... then... then go. Once you're in the army, live a good life..."
Su Weimin let out a long sigh, his hunched back seeming to collapse even further. He walked to the corner, picked up his pipe, filled it with tobacco, but couldn't light it for a long time.
Finally, he put down his pipe, looked at his daughter, and his voice was heavy as iron.
"Go on. Your father only hopes that you will be well."
With her family's approval, even though that approval was tinged with worry, Su Wanqing felt at ease.
Without further hesitation, she turned and went back to her room.
I changed into my cleanest blue cloth shirt and carefully combed my long hair.
When she stepped out of the room again, all hesitation had vanished from her eyes, leaving only determination.
She was going to the county's armed forces department to keep a promise that would change her destiny.
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