Chapter 6

As soon as Li Qinglin didn’t see Lu Miao, he quickly lowered his head and took a sip of wine, almost like he was hiding.

Everyone at the table knew about their past, but luckily, no one was rude enough to crack a joke.

Lu Miao treated Li Qinglin just like everyone else—cool and polite. You couldn’t tell from her face that there had ever been anything between them.

Hu Jing quietly nodded to herself—this is how it should be. Calm, classy, and with dignity on both sides.

But Lu Lu, smiling on the outside, couldn’t stop watching Lu Miao the whole time. Her eyes searched Lu Miao’s face, looking for any sign that she might be trying to win her man back. Lu Miao had a tough time after her own marriage, and now she was back in the village, supposedly eyeing Li Qinglin again. Lu Lu couldn’t help being on edge.

Ironically, Lu Miao’s calm attitude made Li Qinglin feel more bitter. After all those years engaged, she didn’t seem to care about him at all.

As he left the table, he glanced back one last time, hoping to catch a sign of regret on Lu Miao’s face—but she just kept eating, totally unaffected.

Lu Lu noticed that look too, and it only confirmed her fears—Lu Miao came back to seduce her husband. Today was her wedding day, and she couldn’t afford any drama, so she kept smiling like everything was fine, even though her nails were digging into her palms.

After lunch, Lu Miao and the other relatives who had come for the wedding quietly left. Only Lu Lu’s uncles and aunts lingered, confused about the sudden groom switch and went to ask Lu Jiang what had happened.

Lu Jiang told them honestly: it was Lu Lu who chose to marry Li Qinglin.

One uncle frowned. “And you just let her do whatever she wants?”

Lu Jiang thought to himself, What else could I do? She’s the only daughter. I can’t force her to marry someone she doesn’t like. Out loud he said, “Who Lu Lu wants to marry is her business, not mine.”

Basically: I can’t even control my younger brother. Why would I control her?

Lu Lu’s aunt had another idea. “Since she’s already married, doesn’t that leave the professor’s grandson... available?” She had a daughter too, a couple of years younger than Lu Lu.

Meanwhile, Lu Congge and Lu Miao were walking behind them and overheard the conversation. Lu Congge tugged at his sister’s sleeve and whispered, “Sis, everyone’s trying to steal your man.”

Lu Miao nearly tripped. What man? I haven’t even met He Mingchuan yet!

Still, she wasn’t surprised. With Lu Lu out of the way, there’d definitely be more people trying to make a move.

Back at the wedding, guests were wrapping up. As usual, many villagers packed leftovers to take home, stuffing their baskets like they’d never eaten before. Lu Lu watched through the window, feeling nothing but contempt.

The wedding was hectic. Only after the guests left did Mother Li realize that the bride hadn’t eaten all day.

Normally, the family knew how to handle weddings—they’d done this twice already. But this time, with so many guests from Lu Lu’s side, things were chaotic. Father and Mother Li were busy outside and left the task of looking after the bride to their second daughter-in-law.

But that second daughter-in-law couldn’t stand Lu Lu. She dragged her feet, sat in the kitchen pretending to be busy, and didn’t want to deliver food.

Mother Li, not wanting trouble, rushed in to apologize to Lu Lu for the delay.

Lu Lu smiled graciously. “It’s fine, really. No big deal.”

She remembered how people used to gossip about how badly Lu Miao got along with her in-laws. But look at me—I’m already getting along great with mine.

Mother Li beamed. The dowry Lu Lu brought today filled the whole room. In their entire village, almost no bride had a dowry this grand. Richer families had less capable daughters, and girls as capable as Lu Lu usually came from poorer homes.

Now, people were praising her son: He must be amazing if the daughter of Captain Lu’s family is willing to marry him!

She'd had bad luck with her other two daughters-in-law—the eldest was bossy, and the second was lazy. But this new one? Obedient and respectful. A perfect match.

That evening, after a long day, Lu Lu and Li Qinglin finally had some time alone. Without the wedding suit and fancy tie, Li Qinglin’s looks disappointed Lu Lu a little. Still, she told herself: Doesn’t matter. Money’s what counts.

She gave him a soft, sweet smile. Li Qinglin, flustered and inexperienced, blushed immediately. He leaned in.

But then—someone coughed loudly outside.

It was Mother Li.

Lu Lu clenched her fists in frustration. She couldn’t blow up, so she forced a smile. “Mom, what’s up?”

“I’m tired,” Mother Li said. “Go get some hot water and wash Lin Zi’s feet.”

Wash his feet? Is this woman nuts?

Lu Lu almost refused on instinct—but stopped herself. Gotta leave a good impression. This is a chance to score points.

She did it. Mother Li watched proudly, thinking, This girl will do anything for my son. I’ve got her figured out.

Meanwhile, Li Qinglin went to bed thinking about Lu Miao again—how she’d held that warm handwarmer earlier. He dreamt of her that night.

And on the other side, Lu Miao’s dreams had turned strange too.

That night, Qiao Yanxiang and Lu Lao Er were half-asleep when they noticed a light flick on in Lu Miao’s room.

They lived in a four-room house. Lu Miao stayed in the private back room, and her parents' room was connected to hers.

Qiao Yanxiang nudged her husband awake. “Why is Sanshui’s light on? Is something wrong?”

Still groggy, he muttered, “You go check. She’s a girl—might be better if you go.”

When Qiao Yanxiang opened the door, she saw Lu Miao sitting on the kang with her knees pulled up, looking pitiful.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I had a nightmare,” Lu Miao whispered.

Qiao Yanxiang relaxed a bit. Her daughter looked just like she did when she was little—soft hair, big shiny eyes. It made her heart ache with tenderness.

“What did you dream about?”

Lu Miao sighed. I can’t tell her I dreamed about Li Qinglin...

“I’m okay. I’ll get over it,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” her mom replied, gently patting her back. “Mom’s here.”

With her mother beside her, Lu Miao fell asleep again and didn’t dream the rest of the night.

As always, she was the first one up the next morning. Normally, her parents would head to the vegetable garden early, since the cooler times of day were best for watering or weeding.

But this time, after making breakfast, Qiao Yanxiang didn’t go to the garden. Instead, she invited a local “goddess” from the village—someone who could “see things”—to check out why her daughter kept having nightmares.

Some called it superstition, others called it folk wisdom. Either way, after years of being frowned upon, these beliefs had quietly crept back into everyday life.

When Qiao Yanxiang returned, she pulled her husband aside to whisper.

“Mrs. Ding said Sanshui didn’t bump into anything bad. She’ll just have a few more nightmares and be fine.”

Qiao Yanxiang wasn’t happy. “How is that helpful? Nightmares are scary. That’s not nothing!”

Lu Lao Er didn’t stop pulling weeds. “Did she say how to fix it?”

“She said it doesn’t need fixing. I think she’s bluffing.”

“She’s usually spot-on,” he said. “Remember what she predicted about me?”

He reminded her that Mrs. Ding once said he’d suffer when young, marry a good woman, and enjoy blessings in old age.

That part stuck with Qiao Yanxiang. She always made him repeat the part about enjoying their kids’ success.

So for now, she decided to trust Mrs. Ding—just a little.

Three days after the wedding was the traditional day to return to the bride’s home. Lu Lu and her new husband showed up right on time.

Inside, Lu Congge was studying hard. He was heading off to high school in the county in September and had been super motivated lately. His mom kept telling him that if he succeeded, no one would dare to look down on his sister.

Lu Miao, though, had nothing to study and no work to do. She was bored out of her mind and secretly thinking: Next time Mom goes to the commune, I’m tagging along.

Then, hearing the noisy chatter from next door, she knew—it was Lu Lu, back with her new husband.

Prev Next