"She just made the same mistake any woman would! What's the big deal? Why are you making such a fuss about it?"
Wang Cuifen declared this at the top of her voice. After saying it, she smugly congratulated herself—this was a phrase her future daughter-in-law often repeated, so saying it now would surely catch her attention.
Just as Wang Cuifen expected, her bold proclamation echoed through the entire room, making Su Qing, who was hiding under the blankets, lower the covers just a crack to peek at this unexpected ally.
This was exactly what she had been thinking!
Last night, half-asleep, she had heard a man’s ragged breathing beside her, his deep voice murmuring, "So hot…" At the same time, a pair of scorching hands had gripped her waist tightly.
Those hands were so warm, the heat traveling from the small of her back straight to her heart, making her already hazy thoughts even more muddled.
The man holding her had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and firm, well-defined muscles…
This was definitely a dream, Su Qing confirmed to herself as her hand naturally slid over his shoulder.
As a young woman with a vivid imagination, Su Qing knew herself well—she wasn’t about to hold back in her own fantasy. She let herself go, surrendering to desire.
If she couldn’t indulge in her dreams, what kind of woman was she? Might as well castrate her and be done with it.
After a blissful night’s sleep, Su Qing was still groggy the next morning when the door burst open, and a group of nosy neighbors barged in.
"Oh my—what’s going on here?!"
"Hey! Isn’t that Xie Jianhua in bed? And who’s that woman…?"
The shrill chatter stabbed at Su Qing’s temples like needles. She barely had time to open her eyes before darkness enveloped her again—someone had yanked the blanket over her head.
She was about to sit up and curse them out when a horrifying realization struck her: she wasn’t wearing any clothes.
A person without clothes is a fragile creature.
Su Qing abandoned all thoughts of retaliation and quietly huddled under the covers, fumbling around for her clothes.
As her hands groped blindly beneath the blanket, they accidentally brushed against the man’s abs. Before she could pull away, her knuckles were sharply smacked.
Clutching her stinging hand, Su Qing gritted her teeth. So stingy! It was just an accident—she hadn’t meant to touch him.
Outside the blanket, Xie Jianhua’s face was dark as thunder. Not only had he been set up, but now, even in this situation, Su Qing had the audacity to take advantage of him. She really had no shame.
The neighbors had clearly been led in by Su Qing’s family, yet now the Su clan was pretending to be mortified, weakly shooing people away.
"Stop looking, stop looking! Everyone out, we have family matters to deal with today…"
One particularly nosy auntie refused to leave, eager for more drama. "Who’s that in bed with your future son-in-law? I saw your Xue girl outside earlier this morning."
"Yeah, where’s your Qing girl? Hiding somewhere?"
"Rumor has it Xie’s second son is… damaged down there. Were you testing if he still works before handing over your daughter?"
The Su family sighed dramatically but made no real effort to drag the intruders out.
A crowd of gossips lingered by the bed while Su Qing dressed under the covers, unfazed. But Xie Jianhua, who had surrendered the blanket to her, was left half-exposed, his bare shoulder on display. He clenched his jaw so hard it nearly cracked.
In his right mind, Xie Jianhua couldn’t bring himself to argue while half-naked.
Fuming, he listened to the whispers as he dressed hastily, planning to kick everyone out the second he was decent.
The matter of being framed could be settled privately later—right now, he just needed to clear the room.
But before he could finish pulling on his shirt, his mother, Wang Cuifen, stormed in like a one-woman cavalry.
"You shameless old hags! Haven’t you seen a man before? What’s so interesting?" Wang Cuifen barked, shoving the rubberneckers toward the door.
"Gawking like it’s a circus show! A couple about to get married sharing a room—what’s the scandal in that?"
When pushing didn’t work, she resorted to pinching—hard.
"Disgusting! Get out before I slap you!"
Wang Cuifen’s fierce reputation preceded her. Unable to challenge her, the crowd turned their snide remarks toward the Su family’s daughter instead.
"Guess you’re switching brides, huh? Your second daughter must’ve climbed into the wrong bed~"
"None of your damn business! Your own son can’t even get a wife, yet you’re meddling in my son’s marriage?" Wang Cuifen shot back without hesitation.
"Who are you yelling at? Su Qing’s the cunning one here—just wait till she’s your daughter-in-law. You’ll regret it!"
Wang Cuifen planted her hands on her hips. "My son’s a strapping young man! What girl could resist him?"
Xie Jianhua, who had just swung his legs off the bed, nearly stumbled at his mother’s words. He was a respectable man! Who was he tempting?!
Her next statement made him question whether he was even her biological son.
"She just made the same mistake any woman would! What’s the big deal? Why are you making such a fuss? Young people are easily embarrassed…"
The moment she finished defending Su Qing, Wang Cuifen locked eyes with her, and her expression instantly softened into a reassuring smile.
The sparkle in Su Qing’s gaze told Wang Cuifen everything—she had her right where she wanted.
This was in the bag.
As for her own son? She didn’t even glance his way.
Useless men weren’t worth looking at. The mere sight of them made her blood boil.
Wang Cuifen had slaved her entire life for her children, sacrificing everything without complaint.
And what did she get in return? In her old age, she ended up alone, dying in a rented room during the New Year. If not for Su Qing’s kindness in lending her a place to stay, she might have frozen to death in the snow.
She had borne six children and raised four. Her second son, Xie Jianhua, had died young in service to the country—so be it.
Her eldest, Xie Jianzhong, had always been sickly. Just keeping him alive had drained her. During the educated youth campaign, terrified he’d suffer in the countryside, she pulled strings and spent savings to secure him a cushy factory accountant job. She even footed the bill for his lavish wedding dowry.
Her youngest son, Xie Jiankang, failed his college entrance exams after high school. She funded four years of tutoring until he finally got into university and landed a stable government position.
Her daughter, Xie Guiying, was pampered from birth. To ensure she married well, Wang Cuifen poured half her savings into her dowry.
At first, her children had been dutiful. But after Wang Cuifen collapsed at home and needed major surgery, everything changed.
The surgery was successful, and Wang Cuifen survived. But before the operation, believing the risks were too high and that she might not make it, she gave away everything she owned to her children. She feared that if she died, the bank would take her money.
From the compensation of a demolished property, she gave one apartment each to her youngest son and youngest daughter, and two to her eldest son—since he had two grandsons. She also had some personal savings, which she gave to her youngest son, as his wife kept him on a tight leash and he was always short on cash.
After distributing everything, Wang Cuifen felt a little awkward when she didn’t end up dying.
Once she recovered, she said, "How about you return the apartments and money to me for now? When I die, they’ll still be yours."
She had given them away without hesitation, assuming her children would return them just as easily.
But each of her three children had an excuse—none returned a single penny or apartment.
When she went to them for living expenses, they wouldn’t even open the door. They were either traveling out of town or visiting their in-laws. Wang Cuifen knew they were avoiding her, passing her around like a hot potato.
But she truly had nothing left—she had given everything away.
All she remembered was how bitterly cold that day was, the chill seeping into her bones until she wished she had died during that surgery—at least then it would have been over.
Tears streaming down her face, she walked toward her late husband’s grave—the only one she could confide in now. Halfway there, she ran into Su Qing.
Wang Cuifen expected Su Qing to mock her.
Back when Su Qing married into the family, she had been anything but docile—waving a kitchen knife at Wang Cuifen, then playing the victim in public. She was no pushover.
"If you’ve got nowhere to go, I can find you a place. I’ve got plenty of houses anyway. Being a martyr’s widow has its perks—consider this repayment." Not only did Su Qing offer her a place to stay, but she also gave her money.
If you ignored the process and just looked at the outcome, Su Qing had indeed come out on top back then. When she first transmigrated, she was a sent-down youth, toiling in the countryside for years. She had barely managed a ten-day leave to return home for the New Year. If she hadn’t married Xie Jianhua, she would’ve had to go back to farm labor after her break.
Both she and Xie Jianhua had been victims of that arranged marriage, but she was the one who benefited. And since Xie Jianhua had died a martyr for the country, treating Wang Cuifen well was also a way to honor his sacrifice.
Her kindness only made Wang Cuifen cry harder. Between sobs, she said, "You really don’t hold a grudge."
Su Qing smiled faintly. She hadn’t lost anything—why would she hold a grudge? If anyone should resent the past, it was Wang Cuifen.
And Wang Cuifen did hold a grudge.
Given a second chance at life, the first thing Wang Cuifen did upon waking was curse the man lying beside her.
"Useless old fool! You only know how to take my life—why not take those ungrateful brats first? Heartless, rotten little snakes..."
"Stop talking nonsense during the New Year! Jianhua went to the Su family for dinner last night and still hasn’t come back—must’ve gotten drunk..."
After two minutes of talking past each other, Wang Cuifen suddenly realized something was wrong. Her mind snapped awake, and she bolted out of bed, sprinting straight to the Su household.
That nest of vipers—the Su family—was bullying her future daughter-in-law right now!
Before her death, she had seen everything clearly. Her future daughter-in-law was kind-hearted and gentle.
If not for the Su family’s abuse and the neighbors’ gossip, Su Qing would never have armored herself with thorns to survive.
But from now on, Su Qing wouldn’t need to pretend to be strong anymore—because Wang Cuifen was here!
Whether it was the Su family or her own flesh and blood, no one would lay a finger on Su Qing!
From now on, she would be Su Qing’s protector. The savings she had hoarded—instead of wasting them on her eldest son’s exorbitant bride price or funding her youngest son’s four-year high school repeat—she’d rather spend them on Su Qing. At least Su Qing had integrity and would repay her kindness.
