Su Qing actually didn’t want to return to her room—she would have preferred to keep chatting with Wang Cuifen—but Xie Jianhua was pulling her by the arm, and she had no choice but to follow him.
"What do you even need to pack? You barely have anything."
She only had a couple of changes of clothes and shoes, the kind she carried everywhere. There wasn’t much to organize.
Xie Jianhua didn’t expect Su Qing to help him anyway, so he changed the subject. "I’ve already taken care of the matter with your father and brother. They’ll handle it in a couple of days."
If he stayed home, people might suspect him.
Hearing this, Su Qing perked up immediately, her tone softening. "It’s all my fault for always making you worry. I don’t know what I’d do without you."
"You don’t have to talk to me like that," Xie Jianhua said sternly. Unlike Wang Cuifen, he wasn’t swayed by sweet talk. "And you don’t need to thank me. I’m doing this for my own reasons too."
Su Qing looked at him earnestly. "I don’t usually talk like this to anyone else, but you’re different."
"Mm." Xie Jianhua cleared his throat, unsure how to respond.
After a pause, he decided to offer some advice. "Mom can be really kind when she’s in a good mood, but when she loses her temper, she doesn’t hold back. Just look at how she treats my older brother. You should be careful when talking to her."
Right now, the relationship between the two women seemed perfect, like honey and sugar.
But that could change.
He spent most of his time in the military, so if anything happened at home, he wouldn’t be around to mediate. Su Qing would have to handle any conflicts between herself and Wang Cuifen alone.
He didn’t know how other brides adjusted to their new families, but in their household, Su Qing seemed completely charmed by Wang Cuifen from the start.
Even after he subtly warned her that his mother wasn’t an easy person, Su Qing still defended her.
"Mother-in-law is wonderful! She never gets angry at me or scolds me. She treats me even better than my own mother. I absolutely adore her." By the end, Su Qing’s voice was dripping with sweetness.
Listening to her, Xie Jianhua felt a headache coming on.
After spending a few days together, he had realized that the woman he married wasn’t exactly meek.
She was just a little too naive.
"You’ve only just married into the family. You’ll understand in time. My mom means well, but she has a temper," Xie Jianhua cautioned. "Try to get along with Jiankang and Guiying too. If you ever upset Mom, they might be able to help smooth things over."
"I can’t imagine why Mother-in-law would ever be angry with me," Su Qing replied bluntly. "I think you’re overthinking this."
Neither she nor Wang Cuifen had particularly gentle personalities, but they were both surprisingly tolerant of each other.
Wang Cuifen remembered how Su Qing had helped her in her past life and was counting on her for support in the future. She treated Su Qing with a mix of maternal affection and indulgence. Having witnessed Su Qing’s fiery temper before her rebirth, Wang Cuifen didn’t dare try to control her too much—she preferred discussing things as equals.
She didn’t even mind sharing money and food generously.
With Wang Cuifen being so accommodating, Su Qing, who wasn’t ungrateful, found it easy to compromise whenever conflicts arose. She reminded herself that Wang Cuifen was from an older generation, born before liberation, and yet treated her so well. As the younger one, it was only right for her to yield sometimes.
Since both were willing to give way and there were no major disagreements, it was hard for them to argue.
Seeing that Su Qing wouldn’t listen, Xie Jianhua could only say stiffly, "Well, take care at home. If anything happens, write to me."
"Mm-hmm," Su Qing nodded absently.
Wang Cuifen had ruled the household for years, so Xie Jianhua wasn’t worried about her. But Su Qing was different—in the dynamics between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, she was naturally at a disadvantage. Right now, her sweet talk kept Wang Cuifen happy, but who knew how long that would last?
But with their relationship still in its honeymoon phase, Su Qing wasn’t receptive to his warnings. There was nothing more Xie Jianhua could do. Even as the train pulled away, his mind was still preoccupied with future family conflicts.
Under normal circumstances, a daughter-in-law couldn’t compare to one’s own children. Xie Jianhua’s concerns were perfectly reasonable.
And he wasn’t the only one who thought so—the rest of the Xie family felt the same way.
The moment the train left, Xie Jiankang’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he sidled up to Wang Cuifen to tattle. "Mom, look! Second Brother just left for the army, and Second Sister-in-law is smiling like that!"
For some reason, Wang Cuifen had been scolding him and shielding Su Qing lately, which infuriated him. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Jiankang decided to strike back.
This time, he would reclaim everything he had lost!
No more washing dishes or laundry for him—Su Qing should be the one doing it! And if she happened to break a bowl while washing up, just like he had, and got an earful from Wang Cuifen… The mere thought made Xie Jiankang grin from ear to ear.
But reality didn’t match his fantasies. Wang Cuifen glared at him and snapped, "What’s wrong with her smiling? Should she be crying instead? You’re grinning like an idiot too—why don’t you mind your own business?"
Once again, he was the one getting scolded. Xie Jiankang’s smile vanished instantly. "Mom, why are you always like this?"
Wang Cuifen’s loud voice carried, so Su Qing easily guessed what Xie Jiankang had just said.
"Oh? Mother-in-law, was it wrong for me to smile?" Su Qing adjusted her expression, her eyes wide with feigned worry as she explained pitifully, "I just feel so proud to have a man who defends our country."
What should have been a simple reprimand turned into something more when Wang Cuifen saw Su Qing’s distressed look. She rounded on Xie Jiankang. "You little brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting—"
A slap landed on Xie Jiankang’s shoulder. Sensing danger, he bolted.
"You dare run from me?!" Wang Cuifen chased after him.
Once the boy was out of sight, Wang Cuifen skidded to a stop and returned to Su Qing’s side. "You go on with your day. We’re heading home. I swear, if I don’t teach that brat a lesson today, I’m not a Wang!"
It was a workday, and Su Qing was supposed to be at her job—she had only taken the morning off for personal matters.
The thought of going back to work made her steps heavy.
If it weren’t for the urban residency permit and food rations, she wouldn’t last a single day in that miserable job.
Especially since, apart from her, Su Xue also worked in the same office. The idea of seeing her every day made Su Qing’s eyes ache.
The moment she stepped back into the office, Su Xue rushed over, linking arms with her. "Big Sister, I told them, but they wouldn’t believe me. You tell them!"
Su Qing plastered on a practiced, indulgent smile. "What were you all talking about?"
"Just those awful rumors. Who knows who started them, but they’re so frustrating. It’s like no one will listen to us," Su Xue whined, putting on a pitiful act.
Having already accepted the food coupons, Su Qing played along, ready to vouch that Su Xue wasn’t pregnant and hadn’t had an abortion. But before she could speak, an older colleague piped up with gossip.
"So, the rumor about Xie Jianhua being injured… down there… that’s not true either, right?"
