Chapter 27: Heartless, Not Allowed In

Chapter 27: So Heartless, Won’t Even Let Her In

"She's just a child bride—they never got married," Shi Guilan comforted. "Times have changed—this isn’t the old society anymore. Arranged marriages are outdated now; it’s all about free love now. Just think of her as your husband’s little sister, and that's it. She's already here—you can't just kick her out now. Too many people heard her say those things."

Shi Guilan massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She never expected Guo Peng to have a child bride. He’d never breathed a word about it, not even to Li Hui. If he hid it from his wife, he certainly wouldn’t have told anyone else.

"You and your husband are already legally married," Shi Guilan said. "No matter who this child bride is, she can't affect your marriage. Just introduce her as your sister, understand?"

"A sister? This isn’t some regular sister!" Li Hui felt a pang of bitterness. A child bride—who knew what the Guo family really thought? "Do Guo Peng’s parents dislike me? Did they send her here on purpose?"

"Not necessarily," Shi Guilan replied, though she had no real idea. She could only try to console Li Hui. "Don’t make a scene. If word gets out, it’ll be bad for your husband and for you. You two need to find a way to calm her down. Don’t stay here with me—go back and think it over. Discuss it properly as a couple. If nothing else, set her up with someone. There are plenty of single men around. If she finds someone, she won’t make trouble over this anymore."

Shi Guilan massaged her forehead. If she’d known about Guo Peng’s situation, she would never have let Li Hui marry him. But now it was done—they were already married. The couple had to face this together; neither could run from it.

"The worse it gets, the calmer you need to stay," Shi Guilan advised. "Men are different after they’re married. You need to show your husband your virtue—don’t make a fuss."

"..." Li Hui looked at Shi Guilan. Was her cousin saying she should be just as meek?

What good did virtue do? Hadn’t Shi Guilan’s own husband still let his first wife’s mother come live with them?

Li Hui had no choice. She had to go back and face this with her husband. This wasn’t some stray they could just shoo away—this was a child bride.

That night, when Song Fenglan mentioned Guo Peng’s child bride to Qin Yizhou, she sighed. She draped a blanket over Qin Zihang’s tummy to keep him from catching a chill.

"If that child bride had come earlier, maybe Guo Peng would’ve married her," Qin Yizhou mused. "But... a forced marriage doesn’t mean happiness later."

Guo Peng clearly didn’t like the child bride. He had never mentioned her and had pursued Li Hui instead. Now that the child bride had shown up, there was no way he’d marry her—he was already married. He couldn’t betray his wife. Since they’d never married, he could make it up to the child bride in other ways.

"Auntie Fatty just asked me if I wrote before coming. I told her I did," Song Fenglan said. "I didn’t just show up out of nowhere to check if you were with another woman."

After writing the letter, Song Fenglan had waited a while before traveling. She’d calculated that Qin Yizhou should have received it by then. Who knew he’d be away on a mission and hadn’t gotten it in time?

"You’re nothing like Guo Peng’s child bride—you weren’t mine," Qin Yizhou said. "In his case, that girl probably did a lot for his family back home, helping take care of his parents."

"Hmm." Song Fenglan suddenly thought of a saying: "First to be cast aside after success is the lover." Some people, after passing civil service exams, decided their partners weren’t good enough and dumped them. Guo Peng’s situation was similar—no marriage meant he still had a choice, though it wasn’t morally great.

Qin Zihang waved his little hands, and Song Fenglan quickly turned her attention to him. The mosquitoes were terrible. Even with the repellent sachets she’d hung up, a few still buzzed around. Just one was enough to leave multiple bites.

Song Fenglan gently fanned Qin Zihang with a hand fan. Qin Yizhou took it from her. "Let me."

"Go ahead." She handed it over.

"In a few days, let Zihang sleep in the next room," Qin Yizhou said. With their son there, they couldn’t have any privacy.

Qin Yizhou wanted to be a good husband, to keep their relationship strong. They couldn’t spend every night just talking—that wouldn’t do.

"You tell him," Song Fenglan said. "I won’t."

Her heart ached at the thought of upsetting their son. This was Qin Yizhou’s job—he was Qin Zihang’s father, after all.

"So you agree?" Qin Yizhou whispered.

"You handle it," Song Fenglan said, shooting him a glance. "You can manage this, right?"

"Of course, of course." Qin Yizhou nodded quickly. "Definitely."

He’d get the boy to sleep in the next room without a fuss. It was just next door—if Qin Zihang needed anything, a knock or a call would be enough for Qin Yizhou to hear.

At this moment, Sister-in-law Qin was still packing up their things, and there were a lot of them. The entire Qin family's clothes had been brought over, along with pots, pans, and all sorts of little things. With so many items, it didn’t seem like a temporary stay but rather as if they intended to stay here for good.

"Did you bring the winter clothes too?" Sister-in-law Qin asked.

"Yes, I did," Eldest Brother Qin replied.

"Couldn’t we have gotten them later?" Sister-in-law Qin frowned. If they had waited, perhaps they wouldn’t have needed to bring them at all—they might have moved back by then.

"Father told us to pack everything at once and not keep going back and forth," Eldest Brother Qin said. "Dragging it out isn’t how you move. He wants us to bring everything in one go to avoid trouble later."

Eldest Brother Qin didn’t dare cross his father. Whatever his father said, he followed. So he’d packed everything, even stuff they probably didn’t need, just so Sister-in-law Qin could decide whether they were still useful.

Since Sister-in-law Qin wasn’t at the Qin household, Eldest Brother Qin had just thrown things into boxes any which way. It was a bit messy, but that didn’t matter much—they would reorganize everything once they settled in.

"Your father is truly heartless," Sister-in-law Qin said bitterly. "I made a mistake, but they shouldn’t treat us like this. Once we move out, people will definitely ask questions. Everyone already knows I took five chickens."

Sister-in-law Qin burned with anger. Even if others didn’t know the full story, what did it matter? She knew they’d make it sound worse, never speaking well of her, only spreading gossip.

After moving here, she was afraid Qin’s parents would cut them off.

Sister-in-law Qin was still counting on Qin’s father’s pension and Qin’s mother’s savings. More money meant more opportunities.

"This place is a dump. The kids won’t get used to it," Sister-in-law Qin complained.

"They’ll get used to it," Eldest Brother Qin said, understanding her implication—she wanted to move back. But they had already left, and there was no point dwelling on it. He wouldn’t dare cross his father, who was still furious. Anyone who tried to intervene would only make things worse. "This place is livable."

"It’s so much worse, and you call it livable?" Sister-in-law Qin was deeply displeased. "We adults can manage, but what about the kids? It’s tough on them. And who knows—I might even be pregnant again."

She couldn’t help but wonder—if she were pregnant, would her in-laws still force them to move out? Would they let them return?

"Even if you are, we’re staying here," Eldest Brother Qin said. Having worked for years, he wasn’t naive. He caught on right away. "When Sister-in-law Song gave birth, she did her month-long postpartum recovery at her parents’ place. She didn’t live with Mom and Dad."

If Song Fenglan could do it, then so could Sister-in-law Qin.

But Eldest Brother Qin didn’t think this excuse would work. If they tried using it, it would only anger his parents further.

Sister-in-law Qin didn’t care what he thought. She got her family to go plead with Qin’s parents, claiming she was pregnant.

"Pregnant? Then there’s no need to move around. Staying there is just fine," Qin’s mother said.

This little stunt didn’t change their minds. No matter how hard they begged, it was useless. Qin’s mother knew Sister-in-law Qin had taken things back to her own family, but she didn’t want to bring it up in front of her in-laws—it would only cause awkwardness.

"She’s my daughter-in-law, just as my younger son’s wife is," Qin’s mother said. "The family gave six chickens, and she took five."

"Five?" Sister-in-law Qin’s mother was confused. "Didn’t she say three?"

"Hmm?" Qin’s mother was puzzled.

Sister-in-law Qin had originally given two chickens to her parents, one to her pregnant sister-in-law, and one for her own family to eat when visiting. She had told her own family it was only three—admitting to five would have risked them demanding she return them. She was planning to sell the chickens to make up her shortfall.

"Never mind, never mind," Sister-in-law Qin’s mother quickly dropped the subject. That stuff was never theirs to begin with—it was for Song Fenglan, who had just given birth.

At the research institute, Song Fenglan was busy with work, staying in the office even during her lunch break. Her workload left her with little time to rest. After getting off work, she ate dinner at the canteen before heading home. On her way home, she barely managed a reply to greetings from passersby.

Though she wasn’t working overtime, it wore her out.

"Off work?" Gao Xiuxiu bumped into Song Fenglan and walked alongside her. "Cooking tonight?"

"No, I ate at the canteen already," Song Fenglan replied.

"Don't your husband and child need to eat?" Gao Xiuxiu asked.

"Zhou can cook," Song Fenglan replied. "Lately, he hasn’t been coming home too late. When he gets back, he can make dinner."

"If he cooks, couldn’t you also eat at home?" Gao Xiuxiu pressed. "Don’t you and your husband eat together?"

"The cafeteria at work is free," Song Fenglan said, avoiding any praise for the food. Praising it might make others resentful—after all, not everyone had access to such good, free meals. Some things were better left unsaid to avoid stirring envy.

"True, free meals are worth eating at the canteen," Gao Xiuxiu agreed. "Your son is still young, but in a couple of years, he’ll eat much more. Boys eat way more than girls—a teenage boy can clean you out."

"If he can eat, then let him eat more. It’s fine," Song Fenglan said. "Children need proper nutrition to grow."

"You’re lucky—your first was a boy," Gao Xiuxiu remarked. "Not like me. My first was a girl, and my mother-in-law can’t stand daughters. She wasn’t careful before, and the child almost got hurt."

"Boys and girls are no different," Song Fenglan said. When she was pregnant, she hadn’t cared about the baby’s gender—whatever it was, it was her child, and she would love it all the same.

"It’s not the same," Gao Xiuxiu insisted. "Women don’t make as much as men. Men can handle heavy labor—they’re stronger. Women don’t have that kind of strength. We’re fine doing household chores, but when it comes to work outside, we still earn less than men. Equal pay for equal work? Yeah, right."

Gao Xiuxiu didn’t believe in it. She made less than men, so she figured she needed a son. She planned to get pregnant again—this time, she *had* to have a boy. Not for her mother-in-law’s sake, but for her own. With a son, no one could whisper behind her back that she was a woman who couldn’t bear sons.

A woman without a son might as well be a barren hen.

Song Fenglan shot Gao Xiuxiu a look—the woman’s desperation for a son was plain as day. She didn’t say more. After all, since she had a son herself, if she told others not to obsess over having one, they’d surely retort: *You have a son, so of course you can say that.*

Better to let them gripe than get an earful.

"I’m getting checked at the hospital tomorrow. I don’t know if I’m pregnant yet," Gao Xiuxiu said.

"Isn’t your daughter not even a year old yet?" Song Fenglan asked. "Back-to-back pregnancies—aren’t you worried about your health?"

"No," Gao Xiuxiu dismissed. "I’m tough. My body can take it."

"..." Song Fenglan fell silent. If these women wanted sons, then let them have sons.

She felt helpless. These women clearly weren’t concerned about ruining their health—all they cared about was not having a son. They *had* to have one.

"Don’t you plan to have another?" Gao Xiuxiu asked. "Your kid’s not so little anymore. You could give him a sibling."

"No," Song Fenglan said.

"No?" Gao Xiuxiu was shocked. "You’re so well-off—why not? It’s not like you’re broke. Have another—give your son a sibling so he won’t be alone. Siblings have each other’s backs later on."

"No," Song Fenglan repeated. She intended to focus on her research later. One son, Qin Zihang, was enough for her.

It’s not like they’re passing down a crown—what was the point of forcing another child?

"Did you have complications when you had Zi Hang?" Gao Xiuxiu couldn’t help asking. She thought few women would refuse to have two children—most wanted two or three, and some even had eight or nine.

"No," Song Fenglan said flatly. "I’m just not planning on more."

"Does your husband not want more either?" Gao Xiuxiu pressed.

"It’s my body. I have the right to decide whether to have children—I don’t need to ask my husband," Song Fenglan said.

"But kids should be a two-person decision," Gao Xiuxiu argued. "You both work—it’s not like you’re broke. The child could—"

"I’ve got things to do at home," Song Fenglan cut in, unwilling to continue the conversation. She quickened her pace.

Let’s not even talk about kids.

What’s the point of obsessing over having kids?

Song Fenglan doesn’t plan to have another child—Zihang’s turned out just fine. She barely has time to raise kids, and she can’t just pop out another kid and dump it on Mrs. Su. Song Fenglan has too many important things to do, so more kids? Not happening.

"This is a good time to have a baby," Gao Xiuxiu said. "The timing’s perfect."

Gao Xiuxiu spoke loudly for a while before heading home. She genuinely felt it was a shame that Song Fenglan wasn’t planning to have more children. They’re such a great match—the husband handsome, the wife beautiful—their kids would surely be lovely.

After returning home, Gao Xiuxiu even told her husband, "The Qin family’s wife isn’t planning to have more kids. Her first birth might’ve left her damaged."

"You know that?" Fang Xudong asked.

"I’m guessing," Gao Xiuxiu said. "If it weren’t for physical damage, why wouldn’t she want to give Zihang a little brother or sister? Kids need siblings—only children get lonely."

Grandma Fang eavesdropped and filed it away.

The next day, while chatting with others, Grandma Fang mentioned that Song Fenglan had suffered physical harm during her first birth and could no longer have children.

Those who weren’t in front of Song Fenglan or Mrs. Su whispered it behind their backs.

Li Hui invited her husband’s child bride to their home for a meal—they needed to deal with this mess.

"I understand what you mean. I see you as my brother and sister-in-law," Fan Yani said upon arriving at the military base. She wasn’t here to marry Guo Peng.

Fan Yani was a transmigrator. When she learned of her identity as a child bride and that Guo Peng had delayed returning home to marry her, she suspected he had fallen for someone else and didn’t want to be with her. The original girl had taken great care of Guo Peng’s parents, and everyone in the village knew she was his child bride.

Guo Peng had long denied the original girl any formal recognition, and people privately mocked her for it.

Fan Yani couldn’t wait forever—she had to act. She wasn’t the original girl and wouldn’t keep waiting for Guo Peng to come around. Men were trash—either rotten or useless; few were decent. Soldiers in this era were respectable, but she couldn’t afford to idealize them too much.

As long as someone hadn’t broken the law, a few moral slip-ups wouldn’t ruin anyone.

"In this new era, arranged marriages aren’t the norm. I understand," Fan Yani said. She was dark-skinned and a little heavy. She planned to lose weight and lighten her complexion. "Don’t sweat it, sis."

"..." Li Hui felt uneasy hearing this. If Fan Yani truly meant it, she shouldn’t have claimed to be Guo Peng’s child bride earlier.

Fan Yani had done it deliberately—Guo Peng had wronged the original girl, and she’d make them pay. The original girl *died*—why should they skate by? Fan Yani intended to use their relationship to stay and remarry here, but she wouldn’t let them off easy.

"Sis, I’m sorry. I didn’t know Big Brother was already married," Fan Yani said. "If I had known, I wouldn’t have said I was his child bride. I thought if he wasn’t married, I’d marry him. That’s what Mom and Dad wanted too. Who would’ve thought..."

Fan Yani implied that Guo Peng and Li Hui’s marriage hadn’t received their parents’ approval, which was why they had sent her to marry Guo Peng. She wasn’t shameless—she wouldn’t chase after a married man or demand he marry her.

"Sis, don’t worry. I see you as my brother and sister-in-law. I understand," Fan Yani said. "Mom and Dad raised me. I’ll be their daughter and care for them in their old age."

"Alright," Li Hui said. "Your brother and I have discussed it. You’ll move in with us. Crashing at the guesthouse won’t cut it. Once you’re settled, we’ll find you a suitable match. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great," Fan Yani nodded repeatedly. "Why wouldn’t it? Big Brother is a soldier—I’d like to marry one too. That way, the villagers won’t say he wronged me. They’ll just say you two were generous and handled everything properly, so nobody could talk trash."

Ugh, what a nightmare. Li Hui didn’t want Fan Yani staying in the military compound long-term. But since everyone already knew she was Guo Peng’s child bride, screwing this up would blow back on them.

"We’ll definitely arrange everything properly for you," Li Hui said. "This place is crawling with single guys."

"Thank you, Brother and Sister-in-law," Fan Yani smiled. She wasn’t about to land some deadbeat and wouldn’t rely entirely on Li Hui’s arrangements.

Fan Yani didn’t stay long at Li Hui’s place. She hit the streets to scout prospects. The families in the compound surely had connections, and maybe she’d bump into Mr. Right.

Li Hui accompanied Fan Yani on her walks, putting on a show of sisterly harmony, making sure others saw Fan Yani wasn’t holding a grudge.

"Auntie, if you know any good matches, introduce them to me," Fan Yani said directly to people without any embarrassment.

At this stage, playing coy would only hurt herself, not others.

Fan Yani talked with the older women, and Li Hui desperately wanted to pull her away but didn’t dare.

Li Hui was exasperated—how could Fan Yani be so familiar with these people?

In the evening, Auntie Fatty brought some brown sugar to Song Fenglan.

"We have some at home," Song Fenglan said.

"Have some, it’ll build you up," Auntie Fatty said, looked around and whispered. "I heard your health was ruined when you gave birth to Zi Hang? Can’t have more children?"

"No," Song Fenglan felt baffled. Did Auntie Fatty think her body was damaged and that’s why she brought brown sugar?

"Auntie Fang said your health is ruined, that you can’t have more children, which is why you came to join the army," Auntie Fatty said. "She said no one would take you, so you had to come here."

"..." Song Fenglan’s mouth twisted as she recalled her conversation with Gao Xiuxiu. "I just don’t want more children. There’s nothing wrong with my body. Take it back."

"I’ve already brought it, just keep it," Auntie Fatty insisted. "You work all day, then come home to take care of your child. You’re run ragged."

Given that the research institute went so far as to install a phone for her, Auntie Fatty was convinced Song Fenglan was someone special. Staying on her good side couldn’t hurt.

"We women gotta look after ourselves," Auntie Fatty said. "I have more brown sugar at home. Don’t say no."

"Not at all. Then I’ll accept it," Song Fenglan took the brown sugar.

"Auntie Fang has a big mouth. She spreads made-up stories," Auntie Fatty said. "Probably half the town thinks your body is ruined by now."

"I’m not going to get pregnant just to prove my body isn’t ruined," Song Fenglan said, amused. "I have more important things to do—no time to go through that again. Zi Hang is enough. He’s well-behaved."

"Exactly," Auntie Fatty agreed. "Your Zi Hang is so clever. One child like him is enough. No need to have many."

She didn’t try to persuade Song Fenglan to have another child. Song Fenglan wasn’t an ordinary woman—she was different from them.

"Her," Auntie Fatty pointed toward Gao Xiuxiu’s house. "She went for a checkup today and found out she’s pregnant. Thrilled."

"Already?" Song Fenglan had just heard Gao Xiuxiu say yesterday that she wanted another child, and now she was pregnant.

Gao Xiuxiu and her husband really wanted a son, but Song Fenglan thought that was their concern.

"Mom, are you going to give me a little brother or sister?" Qin Zihang dashed over to Song Fenglan.

"Why do you ask?" Song Fenglan asked.

"Just took him out for a walk, and Fang Xudong and his wife were strolling by. They asked," Qin Yizhou explained.

"What did you say?" Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou.

"I said one child, Zi Hang, is enough for us," Qin Yizhou knew Song Fenglan was working on something important. Pregnancy and childbirth weren’t easy—there were risks. He already had one child, and even if Zi Hang had been a girl, he wouldn’t have wanted more. "They were excited—Fang Xudong’s wife is pregnant. They just talked a bit more."

"Probably not just to your kid," Auntie Fatty said. "They don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl yet, but they’re already celebrating."

"It’s good news for them," Song Fenglan said. "Let them be happy."

"Anyway, I’d better go. I’ll take Xiao Hu home," Auntie Fatty called to Zhang Xiaohu.

Zhang Xiaohu loved playing with Qin Zihang. When Qin Zihang and Qin Yizhou went for a walk, Zhang Xiaohu tagged along. Auntie Fatty didn’t want to intrude, so she waited until Zhang Xiaohu returned before taking him home.

"Mom." Qin Zihang rested his head on Song Fenglan's lap.

"No brothers or sisters—just you alone," Song Fenglan said. "No need to worry about siblings stealing your spotlight."

"Mom, I'm not selfish," Qin Zihang pouted.

Song Fenglan glanced at Qin Yizhou. "They actually said things like that?"

"Yeah." Qin Yizhou nodded. "I didn’t catch it fast enough, so they got it out. They told Zihang he shouldn’t be selfish, that Mom and Dad don’t belong to him alone."

"They’re out of line," Song Fenglan snapped. "If they want more kids themselves, there’s no need to say such things in front of our child."

"Yesterday, I bumped into Gao Xiuxiu on the street, and she asked if I planned to have more. I said no. Now their family’s already gossiping that something’s wrong with me."

"They’ve got some nerve," Qin Yizhou muttered. He had been at work all day and hadn’t heard the gossip, only taking their child out for a walk in the evening. "Just brush them off. I already told them off—said they shouldn’t talk like that in front of a child. How many kids they pop out is their problem."

"Exactly. They can have as many kids as they want," Song Fenglan said. "We’re not having more—what, are they gonna strong-arm us?"

"Mom." Qin Zihang’s mood was visibly down.

"Mom’s not planning on giving you a sibling," Song Fenglan reassured him. It wasn’t about selfishness—many kids feel upset when they learn their parents might have another child, fearing they’ll lose attention. "In the future, Mom will rely on you alone, okay?"

"Okay!" Qin Zihang patted his shoulder lightly. "Mom can count on me."

"Can Dad lean on you too?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"Dad, you’re way too heavy—you’d flatten me!" Qin Zihang looked at his thin arms, then at his father. "Dad, you’re built like a tank."

Qin Yizhou almost misheard it as "so fake," but he quickly understood what his son meant.

"When you grow up, you’ll be tall and strong too," Qin Yizhou said.

"Even taller and stronger than Dad?" Qin Zihang stood on a chair, trying to tiptoe.

Song Fenglan quickly steadied him, afraid he might fall.

"Bet on it," Qin Yizhou assured.

"Alright then, I’ll let Dad lean on me—but only when I’m grown up. You can’t crush me while I’m still small," Qin Zihang declared.

"You got it," Qin Yizhou laughed. There was no way they’d let their son get crushed.

The Qin Yizhou household was all smiles, but Eldest Brother Qin’s place was a whole mess.

"I want to go back! I don’t want to stay here!"

"Huge roaches—freaking terrifying!"

"Gross and stinky! I want to go back to Grandma and Grandpa’s!"

...

Eldest Brother Qin’s kids were pitching a fit. After the initial excitement wore off, they were all clamoring to leave, refusing to stay any longer.

Sister-in-law Qin felt a twinge of guilt watching them.

"Your grandparents won’t take you back. If you do, your aunt will be upset," Sister-in-law Qin told them. She didn’t bat an eye at twisting the kids’ minds—she’d always taught them to keep their distance from Song Fenglan and her son.

"Auntie’s the worst! We’ll tell Grandma and Grandpa not to let her trick them!" the children protested. Sister-in-law Qin hatched a plan. They could leave the kids by Old Man and Old Lady Qin’s doorstep. The old folks would melt at the sight of their grandkids. Without waiting for Eldest Brother Qin to return, Sister-in-law Qin took the kids to the Qin parents’ house, left them by the door, then made herself scarce.

"Grandpa, Grandma." The two children called out.

Old Mrs. Qin heard the children's voices and hurried out to let them in, but Old Mr. Qin stopped her.

"Take them home!" Old Mr. Qin said.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care for his grandchildren, but if they let them in now, Eldest Brother Qin and Sister-in-law Qin would soon follow. They would claim the children couldn’t be separated from their parents and insist on returning to take care of them.

It hasn’t even been that long! Was this about giving the Song family ammunition to mock them? The Song family would think they never intended to punish Sister-in-law Qin. Old Mr. Qin didn’t want to be gossiped about later.

"Grandpa, I want to come back and live here," the eldest grandson said.

"Your home is with your parents now," Old Mr. Qin replied.

Sister-in-law Qin had figured Old Mr. Qin and Old Mrs. Qin would let the children in, but she never expected Old Mr. Qin would send them back. The place where she and Eldest Brother Qin lived wasn’t far from the Qin family home—just a short walk away. She hadn’t anticipated Old Mr. Qin refusing to let the children in, leaving them standing outside.

Old Mr. Qin walked them back himself. When he arrived at Eldest Brother Qin’s doorstep, he happened to run into him.

"You raise your own kids," Old Mr. Qin said sternly. "This is their home now. You’ve already moved out—don’t think about sending them back at this time. Don’t use the kids as pawns."

These past few days, Old Mr. Qin had been in a particularly bad mood. He didn’t even dare meet his old comrades, afraid they’d say his family was bullying a national treasure. The Song family’s status had suddenly risen—not only did Old Mr. Qin know about their situation, but others did too.

Since Song Fenglan got treated unfairly by the Qin family, someone had to answer for it.

"Dad..." Eldest Brother Qin flushed with embarrassment.

"Stop always letting your wife and kids do your dirty work," Old Mr. Qin said.

He turned and left, not about to argue further. There was no need to ask whether Eldest Brother Qin had deliberately let his wife do these things. Matters between a husband and wife were not something a father should stick his nose into.

"Grandpa!" The eldest grandson kept calling, even threatening to plop down on the ground. Earlier, when he didn’t want to walk, Old Mr. Qin had just dragged him along.

"Dad, can we really not go back?" Eldest Brother Qin’s daughter really wanted to return.

"From now on, this is your home," Eldest Brother Qin said.

"But... doesn’t that house belong to us too?" his daughter asked.

Thanks to Sister-in-law Qin’s coaching, both children believed Old Mr. Qin and Old Mrs. Qin’s house was theirs—that no one else had a claim to it.

"That’s your grandparents’ home," Eldest Brother Qin said.

"If it’s Grandpa and Grandma’s, isn’t it ours?" his son insisted. "Our house!"

"It’s your grandparents’, not ours," Eldest Brother Qin frowned. "Cut that out."

"Dad, Mom said—"

"Go inside first," Sister-in-law Qin quickly interrupted before her son could finish. "Hurry, go in."

Once inside, she turned to Eldest Brother Qin and said, "Your folks have ice in their veins. Their own grandchildren came, and they shut the door on them."

"Haven’t I told you? We’re staying here for now," Eldest Brother Qin said. He wasn’t unwilling to move back, but the old man wouldn’t allow it at this point. If they kept pushing, it would only make him angrier.

"The kids don’t want to stay here—what can I do? I wanted to try, to let them see for themselves," Sister-in-law Qin said. "And what happened? Your dad just sent them straight back."

"Stop trying. Dad’s made his decision—nothing will change for now," Eldest Brother Qin said. "If the kids aren’t used to living here, they’ll get used to it eventually."

Sister-in-law Qin opened her mouth but, seeing her husband so upset, bit her tongue.

At night, Li Hui and Guo Peng shared a room, speaking softly to avoid being overheard by Fan Yani in the next room.

“Now she’s quick to call you her brother,” Li Hui said. “Why didn’t she say that when she first arrived? Everyone treats me like the homewrecker, thinking I broke you two apart.”

“Yani and I were never married, so there’s no ‘breaking apart,’” Guo Peng replied. “She looked after my parents back home, so I treated her like a sister.”

Guo Peng had never told Fan Yani to marry someone else. He had even thought that if he failed to win Li Hui over, he would go back and marry Yani. But if he couldn’t marry Li Hui, marrying anyone else felt the same—unsatisfying. After working so hard to get where he was, he still wanted a wife who was pretty and educated, while Fan Yani looked plain and lacked much schooling.

“Set her up with someone soon and marry her off,” Li Hui said. “She’s so eager—she even asks strangers to fix her up with men. I don’t know how she can be so shameless. They don’t even know what kind of person she is, yet she just blurts it out.”

Li Hui found it embarrassing. “It looks like we’re pushing her into marriage. We just think she should settle down before she’s too old. If she marries a soldier here, it’d be a good thing—we wouldn’t mistreat her.”

“Fine, we’ll introduce her to someone,” Guo Peng agreed. “Once she’s married, I can explain things to my parents.”

“How did your parents even let her come here?” Li Hui asked. “Did you tell them about us?”

“I sent a telegram, but maybe they didn’t see it,” Guo Peng said. “It’s fine. Everyone knows you’re my wife.”

“That’s easy to say, but people still treat me like the other woman.” Li Hui felt suffocated just thinking about it. She had wanted to marry Qin Yizhou, but he was already married. Then she married Guo Peng, only for his childhood fiancée to show up. Why was she so unlucky? “Even drinking water gives me bad luck.”

Fan Yani lay in bed, knowing Li Hui and Guo Peng were surely talking about her. So what? As long as she found a good match and a better life, nothing else mattered. She had once considered taking the college entrance exam, but she doubted she’d get into a decent college. Coming to Guo Peng to find a suitable husband seemed wiser.

For a woman, marriage was like being reborn. Fan Yani was determined to land a better life this time.

Early in the morning, Jiang Yufei went to see her aunt, curious whether the Song family had sent any gifts now that they had been rehabilitated and returned.

“Mom, what did Aunt and the others give you? Let’s take a look,” Jiang Yufei said, eyeing the items. The Song family wasn’t ordinary—they had reclaimed years of back pay. They wouldn’t just hand out some worthless trinkets.