Their personalities were steady, reliable, and incredibly hardworking. If they had to sit in a shop watching over it, they would feel terribly restless and insecure unless they were doing something. They needed to stay busy to feel secure. Selling breakfast was perfect—they earned money with each sale, the investment was small, returns were quick, and it involved brief interactions with many people. It was the best way for them to build confidence and gradually become bolder.
Xu Ziyan went over right away to discuss this with them. Originally, Xu Father and Xu Mother were still steeped in the anxiety of leaving home. But once the topic of starting a business came up, their attention was completely diverted. They were afraid they couldn’t do it, yet felt their daughter finally trusted them, and secretly wanted to give it a try. Their hope for a new life quickly chased away the sadness of leaving the Xu family.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Xu household was terrible. Several people, still fuming over Xu Ziyan, turned and saw Xu Xiuyun, and couldn’t help but feel she was the one who caused all the trouble. If she hadn’t taken that child, would the other have gotten so angry? The family, feeling sorry for her and taking her side, ended up provoking Xu Ziyan into demanding the family split. And then Xu Xiuyun acted like a mute, not speaking a single word to help, making them look bad from every angle—as if they deserved it.
Even Xu Xiuyun’s own brother glanced at her and muttered, “A perfectly good high-ranking officer, and now we can’t benefit from that connection at all.”
This made Xu Xiuyun’s face turn pale. She had been well-liked since childhood; her family had never said a harsh word to her. Even when she took the blame for Xu Ziyan, her family believed she was obedient and well-behaved, letting it go lightly. But now, these same relatives who had just stood up for her and suppressed Xu Ziyan were turning their guns on her and blaming her. How could this happen?
Did she ask them to stand up for her? She herself had been wary of Fang Lihai’s status and avoided a complete falling out with Xu Ziyan. It was them who couldn’t read the situation, who relentlessly lectured Xu Ziyan and even tried to hit her. How could that be blamed on her? Clearly, they still hadn’t realized Xu Ziyan was no longer someone they could control. They were still stuck in the past, thinking they could scold and punish as they pleased. What did that have to do with her?
But anything Xu Xiuyun said now would be wrong. Beside her, Song Dongbo and her daughter also sensed the awkward atmosphere. The Xu family’s attitude toward them was no longer as kind as before, carrying a hint of blame. Song Dongbo also found this whole situation unlucky. He took his daughter’s hand and said to Xu Xiuyun, “Should we head back first?”
Xu Xiuyun looked at him pleadingly. She couldn’t leave now. There were still people outside. She couldn’t bear them pointing and whispering. Moreover, if she stayed until evening, the villagers might still think the Xu family had stood up for her, that they doted on her, and that her maiden family was utterly reliable.
If she slunk away now, and her family didn’t try to keep her, wouldn’t that tell everyone she had been rejected by her maiden family? That absolutely couldn’t happen. She was already married to a divorced man as a stepmother. She had to preserve her dignity in other aspects, and her maiden family’s support was absolutely non-negotiable.
Xu Xiuyun was ruthless enough with herself. She turned and fell to her knees with a thud before Xu Grandmother, crying, “Grandma, it’s all my fault. I ruined your birthday. Hit me, scold me. You’ve loved me all these years. I’ve finally grown up and started a family, thinking Dongbo and I would take good care of you from now on, and then because of me, little sister caused this scene. I’ve let you down.”
She clutched Xu Grandmother’s sleeve. The old woman looked down and saw the clothes she was wearing were made by Xu Xiuyun. The fabric was good, comfortable and presentable. She couldn’t help but remember how truly filial this granddaughter was. Then she thought, Song Dongbo seemed to be secretly making quite a bit of money on the side, and he only had one daughter. Once Xu Xiuyun gave birth to a son later, wouldn’t it be easy to get money from him?
By then, given Xu Xiuyun’s relationship with her maiden family, she would surely do her best to help them.
The Xu family had already driven away one granddaughter. They couldn’t drive this one away too, could they? Wouldn’t that be a huge loss? Thinking this, Xu Grandmother helped Xu Xiuyun up with a sigh. “Alright, stop crying. It’s not your fault. It’s Xu Ziyan who has a terrible temper and is unfilial. Let’s eat, drive away the bad luck. Don’t let Second Branch’s family ruin the mood. Dongbo, you don’t need to rush off either. Sit down, have a smoke, let’s talk.”
The other Xu family members also caught on. Xu Xiuyun’s mother even fixed a bowl of sugar water for her step-granddaughter, coaxing her to drink it. The little girl frowned and said, “Dad, this bowl isn’t clean. There are several black spots inside.”
Song Dongbo awkwardly took the bowl. “It’s fine, it’s not dirty. Come on, Grandma gave this to you, have a little.”
The little girl turned her head away. “Baby won’t drink it! Don’t want it!”
The Xu family members all felt somewhat awkward and displeased. This was how everyone in the village was; this was clean enough. What was this little country brat putting on airs for?
Xu Xiuyun hurriedly wiped her tears, took the bowl, and said gently to the little girl, “Mama will go make you a fresh bowl, I’ll be right back.”
She went into the kitchen, and her mother followed her in, her face long as she whispered, “This child is too unruly. You need to show your authority as a mother, discipline her properly a few times, and she’ll behave.”
Xu Xiuyun smiled bitterly. The reason Song Dongbo had married her was because he valued her reputation, thinking she was kind and virtuous, wanting her to take care of the home and his daughter. What would it look like if she started disciplining his daughter? Wasn’t that just asking for conflict? She had already offended her own family and now had to rely on Song Dongbo’s regard and money to help her stand tall in front of them again. How could she afford to offend Song Dongbo now?
She used to think her reputation for kindness and virtue was an unbeatable advantage. This was the first time she felt that this reputation could also trap her, preventing her from acting as she wished. She had to keep up the act convincingly. Otherwise, everything might fall apart, and everyone would look down on her.
Xu Xiuyun said softly, “Mom, don’t worry about it. The child is usually very sensible. She probably just said those things because she was scared today. I’ll teach her later. Grandma said to start the meal, let’s bring out the dishes.”
The food was fairly plentiful, but the meat dishes the Xu family had been looking forward to for days now tasted bland. Feeling unhappy, nothing tasted good. Even the birthday well-wishes were half-hearted, making the whole celebration feel perfunctory, ending hastily. Xu Xiuyun insisted on washing all the bowls and sweeping the floor before going home.
Song Dongbo didn’t say a word the whole way back. When they got home, they found the lights next door at Xu Ziyan’s place were already out; she and her family had gone to sleep. The couple sighed in relief, genuinely afraid they’d have to get into another shouting match through the wall with Xu Ziyan as soon as they returned—that would’ve been another embarrassment.
They went inside quietly, got the child to sleep, and only then did Xu Xiuyun begin to silently cry. But this time, Song Dongbo felt no heartache, only annoyance. He looked her over, frowning, and asked, “I know the marriage you had arranged before was a good one, to an officer just like Fang Lihai. But he’s gone now. You’ve married me, so let’s live our lives steadily. Don’t keep staring at how good others have it. That Fang Lihai never comes home and doesn’t care for Xu Ziyan either. Xu Ziyan is living as a grass widow; she’s probably miserable inside. What are you comparing yourself to her for?”
Xu Xiuyun’s heart lurched in shock. She stopped crying and hurried to explain, “Dongbo, I haven’t, don’t listen to Xu Ziyan’s nonsense…”
Song Dongbo waved a hand to cut her off. “Whether there was anything before or not doesn’t matter. From now on, let’s cause less trouble and live our own lives well. I’m busy outside and can’t always look after things at home. If something happens to you here, you and the child won’t be safe.”
Xu Xiuyun nodded in agreement. She knew he was very dissatisfied with her. Back when she had taken the neighbor’s two children to the clinic and been gone so long, her own stepdaughter had been sleeping alone in the house. If the child had woken up then, couldn’t find anyone, gotten scared, started crying, and wandered off alone, it could have been dangerous.
Song Dongbo was blaming her for not knowing what was important, for focusing her attention outside instead of taking good care of the child. Xu Xiuyun naturally had to immediately dispel Song Dongbo’s dissatisfaction. Only then would her life be more comfortable.
Since her teens, she had schemed to secure an engagement with an officer. When that fell through and the rumor that she ‘jinxed husbands’ started, she immediately screened all the marriageable men in the village again. Only Song Dongbo best met her requirements. Tall, handsome, and capable of making money outside. Even though his past involvement with the Black Market couldn’t be spoken of openly, she believed Song Dongbo was richer than the vast majority of people in the village.
Marrying Song Dongbo meant she could potentially become a rich madame in the future, live a good life, and make everyone else envy her. Her goals had always been clear, so she adjusted quickly. She whispered many more sweet nothings, and the couple made up as if nothing had happened.
As she was falling asleep, she thought to herself, she hoped Xu Ziyan wouldn’t be relentless and end up affecting her family.