Chapter Summaries

Su Ya Ni overheard Mother Wu and two neighbors insulting her and Su Qiao, then ran to her room in tears. Wu Haishan learned that his mother had spread hurtful gossip about Su Ya Ni, but Mother Wu insisted she had done nothing wrong.

• Aunt Li and Big Sister-in-law Liu criticized Su Qiao while Mother Wu hinted at gossip about her.
• Su Ya Ni arrived at the courtyard gate and overheard the women speaking ill of her and her sister.
• Su Ya Ni ran to her room crying, shoved Wu Haishan away, and bolted the door.
• Wu Haishan questioned Mother Wu, who admitted she had told the neighbors that Su Ya Ni was living with a man before marriage.
• Wu Haishan reproached Mother Wu for spreading the gossip, but she defended herself as merely making conversation.

Wu Haishan tried to soothe Su Ya Ni after Mother Wu offended her, and promised the couple would move out once he started earning. Su Ya Ni opened the door, and Wu Haishan told her about his new job and expected pay.

• Wu Haishan argued that he and Su Ya Ni were engaged and reminded Mother Wu that she had encouraged them to have a child so Su Ya Ni's sister would agree.
• Mother Wu dismissed Su Ya Ni's anger, while Wu Haishan went to comfort her behind the closed door.
• Wu Haishan apologized for his mother's remarks and promised Su Ya Ni they would live on their own once he got paid.
• Su Ya Ni's anger eased, and she opened the door for Wu Haishan.
• Wu Haishan said he had found a job paying 180 yuan a month, with bonuses and attendance pay raising his earnings to 240 yuan.

Su Ya Ni and Wu Haishan discussed moving out, supporting his family, and saving for a house while wondering where Su Qiao had gone. The chapter ended with Su Qiao meeting a slick-haired man in a gray suit at a restaurant in a small town.

• Wu Haishan promised to persuade his parents to let them move out and said he would work toward buying a house of their own.
• Su Ya Ni argued that Su Qiao should let them live in one of her houses, while Wu Haishan refused to covet her property.
• Su Ya Ni told Wu Haishan that Su Qiao had left with a bag and had not returned for several days.
• Su Ya Ni guessed that Su Qiao had gone to find a place to buy stock for a shoe store, and Wu Haishan reassured her that Su Qiao would return soon.
• Su Qiao sat down across from a man in a gray suit at a small-town restaurant.

Su Qiao went on a blind date with Jia Xianzhi, while Ding Jihan watched from a nearby table and criticized him. Jia Xianzhi began laying out his expectations, leaving Su Qiao ready to hear them.

• Jia Xianzhi ordered the restaurant's signature dishes without asking Su Qiao what she wanted.
• Jia Xianzhi said Aunt Li had told him about Su Qiao's situation and apologized for being direct.
• Ding Jihan overheard them and muttered that Jia Xianzhi had a short, useless problem.
• Jia Xianzhi told Su Qiao that he wanted to clarify their expectations because they were both seeking marriage.
• Su Qiao agreed to hear Jia Xianzhi's requirements, and he smiled as he prepared to state them.

Su Qiao met Jia Xianzhi at a restaurant, where he criticized women who wore makeup, dressed revealingly, or did housework. Ding Jihan intervened on her behalf and confronted Jia, leaving the two men facing off.

• Jia Xianzhi told Su Qiao he disliked women wearing makeup, and Ding Jihan declared that he liked her makeup.
• Su Qiao denied knowing Ding Jihan when Jia asked about him, and Jia continued criticizing revealing clothes and women doing manual labor.
• Ding Jihan slammed down his teacup and said Su Qiao could wear whatever she wanted and should not have to do housework.
• Jia Xianzhi confronted Ding Jihan, who insulted him and ordered him to get lost.

Su Qiao heard Jia Xianzhi explain that he wanted a wife to manage his home, care for his mother, and give up her own property and ambitions. Ding Jihan lost his temper and confronted Jia, leaving the matchmaking meeting on the verge of a fight.

• Aunt Li asked Ding Jihan to lower his voice, and he reluctantly sat down after Su Qiao warned him.
• Jia Xianzhi said he wanted his future wife to help with his mother and the family’s household and farm responsibilities.
• Su Qiao asked why Jia Xianzhi’s younger siblings could not help, but he said he still needed to care for them.
• Jia Xianzhi asked Su Qiao to sell her houses and shops, return home, and focus on being a wife and mother.
• Ding Jihan slammed the table, defended Su Qiao’s right to live as she pleased, and accused Jia Xianzhi of doing it on purpose.

Su Qiao challenged Jia Xianzhi’s sexist expectations and explained why she would not give up her independence to become a housewife. Ding Jihan praised her and pleaded for forgiveness, but Su Qiao left, still distrustful of him because of what happened in a previous life.

• Jia Xianzhi tried to argue with Su Qiao, but Ding Jihan backed down after she glared at him.
• Su Qiao told Jia Xianzhi that women’s makeup and clothing were appropriate and that she would not give up her property and business to serve a husband’s family.
• Su Qiao argued that men who suppress capable women lack confidence and should improve themselves instead.
• Ding Jihan praised Su Qiao and declared that he would support her success rather than suppress her.
• Su Qiao left and told Ding Jihan to get lost, recalling how he had deceived her in a previous life.
• Ding Jihan blocked Su Qiao’s path and begged her to forgive him.

Su Qiao confronted Jia Xianzhi about his unreasonable demands and left the blind date with Ding Jihan. After compensating Aunt Li for the commotion, she heard her advice to forgive Ding Jihan and accept him, leaving their relationship unresolved.

• Jia Xianzhi demanded to know Su Qiao and Ding Jihan’s relationship, and Ding Jihan said he was pursuing her.
• Su Qiao denied having someone, pushed past Ding Jihan, and headed out as he followed and apologized for hiding the truth.
• Su Qiao told Ding Jihan not to follow her while she went to say goodbye to Aunt Li.
• Su Qiao gave Aunt Li money to make up for the trouble, and Aunt Li told her to forgive Ding Jihan and accept him.

Su Qiao rejected Jia Xianzhi’s marriage conditions and left the restaurant with Ding Jihan, who tried to win her over with promises of wealth and gifts. They drove toward the county so she could register for her exams, while Aunt Li comforted Jia Xianzhi after the failed match.

• Su Qiao said she would consider Jia Xianzhi’s proposal but left with Ding Jihan before Jia Xianzhi could cause another scene.
• Ding Jihan insulted Jia Xianzhi and insisted that Su Qiao should not have to do housework, prompting Jia Xianzhi to accuse him of making a fool of him.
• Aunt Li told Jia Xianzhi that Su Qiao could not accept his conditions and that they should act as if they had never met.
• Ding Jihan offered Su Qiao his businesses, jewelry, skincare products, and custom clothes, but she told him to be quiet because he was giving her a headache.
• Ding Jihan took Su Qiao in his car toward the county so she could register for her exams, and Aunt Li comforted Jia Xianzhi at the restaurant.

Aunt Li explained to Jia Xianzhi why Su Qiao would not want to marry him and share responsibility for his family. Jia Xianzhi reflected on his expectations, then asked whether he still had a chance with Su Qiao.

• Aunt Li told Jia Xianzhi that Su Qiao would not have chosen him even if the other man were not in the picture.
• Aunt Li criticized Jia Xianzhi for expecting Su Qiao to sell her properties and devote herself to his mother and younger siblings.
• Aunt Li urged Jia Xianzhi to recognize that his younger siblings should share the duty of caring for their mother.
• Jia Xianzhi reconsidered how he had treated his family’s needs as his own responsibility and realized this made it hard to find a wife.
• Jia Xianzhi asked Aunt Li whether he still had a chance with Su Qiao because he thought she did not like the other man.

Jia Xianzhi accepted that he had lost his chance with Su Qiao, while Su Qiao traveled with Ding Jihan, who insisted on holding her. The chapter ended with Ding Jihan refusing to let go as Su Qiao tried to twist his waist.

• Aunt Li told Jia Xianzhi that Su Qiao was leaving to register in the county seat and take the self-study college entrance exams, and that she and Jia Xianzhi were not meant to be.
• Jia Xianzhi regretted the demands he had made and admitted he should have been willing to move his mother to the city where Su Qiao lived.
• Jia Xianzhi left Aunt Li’s shop after deciding he could no longer change what had happened.
• Su Qiao fell asleep in the car, but woke when Ding Jihan put an arm around her shoulders.
• Ding Jihan pulled Su Qiao into his arms and said he was reminiscing about the past and embracing the future, while she twisted his waist and he refused to release her.

Su Qiao returned to G Prefecture after registering for the self-study exam and brushed off Ding Jihan when they arrived. At home, she told Aunt Yun about her exam plans and explained that her younger sister Su Ya Ni had secretly had a boyfriend.

• Ding Jihan held on to Su Qiao during the drive, and she fell asleep while he adjusted her position.
• Su Qiao registered for the self-study exam, spent the night in the county town, and returned to G Prefecture the next day.
• Su Qiao acted as if she did not know Ding Jihan and drove him away after they arrived.
• Su Qiao told Aunt Yun she had returned to her hometown and planned to take the junior college self-study exam before pursuing an undergraduate exam.
• Su Qiao explained that Su Ya Ni had hidden her boyfriend from her, and Aunt Yun wondered how Su Ya Ni had spent her monthly allowance of 150 yuan.

Su Qiao told Aunt Yun how she had sacrificed for Su Ya Ni, only for her sister and her fiancé’s family to insult her and demand her property. She blamed herself for failing as an older sister, while inwardly rejecting that explanation.

• Aunt Yun learned that Su Qiao had worked long days and sold food at night to support Su Ya Ni’s lavish spending and her boyfriend.
• Su Qiao explained that Su Ya Ni wanted her to pay for a hotel wedding and give the couple her city-center house and wholesale-market shop.
• Su Qiao told Aunt Yun that her sister’s future in-laws had accused her of obtaining money improperly and mocked her for not dating, while Su Ya Ni failed to defend her.
• Aunt Yun became angry at the family and questioned how Su Ya Ni could treat Su Qiao so cruelly after all her sacrifices.
• Su Qiao said she had failed to teach her sister properly, but privately dismissed the idea that she was to blame.

Su Qiao moved into a rented courtyard to avoid Su Ya Ni and Ding Jihan while keeping watch on her house and preparing to catch the murderer. After settling into a comfortable routine, she received a call that a broken faucet was flooding her rental property.

• Aunt Yun reassured Su Qiao that she had done enough for Su Ya Ni and offered to say she had bought Su Qiao's house if anyone came looking for her.
• Su Qiao decided to rent the nearby courtyard and monitor her house while she focused on catching the murderer.
• Su Qiao packed her bags and moved quietly, intending to avoid both Su Ya Ni and Ding Jihan.
• Su Qiao rented the entire courtyard, had it renovated, and made herself a practice area among the flowers and trees.
• Su Qiao spent her days tending the courtyard, practicing her skills, and studying how to modify computers and phones.
• A tenant called Su Qiao to report that a broken faucet was spraying water throughout the rental property.

Su Qiao repaired the damage at the house and confronted Ding Jihan about his schemes and his offer to buy the place. She warned him not to interfere with her plans or break the law, while Ding Jihan wondered whether he could still win her back.

• Su Qiao arrived with her toolbox and found Ding Jihan stranded on the sofa because water from the broken bathroom faucet had flooded the living room.
• Su Qiao realized Ding Jihan had arranged for one of his people to rent the place and asked whether he wanted to buy it.
• Su Qiao switched off the main power, then refused Ding Jihan's offer of money and rejected his pleas to include himself with his fortune.
• Ding Jihan offered to send his brothers after the Wu Family, but Su Qiao told him not to ruin her plans or bring his X Port methods to the city.
• Ding Jihan accepted that his own stunt had caused Su Qiao's anger and worried that he might lose her.

Su Qiao made Ding Jihan repair the faucet and mop after he tracked her down, then rejected his gifts as he repeatedly visited her courtyard. Ding Jihan brought Ding Shaofeng to meet her, and his nephew saw how carefully his uncle treated Su Qiao.

• Ding Jihan sat beside Su Qiao and pleaded with her, but she told him to fix the faucet he had broken and mop the floor.
• Ding Jihan repaired the faucet and mopped while Su Qiao read, and 444 laughed at his resentful looks.
• Ding Jihan repeatedly visited Su Qiao's courtyard with herbs, knives, and food, but she sent everything back untouched.
• Ding Jihan decided to win Su Qiao over by offering himself, but Ding Shaofeng insisted on accompanying him to meet his aunt.
• Ding Jihan made tea and prepared fruit for Su Qiao, and Ding Shaofeng watched his uncle's attentive behavior.

Su Qiao steered Ding Shaofeng away from his sudden interest in Su Ya Ni by claiming her younger sister had secretly married and moved in with her husband. Ding Shaofeng lost interest, while Ding Jihan came out of the kitchen and disliked seeing him sitting so close to Su Qiao.

• Ding Shaofeng noticed a photograph of Su Qiao and Su Ya Ni and asked about the younger woman.
• Su Qiao told Ding Shaofeng that Su Ya Ni was her younger sister and that she had moved out to live with her boyfriend.
• Su Qiao claimed Su Ya Ni had married the man against her wishes and might already be pregnant.
• Ding Shaofeng lost interest in meeting Su Ya Ni and offered Su Qiao half-hearted comfort.
• Ding Jihan came out carrying fruit and felt displeased when he saw Ding Shaofeng sitting close to Su Qiao.

Su Qiao explained why Ding Shaofeng had come to see her, prompting Ding Jihan to clarify their past relationship. Ding Jihan reassured her that the history had nothing to do with who he was now.

• Su Qiao sent Ding Shaofeng away after he visited, and Ding Jihan complained that she had treated him too warmly.
• Ding Jihan grew jealous when he saw Su Qiao watching Ding Shaofeng leave and accused her of admiring his appearance.
• Su Qiao told Ding Jihan that Ding Shaofeng’s mother had known her at the orphanage and that she had adopted him after his parents were hunted down.
• Ding Jihan explained that Ding Shaofeng’s mother had cared for him like a child at the orphanage and said their history did not define who he was now.

Su Qiao dismissed Ding Jihan’s complaints after he claimed he had risked his life searching for her, and warned him that Ding Shaofeng seemed hostile despite being adopted by him. Ding Jihan remained focused on Su Qiao, who continued teasing him about marrying someone else.

• Ding Jihan told Su Qiao that he had been badly injured and nearly died before finding her, but she refused to sympathize.
• Ding Jihan insisted he had always cherished Su Qiao and had never treated her as an enemy.
• Su Qiao warned Ding Jihan that Ding Shaofeng showed hostility rather than gratitude and told him to be careful.
• Ding Jihan said he was not worried because Su Qiao would rescue him if anything happened, and she told him she might happily marry someone else.
• Ding Jihan put Su Qiao’s hand on his chest and complained that her words hurt, so she pinched him hard.

Ding Jihan tried to appease Su Qiao and grew jealous of Ding Shaofeng, while Ding Shaofeng worried that Su Qiao would interfere with his plans and regretted that the woman he loved was already with someone. The chapter ended with Ding Shaofeng questioning why Ding Jihan cared so much for Su Qiao as Third Uncle went to buy seafood for her.

• Ding Jihan offered to kneel on a washboard and let Su Qiao hit him, but she told him to sit quietly while she studied.
• Ding Jihan insisted that Ding Shaofeng had been pursuing Su Qiao, and he began planning to send Ding Shaofeng back to X Port.
• Ding Shaofeng left in a poor mood, worried that Su Qiao might disrupt his plans and upset that the woman he loved had a boyfriend or might already be married.
• Ding Shaofeng met Third Uncle and asked him to go drinking, but Third Uncle refused because he had to guard Ding Jihan and his wife.
• Ding Jihan called Third Uncle and asked him to buy fresh fish and shrimp for Su Qiao, and Ding Shaofeng questioned why his uncle had devoted so much to her.