Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao learned more about Big Ox, whose real name was Wu Dabao, and discovered how harshly his family treated him. After he drew his own version of the lake and delighted her with his smile, Su Qiao promised to bring meat so they could roast it together.

• Su Qiao and Big Ox discussed the lake she had drawn, and 444 explained that Big Ox had never left the village or seen a television.
• 444 told Su Qiao that Big Ox was Wu Dabao, also called Second Fool, and described his family and the exhausting labor they forced him to do.
• Big Ox erased Su Qiao’s round lake and drew a long one with trees, then showed it to her proudly.
• Su Qiao agreed that his drawing showed a lake, admired his smile, and suggested they roast meat together.
• Su Qiao told Big Ox to wait while she went to get meat, and he eagerly repeated, “Meat...”

Su Qiao took a chicken from the Hu Family after Wang Guizhi tried to stop her from slaughtering their animals. She brought Big Treasure to a spring in the back mountain and began roasting the meat.

• Su Qiao rushed back to the Hu Family, demanding roast meat and chasing the chickens in the yard.
• Wang Guizhi blocked Su Qiao from killing the chicks, hens, cow, and piglet, but Su Qiao tricked her and grabbed a hen.
• Wang Guizhi wailed that Su Qiao was a village tyrant and threatened that the village chief would punish her.
• Su Qiao dragged the dazed Big Treasure toward the back mountain, slowing down when she noticed he had no shoes.
• Su Qiao found a clearing beside a spring, cleaned the chicken, and began roasting it with salt.

Su Qiao fed Big Treasure a roasted chicken and watermelon, then made him her second-in-command and promised he would no longer go hungry or be bullied. After bringing him down the mountain, she left him near the Hu Family's home and went to fetch him clothes and other things.

• Su Qiao gave Big Treasure chicken until he was full, then shared watermelon with him.
• Su Qiao told Big Treasure to follow her and declared that he was second-in-command of the village.
• Big Treasure agreed to stay with Su Qiao because he understood that he would have food and protection.
• Su Qiao brought Big Treasure down the mountain and told him to find her at the Hu Family's home if he needed anything.
• Su Qiao noticed Big Treasure's worn clothes and bare feet, told him to wait, and ran back to the Hu Family's home to get him supplies.

Su Qiao gave Big Treasure clean clothes and reassured him that no one would hit him while she was there. Liu Yufen confronted them, but a flirtatious woman warned Su Qiao about the village and Big Treasure, leaving Liu Yufen furious.

• Su Qiao searched the Hu Family's belongings and found clothes and slippers for Big Treasure.
• Big Treasure hesitated to accept the clothes because he feared someone would hit him, but Su Qiao reassured him and made him change.
• Su Qiao praised Big Treasure's appearance and promised to buy him new clothes.
• Liu Yufen arrived and angrily scolded Big Treasure for neglecting the fieldwork.
• A woman in a red dress pinched Su Qiao's cheek, complimented her, and warned her against getting involved with Big Treasure or the village.
• Liu Yufen cursed the woman and threatened to expose her to her in-laws.

Su Qiao returned to the Hu Family and went to sleep while Old Hu Er, Wang Guizhi, and Hu Dalong plotted to drug her, cripple her, and keep her from escaping. The Hu Family quietly prepared their scheme as Su Qiao remained unaware and resolved to deal with them when the time came.

• Li Sufang dismissed Liu Yufen and walked away, while Liu Yufen cursed her and left with Big Treasure.
• Old Hu Er told Wang Guizhi to put a drug in Su Qiao’s food or tea, then have Hu Dalong act once she passed out.
• Old Hu Er said they should break Su Qiao’s legs to stop her from running away, and Wang Guizhi eventually agreed.
• Old Hu Er and Wang Guizhi discussed getting rid of Su Qiao after she bore a child and having Hu Dalong bring back another woman from elsewhere.
• Su Qiao returned to the Hu Family, bolted her door, and fell asleep without noticing their plans.

Wang Guizhi complained that Su Qiao was lazy and demanded the money her family had spent to buy her. Su Qiao confronted her and denied any responsibility for the family’s choice to buy her from traffickers.

• Wang Guizhi cursed outside Su Qiao’s room and demanded that she return the family’s money.
• Su Qiao woke, came out, and mocked Wang Guizhi for looking down on women.
• Su Qiao kicked away Wang Guizhi’s broom and challenged her demand for repayment.
• Wang Guizhi grew bolder after noticing her husband and son watching from the window and complained that her family had received nothing for its savings.
• Su Qiao asked whether she had forced Wang Guizhi’s family to buy her from traffickers.

Su Qiao refused Wang Guihua’s demand that she marry Hu Dalong and mocked the Hu family while threatening Wang Guihua with a knife. She ended by ordering Wang Guihua to cook dinner and insulting Hu Dalong as he tried to sneak away.

• Wang Guihua demanded that Su Qiao become Hu Dalong’s wife because she could not repay the money.
• Su Qiao insulted Wang Guihua and suggested that her husband marry a concubine instead.
• Wang Guihua insisted Su Qiao work for her and give Hu Dalong children, but Su Qiao threatened her with a knife.
• Su Qiao told Wang Guihua to cook dinner, and Wang Guihua objected that Su Qiao should cook it herself.
• Su Qiao said she could not cook and mocked Hu Dalong for being too useless to support a wife.

Su Qiao refused to cook, wash clothes, or do dishes, and warned Wang Guizhi and Hu Dalong that she was skilled at fighting. The chapter ended with her ordering them to cook for her and threatening to make someone bleed if hunger upset her.

• Hu Dalong complained to Wang Guizhi that Su Qiao had called him useless.
• Wang Guizhi demanded that Su Qiao at least wash clothes, but Su Qiao said she had never done such chores.
• Su Qiao claimed she was good at fighting and had beaten local thugs into submission.
• Hu Dalong remembered Su Qiao beating him and begged Wang Guizhi to let him change wives.
• Su Qiao told Wang Guizhi to cook for her and warned that she might make someone bleed if she got hungry.

Su Qiao uncovered the Hu Family’s plan to drug her and force her into marriage, then secretly neutralized the sleeping medicine. The Hu Family waited for her to fall asleep and discussed restraining her so Hu Dalong could consummate the marriage.

• Hu Dalong hurried his mother, Wang Guizhi, into the kitchen while Su Qiao kept the Hu Family under pressure.
• The system warned Su Qiao that Old Man Hu had obtained sleeping medicine from Wu Ping'an's family and that the fish-head soup was drugged.
• Su Qiao ate the cured meat and sausage, pretended to drink the soup, then spat most of it out and exercised to wear off the rest.
• After Su Qiao returned to her room, Wang Guizhi checked whether she had fallen asleep while Old Hu Er and Hu Dalong waited.
• Old Hu Er and Wang Guizhi reassured Hu Dalong that they would chain Su Qiao up and force her to accept the marriage.

Su Qiao caught the Hu family trying to take advantage of her after drugging her and fought back. She beat Hu Dalong and Old Hu Er, then turned her attention to Wang Guizhi.

• Hu Dalong and his parents plotted to get Su Qiao pregnant so she could no longer cause trouble.
• After waiting for Su Qiao to fall asleep, the Hu family entered her room and Hu Dalong climbed onto her bed.
• Su Qiao kicked Hu Dalong to the floor, then knocked Old Hu Er and Wang Guizhi back when they tried to restrain her.
• Su Qiao beat Hu Dalong while he cried for help.
• Su Qiao seized Old Hu Er's stick and beat him as he fled around the room.
• Wang Guizhi admitted the plan had been her idea, and Su Qiao turned toward her with a threatening grin.

Su Qiao threatened Hu Er's family after they tried to control her, demanding that Hu Er find the traffickers who sold her. The family backed down and began seeking help, while Hu Dalong fled whenever he saw her.

• Su Qiao warned Wang Guizhi that she would cripple Hu Dalong if the family targeted her again.
• Su Qiao ordered Hu Er to find the two traffickers who had sold her, or she would make his family suffer.
• Hu Er's family left the east room in fear and considered asking the village chief for help finding Chen Ligeng and his wife.
• Hu Dalong ran away whenever he saw Su Qiao.

Su Qiao reclaimed her belongings and documents from Wang Guizhi, then took a hen and left the house. Wang Guizhi followed but stayed silent, afraid of Su Qiao and her knife.

• Su Qiao bathed, found no decent clothes, and demanded money from Wang Guizhi.
• Wang Guizhi pointed Su Qiao to her travel bag under the bed, and Su Qiao found clothes and personal items inside.
• Su Qiao demanded her ID card and graduation certificate and threatened Wang Guizhi’s son until Wang Guizhi handed them over.
• Su Qiao changed into her own clothes, slaughtered a hen, and left with salt and chili peppers while Wang Guizhi followed without daring to curse.

Su Qiao went to Wu Yingxiong’s house and found him beating Big Treasure. She stopped him and urged Big Treasure to fight back, but he remained too afraid to act.

• Hu Dalong asked Wang Guizhi for chicken, but she scolded him over the hens and worried about the village chief’s return.
• Su Qiao carried a basket to Wu Yingxiong’s house and found him beating Big Treasure with a willow switch.
• Su Qiao cut the switch in two, pulled Big Treasure to safety, and threatened Wu Yingxiong with her knife.
• Su Qiao kicked Wu Yingxiong down, held her knife to his neck, and told Big Treasure to hit him back.
• Big Treasure held a willow switch but could not bring himself to strike Wu Yingxiong because he feared him.

Su Qiao helped Big Treasure stand up to Wu Yingxiong, encouraging him to fight back against his abusive father. After they left Wu Yingxiong subdued, Su Qiao and Big Treasure sat down to eat and drink, bringing them closer.

• Su Qiao threatened to abandon Big Treasure if he refused to hit Wu Yingxiong, so Big Treasure struck him repeatedly with a willow switch.
• Wu Yingxiong cursed Big Treasure but stayed still because Su Qiao held a knife to his neck, and he wondered when his supposedly foolish son had learned to speak.
• Big Treasure kicked Wu Yingxiong after seeing how afraid he was, and Su Qiao praised him and told him to fight back against anyone who bullied him.
• Su Qiao took Big Treasure to the table, poured them rice wine, and watched him grimace after he gulped down his cup.

Su Qiao stood up for Big Treasure by threatening Wu Yingxiong and Liu Yufen, then took him away from their home. They headed to the fields to pick watermelons before going to barbecue meat in the hills.

• Su Qiao shared food with Big Treasure while Wu Yingxiong lay groaning nearby.
• Liu Yufen returned and protested when she saw Su Qiao and Big Treasure eating together.
• Su Qiao threatened Liu Yufen and warned her not to make Big Treasure work or mistreat him again.
• Su Qiao led Big Treasure away, telling Liu Yufen not to come looking for him about the fields and paddies.
• Su Qiao and Big Treasure set off to gather watermelons and barbecue meat in the hills, and found a watermelon field.

Su Qiao took watermelons from a villager’s field at knifepoint and went up the mountain with Big Treasure to roast food. While they ate, Liu Yufen and the watermelon-field owner arrived at the Hu Family with their relatives to demand an explanation.

• Su Qiao cut two watermelons from a middle-aged man’s field and threatened him when he objected.
• The man backed down and ran to get the village chief, while Su Qiao said she would take watermelons from the chief’s field the next day.
• Su Qiao and Big Treasure headed to their barbecue spot, passing Hu Dalong watering a vegetable field while glancing at Li Sufang beneath a parasol tree.
• Su Qiao and Big Treasure ate watermelons and roasted chicken on the mountain.
• Liu Yufen arrived at the Hu Family with several sisters-in-law, and the watermelon-field owner came with his family to demand an explanation.

Su Qiao stayed away from the Hu Family all day after causing trouble in the village, then returned at dinner and implied she had poisoned the cured sausage. Wang Guizhi realized she and the others had eaten it, leaving the family panicked and unsure what to do.

• Old Hu Er and Wang Guizhi apologized to the villagers and paid compensation for Su Qiao's trouble.
• Su Qiao spent the day on the mountain with Big Treasure, catching a rabbit and gathering food and herbs.
• Su Qiao returned to the Hu Family at dusk and noticed the cured sausage had been hidden from the dinner table.
• Su Qiao showed the Hu Family an empty pesticide bottle and said she had tested whether the pesticide was real.
• Wang Guizhi urged A-Long and his father to spit out the sausage after realizing they had eaten more than half the bowl.

Su Qiao tricked the Hu Family into believing she had poisoned them, and they forced themselves to vomit with manure water. When Hu Dalong charged at her in anger, she drew her knife and dared the family to attack, leaving them facing her threat.

• Old Hu Er and Hu Dalong failed to vomit, so he called for manure to make them throw up.
• Wang Guizhi forced manure water down the throats of herself, her husband, and her son, and the three vomited by the backyard water channel.
• Wang Guizhi threatened to report Su Qiao to the village chief and have her punished at the Ancestral Hall.
• Su Qiao revealed that the bottle had been empty and mocked the Hu Family for believing she had poisoned them.
• Hu Dalong charged at Su Qiao, but she drew her knife and threatened to leave him bedridden if he attacked.
• Wang Guizhi restrained Hu Dalong as Old Hu Er raised a hoe and watched Su Qiao warily.

After Su Qiao drove Hu Dalong from the house, Wang Guizhi and Old Hu Er discussed how to get rid of her and recover their money. They settled on trying to sell her to Wu Ping'an, though they had yet to act.

• Hu Dalong called Su Qiao a wicked woman, left the house, and said he would not return while she was there.
• Su Qiao went back to her room to prepare medicine, leaving Wang Guizhi and Old Hu Er to discuss their predicament.
• Wang Guizhi suggested gathering villagers to kill Su Qiao, but Old Hu Er rejected the idea.
• Wang Guizhi proposed reselling Su Qiao to Wu Ping'an, and Old Hu Er considered the plan.

The Hu family arranged to sell Su Qiao to Wu Ping'an's family, while Su Qiao remained unaware and planned to go wash clothes and gather river snails. Zhang Damei inspected Su Qiao and approved of her as a potential wife for Wu Ping'an, though she questioned the price.

• Hu Dalong stole silver bracelets from his mother's wardrobe and gave them to Widow Li, then spent the day with her while his parents searched for him.
• Old Hu Er and Wu Ping'an's family discussed buying Su Qiao, and agreed that Zhang Damei would inspect her before deciding.
• Su Qiao prepared to wash clothes by the river with Big Treasure and planned to gather river snails, unaware that the Hu family meant to sell her.
• Zhang Damei watched Su Qiao from the window, approved of her build, and began negotiating her price with Wang Guizhi.