Chapter Summaries

The Su Family came to the Xiao Family home to demand money after hearing they had found gold, and Gao Jinghui threatened them with an axe. Su Qiao stopped him and persuaded the village chief to drive the Su Family away, leaving her with the village chief’s support against them.

• Gao Jinghui confronted the Su Family with an axe, but Su Qiao took it from him and urged everyone to call the police instead of risking their lives.
• Tian Guihua agreed that the Su Family had come to rob them because they were jealous of the gold they had found.
• The village chief arrived and scolded the Su Family for demanding more after accepting eight hundred yuan for the adoption.
• Su Guangzong and Su Guofu accused Gao Jinghui of threatening murder and demanded that he be driven out of the village.
• Su Qiao told the village chief that the Su Family had come to rob them and warned the villagers to guard their valuables.
• The village chief offered to drive the Su Family away and keep them from approaching the Xiao Family, and Su Qiao accepted.

After the Su Family left, Su Qiao went to Gao Jinghui’s house to supervise his studies, where his unusual concern for her hinted at feelings he tried to disguise as gratitude. She settled in to watch him work while teasing 444 about who was better at training him.

• The Su Family left after being warned, and they later stopped trying to make Su Qiao return to their household.
• Su Qiao comforted Xiao Aimin and his wife, then carried her schoolbag to Gao Jinghui’s house to supervise his studies.
• Gao Jinghui gave Su Qiao a warm roasted sweet potato and worried that she might be ill when she said she felt hot.
• Gao Jinghui claimed he was being considerate because he was grateful to Su Qiao for helping him make money, and promised to repay her.
• Su Qiao watched Gao Jinghui do his exercises as she and 444 argued about who was better at training him.

The Su Family returned home furious after failing to bring Erya back, and Su Guofu exposed Su Baozhu’s suggestion about Xiao Aimin’s mine as a scheme to provoke dangerous outsiders. The family turned against Su Baozhu, while Old Lady Su worried that the unhealed scar on her face would ruin her chances of marriage.

• The Su Family came home after villagers mocked them for their treatment of Erya and Xiao Aimin.
• Su Baozhu urged her family to warn Xiao Aimin about the red ore in his mine, but Liu Hong said she would rather see someone take it over.
• Su Guofu accused Su Baozhu of trying to use the family to draw a ruthless gang toward Xiao Aimin’s mine.
• Su Baozhu denied plotting and appealed to Old Lady Su, who pushed her away and told her to talk less.
• Old Lady Su noticed that Su Baozhu’s cheek wound had not healed after half a month, and Su Baozhu worried that the medicine had failed.

Su Qiao returned from fishing to find Wang Jun and Su Baozhu meeting at her family’s gate, where Su Baozhu staged an awkward fall onto him. Su Qiao mocked her sister’s performance and challenged her claim that she had not wanted Su Qiao to marry Liu Weiye.

• Gao Jinghui hurried to the river and told Su Qiao that influential visitors had arrived, apparently to take over the mine.
• Su Qiao returned home and recognized that the visitors were Wang Jun and Su Baozhu.
• Su Baozhu pretended to twist her ankle and fell onto Wang Jun, then apologized to him.
• Su Qiao accused Su Baozhu of throwing herself at Wang Jun for his money and status.
• Su Baozhu protested that she cared about Su Qiao and had not chosen for her to marry Liu Weiye, so Su Qiao asked whether she was willing to marry him herself.

Su Qiao exposed Su Baozhu’s attempt to escape her betrothal by throwing herself at Wang Jun. She told Wang Jun that marrying Su Baozhu would require repaying the Liu Family’s betrothal gifts and gold bracelet.

• Su Qiao agreed that Su Baozhu should marry Liu Weiye, prompting Su Baozhu to admit she did not want to marry him because his leg was crippled.
• Su Qiao accused Su Baozhu of pretending to twist her ankle and clinging to Wang Jun to avoid marrying Liu Weiye.
• Su Baozhu retaliated by accusing Su Qiao of having an improper relationship with a thief, and Gao Jinghui backed Su Qiao’s account of her scheme.
• Xiao Aimin arrived, ignored Su Baozhu’s appeal for sympathy, and asked Su Qiao whether she had come looking for trouble.
• Su Qiao explained that Su Baozhu had thrown herself at Wang Jun and told him he would need to repay the Liu Family’s betrothal gifts and gold bracelet if he wanted to marry her.

Su Qiao and Xiao Aimin discussed transferring their gold-producing cave with Wang Hai, who offered one hundred thousand. Su Qiao agreed that selling might be safer, though she recognized Wang Hai had come with powerful backing and that the offer might be exploiting their situation.

• Wang Jun denied wanting to marry Su Baozhu, shoved her away, and insulted her appearance.
• Su Baozhu threatened to complain to her parents, while Su Qiao laughed and said her own parents would protect her.
• Xiao Aimin introduced Su Qiao to Wang Hai, who had come to discuss taking over the cave.
• Wang Hai offered one hundred thousand for the cave and warned that keeping it could bring danger.
• Su Qiao told Xiao Aimin that transferring the cave might be best because they lacked money and protection.

Su Qiao negotiated with Wang Hai over transferring their passage, arguing that the Dog-head Gold suggested a valuable nearby gold mine. Wang Jun challenged her claim and clashed with Gao Jinghui, who calmed down when Su Qiao called him “A Jing.”

• Xiao Aimin accepted that Wang Hai would take the passage, while Su Qiao objected that his proposed price was too low.
• Su Qiao explained that Dog-head Gold often indicated a nearby primary gold mine and cited a large mine discovered near a similar specimen.
• Wang Hai and Wang Jun doubted that anyone could know whether gold lay underground, but Gao Jinghui insisted that Su Qiao was right.
• Wang Jun and Gao Jinghui argued until Su Qiao called Gao Jinghui “A Jing” and told him to act maturely.
• Gao Jinghui sat down meekly beside Su Qiao, and Wang Jun sat down angrily and muttered that he was a coward.

Su Qiao negotiated with Wang Hai to excavate his passage for one million, arguing that her help could save him time and prevent a far greater loss. Wang Hai was tempted but ended the chapter asking whether she could truly locate the ore vein.

• Su Qiao proposed that Wang Hai pay one million for her to dig the passage to the ore vein, while disclaiming responsibility for its size.
• Wang Jun objected to the price, and Su Qiao defended it by pointing to the value of finding passages and Wang Jun’s conduct outside.
• Wang Hai and the others considered the amount excessive, but Gao Jinghui believed Su Qiao had good reason to ask for it.
• Su Qiao warned Wang Hai that digging without her could waste a year and let someone else reach the ore vein first.
• Wang Hai studied Su Qiao and asked whether she could really find the ore vein, and she claimed she had studied geology and researched the passage.

Su Qiao negotiated with Wang Hai to invest one million in the underground passage, agreeing to find the ore vein within a month or repay the money and cover his losses. The meeting ended with Wang Hai approving of Su Qiao and Gao Jinghui awkwardly affirming his place as her fiancé and business partner.

• Wang Hai asked Su Qiao why her father’s earlier excavation had failed, and Su Qiao said they had dug in the wrong direction because they lacked proper geological analysis.
• Xiao Aimin explained that debt had driven him to follow Su Qiao’s advice, which led them to discover the passage.
• Wang Hai agreed to provide one million, requiring Su Qiao to find the ore vein within a month or repay him and compensate his losses.
• Su Qiao accepted the terms and asked Wang Hai to transfer the money and complete the passage paperwork as soon as possible.
• Wang Hai asked whether Su Qiao was engaged, and Gao Jinghui declared himself her fiancé and Xiao Aimin’s business partner.
• Su Qiao told Gao Jinghui to stay by her side and listen to her, and he blushed and agreed.

Su Qiao told Wang Hai that her deceased master had predicted she would marry a man weaker than her, and Wang Hai accepted her answer without asking further questions. After Wang Hai and Wang Jun left, Wang Jun vowed to pursue Su Qiao, while Xiao Aimin's legs went weak from the tension of their visit.

• Su Qiao told Wang Hai that she had secretly become the disciple of a master who had since died, and that he had predicted her husband would be weaker than her.
• After lunch, Su Qiao and the Xiao family agreed to go to the county seat with Wang Hai the next morning to handle transfer paperwork.
• On the drive away, Wang Jun claimed Su Qiao and Baozhu were not engaged and said he would pursue her, while Wang Hai warned him not to anger her.
• Wang Hai challenged Wang Jun to win Su Qiao over, promising him the projects he managed, and Wang Jun began plotting to use her dislike of Baozhu.
• After the car left, Xiao Aimin told Su Qiao his legs had gone weak, and she hurried to support him.

After Xiao Aimin sold the mining tunnel for one million yuan, Su Qiao discussed using the money to fund their machinery company and urged her father to consider investing in other mines. Xiao Aimin made Gao Jinghui a company shareholder but insisted that he and Su Qiao focus on their studies for now.

• Su Qiao teased Xiao Aimin for being nervous about the one-million-yuan sale, while Gao Jinghui helped Uncle Xiao into the main room.
• Xiao Aimin explained that he and Uncle Xiao had sold the mining tunnel without asking Gao Jinghui, and Gao Jinghui agreed it was safer that way.
• Su Qiao proposed using the money for the machinery company and suggested investing in other mines after she surveyed them.
• Xiao Aimin told Su Qiao to focus on studying and offered Gao Jinghui a share of the company’s profits, with the chance to take over after graduation.
• Gao Jinghui reluctantly agreed to study after Su Qiao kicked him under the table, and Xiao Aimin chided her for bullying him.

Su Qiao encouraged Gao Jinghui to study for the entrance exam, while he worried that Wang Jun was interested in her. The next day, Su Qiao and Gao Jinghui accompanied Xiao Aimin to the county town, where they completed the mine transfer, rented a storefront, and registered a company.

• Su Qiao told Gao Jinghui to study hard so he could pass the entrance exam and attend her school.
• Gao Jinghui accused Wang Jun of scheming to get close to Su Qiao, but she dismissed his worries and said she had already memorized the high school textbooks.
• Gao Jinghui felt discouraged when he learned Su Qiao had photographic memory.
• The next morning, Xiao Aimin took Su Qiao and Gao Jinghui to the county town to meet Wang Hai and his son.
• Xiao Aimin transferred the money and completed the mine ownership transfer with Wang Hai's help.
• They rented a storefront on the outskirts of the city and registered a company.

Old Lady Su and Liu Hong accused Su Qiao of beating Su Baozhu and demanded compensation or a share in the mine. Su Qiao denied it and exposed Su Baozhu's attempt to seduce a man, leaving the Su family facing suspicion and Tian Guihua ready to drive them away.

• Old Lady Su and Liu Hong brought the bruised Su Baozhu to the Xiao family’s home and accused Su Qiao of beating her.
• Tian Guihua and Xiao Aimin defended Su Qiao, explaining she had been with Xiao Aimin in the county town and had not gone out that morning.
• Liu Hong demanded compensation and threatened to seek a share in the mine if the Xiao family refused to pay.
• Su Qiao called the accusation an attempt to extort her family and revealed that Su Baozhu had tried to seduce a man to escape her engagement.
• Su Baozhu denied Su Qiao’s claim, while Tian Guihua took up a bamboo broom and prepared to confront the Su family.

Old Lady Su accused Su Qiao of beating Su Baozhu, but Su Qiao exposed Su Baozhu’s suspicious behavior and revealed that the mine had already been sold. The villagers’ testimony turned public opinion against Su Baozhu, and Old Lady Su left in anger.

• Old Lady Su insisted Su Qiao had beaten Su Baozhu and threatened to report her, while Su Qiao challenged her to call the police and brought up Su Baozhu throwing herself onto a man’s car.
• Su Qiao told Old Lady Su and Liu Hong that the mine had been sold, and blamed the Su Family’s scheme for helping the sale go through.
• Villagers recalled seeing Su Baozhu throw herself onto the man and speculated that she had been beaten over trying to steal someone’s man.
• Old Lady Su slapped Su Baozhu and demanded to know whether she had thrown herself onto the man, while Su Baozhu claimed she had twisted her ankle.
• Su Qiao questioned Su Baozhu’s excuse, and Old Lady Su left without helping her while Liu Hong hurried away.

Su Qiao learned that Wang Jun had beaten Su Baozhu because he thought it would please her, while 444 revealed that Wang Jun planned to pursue her and then cruelly dump her. Su Qiao remained unimpressed, and she took Gao Jinghui home for breakfast before they planned to go up the mountain.

• Su Baozhu ran off crying after Wang Jun hit her, and Su Qiao wondered why he had done it.
• 444 explained that Wang Jun was pursuing Su Qiao and had beaten Su Baozhu to win her favor, though he planned to dump her later.
• Gao Jinghui warned Su Qiao to stay away from Wang Jun and insisted that he would never hit a woman.
• Su Qiao challenged Gao Jinghui to a fight, but he refused, and she regretted losing the chance to beat him up.
• Su Qiao invited Gao Jinghui to her house for breakfast before their planned trip up the mountain, while Tian Guihua angrily cooked noodles.

Su Qiao discovered that Tian Guihua was pregnant, and Xiao Aimin rushed her to the hospital for confirmation. The news spread through the village, while rumors about Su Baozhu led the Liu Family to force the Su Family to agree to her immediate marriage.

• Su Qiao felt Tian Guihua's pulse and suspected she was pregnant.
• Xiao Aimin took Tian Guihua to the hospital in a tricycle padded with a cotton quilt, while Su Qiao and Gao Jinghui decided to go to the mountain the next day.
• The couple returned around noon, and word of Tian Guihua's pregnancy spread through the village.
• Villagers praised Su Qiao and criticized the Su Family for driving her away while rumors spread that Su Baozhu had seduced men.
• The Liu matriarch and her sons nearly smashed the Su Family home, and the Su Family agreed to let Su Baozhu marry into the Liu Family immediately.

Su Qiao went up the mountain with Xiao Aimin and Gao Jinghui to locate an ore vein, while Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun competed for her attention. The group reached the mine shaft, which had been cleared and reinforced for work.

• Su Baozhu was forced to marry Liu Weiye without a wedding feast while he remained hospitalized.
• Su Qiao, Xiao Aimin, and Gao Jinghui set out for the mountain and met Wang Hai, Wang Jun, and two armed men along the way.
• Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun argued over Su Qiao and nearly fought, but she called them to catch up.
• Xiao Aimin and Wang Hai chatted as the group continued toward the mine shaft.
• The group arrived at the mine shaft and saw that the area had been cleared, tents erected, and the interior reinforced with supports, lights, and iron tracks.

Su Qiao guided Wang Hai’s crew to dig along a strange, broken gold vein and then stayed at camp while Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun went hunting. Wang Jun returned with a large rabbit he had shot himself.

• Su Qiao followed Xiao Si’s directions and told Wang Hai’s crew to dig diagonally downward toward the intermittent ore deposit.
• Su Qiao explained that the vein broke off before continuing farther down, and Wang Hai ordered the miners to follow her directions.
• Wang Hai sent Su Qiao and the other youngsters out of the mine before blasting began.
• Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun went hunting while Su Qiao gathered medicinal herbs near camp.
• Wang Jun returned with a large gray rabbit and told Su Qiao that he had shot it himself.

Su Qiao prepared rabbit and snake for the group while Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun competed to help her, then Xiao Aimin and Wang Hai returned from the mine with news that they had found Star Motes and were close to Miao Lu. The chapter ended with Wang Hai praising Su Qiao for leading them to the right place.

• Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun competed over roasting sweet potatoes for Su Qiao, who told them to help with food and water while she cleaned a snake she had caught.
• Wang Jun fled from the snake, while Gao Jinghui stayed despite his fear; the two later traded insults by the stream.
• Xiao Aimin and Wang Hai emerged from the mine after three hours and joined Su Qiao for a meal.
• Wang Hai said Old Man Yu had found Star Motes in the ores and that Miao Lu was likely nearby, crediting Su Qiao with guiding them to the right place.

After finding the ore vein, Su Qiao headed down the mountain with Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun, but an ambush left Gao Jinghui badly wounded while shielding her. Su Qiao stopped his bleeding with golden needles, but his condition remained critical.

• Xiao Aimin urged Su Qiao to return home after Miao Lu was found, and Gao Jinghui and Wang Jun argued over who would protect her.
• Wang Hai sent a man to accompany Su Qiao and the others down the mountain, while Wang Jun insisted on joining them.
• 444 warned Su Qiao about an ambush, and a bird gun fired from the mountains.
• Gao Jinghui threw himself toward Su Qiao, and she tried to knock him down; they collided and rolled behind a dirt slope.
• Su Qiao found two bleeding wounds on Gao Jinghui's back and inserted more than ten golden needles to stop the bleeding.