At forty-three, returning from school, I found my home was gone.

The next day, Su Wan took the keys to the Su family home to discuss the move with the old master. After listening to Su Wan, the old man remained silent for a long time. In that moment, countless thoughts crossed his mind, but in the end, he chose to trust Jiang Mochen.

“I have a bit of savings. Take them to Xiao Jiang in a moment,” he said.

Su Wan smiled and patted his hand. “Alright, from now on we’ll be living together as a family. Don’t overthink it.”

But the old master simply turned quietly and went into the house. When he came out again, he was holding a bankbook.

He handed the bankbook to Su Wan. “Keep this safe.”

“Grandpa, what are you doing?” Su Wan hurried to push it back.

“If you draw such clear lines, do you not consider me family?” The old man’s brows drew together. “Take the money to buy new furniture. Two people are starting a new life together; you can’t always rely on one person to give. You must also help build this new home.”

Su Wan wanted to protest further, but the old man suddenly grew stern. “If you refuse again, I’ll be angry.”

Left with no choice, Su Wan accepted it.

Taking advantage of some free time, Su Wan and her husband took the old master into town.

The new house was spacious and beautiful.

There were sunlit windows and a balcony; the living room was large enough for Su Wan’s favorite big sofa.

The three quickly got to work, buying furniture bit by bit. Jiang Mochen even hired a large truck to move all their things from the village to the city house.

They were busy the whole afternoon. By evening, Su Wan took the old master to a noodle shop for dinner.

“How strange, I feel like I forgot something,” Su Wan said.

The old master slurped his noodles. “We brought all the pots and pans; the rest is locked in the old house. You can check on it when you have time.”

Su Wan nodded and kept eating.

When she finished her bowl and called for the bill, a chubby boy walked in. Suddenly, she remembered. “Oh no, where’s Su Chen?”

The old master, busy peeling an egg, was shocked. “Did you not wait for him to come home from school?”

Su Wan shook her head.

In a flash, she tossed some money on the table and dashed out. “Grandpa, head back yourself. I’ll go get him.”

By the time she reached the old house, night had fallen.

She pushed open the gate and saw Su Chen sitting bewildered in the courtyard, traces of tears on his face.

“Su Chen!”

He turned around. “Where did you all go? Where’s Grandpa?”

Coming home from school to an empty house—who wouldn’t cry?

Su Wan felt guilty and forced a smile as she approached. “Ah, I have wonderful news for you!”

“We’re moving!”

At this, Su Chen’s sorrowful face instantly brightened. “Where are we moving to?”

Su Wan grinned and slung an arm around his shoulder. “The new home is just one street away from your school.”

Su Chen was surprised. “That close?!”

“Of course! We did it just for you,” Su Wan declared, patting her chest.

But then Su Chen’s face fell. “It’s that close, and you still didn’t come pick me up?!”

Su Wan stammered, trying to laugh it off. “Heh, I forgot.”

“You have no idea—we’ve been busy all day, and I haven’t even eaten yet,” she went on. “But you, you did nothing and still blame me.”

Su Chen wanted to say more, but Su Wan wouldn’t let him, pulling him out of the courtyard. “Alright, your sister came in person to fetch you. Show some mercy—let’s go home!”

When they arrived at the new house, Jiang Mochen had just finished cooking.

Su Chen helped bring the dishes to the table. “You said you haven’t eaten, right? Come, let’s eat.” With that, he piled a hefty bowl of rice for Su Wan.

“Grandpa and brother-in-law, come eat too. You three worked hard today.”

Su Chen’s sincerity was obvious.

But Su Wan and the old master had already eaten a big bowl of noodles with two eggs each, and were simply too full.

The old master waved his hand. “No need, I already ate noodles. I’m not hungry.”

So Su Chen looked at Su Wan. “Sis, you’re not going to skip the meal too, are you?”

Su Wan hiccuped in fright. “I... I’m dieting.”

“Dieting doesn’t mean starving, and you’re not even fat!”

Su Wan was at a loss—she had no excuse, since she’d lied.

She shot the old master a resentful look; it seemed she alone suffered in this world.

After moving into the new house, Su Wan continued her lipstick business.

With Jiang Mochen’s agreement, she set up her cosmetics workshop at the Jiang family estate.

The Jiang family had a spacious yard, and that plot of land was no good for crops, making it perfect for a workshop.

The next day, Su Wan returned to the village and hired a dozen village women to collect cochineal insects.

Once the insects were dried, she hired a group of young women to grind them into powder and extract the pigment.

For the final step, she hired several middle-aged men from the village.

Soon, word spread that Su Wan was up to something. Some said the bugs on the cactus could be sold for money.

The girls declared that Su Wan was opening a dye shop.

The men said she was making something very strange.

No one in the village had ever seen lipstick before, and especially when the final product was revealed to the men, they had no idea what it was for—only that Su Wan was about to make a fortune.

The news soon reached the Wang family. Cui Juan was so furious she barely ate for three days.

“Damn it! That opera singer got lucky!”

“That old man is so generous! Su Wan’s already married off, yet he still gives her money to buy a house!”

“How foolish! Doesn’t he realize? He’s given all the money to Jiang Mochen—what about Su Chen?”

Father Wang, overhearing, knew his daughter-in-law was about to take out her anger again. Wang Luo didn’t dare argue and let him speak instead. “Stop talking nonsense! You don’t know a thing. That house was bought by Jiang Mochen. He only pretended to be poor—he’s quite well-off. Both houses are his, and I heard the deed is in Su Wan’s name.”

Hearing this, some of Cui Juan’s anger subsided, but she couldn’t help muttering, “I have to admit, that girl Su Wan really has good fortune.”

Perhaps what one can’t have is always the best. Wang Luo’s parents now found themselves missing the days before Su Wan broke off her engagement with Wang Luo.

Their son ignored Su Wan, so she had to curry favor with her in-laws.

Back then, everything went smoothly—whenever there was trouble, the old master took care of it.

Even Wang Luo couldn’t help but recall the joy on Su Wan’s face in her wedding dress.

He thought of the time Su Wan tried to end her life for his sake, and couldn’t help but sigh. He had let down a woman who loved him enough to die for him.

“I never imagined Jiang Mochen would be so capable,” Cui Juan said with a sigh. “Su Wan really found herself a treasure.”

She once again glanced at her own son. When school started in early September, she had deliberately sent both teachers in the family off to work, including Chen Wanjun, just to show the villagers her family’s culture—that her son and daughter-in-law both had respectable jobs. Who could have guessed that both would lose their positions.

Even as a woman, she understood that this had everything to do with Chen Wanjun’s family.