In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

Old Master Pei didn't want to hear any more of what was going on. After giving the man a stern warning, he went straight back to his room.

Old Master Pei is the backbone of the Pei family, and no one in the family dares to disobey him, so the room was extremely quiet at this moment.

At this moment, Pei Jiaojiao was leaning sadly in the arms of Old Madam Pei, crying and saying, "Why won't Father help me?"

Madam Pei hadn't said much until now, but as she held her daughter in her arms, she sighed and said, "Listen to your parents, give up. Don't dwell on this marriage. When our family's life gets better, your mother will help you find more good men."

Hearing this, Pei Jiaojiao straightened up and looked at Old Madam Pei, saying, "I don't want anything that isn't the best. Even if they were the best, could they have the power and influence Zhao Zexuan has now?"

After hearing this, Madam Pei remained silent for a while before saying, "You and he are not destined to be together. Your father is right. We were the ones who gave up on this engagement back then, and we have no face to bring it up now."

"Mother, why are you saying this too? Didn't you also agree to reinstate this marriage?"

"Besides, Father already said that Zhao Zexuan owes our family a favor, so why can't we use that favor to get him to reinstate the engagement?" Pei Jiaojiao said somewhat angrily.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Pei Dalang, who had been keeping a low profile, said, "Little sister, don't think about that favor anymore. That favor has already been used up."

Completely unprepared for this, all the members of the Pei family present turned their attention to Pei Dalang, seemingly unable to believe what they were hearing.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Pei Dalang said slowly, "Didn't you notice that Xiaojun isn't here? I used that favor to exchange for Xiaojun's future, and for the future of our Pei family."

This was indeed something no one expected. The method was risky, but it was undeniably effective. Pei Jun was a third-generation descendant of the Pei family, and his abilities and talents were beyond question. It was not a pity to devote the entire family's resources to his upbringing.

Since the favors had already been used up, there was nothing more to think about. Most people put aside their little thoughts and stopped worrying about whether Pei Jiaojiao would marry him or not.

Others might not care, but Pei Jiaojiao herself couldn't. Now that she knew her last hope had been dashed, Pei Jiaojiao was somewhat disappointed and dazed. She wiped away her tears and ran out of the house crying.

Watching her youngest daughter run out of the house crying, a hint of pity flashed across Madam Pei's face. But after seeing the gazes of her son and daughter-in-law around her, she finally closed her eyes and said, "Send someone to follow your little sister. As long as she doesn't do anything foolish, let her cry if she wants to. She'll be sad for a while anyway."

Hearing this, the Pei family's daughters-in-law exchanged glances, agreed, and followed them out of the room.

……

The farce involving the Pei family did not spread, and now everything is peaceful outside, with the streets gradually becoming lively again.

Su Li did not stay in the General's Mansion today, but went out of the city to inspect the progress of potato planting, so she did not know immediately that Zhao Zexuan had returned to the mansion.

The planting progress outside is still underway and has gradually gotten on track. After observing for a while and feeling that there were no problems, Su Li took Mo Bei back to the city early.

Originally, Su Li planned to go straight back to her residence, but thinking about the dullness in the city these past few days, she decided to take a stroll around the city and learn about the lives of the city's residents.

For ordinary people, the greatest hope is to have enough to eat and wear and to be free from war. After the plague, life goes on as usual. People have already packed up and come out to make a living. Some open shops, some set up stalls, and life is as peaceful as if the plague had never happened.

For over ten days, the city was under martial law, with people keeping their doors and windows closed. The previous quiet made people miss the liveliness even more, and they longed to experience the atmosphere outside again. So today, the streets were particularly crowded, so much so that Su Li wondered if this was not a chaotic world, but a prosperous one.

Su Li is a person who likes lively atmospheres, especially this kind of ordinary liveliness, so she took advantage of her good mood to go shopping.

When she first transmigrated, she was working as a maid in a mansion. After finally getting rid of her maid status, she faced the problem of fleeing famine. She hadn't even visited the ancient markets many times.

Having finally managed to go shopping, Su Li was determined to buy something and make a purchase. So she enthusiastically strolled around the street, but before she could finish shopping, an uninvited guest arrived.

Looking at the woman in front of her with red and swollen eyes glaring at her angrily, Su Li frowned and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Upon hearing this, the woman glared at Su Li and said, "Can you give Zhao Zexuan back to me?"

Before Su Li could speak, Mo Bei, who was waiting beside her, rebuked her, saying, "Miss Pei, please have some self-respect. My general has no relation to you whatsoever, so how can you talk about repaying or not repaying?"

The woman opposite her, Pei Jiaojiao, said with red and swollen eyes, "We were engaged before, he was my fiancé, is that what you call having no relationship?"

Unexpectedly hearing such words, Mo Bei was somewhat shocked by Pei Jiaojiao's shamelessness. He said speechlessly, "You're talking about the past. The engagement was dissolved long ago, and you have no relationship with our general anymore. What do you mean by saying this now, Miss Pei? Don't wrong our general."

Pei Jiaojiao thought Mo Bei would remain silent out of consideration for the Pei family, but he just said it like that. She was a little flustered and felt very ashamed and indignant, but when she thought of Zhao Zexuan and his current power, she mustered up her courage and looked at Su Li and said, "Miss Su, please give Brother Zhao back to me. The previous engagement was canceled under duress. He and I are the rightful couple."

Having already understood the cause and effect of the matter from Mo Bei's conversation with the woman in front of her, Su Li couldn't help but smile after hearing the woman's witty remarks. She then said, "Miss Pei's words are quite amusing. Returning Zhao Zexuan to you, I wonder from what perspective you are saying this? Is it as Zhao Zexuan's former fiancée?"

Unexpectedly, Su Li didn't respond at all. In Pei Jiaojiao's imagination, Su Li should be angry and sad at this moment, but the situation is completely different now. She can't see any sadness or anger on Su Li's face.

Instead of getting the response she wanted, she heard such hurtful words. Even with her thick skin, Pei Jiaojiao couldn't help but feel ashamed and indignant.

In order not to embarrass herself in front of Su Li, Pei Jiaojiao suppressed her shame and indignation and continued, "So what if she is my ex-fiancée? This just proves that we had a marriage agreement before. And you, who came out of nowhere, your marriage agreement is not legitimate and doesn't count at all."