Refusing to marry a widower, I went on a crazy spree of sending my children to the army.

Qiao Manman pouted: "Big cousin, whether I'm talking nonsense or not, we can just ask Lu Zhiqing later."

You wouldn't even bother to steal from a decent place. What good stuff could our third house possibly have in such a dilapidated state?

I really don't understand what you're after!

Grandma Qiao had no idea there was more to the story, and looked at Qiao Zhenzhen with displeasure: "Zhenzhen, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Qiao Zhenzhen never expected that she would be caught stealing by two men with the surname "Lu". There was no way to deny it now.

With a wronged expression, she protested, "Grandma, I didn't. I just saw that Uncle and Aunt hadn't locked the door, so I went over to check. Who knew Manman would misunderstand me!"

Grandma Qiao clearly trusted her beloved eldest granddaughter more, and frowned as she scolded, "Did you hear that? Your eldest cousin meant well. If you dare to slander her again, I'll tear your mouth off!"

Qiao Manman didn't take it seriously and said with a smile, "But when we found my cousin, she was rummaging through the drawers and cabinets in the house! We don't know if she took anything or not."

"Grandma, my mouth is sealed shut. Where's Lu Zhiqing?"

Old Mrs. Qiao's eyes were dangerous as she asked with a stern face, "Why did that man surnamed Lu come to our house?"

Qiao Manman took a deep breath: "Of course, I just happened to be passing by, heard someone scream, thought something had happened, so I came in to check. Who knew..."

Well, it's not a big deal. As long as Grandma doesn't mention it and I don't mention it, Lu Zhiqing naturally won't be so tactless as to spread it around.

But now I'm facing a difficult situation. My father is lying in the county hospital, his life hanging in the balance, and his beloved eldest niece...

"Enough!" Old Mrs. Qiao interrupted sharply, went back into the house to grab three yuan and threw it on the ground: "That's all I have, take the money and get out of here!"

Qiao Manman remained unmoved: "His beloved niece took his life-saving money. I wonder if the steel factory leaders will blame him for failing to raise his daughter properly when they find out?"

Grandma Qiao was threatened twice in a row, and her fingernails almost dug into her palms.

Just as he was about to tell his daughter-in-law to take down Qiao Manman and give her a beating, he heard the clear sound of a bell at the door.

"Comrade Qiao Manman, you're ready to go!"

Grandma Qiao's expression changed; she was unsure how long Lu Yuan had been there or how much he had overheard.

He went back inside and grabbed a ten-yuan note: "Is that enough?"

Qiao Manman snatched it and stuffed it into her pocket, not even letting go of the loose change scattered on the ground.

He bent down, picked them up, counted them, and blew off the dust: "Thank you on behalf of my father!"

Grandma Qiao stood still, watching Qiao Manman go into the house, pack a few changes of clothes, and take away Qiao Runming and He Nian's toiletries. She then jogged over and sat on the back of Lu Zhiqing's seat.

After everyone had gone far away, he personally went to Qiao Laosan's room and searched inside. A moment later, he came out with a dark face and held out his hand to Qiao Zhenzhen: "Give it to me!"

"What?" Qiao Zhenzhen looked completely bewildered.

"Lock plate!" Old Mrs. Qiao's eyes were fierce, completely unlike her usual kind demeanor.

Qiao Zhenzhen trembled: "I, I didn't take it!"

Grandma Qiao observed carefully and saw that Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes were darting around, her face was pale, and her forehead was sweating. She knew that this girl had really heard her conversation with Lao Si.

He lowered his voice and warned, "Zhen girl, some things are not meant to be yours, so don't covet them. Be careful not to hurt your back in the wind."

Qiao Zhenzhen knew the old lady was no joke. If she really found out she had touched the lock plate and then lost it, the old lady would truly dare to kill her!

With a forced smile, she said, "Grandma, what are you saying? Does Uncle San have some treasure? Could it be that Qiao Manman has hidden it away?"

The old lady thought about it and felt it was possible, but not very likely.

Not to mention Qiao Manman, even Qiao Runming didn't know what the locket meant. How could a little girl like her possibly care about that dark locket?

Could it be that Zhenzhen has some wicked intentions and is trying to deceive the old lady?

Grandma Qiao closed her eyes and decided to observe carefully, so as not to wrong her eldest granddaughter and let the person who actually got the lock go.

***

Qiao Manman sat in the back seat of Lu Yuan's car, swinging her legs as she enjoyed the breeze.

The journey was quite tiring. Her fingers gripped the hem of Lu Yuan's clothes, and her thoughts drifted away without her realizing it.

Qiao Manman was 22 years old before she transmigrated, and is now 18 years old. Born in the 21st century, she graduated from university and has some family wealth.

She's a well-known little prodigy, or rather, a little good-for-nothing.

It's just because she's skilled in everything from music and chess to calligraphy and painting, yet she spends all her time holed up at home tinkering with random junk.

He never attends class or shows his face, and is often used as a negative example to educate his children.

Qiao Manman isn't socially anxious; she just doesn't want to waste her life on unimportant people or things. Anyway, she has enough money, so she just takes things as they come.

To her surprise, when she woke up, the sky had fallen. Not only had she time-traveled, but she had also transmigrated into a period romance novel she had once read.

The female protagonist, Meng Peiyu, was engaged to Lu Yuan in her previous life and was happily waiting to join his army.

As a result, Lu Yuan had an accident during a mission. One of his subordinates lost his life while saving him, leaving behind a wife who was not well-liked by her husband's family and a three-year-old son who was as thin as a rake.

The woman didn't blame him, saying it was all for the country. But Lu Yuan couldn't get over it in his heart.

He broke up with the female lead and then married the widow of his comrade-in-arms. The two lived a life of mutual respect and affection.

The female protagonist, Meng Peiyu, was heartbroken and had to accept the cruel reality. Afterwards, her marriage prospects were unsuccessful, and she wasted half her life.

Even in their later years, after the death of his comrade's widow, the two never ended up together. They only occasionally shared tea and a chat.

Lu Yuan said that the person he felt most sorry for in his life was Meng Peiyu. He didn't ask for her forgiveness, but only hoped that she could be safe and well in the next life.

Meng Peiyu smiled and said nothing. On that sunny afternoon, she closed her eyes.

When you open your eyes again, you will be reborn.

In this life, she no longer clung to Lu Yuan, but instead married Chen Junyan, an outstanding soldier who was Lu Yuan's equal in his career and a perfect match for Qiao Manman in their relationship.

In his past life, Chen Junyan and his comrades completed the mission at Daqingshan. On the day they returned, many people came out to greet them, but unexpectedly, Chen Junyan brought a girl with him.

The girl's name was Qiao Manman, and she was a true country girl. However, Chen Junyan not only didn't look down on her, but instead doted on her.

The couple lived happily for most of their lives, making many people envious and jealous.

Meng Peiyu often said, "Lu Yuan, if you hadn't accepted that mission, would we have been as loving as they are now?"

Lu Yuan remained silent for a long time, then shook his head: "There are no 'what ifs'! Peiyu, let bygones be bygones!"

But who could have imagined that Meng Peiyu would be reborn? Facing Lu Yuan once again, she realized she no longer loved him.

Indeed, after wasting so many years, who would still have the heart to be romantic with him? Aren't you afraid of repeating the same mistake?

Therefore, Meng Peiyu focused her attention on the equally outstanding Chen Junyan, and successfully married him.

This was perfectly understandable, but she feared that Qiao Manman's appearance would ruin her hard-won happiness. So she used her influence to get Lu Yuan a job with the Qingshan Brigade.

She also wrote letters to Li Chuncao and Qiao Zhenzhen, asking them to help her resolve the future troubles.