After getting off the train, even the air smelled fresher.

Li Mingyu was in high spirits.

“Susu, we can only walk home. The buses won’t let us on with this much luggage.”

Su Fu didn’t mind.

“As long as you lead the way, I’m fine.”

Li Mingyu glanced down at herself and then pulled a small mirror from Su Fu’s pocket.

Her complexion looked terrible, her hair was a mess, and she carried a distinct odor.

“Susu, should we find a guesthouse first and clean ourselves up before going home?”

“I think it’d be better to go straight back,” Su Fu replied. “That way your family can see that you’ve actually been working hard since going to the countryside.”

To put it bluntly, it would earn her some sympathy.

And when the topic of breaking off the engagement came up, that sympathy might make her family think twice.

Of course, Mingyu was too proud to agree if Su Fu outright called it “playing the victim.”

But phrased differently, it was another story.

Sure enough, Li Mingyu’s eyes lit up and she lifted her chin slightly.

“When I first left, my parents said someone like me—who’s never done a day’s labor in her life—would only cause trouble in the countryside.

Today I’ll show them. Even farm work is something I can handle. I didn’t drag the village down at all.”

She even had a commendation letter from the production team leader tucked away in her bag. Her confidence was sky-high.

The walk from Shanghai Railway Station to her home would take about two hours.

Li Mingyu wasn’t particularly tired, but she was worried about Su Fu.

Su Fu seemed fine aside from the heat.

Whenever they passed a notable landmark, Li Mingyu eagerly introduced it.

“Look over there, Susu. That biggest and prettiest cluster of buildings used to be the foreigners’ concession area. And the one next to it is the Grand Theatre.”

Su Fu painfully twisted her neck to look.

Time had left its marks on the walls, but the buildings still radiated an unmistakable air of wealth and prestige.

She couldn’t help but feel envious.

People who lived in places like that probably didn’t have beds that creaked every time they moved, right?

“So beautiful.”

Li Mingyu continued walking, chatting nonstop about all the best foods Shanghai had to offer.

Loaded down with bags and bundles, Su Fu listened attentively while watching the road ahead.

Not far away, outside a state-owned restaurant, a burly middle-aged man patted the shoulder of a sickly-looking young man beside him.

“Xiao Wu, isn’t that your fiancée over there?”

The frail young man lazily looked in the indicated direction.

All he could see was a giant moving sack piled high with luggage.

Judging by the shoes, the sack appeared to be carried by a woman.

“My fiancée wouldn’t be carrying a burlap sack down the street.”

Even if they weren’t close, he wasn’t about to slander her.

The burly man fell silent.

The young man yawned.

“Second Brother, I’m tired.”

“Then let’s head back. And don’t let Mother find out I took you out to eat. Otherwise I’ll be getting the family punishment again.”

…

After more than two hours of walking, Su Fu’s clothes were completely soaked with sweat.

Li Mingyu was doing much better, having rested well on the train.

Su Fu, on the other hand, had barely slept. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.

Li Mingyu unlocked the front gate.

“Susu, just leave the luggage in the courtyard.”

The moment Su Fu set everything down, she let out a relieved sigh.

Finally free to wipe the sweat from her face.

“If I ever have to do this kind of job for you again, I’m definitely charging extra.”

Pulling her inside, Li Mingyu switched on a fan.

“Cool off first. I’ll get you some water.”

Su Fu nodded and began looking around the house.

Honestly, it was hard to know where to start.

She’d seen electric fans before, but she never imagined a family could have three of them just on the first floor.

The chandelier wasn’t particularly extravagant, but it looked elegant and expensive.

The sofa, coffee table, decorations, television, radio—even the floors were tiled, gleaming in the light.

Su Fu swallowed hard.

She wondered if ten years of hard work would be enough to achieve this kind of lifestyle.

The life she dreamed of was simply the life Li Mingyu had been born into.

And not just once over—it felt like life had given Mingyu a double portion.

Tears of envy practically dripped from the corners of her mouth.

Li Mingyu emerged from the kitchen.

“Susu, what’s wrong?”

Su Fu accepted the water and drained it in one gulp.

“Nothing. I’m just jealous of you.”

If only her father had worked a little harder, maybe she could have lived like this too.

Su Yi: …Already dead. Please don’t ask.

Li Mingyu nodded sympathetically.

“It’s normal to be jealous of me. Once you’ve rested, I’ll show you the rooms upstairs.”

Su Fu immediately raised a hand.

“Teacher Mingyu, I’m fully rested.”

The second floor contained four rooms, though only Li Mingyu’s parents currently lived there.

The third floor had two rooms.

Li Mingyu pushed open a door.

“This room is for clothes. The one across from it is the bedroom.”

Poverty truly limited a person’s imagination.

It had never occurred to Su Fu that a bedroom could be connected directly to a rooftop garden.

In the height of summer, flowers bloomed brilliantly beneath the sun, bursting with vibrant colors.

Li Mingyu handed her a change of clothes and a bath towel.

“Why don’t you take a shower first?”

After leading her to the bathroom, Li Mingyu explained how to use the shampoo and even unwrapped a fresh floral-scented bar of soap.

“Hot water is on the left, cold water on the right. Just be careful.”

Su Fu nodded.

Once the door closed behind her, she stood there in complete disbelief.

Even the bathroom of a city household smelled nice.

Suddenly she realized that everything she’d once considered a good life barely scratched the surface.

So shampoo was better than soap for washing hair.

And water could become hot without having to boil it first.

Su Fu didn’t feel inferior.

Instead, she absorbed these new experiences like a sponge, eagerly embracing everything that challenged her understanding of the world.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she’d wrapped the enormous towel—more of a bath sheet, really—around her wet hair.

Li Mingyu walked over.

“How does it feel?”

With complete sincerity, Su Fu answered:

“I feel like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.”

Li Mingyu burst out laughing.

“Nonsense. At the very least, you’re Lin Daiyu arriving at the Jia household for the first time. Susu, you’re a very, very good person. Trust my judgment.”

She didn’t want to lose this friend.

Su Fu was naturally confident.

“Don’t worry. I won’t look down on myself.”

She simply hadn’t seen enough of the world yet.

Once she gained more experience, things would be different.

There was a saying that really was true:

Reading ten thousand books was not as valuable as traveling ten thousand miles.

The moment she said it, Li Mingyu believed her.

“Then let’s go out and eat.”

Su Fu asked,

“Won’t your… I mean, your parents come home for lunch?”

She’d wanted to ask earlier.

How could such a large house be so spotless when no one was home?

Li Mingyu shook her head.

“My parents both eat at work. They’ll be back around six in the evening.”

“Then shouldn’t you take a shower too? It’s already almost four o’clock.”

Li Mingyu crossed her arms proudly.

“All this dirt is proof of my hard work. I can’t wash it off yet.”

Since Li Mingyu was still filthy, Su Fu refused to let her go out to eat.

Instead, she headed downstairs and searched the kitchen.

There were noodles, meat, tomatoes, and vegetables.

Rolling up her sleeves, she minced the meat, blanched and peeled the tomatoes, then diced them.

After preparing some chopped scallions, she started making the sauce.

As soon as the aroma filled the air, Li Mingyu’s eyes sparkled.

“Susu, you’re amazing!”

Su Fu glanced back with a smile.

“I have a tiny bit of talent for cooking.”

And it was true.

Even her casual dishes tasted wonderful.

Li Mingyu looked utterly envious.

“I don’t have that kind of talent. My brother says even a dog wouldn’t eat what I cook.”

As she stared longingly at the pot, she continued chatting.

“The only thing I’ve got going for me is good luck.

Everything I have comes from what my elders fought for.

My grandmother was a frontline medic during the war, and my grandfather fought on the front lines.

My paternal grandparents passed away a few years ago. They served under a very important military leader.

My father was wounded so many times he was hospitalized more times than I can count.

And my mother is a surgeon who has saved countless lives.”