The matter of remarriage really had to be put on the agenda—not because Sun Juanfang was desperate to marry, but because after the Qian family realized they could no longer profit from her, they began to ignore her completely.
On top of that, they even incited the other Qian children to ostracize Tingjie'er, which thoroughly infuriated her.
As a mother, she could endure mistreatment herself, but seeing her child suffer was absolutely unacceptable.
So, Sun Juanfang took Tingjie'er with her to "inspect" potential candidates for a stepfather. After all, it was her daughter's future stepfather—her opinion had to matter. Sun Juanfang had already explained everything clearly to her beforehand.
One day earlier, she'd intentionally pulled Tingjie'er aside to discuss things privately.
"Tingjie'er, in a bit, Mama's going to take you to meet two men who might become your new stepfather. You take a look and see who you feel is better. If neither works, we'll find someone else."
Tingjie'er: Mama values her opinion on such a big decision! She must choose carefully to live up to that trust.
Their first stop was the butcher shop run by Xu Dayong, the pig butcher. Under the pretense of buying meat, Sun Juanfang had Tingjie'er get a good look at him.
Xu Dayong was puzzled—why was the child staring at him so intently? He even checked his clothes for stains or smells but found nothing unusual.
Once the mother and daughter slipped into a quiet alley, Sun Juanfang looked expectantly at Tingjie'er.
"Mama, that man felt weird to me—he seemed fake. I didn't feel good around him."
Sun Juanfang nodded approvingly.
"Our Tingjie'er is amazing—she can spot a fake right away."
But deep down, she was taking the warning seriously. Children often picked up on things adults missed. Clearly, she needed to investigate Xu Dayong further.
Luckily, being nearby made it easy to use her psychic ability to scan his memories.
And wow—turns out this tall, burly butcher was impotent and prone to domestic violence when drunk. His first wife had run away with a traveling peddler after enduring too much abuse.
Xu Dayong had maintained a public image of being a devoted husband. After his wife fled, he became a pitiful figure in the neighborhood, even gaining more customers out of sympathy. Meanwhile, the poor wife was slandered as disloyal and promiscuous.
If not for her supernatural abilities, Sun Juanfang might've picked him. What a close call!
Still determined, she took Tingjie'er to a noodle shop frequently visited by Li Cheng, the executioner. She wasn't hopeful—but she was here, so might as well take a look.
They ordered a big bowl of mixed noodles to share. Before the food arrived, in came Li Cheng—the scruffy, bearded man feared by the townsfolk.
His towering frame and cold demeanor instantly silenced the room. A living, breathing chill in human form.
Once he sat down, Sun Juanfang quickly accessed his memories.
Turns out, he was an orphan adopted by the previous executioner. All his former engagements had ended in tragedy—one died of illness, another fell off a cliff, and the third ran away. The women's families had blamed Li Cheng as "cursed," and no one dared marry their daughters to him after that.
Despite his gloomy aura, Li Cheng had no actual moral flaws—he just didn't talk much.
After watching him for a while, Tingjie'er unexpectedly smiled:
"He seems nice! I think he's a good person!"
Encouraged by her daughter's approval, Sun Juanfang activated her next move: with the help of her system, she gave Li Cheng a prophetic dream that very night.
In the dream, his late adoptive father appeared and told him that his destined wife was named Sun Juanfang, and all his previous matches had failed due to incompatible fates.
A month later, Li Cheng sent a matchmaker to propose marriage. No one in the Qian family dared object.
Sun Juanfang, Tingjie'er, and a respectable betrothal gift arrived at Li Cheng's home, and the two were soon married.
To her surprise, on their wedding night, Li Cheng shaved his beard. Beneath it was a soft-featured face—borderline delicate.
Years ago, he'd grown the beard to appear more intimidating after others mocked his gentle looks when he first became an executioner.
For the first two years of marriage, Sun Juanfang secretly avoided pregnancy to test how he would treat Tingjie'er.
Turns out, he treated her wonderfully—buying her small gifts and never treating her as anything less than his own.
Even when others gossiped about Sun Juanfang being barren and urged him to find a fertile wife, Li Cheng never wavered.
In fact, Sun Juanfang had already nursed herself back to full health two months after marriage. After confirming his love for Tingjie'er, she asked her daughter for permission to have another child.
Three years into the marriage, she gave birth to a son, named Li Yiyun.
With Li Cheng's support, she purchased farmland and two estates, putting them in her name, planning to divide them equally between the children later.
She even studied agriculture and embroidery, and made sure both kids learned martial arts. Surprisingly, Tingjie'er was more talented than her younger brother.
Years later, Su Ningran saw her again and was shocked to learn she had remarried—to an executioner! In the public eye, such a man was no catch.
As for the Qian family, Li Yuexi finally learned how her son really died—when her daughter had a nightmare. Though she was furious enough to want to strangle him, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
But she now loathed every single Qian family member equally and found joy in making their lives miserable.
Sun Juanfang's son, Li Yiyun, was deeply attached to his sister from childhood. When she got married, he cried as if the sky had fallen.
Sun Juanfang lived to the age of seventy. Her children supported one another, her home was filled with warmth and happiness, and in the end, she passed away peacefully after Li Cheng.
As she faded, her last sight was of her tearful, loving family—blurry but beautiful.