Apart from Peng Zhaodi, no one else was moved.
Her father and mother and her four brothers had stayed with her in the cowshed the whole time, and died one by one in front of her.
The eldest brother, because of his wife’s betrayal, grew gloomy and unhappy, and one day while working there was an accident and he was gone while still young.
The second brother had always been frail, in such harsh conditions he caught a strange illness and was sick to death by it.
The third brother, who doted on her most, was bitten through the neck by a wild animal while out hunting some game to build up her health.
The fourth brother was proud and high-spirited. After they hung a placard on him and dragged him out to be denounced a few times, he couldn’t see past it and hanged himself on the door.
With his sons dying one after another, her father was hit hard, and not long after he coughed blood and died.
In the end, in that filthy, stinking cowshed, only she and her mad mother were left.
And they still had to take the abuse and torment of Jiang Shiyan, Ye Zhaozhao and her two former sisters-in-law every day.
“No… no…”
Shen Jiaqi woke with a start from the dream, her clothes soaked through.
The moment she opened her eyes, a whole cartload of people were staring at her in unison.
Still shaken, the first thing she saw was her nervous eldest sister-in-law and Xiaobao.
Good, it was a dream.
But it wasn’t only a dream.
It was also the Shen family’s tragic ending in the original book.
Now, by her own effort, she had rewritten Xiaobao’s storyline, and she believed she could certainly rewrite her own and her family’s endings too!
Off the cart, Peng Zhaodi carried the child home first.
Shen Jiaqi limped slowly back home.
She had just entered the yard when her father and several brothers came rushing back in a great hurry, all reaching out at once to help her sit down.
Front and center was a handsome, well-featured face with thick brows and big eyes, gazing at her full of pain, yet not knowing how to begin.
“Li-li-little sister, why-why-why did you do something so stupid?”
“It’s not… not worth it!”
“If you were gone-gone-gone… your brother, I, I… I…………” He beat his chest and stamped his feet in his distress, the corners of his eyes full of tears.
This burly man with a slight stutter but honest and kind was the eldest brother, Shen Guotao.
Beside him were the second, third and fourth brothers, and an aging handsome man past fifty.
The Shen family genes were especially good, the men all had strong features and high nose bridges. Apart from a few slight differences and differences in bearing, father and sons were practically cast from one mold.
Seeing her father and brothers alive and well and caring about her so much, Shen Jiaqi suddenly felt a sting in her nose.
One tear from little sister, one star in the sky.
Their hearts were all about to be shattered.
Shen Jian’an, the second brother, who always smoothed things over and was timid as a mouse, couldn’t stand still now either. “Little sister, don’t cry. That son-of-a-dog Jiang Shiyan dares bully you, watch me break his dog legs!”
The third brother, Shen Chenshan, was aching for her, and gently wiped away her tears. “Enough. A bunch of big rough men, don’t frighten little sister. There, there… crying over scum like that isn’t worth it.”
They comforted Shen Jiaqi one after another. Only the fourth brother, Shen Huaiqing, said nothing, merely narrowing his eyes darkly. He tossed out one line, “Take good care of little sister”, and turned and left, radiating murderous intent.
At the sight, there was a roar in Shen Jiaqi’s head.
If she remembered right, the fourth brother was the one who hit Jiang Shiyan in public, giving Ye Zhaozhao the handle she needed. He was given a major demerit, lost his slot at the worker-peasant-soldier university for the rest of his life, and the slot went cheap to Jiang Shiyan.
Jiang Shiyan went off to university, while Ye Zhaozhao stayed in the village and put her lucky-koi fortune to work, living high and well.
Later, relying on Jiang Shiyan’s university connections, she set up a factory and became the factory director, and for a time her glory knew no bounds.
The Shen family, meanwhile, became rats that everyone wanted to beat, and slowly died out in the dark.
At the thought she shouted out, “Quick, quick, stop fourth brother, whatever you do don’t let him do something stupid!”
Never mind that the fourth brother was usually refined and full of talent, in fact he was the fiercest of the brothers, and rather extreme in what he did.
Everyone looked at Shen Jiaqi with the look of someone hating that iron won’t become steel.
Sure enough, little sister still couldn’t let Jiang Shiyan go. So now she was worried about him?
Shen Jiaqi knew they had misunderstood, but there was no time at all to explain. “If you don’t want fourth brother disciplined, then hurry and go after him…”
The moment she said it, the eldest and second had no time to think more and bolted off after him.
The third brother sighed and moaned, “Little sister, he’s already broken off the engagement with you, and you’re still shielding him…”
Shen Jiaqi sighed, exasperated. “Third brother, how is this shielding that scumbag? I’m shielding fourth brother…”
“Fourth brother is so outstanding. If he hits someone and gives them a handle and ends up squatting in a cell, wouldn’t his whole future be ruined?”
The third brother was stunned. Was this still his little sister? One jump into the river, and instead of water getting into her head she’d actually turned clear-headed.
Before, little sister only knew how to throw tantrums and act shameless, throwing herself entirely at Jiang Shiyan, caring nothing whether they lived or died.
With that little pig brain of hers, she could never have thought this far.
Was this still that silly little sister of his?
Sitting to one side puffing away on his pipe, Shen Laogui didn’t believe a word of her nonsense.
Other people might not know his own daughter, but did he not understand her? It was just talk.
For Jiang Shiyan’s sake she could go jump in the river today, and who knew what stupid thing she’d do tomorrow.
Turning it over and over, he decided that keeping his daughter’s little life safe was what mattered first.
“Qiqi, tell Dad the truth, what are you really thinking? If you’re dead set on it and won’t marry anyone but Jiang Shiyan, Dad will swallow his pride and go negotiate for you.”
“At worst our family won’t ask for a bride price, and we’ll put together a bigger dowry for you besides. As long as you’re happy and don’t try to end your life again…”
Shen Jiaqi was speechless at once. She knew her father loved her, but she didn’t expect he could lower himself to this degree.
Times were poor in this era, but what decent family marries off a daughter without a bride price? And throws in a generous dowry on top?
Was she, Shen Jiaqi, someone so cheap?
She took a deep breath. “Dad, what are you saying? As if someone like Jiang Shiyan is even worthy!”
“I’ll tell you all the truth: I don’t like him anymore, and I won’t marry him. A kept pretty boy like him is nothing but trash, whoever wants to pick him up can pick him up!”
She spoke word by word, every word ringing, her gaze clear and firm, not like someone sulking.
Shen Laogui was so startled he could hardly keep hold of his pipe.
Was this still that daughter of his who used to argue unreasonably, her heart clouded over with lard?
Before this, if anyone dared say one bad word about Jiang Shiyan, she would fight them.
She hated it most when people said Jiang Shiyan was a kept man. Had the sun come up in the west today?
Shen Jiaqi saw that, past their shock, none of them said a word. She understood well that three feet of ice doesn’t form in a day, changing her family’s view of her wouldn’t happen overnight.
She steadied herself, her tone firm as iron. “In short, I, Shen Jiaqi, one spit, one nail. Even if Jiang Shiyan knelt and begged me, I would never look at him again.”
Hearing this, the third brother threw his arms around her. “Little sister, do you know how long third brother has waited for those words?”
Shen Jiaqi couldn’t breathe in his grip. “Aiya, third brother, you’re hurting me…”
Shen Chenshan gave an apologetic laugh and quickly let go. “It’s all third brother’s fault for getting too excited. Then… do the rest of us still have to work for him and earn him work points?”
Shen Jiaqi ground her teeth until they creaked. “Give him a hammer! From now on none of you is allowed to help him again.”
“Whoever dares help him again is no brother of mine!”
Shen Laogui and Shen Chenshan exchanged a look, and in that instant their eyes brimmed with hot tears.
Could it be that she really had changed her nature, that her heart was done with Jiang Shiyan?