The Xia family had only one heir each generation—Grandfather had only one son, her father; her father had only one daughter—her.
Grandfather had lingering illnesses from the war, which shortened his life. He passed away in his sixties.
Her father, scholarly and refined, also had weak health and passed away two years ago.
Li Chunfen was not her stepmother.
Li Chunfen was the daughter of her father’s teacher, who had fled to this region.
Back then, her father wrote exceptionally well, but later circumstances turned against him. It was Teacher Li who pulled strings and transferred her father back to the countryside, sparing him a great deal of trouble.
In those days, that was a huge favor.
Seeing that his mentor’s daughter and her three children were unable to survive, Xia Haisheng—grateful for his teacher’s kindness—kept them.
Regulations were strict at the time, so Father claimed publicly that they were a married couple, but in truth, they slept in separate rooms.
Li Chunfen, however, wanted to climb her way up; after all, the Xia family house was one of the best in the village—big, few people, plenty of rooms, living far more comfortably than anyone else.
But her father refused her again and again. Even before he passed away, she never succeeded.
Even though she failed, her identity as stepmother was acknowledged by the village.
Li Chunfen often hinted to her.
The meaning was: she was just a girl; she would get married sooner or later, so the house should go to “her brothers.”
In short—no matter who inherited, a girl had no place to claim anything.
After Father’s death, Li Chunfen constantly wanted Xia Yashu to move into his room.
On the outside, Li Chunfen always treated her “well.”
She wouldn’t buy clothes for her own children but bought for her; wouldn’t buy ice pops for her own children but bought for her; beat and scolded her own children but never touched her.
Everything others could see—that was the so-called kindness Li Chunfen gave the original Xia Jinxiu.
As for the truth—every good thing in the house went to her three children, they occupied her room, and spent her family’s money.
She hadn’t said a word before out of consideration for her stepmother raising her for several years, and for the kindness Teacher Li once showed her father.
But that was in the past.
Now—Xia Jinxiu would no longer spare even half-an-ounce of sentiment.
Even if there was a debt—Teacher Li saved her father once. Her father saved Li Chunfen and three children—four lives in total.
The debt had long been paid. After feeding and housing them for so many years—if anything, the Li family owed the Xia family.
Eating from their table, living under their roof—and still plotting harm. They were ungrateful wolves.
And the way to deal with wolves was simple—hit the stick hard enough that they remember pain.
In her previous life, after her reputation was ruined and she left the village, Xia Yashu openly took over her father’s room.
In this life—she wouldn’t even give Xia Yashu the right to come back.
Xia Jinxiu gathered a few clothes from the wardrobe, carried her pillow and quilt, and walked out.
Li Chunfen froze.
“Jinxiu, where are you moving?”
Without looking back, Xia Jinxiu walked straight into Xia Haisheng’s room.
Li Chunfen’s expression darkened.
That room was the best in the entire Xia household—spacious, bright, fully furnished, and most importantly—
It had a writing desk.
No other room had one.
Li Chunfen intended for Xia Yashu to live there.
But it hadn’t happened yet.
After all, as a stepmother, moving her eldest daughter into the best room immediately after the funeral would invite gossip.
But now more than a year had passed—she thought the time had come.
Unexpectedly—Xia Jinxiu moved in first.
Li Chunfen rushed in, face stiffening.
“Jinxiu, everything’s perfectly fine—why move in here? Isn’t your own room fine?”
Xia Jinxiu placed her bedding on the bed and replied while arranging,
“I’ll live in both rooms. Leaving rooms empty for too long is bad for the house.”
Li Chunfen’s face twitched.
This little brat—not only did she move in, she wanted to occupy both rooms.
That—she would never allow.
“Jinxiu, your father passed away. Aren’t you afraid living here? Why don’t you—”
Before she finished, Xia Jinxiu turned and smiled.
“Aunt Li, that’s my father. Why, do you think he’d harm me?”
“I’ll be just fine living here. But if someone else moved in—who knows what might happen.”
“All right, enough talking. Go bring me hot water. I’m going to wash.”
Li Chunfen’s grip on the fire tongs tightened. She wanted to explode—but swallowed it.
Not now. She’d settle the girl later.
After all, Xia Haisheng was dead, everyone knew she was Xia Jinxiu’s stepmother. When it came time to arrange her marriage, she’d still have to listen to her.
Thinking about controlling Xia Jinxiu’s marriage, confidence returned to her face. She turned to boil water.
After sending Li Chunfen away, Xia Jinxiu walked to the bed, lifted the mattress, revealing a hidden compartment underneath.
She opened it and took out a sheet of paper with handprints pressed on it.
Written on it was a declaration: Xia Haisheng and Li Chunfen were not husband and wife, had no marital relations, and she was merely being sheltered. In the future, everything belonging to the Xia family—neither Li Chunfen nor her children had any inheritance rights.
With this—she had leverage.
In her previous life, she never found this. When she finally recalled it, it had already been taken by Xia Yashu.
She filed a lawsuit, but without real evidence, the matter dragged on for more than two years. Only with the village chief’s help did she reclaim the house.
In this life—she would not give Xia Yashu that chance.
She tucked the agreement safely inside her clothes and continued tidying.
The room was always cleaned by Li Chunfen and spotless. She simply organized her father’s belongings and locked them in the cabinet.
Nothing conspicuous left on display.
When she was done, Li Chunfen returned with the hot water. Xia Jinxiu locked the door, washed up, and finally lay down to sleep deeply.
The next morning.
At the first light of dawn, Xia Jinxiu opened her eyes. Feeling the weight of the cotton quilt over her, she remembered—
She had returned to her eighteen-year-old self. The early summer of 1985.
It was this summer her reputation was ruined by a scoundrel, her engagement was broken off, and she was forced to leave.
Thinking of her fiancé—Zhou Zhiming—a cold glint flashed in her gaze.
Her grandfather and Zhou Zhiming’s grandfather were from the same village.
The Xia family had moved to the city years ago and built themselves up.
The Zhou family remained ordinary farmers relying on a few acres of land—not poor, but far from wealthy.
Back then, when Grandfather Xia returned to honor ancestors, he happened to save Zhou Zhiming’s grandfather from a bear.
The two families stayed in contact, and it was Zhou’s grandfather who proposed a childhood engagement.
At the time, the Zhou family was much poorer, but Grandfather Xia valued character and agreed to the match.
Unexpectedly, times changed. The Xia family fell and returned to the village, while the Zhou family gained fortunes and became city residents.
Even so, the Zhou family never brought up breaking the engagement. Everyone in the village praised their loyalty.
Xia Jinxiu couldn’t care less.
Back then, the Zhou family was poor, and the Xia family still agreed to the match.
Now the Zhou family gained some wealth and wanted to break it. Reputation and character—people would question them.
But the Zhou family didn’t refuse the marriage because they cherished it—they simply didn’t want the bad reputation that came with breaking it first.
Truthfully—they had long been dissatisfied. They just hadn’t found the right excuse.
In her last life, once the scoundrel ruined her reputation, the very next day the Zhou family came to withdraw.
And then they betrothed Xia Yashu.
She once thought Zhou Zhiming chose Xia Yashu only to preserve reputation, but later she learned—
Zhou Zhigang had already been entangled with Xia Yashu.
For example—those days Xia Yashu claimed to be on a work trip?
She was actually living with Zhou Zhiming in the county housing unit.