“Mom, I really can’t marry into that family. Qin Yuheng’s legs are already ruined. The doctors in the military have all said that he’ll spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.”
“His temper is terrible, too. I heard that even his fellow soldiers who went to visit him a few days ago were driven out after he threw things at them.”
“If I marry him, my entire life will be ruined!”
“Oh, my poor darling! Stop crying, sweetheart. You’re breaking your mother’s heart. Don’t worry. I absolutely will not let you jump into that pit of misery!”
So noisy… Shut up… Just shut up!!!
Jiang Qingli suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.
Following the sound, she looked over and saw a young girl wearing a floral-patterned dacron dress sitting on the sofa, repeatedly wiping her tears with a white handkerchief.
Beside her, a middle-aged woman lovingly put an arm around the girl’s shoulders, patting her back and murmuring words of comfort.
Ugh. Who were these two? They were so ridiculously fake.
Jiang Qingli rolled her eyes before sweeping her gaze around the room.
Huh? Wait a minute! Where the hell had she ended up?!
A peeling imitation-leather sofa, an enamel mug decorated with bright red peonies…
And a calendar hanging on the wall, torn halfway down, displaying the date:
August 4, 1983!
Jiang Qingli suddenly felt dizzy as a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into her mind.
A moment later, she regained her composure and let out a sigh.
She, Jiang Qingli, was a renowned master of Traditional Chinese Medicine in twenty-first-century China.
And now, she had transmigrated.
What’s more, she had returned to the very day the original owner was being forced by the Jiang family to become a substitute bride.
The original owner’s name was Jiang Qingli, sharing the same given name and pronunciation as her, though with a different surname in her previous life. She was the Jiang family’s “real daughter.”
In her previous life, the Jiang family had publicly claimed that their daughter had been switched at birth in the hospital. They had only brought the original owner back from the countryside six months ago.
Longing for parental affection, the original owner had been obedient to the Jiang family in every possible way.
When faced with today’s forced marriage, she had felt wronged but still agreed to become the substitute bride through tears, simply hoping to earn a word of praise from her parents.
And what happened in the end?
After marrying Qin Yuheng, the original owner worked tirelessly to care for him and even tried every possible means to earn money to support her birth family.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xuejiao secretly drove a wedge between them, stepping on her blood and suffering to become a glamorous, wealthy wife. The original owner, on the other hand, met a tragic end, dying miserably on the streets.
Jiang Xuejiao was the fake heiress from the opening scene—the shameless little green tea who had been crying pitifully.
The middle-aged woman was Liu Cuiying, the original owner’s biological mother. She was sharp-tongued, petty-minded, and so stupid that her brain seemed smaller than her capacity for spite.
What a useless woman the original owner had been!
If Jiang Qingli had been in her place, one acupuncture needle would have been enough to kill each of them. She could guarantee that not even the gods would be able to bring them back.
“Jiang Qingli! Are you dead or something? Can’t you see how upset your younger sister is?”
“I’m telling you, the marriage with the Qin family was arranged long ago. Now that Qin Yuheng is disabled, your younger sister is too delicate to endure such hardship. You must marry him in her place!”
Liu Cuiying glared at Jiang Qingli, who was standing silently beside the dining table, and shrieked at her.
Jiang Qingli came back to her senses. She suppressed every emotion, leaving nothing but icy coldness in her eyes.
Forget it. Sending these people to their graves so soon would be a waste. It would be much better to let them dig their own graves.
Liu Cuiying felt a chill run down her spine under Jiang Qingli’s gaze. She slammed her hand against the table.
“What are you staring at? I’m telling you, there’s no room for discussion! Your younger sister has been pampered in the city since childhood. How could she possibly take care of a paralyzed man? You’ve been used to doing hard labor in the countryside, and you’re strong. You’re perfectly suited to looking after him! This is also your chance to repay the Jiang family for raising you!”
Jiang Xuejiao stood up with red-rimmed eyes and walked over to Jiang Qingli, reaching out to take her arm.
“Big Sister, Qin Yuheng was once a war hero, after all. If you marry him, it will at least sound respectable. It’s just that my health is really too poor. The doctor said I have asthma, and I can’t tolerate the smell of medicine. Big Sister, please take pity on me and marry him in my place just this once.”
Jiang Qingli looked at Jiang Xuejiao’s outstretched hand and slapped it away without the slightest courtesy.
Smack!
The back of Jiang Xuejiao’s hand immediately turned red.
She cried out in surprise, then deliberately stumbled backward two steps before collapsing onto the sofa, her tears falling even more profusely.
“Big Sister, why did you hit me? I was only asking you for help…”
“How dare you!”
Jiang Jianguo, who had been sitting to the side smoking in silence, finally lost his temper.
He abruptly stood up, hurled the cigarette butt in his hand onto the floor, and ground it out beneath his shoe.
“Jiang Qingli! Your younger sister asked you nicely, and not only did you ignore her, you actually dared to hit her? I’m warning you! Don’t bring those uncivilized habits you picked up in the countryside into this house!”
“Heh. Just because she asks me, does that mean I have to agree?” Jiang Qingli sneered.
“The Qin family’s original arrangement was with Jiang Xuejiao, wasn’t it? Now that Qin Yuheng is disabled, you can’t bear to let her suffer, so you’ve decided to push me, the daughter you only recently brought back, into her place.”
“Director Jiang, you’ve certainly got a clever little scheme going there.”
At the words “real daughter,” a flicker of guilt passed through Jiang Jianguo and Liu Cuiying’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger.
“You unfilial daughter! What do you mean, real daughter or fake daughter?!”
“Although Xuejiao isn’t our biological child, how much effort and love have we invested in raising her? You’re nothing but a country bumpkin who grew up in the countryside! Being allowed to marry into the Qin family in Xuejiao’s place is already an honor!”
“Oh, is that so? Then I’ll head straight to the factory and ask the Women’s Federation whether a workshop director at a state-owned factory is allowed to arrange marriages by force and whether he’s permitted to abuse his own biological daughter!”
Jiang Qingli looked at Jiang Jianguo mockingly as she spoke.
No, that wouldn’t do!
If the Women’s Federation got involved and made a scene, his career as a workshop director would be over.
Besides, he had a guilty conscience and couldn’t withstand a thorough investigation by the authorities.
Jiang Jianguo didn’t dare respond. His chest heaved violently with rage.
Seeing this, Liu Cuiying seized the opportunity while Jiang Qingli was off guard. She grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the utility room before violently shoving her inside.
Bang!
The door slammed shut, followed immediately by the metallic click of a lock being fastened.
“You little wretch! You actually dare threaten us, do you? Fine! If you refuse to agree today, you can forget about eating! I’ll starve you for three days and three nights. Let’s see if you still have such a sharp tongue afterward!”
“Stay in there and think about what you’ve done! I’ll let you out when you’ve finally come to your senses and agreed to the marriage!”
“Mom, please don’t get so worked up. You’ll only hurt your health. Big Sister is used to suffering in the countryside. Missing a couple of meals won’t hurt her. Once she understands, she’ll naturally appreciate how much you and Dad have done for her.”
Jiang Xuejiao’s voice drifted through the door, her smugness barely concealed.
Listening to the mother and daughter’s conversation outside, Jiang Qingli let out a mocking laugh.
They wanted to lock her up and force her into marriage?
Dream on! Did they think she was someone they could frighten into submission?
Hiss… That shrew certainly had a strong grip.
In the living room, Jiang Jianguo lit another cigarette, his brows furrowed tightly.
“Cuiying, do you really think locking her up will work? What if she absolutely refuses to marry? If Madam Qin comes looking for us, what are we supposed to do?”
Liu Cuiying snorted and took a sip of water from her enamel mug.
“What’s there to be afraid of? Starve her for two days until she’s dizzy with hunger. Then we’ll simply tie her up, put her in the car, and deliver her straight to that cripple’s bed. Once the marriage is consummated, it’ll be too late for her to back out. Do you think she’ll still be able to run away?”
Listening to them, Jiang Xuejiao peeled a White Rabbit Creamy Candy and popped it into her mouth. Its rich sweetness slowly spread across her tongue.
Secretly, she was already making plans.
Once Jiang Qingli married into the Qin family, she would be free to pursue Wang Hao without worrying about anything.
She was determined to win him over and become a glamorous, wealthy wife.
Just then…..
BOOM!
The already flimsy wooden door of the utility room was suddenly kicked open from the inside.
The rusty lock snapped apart, and the door slammed against the wall, sending flakes of plaster crumbling to the floor.
The three people in the living room jolted in fright and turned toward the noise simultaneously.
Jiang Qingli strode out of the utility room, brushing the dust off her hands.
“You want me to marry Qin Yuheng? Fine.”