Having lived a second life, Shen Wei finally understood that placing your happiness in someone else’s hands is like a thatched hut in a snowstorm it will collapse sooner or later.
If you stand on your own, you can still live a happy life.
It was now 1983, and everything in China was only just beginning to develop. With the experience from her previous life, she would surely walk a smoother path to success this time.
But for now, she needed to go back and settle old scores with her uncle and aunt.
After her father died in the line of duty, her mother soon passed away from grief. Her uncle and aunt moved into their home under the pretense of taking care of her. From then on, even getting a drink of water in her own house meant watching their expressions.
Whenever her aunt was in a bad mood, she would lash out at her, indirectly calling her useless and accusing her of living off others. From the age of ten, Shen Wei had been washing clothes and cooking for the entire family.
It wasn’t until later, when she learned from her father’s friend, Uncle Fu, that the government had been giving her a monthly subsidy of fifteen yuan but her uncle and aunt had never mentioned it.
When she returned home, it was still morning. Only her grandparents were there, sitting at the doorway shelling peanuts.
Her uncle, Shen Jianguo, and her aunt, Yu Li, were both working at the cannery and hadn’t come back yet.
“How was the man your aunt introduced to you?” Old Madam Shen craned her neck and asked from the courtyard.
“Not good,” Shen Wei replied without turning back as she walked into the main hall, then straight into her uncle and aunt’s room.
This house had a property deed she remembered Uncle Fu mentioning it before.
At the head of her aunt’s bed were two large wooden chests, part of her wedding dowry, filled with clothes.
In the corner of one of the chests, Shen Wei found the property deed, along with a pair of gold bracelets. Her pupils shrank slightly that was her mother’s.
She quickly hid both the deed and the bracelets in her pocket, then returned to her own room.
Only after placing them somewhere safe did Shen Wei finally feel at ease.
At that moment, the voices of her uncle and aunt could already be heard outside the courtyard.
“Weiwei, what’s going on with you today? Aunt Zhang said the man’s family was quite taken with you on what grounds did you reject him?” Yu Li frowned as she questioned her.
Shen Wei had no intention of confronting her head-on right now. With her parents gone, things had grown cold. Her uncle and grandparents were now one family, and she alone was the outsider.
“Aunt,” she said softly, sounding aggrieved, “didn’t Aunt Zhang tell you that the Lu family is very poor? I heard that Xiaoyun from the back street got a bride price of three hundred yuan. That family can only offer a few dozen I’m not interested! I’m no worse than Xiaoyun.”
Hearing this, Yu Li reconsidered. “That’s true. If they’re too poor and can’t offer much bride price, it won’t do. You’re prettier than Xiaoyun our bride price can’t be less than hers!”
Before, she had only wanted to marry the girl off quickly so she wouldn’t be an eyesore at home. Once Shen Wei was married, the house would naturally belong to her own son.
“I’ll have Aunt Zhang find you someone with better conditions!”
After saying that, Yu Li urged again, “Hurry up and cook! Your uncle and I are starving.”
“Alright!” Shen Wei responded and immediately went to the kitchen.
She steamed some white rice, then sliced up the two sausages that Yu Li’s family had sent and stir-fried them with cabbage.
Heating oil in the pan, she tossed in red chili peppers, then green chili peppers. Soon, a bright red dish was ready.
This dish was specially made for herself today. No one else in the family ate chili Yu Li could, but she had severe stomach problems.
“The food’s ready!”
When Yu Li saw the chili in the dish, her triangular eyes narrowed. “Shen Wei! Did you do this on purpose? Don’t you know we can’t eat spicy food?”
“I’m sorry, Aunt. I forgot,” Shen Wei said, while calmly picking two more slices of sausage into her own bowl.
“Alright, alright. If it’s too spicy, just eat less,” her uncle Shen Jianguo said, nudging his wife. “Let’s eat.”
Yu Li didn’t want to completely fall out with Shen Wei right now after all, she still wanted to coax her into getting married as soon as possible.
“Xiao Dong, Xiao Xi, hurry up and eat! Otherwise, your aunt will finish all the cured meat by herself!”
Gritting her teeth, Yu Li picked a large portion of cured meat into her own bowl and into her children’s bowls as well.
Her son was only eight years old after eating the spicy food, he immediately started crying loudly.
Yu Li herself only took a few bites before her stomach began to feel uncomfortable. But thinking that the cured meat had been brought from her own family, she felt it would be a loss if she didn’t eat it, so she forced herself to keep eating big mouthfuls.
By the end of the meal, her stomach was cramping painfully. “Jianguo, hurry and take me to the hospital…”
Shen Wei watched the scene with amusement.
After her uncle and aunt left, her grandmother spoke with disapproval, “Xiao Wei, what good does it do you to anger your aunt like this? Aren’t you counting on her to find you a husband?”
“Why do I need to get married?” Shen Wei looked at the old woman who only pretended to care about her. “This house was left to me by my parents. I’m not going anywhere.”
The old woman stared at her in shock, unable to understand why she would suddenly say such a thing. “Nonsense! This house belongs to your uncle!”
Her eldest son was already dead, and she and her husband would have to rely on their younger son in old age. Of course, this house should belong to the Shen family. Even if her granddaughter brought in a husband, wouldn’t that just benefit an outsider in the end?
“Whose house it is isn’t decided by words alone. Doesn’t my uncle already have a house on the back street?” Shen Wei remembered that house it was so run-down that one of its walls had already collapsed.
“This house is also your uncle’s!”
Shen Wei ignored her and turned to leave.
Her father had a close friend when he was alive Fu Changzheng, who was now a military commander.
“Uncle Fu?” Shen Wei called out a few times outside. When Fu Changzheng opened the door, he warmly invited her inside.
“Weiwei, have some oranges.”
Shen Wei took one and sat on the sofa. “Thank you, Uncle Fu. I came today because there’s something I’d like to ask your help with.”
“Go ahead. As long as it’s something I can do, I won’t refuse.”
Shen Wei took out the property deed from her pocket. “This house was left behind by my parents. Now, I want to sell it.”
“All these years, my uncle and aunt have been living in my parents’ house while bullying their daughter. Now they even want to marry me off so they can take over the house. I won’t let them get their way!”
“After selling the house, what are your plans?” Fu Changzheng had once gently reminded Shen Wei before; now that he saw she was thinking ahead, he felt quite pleased.
“I plan to rent a small place for myself first, then start a small business.”
Fu Changzheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “In that case, why not move into my home first? You can take your time figuring out the house later.”
Uncle Fu had two sons one got into university after the college entrance exams were reinstated, and the other was an officer stationed in the Yuncheng military district.
“It’s just me and your Aunt Tian at home. If you move in, it’ll make the house livelier.”
“I think I’ll pass,” Shen Wei said, knowing that once she sold the house, her uncle, aunt, and grandparents would definitely make a fuss for quite some time. “Aunt Tian isn’t in good health and needs rest. I’ll look for a place nearby first.”
“That works,” Fu Changzheng said, reminding her, “If Shen Jianguo and the others dare to bully you again, come find me!”
“Alright.”
After asking Uncle Fu to help sell the house, Shen Wei immediately began looking for a temporary place to stay.
She knew of a place in her previous life, it had always been vacant because no one dared to rent it. The couple who owned it were notoriously difficult people, and not only were they hard to deal with, but their rent was also higher than the market rate.
But for her, it was just right.