“Ah Li, since you have married into our Yin family, you are a daughter-in-law of the Yin family. From now on, no matter what happens, the Yin family will protect you.” The benevolent-faced woman took the teacup, looking at the daughter-in-law kneeling before her with smiling, narrowed eyes.
“Girl Li, do not be afraid. The Yin family and the Jiang family are family friends of many generations. Even if there is no one left in the Jiang family, no one will dare to bully you.” The middle-aged man had a smile in his eyes, which were filled with affection for the younger generation.
“Sister Jiang, from now on, you are my eldest sister-in-law. Don’t worry, even if my eldest brother is no longer here, you are still my eldest sister-in-law, an eldest sister-in-law whom no one can replace.” The young girl’s bright eyes curved into crescent moons, her smile as sweet as candied fruit.
“Eldest Sister-in-Law, you don’t have to worry about not having a son to rely on in the future. I have already discussed it with Hui’娘, and we will adopt our son under your name to carry on Eldest Brother’s lineage.” The youth revealed a mouth of white teeth, his absolute sincerity virtually plastered on his face.
……
After Jiang Li snapped back to reality, she looked at the smiling faces before her, her consciousness somewhat dazed.
Was she not dead? After spending fifteen years exhausting her mind and body after marrying into the Yin family, she had ultimately fallen ill from overwork, yet had no money for medical treatment and died painfully.
Why was she alive again?
Jiang Li’s gaze swept across them, as if she could see their true colors right through these fake smiling faces.
Her father-in-law Yin Hongcai coveted her Jiang family trading company and medical clinics; her mother-in-law Madam Fan coveted her shops and landed estates; her brother-in-law Yin Chengzhou coveted her Jiang family’s connections in the imperial court; and her sister-in-law Yin Shuangshuang coveted the various jewelry and ornaments she brought as her dowry.
Jiang Li quickly realized that she had been reborn.
Before her grandfather passed away in her past life, worried that an orphaned girl like her would not be able to protect the Jiang family’s estate, he entrusted her to the Yin family, with whom she had an arranged childhood marriage, wanting her to live out the rest of her life under the Yin family’s protection.
But right before the wedding, dire news arrived from the border: the First Young Master of the Yin family, Yin Hezhou, had died in battle, and even his corpse could not be recovered.
Not wanting to cause worry to the elders in the netherworld, Jiang Li married while holding his spirit tablet, becoming the wife of the First Young Master of the Yin family.
Today was the second day after her marriage, and she had risen early to serve tea to her parents-in-law.
In her past life, seeing her parents-in-law’s benevolent countenances and hearing her brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s soft and warm words, she mistakenly believed that the Yin family members were easy to get along with.
Little did she know, these people were merely eyeing her dowry.
The good husband’s family she believed in was actually a wolf’s den that ate people without spitting out the bones.
And they were a pack of ungrateful white-eyed wolves.
If she remembered correctly, it was on this very day in her past life that she learned her mother-in-law had suffered from a head ailment for many years. She had gone to kneel before the Divine Doctor’s door for ten days just to get him to agree to treat her mother-in-law.
She served decoctions and medicines before her mother-in-law’s bed day after day, recuperating her health for a full half-year before she finally recovered completely.
Yet, after she fell ill and lost her value, it was also this mother-in-law who, with a face full of disgust, cursed her for bringing bad luck and locked her away on a rural estate to die of illness.
She even denied her contributions to the Yin family, branding her with a malicious reputation.
A surge of unwilling grievance welled up in her heart. Jiang Li with great difficulty suppressed the urge to cry so that her tears wouldn’t fall.
Right at this moment, a strange voice sounded by her ear.
【Congratulations to the host for a successful rebirth and for binding with the White-Eyed Wolf Regret and Cry System. As long as you make the people who harmed the host in the past life regret, the host can obtain points and rewards! The system will also provide the host with the necessary help. Keep it up, host~】
The corners of Jiang Li’s lips hooked up imperceptibly. Although she did not quite understand what a system was, she could roughly guess that her rebirth was related to the voice by her ear.
Since she had the chance to live another life, she would absolutely never let the Yin family members gain a single advantage again.
In her past life, she had exhausted her efforts to get the Yin family on the right track; this time, she would no longer interfere.
She wanted to watch with her own eyes as the Yin family walked step by step toward utter ruin.
The immediate priority was to find a way to make the Yin family agree to a divorce.
Jiang Li’s eyes flickered slightly; a plan had already formed in her mind.
The Yin family members agreed to let her enter the door for no other reason than their designs on her dowry.
If the Yin family discovered that not only was her dowry meager, but she was also completely without utility value and would even hold them back, the Yin family would definitely be anxious to clear all relations with her.
After serving the tea, Jiang Li stood up.
Her mother-in-law Madam Fan rubbed her temples, putting on a pained expression: “I am old, and my head hurts terribly. Ah Li, I heard that you have an acquaintance with Divine Doctor Bai. I wonder if you could invite the Divine Doctor to take a look at me?”
Jiang Li showed a difficult expression, biting her lip as she spoke with hardship: “To not hide it from Mother-in-Law, it was my grandfather who had an acquaintance with Divine Doctor Bai. This daughter-in-law has only met Divine Doctor Bai a few times, so it cannot be considered an acquaintance.”
Madam Fan felt that Jiang Li’s form of address for her was strange. Just now while serving tea, she had called her “Mother,” but now it had become “Mother-in-Law,” which felt inexplicably distant.
But then she thought about how Jiang Li’s entire family was dead and gone; perhaps Jiang Li really brought bad luck, and if she let her call her mother, it might even bring misfortune upon herself.
Thus, Madam Fan did not mind the matter of the address.
Madam Fan only took Jiang Li’s words as a modest refusal and smiled, saying: “It is nothing more than a method anyway; you just have to do your best. If it weren’t for my head hurting so terribly, I wouldn’t trouble you.”
Jiang Li feigned compliance and curtsied: “Yes, this daughter-in-law understands.”
After leaving the main courtyard, Jiang Li returned to the Qinghe Courtyard where she had lived for fifteen years in her past life.
Seeing her dowry dowager maids Bai Zhi and Wang You, and thinking of Ren Dong and her wet nurse who were helping her keep watch over the family shops, Jiang Li’s nose turned slightly sour.
In her past life, she had failed to see people clearly and blindly trusted the Yin family, harming not only herself but also those around her.
Ren Dong and her wet nurse were implicated in a murder case and died tragically in prison.
Bai Zhi was caught stealing property from the storehouse and was sold out of the manor.
Wang You stayed by her side for the longest time. After she was sent to the rural estate, Wang You wanted to seek justice for her, but failed to deliver the news out alive.
Jiang Li held back her tears; she could not cry, and now was certainly not the time to cry.
Living another life, there were still many things she needed to do.
Bai Zhi noticed that her young mistress was not quite right and asked with a face full of worry: “Miss, did someone bully you?”
Jiang Li forced out a smile: “It’s nothing. Has the dowry list been delivered to the Yin family’s storehouse?”
The two maids exchanged a glance, lowered their eyes, and shook their heads.
They thought the young mistress would be unhappy, but unexpectedly, the young mistress’s gentle voice came.
“Change the dowry list. For those dowry items that haven’t been moved to the Yin family yet, there is no need to move them anymore.”
She was the only one left in the Jiang family, so Jiang Li’s dowry was abundant—not only containing what her grandfather and grandmother had left her, but also what her father and mother had left behind.
Worried that bringing too much dowry on the wedding day would be too eye-catching, Jiang Li had specially ordered that it be slowly delivered to the Yin family after the marriage.
Now that she intended to get a divorce, there was no need to bring the remaining dowry over.
As for those dowry items that had already been moved to the Yin family, she would also take them all away.
“Wang You, go to the Yin family’s storehouse to withdraw two ginseng roots, and say it is to be used for inviting Divine Doctor Bai for Mother-in-Law.”
Wang You complied, having no doubt about her young mistress’s orders.
Not long after, Wang You returned holding a wooden box, her small face full of displeasure.
“This servant told the storehouse manager that it was to be used for inviting Divine Doctor Bai for the Madam, and the manager even specially asked the Madam for instructions, but they only dismissed us with a single five-year ginseng root, refusing to give any more no matter what.”
The corners of Jiang Li’s lips hooked up. She guessed that the Yin family members were unwilling to spend their own money, yet were too embarrassed to openly ask her, a new bride, to spend money, which was why they used such a ginseng root to fob her off—most likely thinking that she, the daughter-in-law, would make up the difference.
What kind of good things had Divine Doctor Bai not seen?
In her past life, she had brought out two top-grade ginseng roots and kneeled for ten days before Divine Doctor Bai finally relented.
Visiting him with this kind of ginseng root this time, she would probably be thrown straight out the door by Divine Doctor Bai.
“Wang You, bring this ginseng root and follow me to visit Divine Doctor Bai.”