Li Mingliang’s mind could only register two words: “It’s over.”
All the years he had worked to maintain his reputation in the compound, his face, his dignity—everything—had been torn apart by that damn woman.
He never even thought Liu Meiling knew about the job before he had a chance to tell her.
The onlookers were shocked by her words. After all, Li Mingliang had a reputation in the compound for being extremely family-oriented.
Liu Meiling cried and shouted, but inside, her heart was soaring.
In her past life, when her eldest son demanded a bride price of 888 yuan, she couldn’t afford it.
She was scolded for “not knowing how to manage the family.”
The whole compound called her selfish, accused her of hoarding money and refusing to pay for her son’s marriage. The scandal even reached her workplace, where her supervisor reprimanded her. Distracted, she gave the job to Qin Xiangru under Li Mingliang’s pressure.
This life, however, the heavens had given her a second chance. She would love herself properly, protect Baomei, and reveal Old Li’s true face to everyone.
She would no longer bear undeserved blame, toil for nothing, or endure humiliation.
“Meiling, you can’t just go telling people…”
Wu Chunhua, helping her, looked awkward. When a couple fights, outsiders shouldn’t interfere.
“I’m not lying! All these years, I swallowed my pride for his face. Every month after work, I did odd jobs. My salary was barely fifty yuan a month, raising this whole family. If I didn’t go into debt, I was lucky.
The eldest just started work this year, temporary, earning eighteen yuan a month—not a penny for me. The second and third sons were in school; five yuan each per month for textbooks, daily expenses half a yuan each, fifteen yuan for both, forty including books. And the family still needed food and clothes.
Most of the vegetables came from scraps I scavenged at the market.
Baomei was in middle school; that cost seven to five yuan a month. Baoqing was in high school—worse.
If I hadn’t done odd jobs outside, the family probably wouldn’t have survived.
Look at this coat—my mother made it the year I got married. Twenty years of wear, patched eight times.
Zhang Aunty, you see me unloading goods at the market all the time. Li Aunty, you watch me cook, you know we go ten days without meat!”
Her voice was eerily calm, enumerating every expense of the family. No tears, no whining—just truth.
She touched her face; at only forty-two, her wrinkles made her look older than fifty.
The compound fell silent, tense. The eldest son’s face was a mixture of blue and red—stunned, but quickly replaced by irritation. How could Mom make such a fuss over trivial things, embarrassing the whole family?
“Mom, that’s enough! Stop pretending! You just didn’t want to pay the 800-yuan bride price. I’m the eldest; my wife will be filial. You make things difficult now, don’t blame me if she isn’t filial later!”
Filial? Thinking of Zhan Hongmei, Liu Meiling snorted. She wouldn’t be subjected to torture and call that filial?
Liu Meiling grabbed a shoe and landed two hard slaps on her eldest son.
After all, he wasn’t her biological child—why care?
“Such a precious gold nugget! Our family can’t afford her! Zhan’s daughter demands 888 yuan—what kind of bride is that? I wouldn’t marry her if I were you! Around here, giving even 300 yuan is considered high! You want to marry her? Do you even deserve it?”
At the start of the Reform era, an 888-yuan bride price was astronomical.
In her previous life, she only realized Zhan Hongmei wasn’t well-treated at home after her eldest son married.
The family relied on her to provide everything.
Her despicable younger brother even tried to sabotage Baomei to save a bride price.
No! Baomei!
Liu Meiling’s face changed instantly.
Baomei hadn’t returned home today.
She had been harmed by Zhan Hongmei’s wicked brother!
This was something Liu Meiling had only learned decades later in her previous life…
She slammed the eldest son to the ground, quickly put on shoes, and pushed the old dual-brand bicycle she’d scavenged from the junkyard. She jumped onto the back seat.
“Second son, pedal! Let’s go get your sister!”
Li Baojia exhaled, stiffened his neck, mounted, and pedaled like a firewheel.
Liu Meiling had five children in this life: three sons, two daughters.
Eldest son Li Baoguo, clever and selfish, had exploited her the most. She still didn’t understand why her own child seemed more Qin Xiangru’s than hers.
Second son Li Baojia, strong but foolish, always complained about favoritism. Their estrangement had partly been caused by that leg.
Third, Li Baoqing, her eldest daughter, her most cherished, had been forced to study at university, eventually matched with the deputy factory director’s youngest son. She had lived comfortably. Liu Meiling never understood what she had done wrong to deserve hardship.
Fourth son, Li Baohai, slick-talking opportunist—whether he was truly hers, she didn’t know.
Fifth child, Baomei, fifteen, in second-year middle school—today, in the past life, chaos had ensued, and she hadn’t returned home.
The more Liu Meiling thought, the tighter she bit down, pinching Baojia’s waist fat: “Faster! Pedal harder!”
Li Baojia grimaced in pain, pedaling like mad.
By the time they reached the school, it was empty.
Her heart sank.
She slapped herself.
How could she be so stupid, arguing with those idiots?
The fear of losing her daughter again brought tears to her eyes. Her voice shook: “Baomei! Baomei! My Baomei!”
Behind the school, a narrow alley with puddles and mud reeked. Only one person could pass at a time.
Liu Meiling bent down and immediately recognized the flower etched on Baomei’s shoe sole—carved by her own hand. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Second son, get in!”
Two meters in, she faintly heard cries:
“Help! Help!”“Baomei! Baomei!”“You dare bully my sister? I’ll kill you!”
She finally saw Baomei, and Li Baojia, eyes red, had already rushed forward.
“My Baomei!”
Her heart ached as she lifted Baomei from the muddy puddle. Baomei trembled, and when she saw Liu Meiling’s lips press together, tears began to fall.
“Mom! Zhan Dazhuang bullied me! He tried to take my clothes off!”
Without hesitation, Liu Meiling charged:
“You dare bully my daughter? I’ll fight you!”
Zhan Dazhuang, bruised and battered, screamed as Liu Meiling shoved him back. He hit a half-abandoned earthen wall with a crash.
“Wham!”