August 26, 1985, Lu Sheng Chang He Xian, Mao Jin Chang Jia Shu Yuan, the Lu family.
Slap!
A crisp slap echoed through the small attic, accompanied by a sharp, piercing woman’s voice.
“Li Yue! You’re donating this kidney whether you want to or not!”
“If you refuse, don’t blame the Lu family for not keeping you—you can just crawl back to your Da Wa Di! Our family doesn’t need an ungrateful wretch like you. After all, Lu Xiao’s grandfather once saved your father’s life. Is this how you repay your family’s benefactor?”
Li Yue was slapped awake. The words ringing in her ears were even more shocking than the slap itself.
Her head buzzed, unsure whether from the blow or the shock.
She felt dizzy and disoriented.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a mottled ceiling, a dim yellowish lightbulb, and a strange woman glaring at her with fierce hostility.
Looking around in confusion, she realized she was in an unfamiliar place. When her gaze fell on the calendar hanging on the wall, her pupils suddenly contracted.
1985? Had she traveled through time?
As if to confirm this thought, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into her mind.
The memories came with such force that she clutched her forehead and curled up in pain.
Li Shaohua frowned at the person on the bed, a flicker of panic rising in her eyes. This girl was as fragile as a paper lantern—what if she’d been damaged by that slap? How would she donate a kidney for her Xiao Jing then?
Ten minutes later.
Li Yue had fully absorbed the memories, feeling utterly disgusted, as if she’d swallowed countless flies.
Had she really transmigrated into a poor soul repaying a debt for her father?
Li Yue’s father had once served as a soldier but retired after injuring his leg. His connection to the Lu family stemmed from becoming close friends with the family’s patriarch, Lu Zhentao, during the war. Lu Zhentao had even saved his life on the battlefield once.
To repay this debt, her father vowed that if he ever had a daughter, she would marry into the Lu family, serving Lu Zhentao to repay the favor.
Lu Zhentao was too old for her to marry, and marrying his son was out of the question.
Seeing her father’s sincerity, Lu Zhentao made a promise: she could marry his grandson instead.
Her father, being a straightforward man, took this seriously.
However, his first child wasn’t a daughter—it was only with the second that the original Li Yue was born, sharing the same name as her.
And so, as her father wished, the original Li Yue married Lu Zhentao’s youngest grandson.
The original Li Yue was only twenty years old. She had been accepted into university but couldn’t attend due to her family’s poverty.
Now that she was married, her dream of university was completely shattered.
Her father had believed his daughter was marrying into a city family. The old regiment leader’s son was said to be a factory official, and the grandson was handsome and talented. Given the old regiment leader’s character, the family surely wouldn’t be bad.
So, for over three months after the wedding, the Li family never contacted her, afraid of being seen as trying to benefit from the marriage.
But what was the reality?
On the wedding night, the groom was called into the room of his widowed sister-in-law, who claimed to have chest pains. The entire family gathered around her, leaving the new bride alone in an empty room.
The next day, the mother-in-law began putting on airs, dragging the girl out of bed at four in the morning to wash clothes, cook, mop floors, and polish shoes—even an old ox on a production team wasn’t worked this hard!
All under the guise that a country girl marrying into the Lu family was already a blessing—how could she possibly want more?
The Lu family had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Lu Nan, had an incurable illness and was said to have passed away last year. The second son, Lu Xiao, was the original host’s current husband. There was also a sister-in-law the same age as the original host, named Lu Qing.
You might as well take on the role of the housemaid—once you do, you’ll have no say in anything.
Life as a grass widow was just like this: her husband put on a good face outside but came home cold and emotionally abusive. They had been married for three months without sharing a bed, and even the Lu family dog felt entitled to step all over the original host.
Yet, until her death, the young woman still held onto the hope that Lu Xiao would see her worth, take her away from this household, and let them live a life of their own.
But what she ended up waiting for was the entire family scheming to take her kidney.
Her husband, Lu Xiao, said gently, “If you donate a kidney to A’Jing, I’ll treat you well. We can move out then, and my workplace might even assign us a house.”
Her mother-in-law was the most enthusiastic. Ever since the tissue match was confirmed, she had served her good food every day, all smiles and warmth.
It wasn’t until she refused to donate her kidney that the family showed their true viciousness, locking her in a sweltering attic without food or water, refusing to let her out.
She starved for five whole days…
Until the original host died of hunger, and she transmigrated into the body.
All these thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.
She glanced at Li Shaohua standing by the bed, his face full of schemes.
“I won’t donate my kidney to Feng Jing for nothing. You’d better give up on that idea.”
Li Yue’s dark eyes glared coldly at him, but her voice came out soft and weak.
Hearing her own unconvincing tone, she wished she could bite her tongue off.
Li Shaohua flew into a rage upon hearing this. He raised his hand, ready to slap her again, but Li Yue grabbed his wrist firmly.
“How dare you defy me? Let go!”
Li Yue seized the moment to stand up, but her body, weakened by prolonged starvation, made her stagger as soon as she rose, nearly collapsing.
Still, she gritted her teeth and held tightly to Li Shaohua’s wrist, using it as support to steady herself.
Her mind raced, thinking of ways to leave this family and divorce Lu Xiao.
They had been married for over three months, yet they had never even shared a bed. Lu Xiao had always looked down on the original host, but the young woman, kind-hearted, refused to believe he could be so cruel.
Otherwise, why would “Brother Lu” let her have the bedroom while he slept in the study for three months?
Li Yue cursed inwardly. Lu Xiao was nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The original host was gone, but she was here now, and she would make that hypocritical scoundrel pay.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes at the thought.
“Let go of me now, or I’ll tell Lu Xiao!”
Li Shaohua shook his hand impatiently, trying to break free, but Li Yue used all her strength, refusing to release her grip.
At his words, Li Yue froze for a moment.
An inexplicable fear welled up inside her.
Yes, the original host had always been afraid of this malicious mother-in-law tattling to Lu Xiao, because she feared that wretched man would ignore her. And Lu Xiao was a master of emotional neglect.
But she wasn’t the original host. If he didn’t care, so be it. A three-legged toad might be hard to find, but two-legged men were everywhere!
Li Yue forcefully suppressed the timidity rising within her.
Given her current situation, confronting the Lu family head-on would be futile—her frail body was no match for them. If she wanted to break free from the Lu family for good, she would have to find another way.
With that thought, she raised her eyes again, her gaze filled with stubborn determination.
“Fine, I’ll agree to donate a kidney to my sister-in-law. But I won’t do it for free. I want money.”
To make Li Shaohua believe her, she set a condition, which could increase trust a bit.
Otherwise, after resisting so much at first and suddenly agreeing now, they would instead become wary of her.
Of course, she also genuinely wanted to swindle the Lu family out of some money. No matter what, getting out came first.
“You still want money? You eat our food and wear our clothes! You don’t know gratitude—saving your own sister-in-law’s life and you still want money? Why don’t you just die?”
“If I die, Feng Jing will die too,” Li Yue retorted irritably.
She was counting on the fact that this mother-in-law couldn’t bear to let her eldest daughter-in-law die, though she didn’t understand why she was so fond of that magnificent white lotus.
Li Shaohua was so furious she nearly fell backward, but thinking about her promise to agree, she had no choice but to swallow her anger.
After calculating in her mind, she asked, “How much money do you want?”