“Knock, knock, knock.”“Mom, I’m here to get some food to make lunch.”
Sitting by the kang, Li Shulan suddenly pinched her own thigh.“Ouch!”
She could feel the pain—this wasn’t the sensationless soul of the dead.
Could it be… she had been reborn?
“Mom? Are you in there? Mom?”
The knocking continued, and the woman’s voice carried a hint of urgency.
“Ah, I’m here, wait a moment,” Li Shulan replied.
She then glanced at the calendar on the old cabinet.
June 2, 1973.
It was the second day after her two sons’ weddings.
Yesterday in her previous life, her twin sons had married two educated youth girls from the commune.
And today, the younger son had to return to the army early due to urgent orders, catching the train before dawn.
The older son, an engineer at a city factory, had coincidentally finished his holiday and went with his brother, leaving their wives at home with her.
As for her, her husband had passed away early, and her mother-in-law had always thought she brought misfortune to men.
Even though she had given birth to twin boys for the Qin family, her mother-in-law never liked her, constantly picking on her and making her life miserable.
It wasn’t until her mother-in-law passed away in 1969 and the family was divided that she finally felt some relief.
Moreover, her two sons turned out well.
The eldest, Qin Zihuai, graduated from university and became an engineer at a major factory.
The younger, Qin Zixuan, though not attending university, joined the army after high school and had become a company commander after eight years.
Because her sons were successful and she had suffered so much under her mother-in-law, she gradually became sharp, domineering, and cruel.
After her sons married, she finally experienced the satisfaction of turning the tables on daughters-in-law.
She applied all the tricks her mother-in-law had used on her to her daughters-in-law—sometimes even worse.
First, she caused both daughters-in-law to miscarry.
Later, when they were finally allowed to return to the city, she prevented them from taking college entrance exams.
Eventually, the eldest daughter-in-law drowned in winter while washing clothes in the river for her, and the younger daughter-in-law died with two children.
She too faced retribution: one night she fell into the latrine pit and drowned.
After death, her soul didn’t immediately disperse but followed her two sons alternately.
After the younger daughter-in-law died, the younger son broke ties with his elder brother, feeling his brother had not persuaded their mother to prevent the tragedy.
From then on, he accepted every dangerous mission, not caring about his life. Within five years, he was killed on a mission.
After the elder son’s wife died, eldest son often became distracted at work. During one operation, he was injured by machinery, lost both hands, and, with no will to live, starved himself to death before turning thirty-five.
“Meng Yue, are you hungry? I have some egg cakes here, do you want some? I’ve been harvesting wheat all morning and I’m starving!”
Hearing her younger daughter-in-law’s voice outside, Li Shulan immediately returned to the present.
She hurriedly grabbed rice, cured meat, and eggs from the old cabinet and went out.
“Mom, give us the food, we’ll cook,” said Meng Yue, rising to meet her.“Yes, Mom, leave it to us. You go rest, and we’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Li Shulan looked at her two daughters-in-law, both strikingly beautiful.
The elder, Meng Yue, wore a simple braid. Her hair was black and smooth, her pale complexion tinged with a hint of blush. Her curved eyebrows framed clear, deep eyes. Her light blue shirt’s collar was slightly open, revealing a slender neck. She looked educated, with an air of refinement.
Meng Yue was an educated youth from Beijing. Her parents, both professors, had been sent to the northwest. She had a sister who went south. In her previous life, both parents died from overwork before returning to the city, and no news ever came of her sister.
The younger daughter-in-law, Su Xiao, had a shoulder-length student-style haircut, fair delicate skin, and almond-shaped eyes that sparkled playfully. Her smile revealed dimples. The younger son had fallen in love with her at first sight.
Su Xiao came from Shanghai. Her father had overseas connections, and both parents had been sent to the northwest, coincidentally placed with the Meng family elders. Su Xiao was an only child. By the time the family was rehabilitated and returned to the city, only her father remained.
In the past, her father rushed over upon hearing about Su Xiao’s marriage, hoping to take her back. But Su Xiao genuinely loved her younger son and refused to leave, not wanting a tragic fate.
Seeing her two daughters-in-law again in this lifetime, Li Shulan felt a complex wave of emotions.
“No need, I’ll cook lunch. You just wash up and rest for a bit. The meal will be ready soon.”“Mom, can I help with the fire?” asked Meng Yue.“No, don’t get in the way.”
With that, she ignored them and went to the kitchen behind the main hall.
In her previous life, it was this day that she began tormenting her daughters-in-law right after her sons left.
She had them working while secretly adding a ladle of water to hot oil, causing it to splatter onto Meng Yue’s face, leaving two scars the size of soybeans.
Su Xiao, concerned, tripped over a firewood stick, leaving a five-centimeter burn on her calf.
Li Shulan applied ash instead of medicine, claiming that rural people always did that.
The wounds became infected, leaving Su Xiao with a large ugly scar and she never wore skirts again.
Thinking of the past, Li Shulan felt ashamed.
She had suffered rain herself—why make her daughters-in-law endure it too?
These two beautiful daughters-in-law deserved to be cherished. She could raise them well, and they could give her beautiful grandchildren.
No need to repeat last life’s tragic ending.
Determined, Li Shulan decided that this time, she would not be the wicked mother-in-law.
She would care for her sons’ wives, so her sons could have no worries.
She quickly steamed the rice, then went to the vegetable garden and picked some scallions, beans, and three cucumbers.
In the kitchen, she made stir-fried beans with cured meat, scallion omelets, and a cucumber salad.
Three dishes. Meat, eggs, and vegetables.
In these times, this was considered a hearty meal—even some city families with working parents couldn’t eat this well.
Her sons were successful: Qin Zihuai, the eldest, earned 52 yuan a month as a fourth-level engineer plus some subsidies. The younger, Qin Zixuan, became a company commander earning 60 yuan, minus 13.5 yuan for food, taking home 46.5. Most of their wages went to her.
She also earned sewing credits as the team leader, which allowed her to save some money by year’s end. With no elders or children to support, she could save well. After expenses, she still had over 800 yuan in savings—a considerable sum for the time.
The sons had paid for the wedding themselves. Her household was one of the wealthiest in the Yangjiao Brigade.
Normally, she wasn’t extravagant. Only when her sons visited did she prepare meat dishes; alone, she steamed eggs or ate vegetables from the garden.
Now, she thought, money earned was money to be spent.
As long as her sons and daughters-in-law were well, nothing else mattered.
The daughters-in-law had just come from city life and had already lost weight in just over a month.
She had to nourish them, especially with the wheat harvest busy in late May and early June.
In about ten months, she would be a grandmother.
“Meal’s ready. Eldest daughter-in-law, take the dishes out. Younger daughter-in-law, get the bowls and chopsticks!”“All right, Mom.”
Li Shulan finally brought the dishes to the table.
“I don’t know your tastes. Half the beans with cured meat have chili, half don’t. Eat up. After eating, rest a bit; you’ll need to work again soon.”
She served rice to each of them. Luckily, their yard was on the edge of the village, far from neighbors, so the aroma wouldn’t spread.
“Thanks, Mom,” they said in unison.“No need to thank me, just eat.”
Meng Yue picked a piece of non-spicy beans, Su Xiao reached for the spicy cured meat. Li Shulan also grabbed a piece of omelet, just as a sound rang in her mind:
[Ding!]Reward for cooking for daughters-in-law: 10 yuan cash ×2, 1 jin meat voucher ×2.