The Ji Residence.
Ji Xiangbei brought all the food to Ji Yanshu's study, telling her to eat as much as she wanted.
Ji Yanshu had recovered and was in high spirits now.
Compared to rebirth and being able to live with her family again, Zhou Heng and Xu Huifang were nothing!
Escaping from that living hell was truly a joyous occasion.
She felt like setting off firecrackers to celebrate!
She opened a bottle of soda and took a delighted sip.
Being human was so much better.
During those years as a ghost, she had not only suffered but also had nothing to eat. Thinking back, it was truly pitiful.
Seeing that she still had an appetite, Ji Xiangbei felt somewhat relieved.
Everyone knew how much his younger sister adored Zhou Heng.
He had thought this matter would drag on.
He expected it would take at least a few months for her to move on.
He never imagined she would react so unusually.
Ji Xiangbei glanced at his sister. Could it be that she was hiding her sadness to keep them from worrying?
"Take your time eating. If there's anything else you'd like, I'll take a day off tomorrow and go to the county town to buy it for you."
It was the busy farming season, and taking time off would cause delays.
Ji Yanshu nodded eagerly, "There are lots of things I want to eat, but there's no need to take time off. Let's go to the county town together after this busy period."
Ji Xiangbei: "Then I'll head to the commune first."
"What for?"
"To send a telegram to Big Brother."
In Ji Xiangbei's heart, Big Brother was the pillar of the family, the most capable person.
Whether it was a major or minor matter, he had to report it to Big Brother.
That scoundrel Zhou Heng daring to bully Little Five was a grave matter.
Not only would he report it to Big Brother.
He would also call Second Brother.
Then he would go to the school to inform Third Brother about what happened today.
According to the original plan, Ji Yanshu and Zhou Heng were supposed to register their marriage first, then hold the wedding banquet.
Big Brother couldn't make it back, but Second Brother and Third Brother would return home.
No one expected such a thing to happen midway.
Ji Xiangbei thought to himself that discovering Zhou Heng's unfaithfulness before marriage was actually a good thing.
It was better than Little Five wasting her entire life on him.
If he ever encountered Zhou Heng in the future, he would beat him up every time he saw him.
He had to let certain people know that the Ji family was not to be trifled with!
The matter of breaking off the engagement indeed needed to be told to her brothers.
Ji Yanshu glanced at her watch, "It's so late already, go tomorrow."
"No, today's matters should be settled today."
If he had to keep this bottled up inside, it would drive him crazy!
Ji Yanshu knew her younger brother's temperament, "Alright then, go ahead. Mom slaughtered a chicken, I'll save the chicken butt for you."
"You still have the mood to joke?"
"Why can't I? Escaping that living hell is cause for celebration!"
Seeing that she didn't seem to be forcing her cheerfulness.
Ji Xiangbei wasn't in a hurry to leave anymore. He pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down.
"Weren't you in love with Zhou Heng, insisting on marrying no one but him?"
This was a question their parents wanted to ask too.
But they were afraid of upsetting their daughter, so they could only keep it to themselves.
Now they stood at the door, eavesdropping intently.
Ji Xiangbei and Ji Yanshu were twins (one male and one female), shared a close bond, and usually spoke their minds freely.
Seeing her stable emotions without any trace of sadness or distress, Ji Xiangbei cast aside his concerns and asked directly.
Ji Yanshu knew her emotional shift was too abrupt and would seem strange.
But she was Ji Yanshu.
She hadn't stolen anyone else's daughter's identity, so there was no need to pretend.
"That was before. Now that I've seen his true colors, if I still married him, wouldn't I be a complete fool?"
Ji Xiangbei nodded silently.
He's just a man, what's there to fight over?
Zhou Heng isn't some priceless golden treasure—when Xiao Wu goes out on blind dates, there are plenty of men with better qualifications than him!
Last time she visited her second brother and sister-in-law in the county town, many people were secretly inquiring about her, wanting to marry her and bring her home as a daughter-in-law.
Zhou Heng is just a stumbling block, ruining all of Xiao Wu's good fortune.
He ought to be kicked to the curb!
Ji Xiangbei gave a thumbs-up, "That's my real sister for you—full of guts!"
Ji Yanshu snorted, "If you're going to praise someone, just praise them. No need to pat yourself on the back—it's not sincere at all."
Ji Xiangbei grinned somewhat goofily, "If you're impressive, doesn't that mean I'm impressive? We're blood-related."
Ji Yanshu laughed, "I'm really fine, you don't need to worry about me."
"Then why were you crying earlier?"
"I was excited."
Ji Xiangbei: "Excited about what?"
"We haven't gotten the marriage certificate yet. Heaven has been kind to me, letting me cut my losses in time."
It even gave her a chance to be reborn…
Ji Xiangbei nodded, "That's true, otherwise a divorce would've been troublesome."
Gossip is a fearful thing—who knows what nonsense people might spread outside, tarnishing Xiao Wu's reputation.
At this thought, Ji Xiangbei slapped his thigh hard, "We won't go to the commune for now, but I must spread the word about Zhou Heng's fine deeds."
They were the ones in the right; they couldn't just swallow their pride and accept defeat without a fight.
If they didn't clarify things, rumors would spread and affect Xiao Wu.
They absolutely couldn't give the Zhou family any chance to smear Xiao Wu's name!
Ji Xiangbei was impulsive—once he thought of something, he had to act on it.
He patted Ji Yanshu's shoulder, "You just eat and sleep as you should. Leave everything else to your big brother to handle. If anyone dares to make you unhappy, just watch me deal with them."
Ji Yanshu pouted playfully, "What if Xu Huifang makes me unhappy?"
In her past life, after being around them for so long, she had figured out Xu Huifang's family situation.
She was a capitalist's daughter, but she wasn't favored at home.
The Xu family valued sons over daughters, which led Xu Huifang to develop a conflicted personality.
Both arrogant and insecure.
In her past life, she had been a thorn in Xu Huifang's side.
Whenever someone brought it up, Xu Huifang would be reminded that she had become a stepmother.
She had to be good to the children, striving to maintain her image as a kind stepmother.
Yet she resented the children's affection.
Every time the children acted sweetly toward her, she would smile on the surface, but her eyes held hidden irritation.
In Ji Yanshu's view, Xu Huifang lived a conflicted life for decades.
She didn't know what became of her later.
Did she make herself sick from pent-up emotions?
Based on her understanding of Xu Huifang, even if she and Zhou Heng broke up, that thorn would remain lodged in Xu Huifang's heart.
The longer time passed, the deeper the thorn would embed itself.
It wasn't necessarily that she liked Zhou Heng all that much—she simply couldn't accept her partner having a past with someone else.
Thinking about it carefully, it was entirely possible that Xu Huifang would try to make her life difficult.
Ji Xiangbei snorted, "Don't think just because she's a woman I'll go easy on her. Whether it's a man or a woman, if anyone messes with you, your big brother will take care of them!"
Ji Yanshu felt touched.
Her family was just that wonderful—no matter what happened, they would always protect her.
Be her solid backing.
But she hadn't forgotten that Zhou Heng and Xu Huifang were the male and female leads, blessed with fate's favor.
Having too much contact with them wasn't a good thing.
In her past life, she hadn't provoked anyone, yet she died mysteriously.
If her big brother kept targeting them, there might be unfortunate consequences.
Ji Yanshu's heart skipped a beat.
She quickly grabbed Ji Xiangbei's hand, "Little brother, stay away from them from now on."
Ji Xiangbei: "They should be the ones staying away from me."
Ji Yanshu: "You have no idea how unlucky those two are. Anyone who gets involved with them ends up with bad luck. Our family should just keep our distance – no contact, no conversation."
Ji Xiangbei agreed with the first part, "We haven't done anything wrong, why should we avoid them?"
Ji Yanshu said mysteriously, "If you don't believe me, just observe. Anyone who gets close to them either gets taken advantage of or ends up with terrible luck."
Ji Xiangbei: "That sinister?"
"Of course! Think about it – ever since I started dating him, hasn't Zhou Heng always gotten a share of whatever our brothers sent back?"
Ji Xiangbei nodded, "That was out of consideration for you, hoping he would treat you well."
Ji Yanshu's tone turned meaningful, "So tell me, hasn't our family been taken advantage of?"
"Yes!"
"Now that we're not giving him any more benefits, if we keep contact with them, we'll only encounter misfortune!"
Though Ji Yanshu spoke mysteriously, Ji Xiangbei felt a chill run down his spine.
"Some people are just like Chang Gui – whoever interacts with them meets with misfortune. We should definitely stay away from Zhou Heng and Xu Huifang."
Anyway, the engagement had already been called off – from now on they would never have contact with each other!