As soon as the two police officers left, Zhou Mu stared suspiciously at her youngest daughter-in-law lying on the hospital bed.
Was this really the same third daughter-in-law of theirs who used to stir up trouble every day like a shit-stirring stick?
How could one fall change a person so completely?
Given her previous temperament, she would never have been capable of saying such things.
“Mom, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“Are you really Wen Nianxin?”
“Who else would I be? Who do you want me to be?”
“Did you really make Liu Jia compensate you two hundred?”
“I didn’t actually make them pay. I gave them a choice. If they don’t want to pay, I have no objection to their son going to jail.”
“They’ll hate you to death.”
“Which family in the production team doesn’t hate me?”
Zhou Mu: “…” This left her speechless.
“Enough talking. I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I’m going to sleep for a while.”
She needed to calm down and carefully consider how to handle the situation. Since she hadn’t received any of the original host’s memories, her knowledge of everyone came solely from what she had read in the book.
But books are just text—they don’t include people’s appearances… What use was it to only know names without being able to match them to faces?
She recognized Zhou Mu because someone said her name was Wu Chunmei.
She recognized her sister-in-law because she was with Zhou Mu and matched the description in the book, so she guessed it was her.
But as for the young girl she saw when she first opened her eyes, she had no idea who she specifically was.
She was probably one of her sister-in-law’s daughters, but her sister-in-law had one son and three daughters. The second and third daughters were close in age, only one year apart. Relying on guesswork alone, it was hard to be certain.
Maybe she should just pretend that the fall damaged her brain, causing partial memory loss?
As she pondered this, Wen Nianxin fell asleep again.
When she woke up again, she began her performance.
“Sister-in-law, that young girl who just went out to fetch water—which daughter is she?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I suddenly can’t remember her name.”
“That’s Zitong. Don’t you recognize her?”
Zhou Mu, who was tidying up nearby, heard her strange question and anxiously grabbed her hand.
“I seem to have forgotten some things.”
Wen Nianxin pressed her temples, pretending to be deep in thought.
“Then how did you recognize me, your sister-in-law, Xiao Douzi, and Wang Duizhang this morning?”
“I seem to remember some things, but others I’ve forgotten. Ouch… my head hurts.”
“Xiaofen, quickly go to the office and get Doctor Li!”
Soon after, the doctor hurried into the ward.
“Doctor Li, please check quickly. Has my daughter-in-law become stupid from the fall? She doesn’t recognize people anymore.”
“Don’t worry. Let me take a look first.”
After examining the injury on the back of her head, Doctor Li casually asked, “Do you remember who you are?”
“Yes.”
“Do you not remember the people behind me at all?”
“I can recall a little, but it gives me a headache when I try.”
She couldn’t insist that she remembered nothing at all. After all, once she recovered, she still had many things to take care of.
“The patient may have not only suffered external injuries from the fall but also internal brain damage. There’s a possibility of cerebral hemorrhage. Our town health center has limited conditions and can’t perform detailed examinations. She needs to go to a major hospital in Jing Shi or Hai Shi.”
“Of course, it’s also possible that none of the above scenarios occur. Once she recovers a bit more, her memory might return.”
“What if she never remembers?”
“Well… there’s no solution for that at the moment.”
After hearing the doctor’s words, Zhou Mu immediately felt that demanding two hundred yuan from the Liu family was far too little!
Losing one’s memory is a lifelong matter—what use is two hundred yuan?
“Mom, sister-in-law says she gets a headache whenever she tries to remember. Maybe we should let her recover first and not rush her.”
Zhou Mu sighed helplessly.
At this point, there seemed to be no other option.
“Nian Xin, are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?
Your eldest sister-in-law has cooked some white rice porridge and also prepared chicken soup for you.”
“I’ll have a little.”
She was indeed somewhat hungry.
Zhou Mu and the eldest sister-in-law, Li Xiaofen, worked together to help her sit up, leaning against the headboard. Although Zhou Zitong was afraid of this third aunt, she thoughtfully placed a pillow behind her back.
“Would you like to drink the soup or the porridge first?”
“The soup.”
Zhou Mu served her a small half-bowl of soup. Wen Nianxin tried to reach for it, but her hand felt weak and dropped back down.
“Don’t move, let me feed you.”
Zhou Mu placed a clean handkerchief around her collar, held the small bowl, and carefully fed her spoonful by spoonful.
After finishing the small half-bowl of soup, she began feeding her the soft, well-cooked white rice porridge.
“Thank you, Mom. I can’t eat anymore.”
Wen Nianxin suppressed the nausea rising in her throat and turned her head away from the spoon.
Hearing the word “thank you” from her, Zhou Mu’s hand trembled in shock, nearly spilling the remaining half-bowl of porridge.
Not only Zhou Mu, but Li Xiaofen beside her was also very surprised, and Zhou Zitong even exaggeratedly opened her mouth wide.
Was this still the same third aunt who would scold you for no reason even if you helped her with chores?
Could she be possessed?
Wen Nianxin hadn’t expected that her casual “thank you” would provoke such a strong reaction from the Zhou family.
However, the surprise caused by her sudden politeness didn’t last long. Just after finishing her meal, Wen Nianxin suddenly leaned over the edge of the bed and vomited violently.
“Miss, is your daughter-in-law possibly pregnant? Otherwise, why would she vomit like this?”
A family member of the patient in the adjacent bed kindly handed her a trash bin.
“Yes, I also think it seems like she’s pregnant. Her stomach is much larger than most girls’, almost like she’s seven or eight months along.”
After vomiting, Wen Nianxin heard this and frustratedly pinched the belly of her current body.
This wasn’t a pregnancy belly—it was entirely because the original host ate, drank, and slept excessively, accumulating a thick layer of fat!
Although the book mostly described the original host’s figure as “obese,” based on her current arms, legs, and stomach, Wen Nianxin estimated that the original host must have weighed at least 170 pounds or more.
“You’ve misunderstood. My daughter-in-law is vomiting because she hit her head; she’s not pregnant.”
“Ah, I see…”
The aunt who had suggested she was pregnant suddenly felt embarrassed.
So it was just because she was fat…
In an era where people often didn’t have enough to eat or drink, achieving such a plump figure was truly rare.
Wu Chunmei didn’t speculate about whether Wen Nianxin was pregnant or not.
Her daughter-in-law was likely still a virgin.
Three years ago, that whole incident had infuriated the entire Zhou family to the point of half-death, yet they could do nothing about it.
She was caught lying on their third son’s bed by the neighbors, with a kitchen knife pressed against her own neck, threatening suicide. They didn’t dare gamble on whether she would actually slit her throat.
Even if they bet she wouldn’t, the scandal would have severely impacted both the Lao Zhou Family’s reputation and their third son’s future.
In the end, they had no choice but to yield to her blackmail. The next day, they invited elders from the production team as witnesses, shared a simple meal that served as their wedding banquet.
After the meal, the third son picked up his luggage and left home without looking back, so naturally there was no wedding night to speak of.
Usually, women whose husbands are absent or deceased are the most likely to become targets of gossip.
But this daughter-in-law of theirs—far from attracting gossip—made the local loafers, bachelors, and ruffians flee at the sight of her, terrified of being entangled by her.
She used to desperately wish someone would take this living ancestor off her hands. Had any family been willing, she’d not only compensate them with a hefty betrothal gift of one hundred yuan but would personally visit to thank their ancestors for eight generations, just to restore peace to the Zhou family.
Unfortunately, three years passed without even a whisper of such news.