With a sharp gasp, Jin Miao bolted upright in bed, her hands still tightly clutching her neck as she panted heavily.
The sensation of suffocation still pressed against her nerves, accompanied by a wave of endless despair. Large tears welled up and spilled over.
It took a good while for Jin Miao to recover. She looked around her surroundings and then caught a glimpse of her current appearance in the small mirror on the table.
She was beyond shocked.
It seemed… she had been reborn?
The last scene in her memory was of her neck being entangled by a snapped clothesline, dying of asphyxiation. Now, she was back at the starting point of it all.
That’s right, she was a transmigrator, and this was her second time.
This was a “big female lead” novel set in a specific era. She couldn’t quite remember the title; she had only read a few pages before dozing off, and when she woke up, she was here.
The family she had transmigrated into were all cannon fodder, while she herself was the hyperactive, malicious villainess. Naturally, her ending had been a miserable death.
In her previous life, in order to escape that fate, she had worked diligently and stayed in her place, making sure not to provoke the male or female leads. She had tried her hardest to break free from her predetermined ending.
And the result? She hadn’t even reached forty before she kicked the bucket.
“Sigh.”
With a long sigh, Jin Miao collapsed weakly onto the pink bedsheets printed with peonies. Looking up at the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling beam, her mind was a mess.
It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t change her destiny.
Thinking about how hard she had worked in her previous life, rising early and staying up late only for it to be all for nothing, her whole body felt uncomfortable.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Since nothing she did mattered, in this life, she chose to start letting things rot. Early death or late death, it was all death anyway. She might as well just wait for it!
For now, she needed to get up and find something to eat. She was hungry; her stomach was already growling.
In the kitchen, a figure wearing an apron was busy. She had neat, ear-length short hair, and her silhouette was shrouded in a layer of steam. Unconsciously, Jin Miao’s eyes grew a bit moist.
This busy person was the mistress of the house, her mother, Wei Shufen.
【It’s been so many years since I last saw Mom.】
The busy Wei Shufen paused her movements. She subconsciously frowned, a somewhat absurd smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Third Child, have you slept yourself stupid?”
What did she mean, “haven’t seen her in years”? It was early morning, and she was already talking nonsense.
Jin Miao curled her lips into a smile and sniffed, her voice still sounding a bit muffled. “Mom, you’re really amazing. You knew it was me just by the sound of my footsteps!”
Wei Shufen turned around, intending to scold her—what footsteps? Hadn’t she just spoken?
But in the next second, her throat felt as if it were blocked by a wad of steamed buns. She couldn’t say a word; she could barely even breathe. Her face suddenly flushed a deep red.
It felt as if she were about to meet her ancestors.
She immediately gave up on trying to address it and instinctively just tried to gasp for air. Only then did she recover.
Jin Miao was stunned by the sight.
“Mom, what’s wrong with you?”
Wei Shufen gave her a deep look and waved her hand. “It’s nothing, just choked on some smoke. Look at you, sleeping in every day. Why don’t you just wait until dinner to get up? All you know how to do is slack off!”
Jin Miao had checked the time when she got up; it was only a little after eight o’clock. Nevertheless, her lips curved upward.
【Still the same familiar Mom, the same familiar vibe.】
What on earth? Was there supposed to be another Mom?
Just as Wei Shufen thought this, she realized something was wrong. Her third child hadn’t opened her mouth, yet she hadn’t spoken either. So what was that voice she just heard?
It was clearly the voice of her third child!
“Mom, what are we having for breakfast? I’m so hungry!”
This time she saw it clearly—the third child had opened her mouth. But before she could answer, hurried footsteps and a familiar voice came from outside.
“Mom! Mom! Where are you? Come out quick, I have good news, amazing news!”
As soon as she heard that excited voice, Jin Miao remembered who it was: her eldest brother, Jin Sen.
【Heh, what else could it be? He wants money to buy a job.】
Wei Shufen’s smile, which had appeared because of her son’s voice, stiffened. She glanced at Jin Miao and knit her brows. “Eat, eat, eat. It’s not ready yet. Go out and see what your brother wants first.”
Following her words was a heavy slap to the back, making Jin Miao instinctively grimace.
Truly her mother—she sure was strong.
Jin Miao’s gaze swept over the steaming pot.
【And she has the nerve to say I’m sleeping in. You didn’t start early either!】
The person walking in front nearly stumbled. Wei Shufen’s expression turned awkward for a moment. Fine, she was certain now; she must be hearing her third child’s inner thoughts. Before she had time to be surprised, she was summoned by the shouting in the main room.
“Mom, let me tell you, this is truly a huge stroke of luck!”
Jin Sen was gesticulating wildly, as if a bright future was right before his eyes.
“Mom, it’s really good news. A junior high classmate of mine is planning to sell his job and move south. For the sake of our old friendship, he’s considering me first!”
Wei Shufen felt an unspeakable shock in her heart. What she had just heard from Jin Miao’s inner thoughts was exactly this. She had actually called it.
【Of course he’d consider you first. You’re stupid and easy to scam. That factory is going to collapse in two years. Go ahead, go. You’ll be counting the money for the people who scammed you!】
Now, the shocked one was Jin Sen.
His sister hadn’t even opened her mouth, but he had clearly heard her voice just now. And what did she mean by the factory collapsing in two years? How was he being scammed?
His mind was full of questions, and just as he was about to speak, his throat felt blocked. His face turned visibly red.
It was as if he couldn’t catch his breath, like he was going to expire in the next second.
Wei Shufen knew exactly why he looked like that, because she had just gone through it herself not long ago.
Smack! She landed a heavy blow on Jin Sen’s back. Suddenly, his breathing became smooth again. He looked at his mother beside him with startled eyes.
“This…”
Wei Shufen gave him a meaningful look, one that carried a hint of a threat.
“Buy what? Do you see any damn money in my hands? You talk too much. Wait until your father gets back!”
Jin Miao hummed in her mind. What’s going on?
Why do Mom and Big Brother seem so weird? Were they like this in the last life?
But it had been too long; she couldn’t remember clearly.
However, it did remind her of something.
【Ah, Dad. Oh no, I forgot. Dad should have been targeted by Widow Lin by now. I wonder when she stuffed her underwear into Dad’s back basket. From then on, this house is never going to be peaceful~】
Thinking this, she looked at her mother with a bit of playfulness in her eyes.
Wei Shufen’s eyes widened like copper bells.
What?! That “sly vixen” Widow Lin? She knew it!
Before Jin Sen could react, his mother had already sprinted out the door.
“Mom! Mom! Where are you going?”