Zhao Qin and Liu Yaolan both had nothing to say. Liu Yaolan lowered her head and wiped her tears, while Zhao Qin’s eyes were icy cold—she probably wanted nothing more than to strangle me.
Song Qiankun said, “What the Xiejia did here was dishonorable. It was clearly his own mistake that led to the breakup with Liu Yaolan, and then he turned around and went after Liu Yaozhen, even insulting her on top of it. With character like that, I think it’s inappropriate too. Second Sister did the right thing.”
Liu Yaolan’s face changed, but she said nothing. Zhao Qin was so furious she was trembling all over, unable to get a single word out.
My father tapped out his pipe. “Let’s eat first. Then we’ll go to the Xiejia and talk this over. Since everyone disagrees, there will be no wedding.”
Zhao Qin said, “Look at anyone in this village—who gets divorced? Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog…”
“You’re wrong there,” I said flatly. “Back when my big sister wanted to break off her engagement, the whole village was buzzing about it too. Didn’t she still break it off? So why do I have to live with this piece of trash?”
My brother held back the furious Zhao Qin. “Second Sister is right. You can’t follow a piece of trash. Besides, our family never took any bride price, and there’s no marriage certificate. The wardrobes that got smashed were ones I delivered myself—all we need to do now is pay for yesterday’s broken glass. As for any other compensation, let’s see how they have the nerve to ask. They bullied our eldest sister, and now they want to bully our youngest. Do they really think our Liu family is that easy to push around?”
Zhao Qin’s face turned purple from holding it in. In truth, things weren’t like that at all—but she couldn’t say so. Her eldest daughter had taken so much money from them; how could she explain that? I secretly laughed and turned to walk into the courtyard. I wanted to see how they’d deal with the money problem.
Zhao Qin shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Without turning my head, I said, “I’m going to pick a couple of overripe cucumbers. Brother-in-law rarely visits, so he should get a taste of our farm cooking. The Xiejia people will probably show up soon, so we need to hurry and eat. Otherwise there’ll be quite a scene later.”
I had only taken a few steps when I heard several people shouting behind me. As I turned the corner, I saw my mother fallen on the ground, wheezing for breath. Liu Yaolan and Song Qiankun were supporting her, and my brother was patting her back to help her catch her breath.
Liu Yaolan happened to look up, and her eyes met mine. She bit her lip, her face full of resentment.
I smiled sweetly and nodded at her, gloating.
Since I’ve been reborn, I will absolutely not let you keep harming me.
In this life, even if you became the president’s wife, I wouldn’t be envious—but you don’t get to climb up by stepping on me.
Seeing the expression on my face, Liu Yaolan froze completely, as if she’d seen something terrifying, and covered her mouth with her hand. But I wasn’t in the mood to study her expression; I went into the small courtyard.
I picked two overripe cucumbers and two chili peppers, washed them in the kitchen, and stir-fried a dish of sour and spicy cucumber slices. I also tossed together a salad of scallions and cilantro with a splash of soy sauce, and stuck a few cornmeal buns to the side of the pot. The leftover rice from last night became rice porridge. Then I went out to set the table.
Zhao Qin, naturally, couldn’t bear to have her good son-in-law eat such simple fare, so she went back to the kitchen and made a big bowl of scrambled eggs, placing it on the side near her daughter and son-in-law.
Zhao Qin handed out chopsticks and glared at me. “How did our family get so unlucky as to up with someone this shameless? How will the villagers look at our family in the future?”
I preted not to hear and warmly greeted Song Qiankun. “Let’s eat, Brother-in-law. You’ve come from so far away, and we haven’t much to offer you—my apologies. There’s nothing fancy, so please don’t mind.”
“How could that be? Home cooking is just fine,” Song Qiankun said amiably.
My older brother frowned at the food on the table. “I came back late last night and didn’t eat, but there was a wedding in the family—wasn’t there even a banquet? Or was there a banquet and not a single dish left over? Mom, Dad, what’s going on?”
Normally, on the wedding day, the bride’s family is also supposed to hold a feast. But my father ignored everything, and Zhao Qin naturally wouldn’t bother with such things. Zhao Qin’s plan was simply to marry me off, pay back the money owed to Xiejia, and then sit back and enjoy the show every day—where would she ever sp money on a banquet?
I smiled faintly. “Maybe they had foresight and knew I never wanted to get married in the first place, so there was no need for one.”
My father looked at Zhao Qin, only to be glared back at. He said awkwardly, “Let’s just eat.”
Liu Yaolan said, “Actually, we were planning to hold it when she comes back for the three-day visit. Isn’t that right, Mom?”
Zhao Qin glanced at Song Qiankun, nodded, and said nothing.
My brother frowned and kept silent, sitting there eating his meal.
By now, Song Qiankun must have noticed something was wrong too. He glanced at Liu Yaolan several times, his face looking terrible.
Zhao Qin couldn’t eat, glaring at me fiercely.
But I ate with great relish, even serving food to my older brother the whole time. There was a big bowl of scrambled eggs—I scooped a large spoonful into my own bowl, then gave a big spoonful each to my brother and my father, leaving less than half the eggs.
Zhao Qin was so furious she nearly fainted, but I didn’t care. If she thought I’d live a miserable life like in my past life, not daring to touch a single dish, eating nothing but pickled vegetables—she could dream on!
My older brother tried to persuade Zhao Qin. “Mom, eat something. If you’re worried about the family’s reputation, Second Sister can leave with me and we’ll go away from the village. Your lives would be a lot more peaceful too.”
“If she leaves, who’s going to farm the land at home? She’s stirred up such a huge mess, and now she wants to just walk away?”
“I’m twenty already, an adult long ago. I can go wherever I want.” I ate slowly and unhurriedly. “Even if I leave, it doesn’t matter—isn’t my older sister still here? When she lived at home, she never did any of these chores. It’s her turn now. Don’t tell me you’re still thinking that after I’m married, I should keep farming my parents’ land too?” You wish.
Zhao Qin reached out and tried to hit me with her chopsticks, but my brother stopped her.
“You’re a grown woman and still talking back like this. What kind of unfilial daughter are you?”
I said, aggrieved, “All these years, I’ve been the one working in the fields while my sister does no work at all. She breaks off an engagement whenever she wants, lives comfortably at home, always staying in the best room, wearing one outfit after another—while I wear my brother’s hand-me-downs. The life I live is worse than a servant’s. Am I supposed to toil like an ox and a horse in this house? Am I a slave you bought? Let my brother-in-law see just how biased you are.”
Zhao Qin scoffed. “Is your sister anything like you? She got into a technical college and has a proper job—she’s an educated person! And you think you can compare yourself to her?”
“I studied way better than my sister back then! It was you who dragged me out of school, saying the family couldn’t afford to support two students. You even said that once she made something of herself, she could pull me up too. But so many years have passed now, and sure, she’s living well. But what has she done for me? I’m still the one cooking, doing laundry, working the fields like an ox and a horse for this family. Not only do I get beaten and scolded every day, but now you’re forcing me to marry a piece of trash that my sister herself couldn’t shake off! Why do I have to live such a bitter life? Do you hate me that much?” Thinking of my past life, I couldn’t help but want to cry again. But I steeled myself and held back the tears.
Liu Yaolan, flustered, gave Zhao Qin—whose face had turned livid—a nudge, and said to me, “Sister, stop talking. I know you feel wronged, but Mom really is just upset about the broken engagement. Don’t keep making a scene. She treats you the same. Hurry up and apologize to Mom. Don’t be like this.”
“Isn’t that the truth! I’ve always treated you two sisters exactly the same. Some people are just twisted in the head! Living like a pile of garbage themselves, and then they accuse me of playing favorites! If you’ve got the ability, go be just as outstanding as she is!” Zhao Qin glared at me.
I abruptly stood up and walked into the house.
Zhao Qin shouted after me, “What are you doing? Do you need to stir up trouble to feel good?”
I didn’t answer. I brought out the quilt from my room and threw it down in front of Song Qiankun. “Take a look, brother-in-law. This is what they call ‘treating me the same’! Do you two sleep under a quilt like this too?”
My quilt was paper-thin, its cover covered in countless patches, and the edges had been resewn several times—the fabric didn’t even match. Song Qiankun was staying here, so naturally he knew how my sister’s room was furnished.
He set down his chopsticks, his expression none too pleasant either.
Liu Yaolan was dumbstruck. Only after a long moment did she choke out, “Sister, is it really dignified to make a scene like this?”
I said, “I just want everyone to see—this is the ‘equal treatment’ you keep talking about. For at least seven or eight years now, when have you ever slept under a quilt like this? Look at my room—half of it is storage space, and it doesn’t even get sunlight. Look at what my sister wears, and then look at my clothes—they’re all hand-me-downs my brother didn’t want. That’s what they call treating us the same.”