Jiang Ruoxi widened her eyes, her face filled with disbelief. No matter how she thought about it, she had never imagined that after finally getting a chance to be reborn, she still could not escape the carefully planned schemes of her adoptive parents and their family!
She had once believed that starting over would allow her to change her fate, but reality had cruelly dealt her a devastating blow. Just what kind of deep scheming and vicious methods were these? Could this really be the suffering she was destined to endure? Jiang Ruoxi bit her lips tightly, her heart filled with anger, unwillingness, and despair…
“Ruoxi, your younger sister Lanlan is weak. She can’t endure the hardship of going to the countryside, so you go in her place.” Her adoptive mother pretended to wipe away her tears, but there was not the slightest trace of guilt in her eyes.
Jiang’s father puffed repeatedly on his worn-out dry tobacco pipe. Amid the swirling smoke, his face, deeply marked by the passage of time, appeared somewhat indistinct, but his tone was utterly matter-of-fact:
“That’s right, Ruoxi. From childhood until now, you’ve always been a sensible and obedient child, so naturally, this time can’t be an exception either! Lanlan will take over your job. From now on, our family will have to rely on her to support us, so you need to be more understanding and bear with it!”
After saying that, Jiang’s father took a deep drag of his cigarette, then slowly exhaled a cloud of thick smoke, as though those words had drifted away into the air along with the smoke.
Jiang Ruoxi stood where she was, her body trembling uncontrollably with anger. Her beautiful features were twisted by fury, and blazing rage burned in her eyes as she glared fixedly at the people in front of her who had once bullied and humiliated her.
Recalling all the suffering and mistreatment she had endured in her previous life, Jiang Ruoxi’s heart was filled with regret and unwillingness.
Back then, she had been far too weak-willed. Whenever she faced the oppression of others, she had always chosen to endure it silently, never daring to resist in the slightest. However, it was precisely this weakness that had led her step by step into a desperate situation, ultimately leaving her with an utterly miserable fate.
But in this life, everything would be different! After experiencing the painful torment of her previous life, Jiang Ruoxi had completely awakened. She secretly swore that she would never again allow others to manipulate her or silently swallow her grievances as she had before.
Having thought it through, Jiang Ruoxi smiled faintly: “Fine. Since that’s the case, if I’m not going to have a good life, then none of you will either. Come down to hell with me!”
Jiang’s father was startled by her sudden resistance, while Jiang’s mother flew into a rage out of embarrassment: “You dead girl, you’ve grown wings, haven’t you? How dare you talk back to us? This family isn’t your place to speak!”
Jiang Ruoxi grabbed the fire poker and swung it at Jiang’s father and mother, saying as she brandished it:
“If I’m not going to have a good life, then none of you will either. Your daughter is a daughter, but I’m not? Although I’m someone you adopted, you can’t treat me like this either. If you want me to go to the countryside in your daughter’s place, fine.
All these years, I’ve worked like an ox and a horse in your family. I’ve done all the hard and exhausting work. Even if I have no merit, I still have my share of suffering to show for it. Since you want me to go to the countryside in your daughter’s place, hand over 2,000 yuan to sever our family ties.
And besides, what kind of damn family are you? It’s been 17 years since you adopted me. I ate worse than a pig, got up earlier than a dog, and worked harder than an ox. What have you two ever done? You expect me to serve you for everything you eat, drink, urinate, and defecate. Asking for 2,000 yuan to sever our family ties is already letting you off easy.
If you don’t agree, I’ll go into the courtyard and shout everywhere that you’ve been abusing your adopted daughter. Let’s see whether you can keep your jobs! Let’s see whether anyone will still marry your daughter! Let’s see whether your son will still be able to find a wife!
I don’t expect you to treat me well. As long as you give me the money, from today onward, I have nothing to do with you! Go get the money right now, and don’t try any tricks on me!”
After saying that, Jiang Ruoxi turned around and went back to her room to pack. She knew that there was no point reasoning with people like them. She had to rent a place outside, or she would end up homeless.
Jiang Ruoxi packed the few clothes she had into a bag, then suddenly remembered that it was now the 1970s, and going out to eat or buy things required ration coupons. Without ration coupons, having money alone meant she could only go the black market.
Jiang Ruoxi thought to herself: I need to get some more ration coupons.
When Jiang Daguo and Liu Cuilan saw Jiang Ruoxi return to her room, the two of them finally came to their senses and began cursing: “We raised that stinking girl for so many years for nothing. We gave her food and drink, and she still dares to come at us and even hit us.”
Liu Cuilan looked at Jiang Daguo and said: “Old man, what should we do? Are we really going to give her the money? The money at home still has to be used to get our son a wife.”
Jiang Daguo puffed twice on his dry tobacco, then crooked his finger. Liu Cuilan leaned closer, and she heard Jiang Daguo say: “You just cry poverty and say that our family has no money. That dead girl only wants money, so sit on the ground and cry, make a scene, and roll around. Let’s see whether she still has any shame.”
Liu Cuilan: …“So you don’t mind embarrassing yourself, but I do?”
Liu Cuilan hesitated for a moment, but she still did as Jiang Daguo said. She plopped herself down on the ground and began wailing loudly, crying as she complained about how terribly poor their family was.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Ruoxi walked out of her room and sneered: “Stop acting. You’ve exploited me all these years, and you’ve even bribed the leaders of the Revolutionary Committee, your director, and other officials. You expect me to believe you don’t have any money? Who would believe that?
If you don’t want to be reported, then honestly give me the money. If you don’t have enough, go and gather it. Three days from now, I must have the money and ration coupons in my hands. Don’t even think about killing me. The moment something happens to me, a letter of denunciation will immediately appear on the desks of the steel factory director, the mayor, and even the Public Security Bureau. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try!”
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with panic and alarm. In the end, they were still unwilling to lose everything they currently had, so they had no choice but to go gather the money and hand it over to Jiang Ruoxi.
The couple, Jiang Daguo and Liu Cuilan, went out to gather the money, while Jiang Ruoxi began searching the house for places where they might have hidden things.
In the end, she discovered a secret compartment underneath Jiang Daguo’s bed. Inside were a ledger, a box of small yellow croaker gold bars, and quite a lot of money and ration coupons. After seeing everything clearly, Jiang Ruoxi did not touch anything inside. After restoring everything, she thought that if she got the opportunity, she would wipe out everything Jiang Daguo had in one fell swoop.