Lin Wanqiu followed Lin Zhaodi along the winding village path toward their family home.
It was around seven or eight in the morning, and the countryside was already bustling with activity.
Women hurried past carrying vegetable baskets, while adults and children who had finished breakfast made their way to the fields. Near the village entrance, elderly men and women gathered with bowls in their hands, chatting about the latest neighborhood gossip.
Most wore the same weary expressions, a mixture of exhaustion and resignation that seemed to define life in the 1970s.
Lin Wanqiu remembered this road.
In her previous life, it had been much the same. One morning in July, her younger sister had come to fetch her. Back then, she had followed anxiously, wondering what her mother wanted and worrying that she might have done something wrong.
But today, her footsteps were steady.
The birthmark on her wrist still radiated a faint warmth, like a brand etched into her skin, reminding her of the agony of being consumed by flames and the humiliation of being chained like an animal.
“Sis, hurry up!”
Lin Zhaodi turned around and urged her forward, a sweet, playful smile on her face.
“Mom’s probably getting impatient!”
Lin Wanqiu studied her younger sister.
Lin Zhaodi had slightly tanned skin, curved eyebrows, and a naturally innocent appearance.
Their parents often said, “Zhaodi has the face of someone blessed with good fortune. She’s bound to marry into a wonderful family someday.”
Because of that, they treated her like a precious treasure.
She never had to work in the fields or do heavy chores. Their mother even worried that washing dishes might ruin her delicate hands.
Meanwhile, Lin Wanqiu had been standing on a stool to cook at the stove since she was six.
By ten, she was already working alongside her parents in the fields to earn work points.
Her hands were almost always covered in chilblains and painful cracks from years of hard labor.
“I’m coming.”
Lin Wanqiu quickened her pace.
But inwardly, she sneered.
Blessed with good fortune?
Oh, yes. Her precious younger sister had certainly married into a “wonderful” family.
After Lin Wanqiu was sold to that village fool, their parents had arranged for Lin Zhaodi to marry a widowed butcher from a neighboring village, all for the sake of another bride price.
The butcher was a heavy drinker.
And whenever he got drunk, he became violent.
Lin Zhaodi frequently ran back to her parents’ house in tears, begging for help.
But Wang Guihua had little sympathy for her.
“A married daughter belongs to her husband’s family. Just put up with it, and things will get better.”
“You haven’t even been married a year, and you’re already talking about divorce? What if that butcher demands his bride price back?”
“We’ve already spent the money! Where are we supposed to find enough to repay him?”
Their parents had always favored sons over daughters.
When Lin Wanqiu was still at home, she had been the one they exploited and mistreated.
Once she was married off, it had simply become Lin Zhaodi’s turn.
It was all karma.
The Lin family lived at the easternmost edge of the village.
Their house was built from mud mixed with dried straw. It was unbearably hot in summer and freezing in winter. Wind slipped through the cracks, and whenever it rained, water leaked through the roof.
Before they even reached the doorway, Lin Wanqiu heard her mother’s booming voice.
“Exactly! Our Wanqiu is the most sensible girl you’ll ever meet. She hands over every penny of her wages without keeping a single cent for herself!”
“When we build our new house, we’ll definitely save a room for her!”
Through the open doorway, Lin Wanqiu spotted a woman in her forties sitting inside.
It was Auntie Liu, the village’s well-known matchmaker.
She wore a relatively new polyester blouse, her hair neatly combed into place. Holding an enamel mug, she nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course! You won’t find another girl in the entire village as hardworking and capable as Wanqiu!”
Lin Wanqiu paused at the entrance.
She remembered this scene.
In her previous life, Auntie Liu had come on this very day to arrange her marriage to Chen Zhigang.
And she, like livestock being brought to market, had been inspected, praised, and evaluated before eventually being “sold” to the Chen family for a bride price of one hundred and fifty yuan.
“Oh, Wanqiu! You’re back!”
Auntie Liu spotted her immediately and rose to her feet.
She looked Lin Wanqiu up and down, her eyes gleaming with approval.
“Just look at you! Such a sturdy young woman! One look at you, and anyone can see how hardworking you are!”
The way she examined her was no different from someone assessing a farm animal.
Lin Wanqiu lowered her eyes, concealing the coldness within them.
“Hello, Auntie Liu.”
“Oh, come here, dear!”
Auntie Liu beamed and reached for her hand.
“Sit down! I’ve got some wonderful news for you!”
Wang Guihua sat nearby, mending an old piece of clothing.
She was in her early fifties, with a slightly hunched back from years of physical labor. But her eyes remained sharp and calculating.
Whenever she looked at Lin Wanqiu, it was as though she were examining something valuable that belonged to her.
“What are you standing around for?” Wang Guihua snapped. “Hurry up and pour Auntie Liu some water!”
Lin Wanqiu obediently took the enamel mug and reached for the thermos.
As her fingers touched its surface, they tightened slightly.
While pouring the water, she casually asked, “Mom, didn’t you call me home because you had something to discuss?”
Wang Guihua and Auntie Liu exchanged knowing smiles.
“Well, here’s the thing.”
Wang Guihua cleared her throat and sat across from her daughter.
“Auntie Liu has found you a marriage prospect. His name is Chen Zhigang, and he’s from the neighboring village.”
“He’s a high school graduate and works as the production team’s work-point recordkeeper. He’s one of the few educated young men around here.”
She paused before continuing.
“His family does have some difficulties. His mother is bedridden and paralyzed, and he has a younger sister who’s still attending school. But they’ve made it clear that they’re looking for a hardworking, capable, and filial daughter-in-law like you.”
Lin Wanqiu handed the mug back to Auntie Liu without saying a word.
Auntie Liu quickly picked up the conversation.
“Wanqiu, I won’t hide anything from you. The Chen family might not be well-off, but Zhigang has a promising future!”
“And think about it. Once you marry into the family, you’ll be the eldest daughter-in-law. When his younger sister eventually gets married, won’t you be the one running the household?”
“How much is the bride price?” Lin Wanqiu suddenly asked.
Both women froze.
“W-What?” Wang Guihua stared at her.
She hadn’t expected that question.
As far as she knew, her eldest daughter had never been particularly concerned about money.
Still, perhaps this was a good thing. At least she wouldn’t have to bring up the subject herself.
“I asked about the bride price.”
Lin Wanqiu raised her head, her expression perfectly calm.
“How much is the Chen family planning to offer?”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Wang Guihua quickly forced a smile.
“Oh, you silly girl! Why are you worrying about that? He’s the team’s work-point recordkeeper. Do you really think his family would offer you a small bride price?”
“Mom,” Lin Wanqiu interrupted, “Xiao Zhang from the factory got married last month, and her bride price was one hundred and eighty yuan.”
“Sister Li married off her daughter for two hundred and twenty.”
She looked directly at her mother.
“Why should my bride price be any lower?”
Wang Guihua hesitated before answering.
“Of course you deserve just as much! The young man practically holds a cadre post, after all.”
Auntie Liu gave an awkward laugh.
“Well, about the bride price… The Chen family is very sincere. They’ve offered… one hundred and fifty yuan!”
One hundred and fifty.
That was exactly the amount they had offered in her previous life.
Wang Guihua had kept every last cent.
When Lin Wanqiu married into the Chen family, she brought nothing except two sets of old clothes.
Her mother-in-law had never let her forget it, constantly criticizing her for arriving without a proper dowry.
“Three hundred.”
Lin Wanqiu spoke the two words calmly.
“What?!”
Auntie Liu’s voice shot up.
“Three hundred yuan? Have you lost your mind? What girl around here demands a bride price that high?”
“I do.”
Lin Wanqiu set down her cup.
“I’m a permanent employee at the textile factory, earning twenty-five yuan and fifty cents a month. Three hundred yuan is roughly a year’s wages for me.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“Surely the Chen family can afford that?”
She knew perfectly well they could.
In her previous life, Chen Zhigang had married her because he wanted access to her wages.
For three hundred yuan, the Chen family would gain a woman who could earn money, manage the household, and care for his bedridden mother.
No matter how they calculated it, they would be getting an excellent bargain.
After a brief pause, she turned to Auntie Liu.
“Auntie Liu, please pass a message to the Chen family for me.”
“The bride price is three hundred yuan, and the money must be handed directly to me. I’ll keep it as the starting fund for our new household.”
She continued without hesitation.
“And I want all three major wedding items, a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a wristwatch—plus a radio. Not one can be missing.”
Auntie Liu stared at her, mouth hanging open.
For a long moment, she couldn’t find the words to respond.
Wang Guihua, meanwhile, had been delighted when she first heard her daughter demand three hundred yuan.
But the moment Lin Wanqiu announced that she intended to keep the money herself, her face turned pale with fury.
“Y-You! Are you trying to rebel against your own family?!”
“Of course the bride price belongs to us! Your younger brother still needs to get married, and this family still has expenses to…”
“Mom.”
Lin Wanqiu stood up.
“I earn twenty-five yuan and fifty cents every month. I’ve been working at the factory since I was sixteen.”
“Aside from what little I spent on food and clothing, I’ve handed over everything else.”
She paused, watching her mother’s expression.
“That must add up to nearly a thousand yuan by now, wouldn’t you say?”
Wang Guihua’s face stiffened.
“Over the past four years, I’ve paid for my brother’s schooling and my sister’s new clothes. More than half of this family’s expenses have been covered by my wages.”
Lin Wanqiu’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear.
“Now that I’m getting married, is it really unreasonable for me to want a little money of my own?”
“You… You’re actually keeping accounts against your own family?!”
Wang Guihua pointed at her daughter, her hand trembling with anger.
“I’m not keeping score. I’m only asking for what’s fair.”
Lin Wanqiu smiled faintly.
Those words sent Wang Guihua over the edge.
She threw aside the old clothes she had been mending, planted her hands on her hips, and glared at her daughter.
“You ungrateful little wretch! So now you’re counting every penny you’ve spent on your own parents?”
Her voice rose into an angry shriek.
“All these years, you’ve eaten my food and lived under my roof! Do you think I raised you for nothing?!”