Wu Huani, upon hearing that Jiang Li was going to marry Ding Shichen, ran straight to the Jiang family without even eating.
Before she could enter, she saw Jiang Jianguo returning to the Jiang house with a large group, holding the deed to the Ding family’s house.
“Your sister actually married Ding Shichen?” Before Jiang Jianguo could answer, Wu Huani grabbed him and asked.
Jiang Jianguo assumed Wu Huani was worried that if Jiang Li married into the Ding family, the bride price wouldn’t come back, preventing him from proposing to the Wu family.
He hurriedly explained:
“Don’t worry. Although my sister married into the Ding family, they gave three mud-brick houses as the bride price. When I propose at your house, I’ll use these three houses as the bride price, okay?”
Hearing this, Wu Huani felt dizzy and almost lost her balance.
Something was off. In her previous life, Jiang Li never married into the Ding family; she had tried every way to stay with the Jiang family.
After marrying into the Jiang family, Jiang Li constantly proved her worth to gain their approval, pouring all her efforts into taking care of her younger brothers.
She even competed for the attention and affection of the Jiang parents.
Day and night, she cooked, cleaned, and handled all household chores for the Jiang family. She personally organized birthday banquets for the elders and family gatherings during festivals.
Yet, despite all this, she was never truly liked by the Jiang family. They saw daughters as money-losing burdens who should sacrifice for the family.
Meanwhile, Wu Huani, who bore several sons for Jiang Jianguo, became the family’s darling, living comfortably.
Because of this, she looked down on Jiang Li, joining the Jiang family in treating her as a servant.
Eventually, Jiang Li died tragically. That same night, Wu Huani, forced to cook by herself, slipped in the kitchen—and then woke up thirty years in the past.
In her previous life, she had lived comfortably and freely, thanks to Jiang Li doing everything for the family. The only regret was that after Jiang Li’s death, the family had no servant left.
In this new life, Wu Huani naturally wanted a similar life, but this time she planned to take the initiative and not let Jiang Li control everything.
So, as soon as she returned, she rushed to the Jiang house. But could it be… her own reincarnation had changed Jiang Li’s fate?
Wu Huani felt uneasy. “Before your sister married, did she mention anything about taking a master or apprenticeship?”
“What master?” Jiang Jianguo looked puzzled. “But she did say something. She said that by marrying into the Ding family, she belongs to them and would sever ties with our Jiang family.”
“Sever ties?” Wu Huani grabbed Jiang Jianguo by the collar. “You agreed to that?”
Why would she sever ties? Could Jiang Li also have been reincarnated?
Wu Huani felt a chill—if Jiang Li had truly been reincarnated, the first step would be to escape the Jiang family that had enslaved her all her life. The second step would likely be revenge against the Jiang family.
If Jiang Li was planning revenge, she would need allies—explaining why she married into the Ding family.
No, Wu Huani couldn’t allow Jiang Li to do that. If Jiang Li succeeded, her own life would be difficult, since in her previous life, she had been one of the ones who oppressed Jiang Li.
Wu Huani’s anxiety confused Jiang Jianguo.
“What’s wrong? What’s the big deal about severing ties? My sister is already married—and to the poorest family in the village. If she didn’t sever ties, would we have to support the Ding family?”
“Don’t worry. My sister’s affairs won’t affect us. Just focus on marrying me, and I’ll make sure you live well.”
Looking at Jiang Jianguo’s confident face, Wu Huani suddenly realized something: in their previous life, the Jiang brothers had all succeeded in life.
Sure, they had Jiang Li’s help, but ultimately, it was their own talent that brought them success. If they had been incapable, nothing Jiang Li did could have helped them.
Moreover, Jiang Li had merely introduced them to a few masters and benefactors. With the experience from her previous life, Wu Huani could do the same now.
So, as long as she controlled the Jiang family’s brothers, she could live the same life as before.
Having realized this, Wu Huani’s anxiety eased.
“It’s nothing. I just didn’t expect Xiaoli to sever ties with the Jiang family. Don’t rush the proposal—you just graduated high school, so focus on school first.”
She remembered that Jiang Jianguo had just finished high school. Few families in the village sent their children to study, and those who could were usually boys. Few like Jiang Jianguo reached high school graduation.
“My dad said high school is enough. I don’t need college. He wants me to go to the steel factory in town—they’re short on workers, and with my education, I could become a supervisor.”
Jiang Jianguo sounded a bit proud and superior. If Wu Huani weren’t pretty and the village chief’s daughter, he wouldn’t have considered her. With his education and a steel factory job, he could easily marry a girl from town.
Well, he had liked Wu Huani since childhood—of course, he intended to marry her.
“What supervisor? You’re meant to be a scientist! Don’t waste your life in a steel factory. Listen to me and go to college, or I won’t marry you.”
Wu Huani pouted and turned back to the Wu household.
The Jiang family situation was too unpredictable. She had to think carefully. First, she needed to get to the masters from the previous life before Jiang Li did, so Jiang Jianguo could apprentice with them first.
She wondered which master Jiang Li intended for the Ding family to visit.
The Ding family was so poor they probably couldn’t afford a master, and with one son disabled, they couldn’t compete with the Jiang family. Wu Huani couldn’t understand Jiang Li’s reasoning.
Even after being reincarnated, she still seemed to be paving the way for Wu Huani’s success!
While Wu Huani plotted how to replace the previous Jiang Li and support the Jiang brothers, Jiang Li went with the Ding brothers to the half-mountain cottage.
The house was extremely dilapidated, with several sections missing a roof.
Fortunately, it was spacious, and most of the beams were still sturdy.
Ding Shichen instructed Ding Shijun to chop bamboo and trees, while the two younger brothers went to gather some thatch.
Except for Ding’s mother, everyone was busy.
Jiang Li helped Ding Shichen clear branches and debris from the bamboo and tree trunks in the yard and secured the thatch.
By the time they finished patching the roof and tidying the rooms, it was nearly dark.
There was no electricity in the room, so they could only light a candle.
Jiang Li went to start a fire for cooking, with Ding Shijun and Ding Shian following her.
The vegetables were wild greens they had just gathered, and the staple was cornmeal pancakes. The Ding family was truly poor; it was said they had spent all their money on Ding’s mother’s medical care and the three brothers’ education.
The food and utensils were rough and shabby.
Jiang Li stirred the wild vegetables in her bowl, thinking that the Ding family had helped her so much, she had to repay them in some way.
Resources from her previous life could be used to help the Ding family now—but she wouldn’t be foolish like before. She would leave herself a way out.
With her previous-life experience, she understood the Ding family’s character. And since Ding Shichen had sacrificed even his house to help her, how bad could his intentions really be?
Putting herself in their shoes, she resolved not to let the Ding family suffer.
Once she made up her mind, Jiang Li finished her meal and planned to take care of Ding’s mother, rest, and then have a talk with Ding Shichen.